Skip to main content

Full text of "A biographical history of central Kansas.."

See other formats 


J 


Ill 


REY^J05_Q5  ,J     3  1 833  0 1 095  0 1 59    ^  978  1 

OENEALOGY  c6LLt.-C  i  iOM  B5  2  c 

v.l 
1222721 


A  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY " 


CENTRAL  KANSAS 


ILLUSTRATED 


Embellished  with   Portraits  of  Many  Well-Known    People  of   this  Section  of  the 

Great  West,  who  have  keen  or  are    Prominent  in  its 

History  and  Development. 


VOL.  I. 


NEW    YORK    AND    CHICAGO: 

THE  LEWIS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


1222721 


PRKFACK. 


'^{f,f\fi1^^f^  UT  of  the  depths  of  his  mature  wisdom  Carlyle  wrote. 
"History  is  the  essence  of  innumerable  biographies." 
Believing  this  to  be  the  fact,  there  is  no  necessity  of 
advancing  any  further  reason  for  the  compilation  of 
such  a  work  as  this,  if  reliable  history  is  to  be  the 
^^"^^^^^l^l^t^      ultimate  object. 

The  section  of  Kansas  embraced  by  this  volume  has  sustained  within  its 
confines  men  who  have  been  prominent  in  the  history  of  the  State,  and  even 
.the  nation,  for  a  century.  The  annals  teem  with  the  records  of  strong 
and  noble  manhood,  and,  as  Sumner  has  said,  "the  true  grandeur  of  nations 
is  in  those  qualities  which  constitute  the  greatness  of  the  individual." 
The  final  causes  which  shape  the  fortunes  of  individuals  and  the  destinies 
of  States  are  often  the  same.  They  are  usually  remote  and  obscure, 
and  their  influence  scarcely  perceived  until  manifestly  declared  by  results. 
That  nation  is  the  greatest  which  produces  the  greatest  and  most  manly 
men  and  faithful  women;  and  the  intrinsic  safety  of  a  community  depends 
not  so  much  upon  methods  as  upon  that  normal  development  from 
the  deep  resources  of  which  proceeds  all  that  is  precious  and  permanent 
in  life.  But  such  a  result  may  not  consciously  be  contemplated  by  the 
actors  in  the  great  social  drama.  Pursuing  each  his  personal  good  by 
exalted  means,  they  work  out  as  a  logical  result. 

The  elements  of  success  in  life  consist  in  both  innate  capacity  and  determi- 
nation to  excel.  Where  either  is  wanting,  failure  is  almost  certain  in  the  out- 
come. The  study  of  a  successful  life,  therefore,  serves  both  as  a  source  of 
information  and  as  a  stimulus  and  encouragement  to  those  who  have  the 
capacity.  As  an  important  lesson  in  this  connection  we  may  appropriately 
quote  Longfellow,  who  said:  "We  judge  ourselves  by  what  we  feel  capa- 
ble of  doing,  while  we  judge  others  by  what  they  have  already  done."  A 
faithful  personal  history  is  an  illustration  of  the  truth  of  this  observation. 


PREFACE. 

In  this  biographical  history  the  editorial  staff,  as  well  as  the  publishers, 
have  fully  realized  the  magnitude  of  the  task.  In  the  collection  of  the  ma- 
terial there  has  been  a  constant  aim  to  discriminate  carefully  in  regard  to  the 
selection  of  subjects.  Those  who  have  been  prominent  factors  in  the  public, 
social  and  industrial  development  of  the  counties  have  been  given  due  recog- 
nition as  far  as  it  has  been  possible  to  secure  the  requisite  data.  Names 
worthy  of  perpetuation  here,  it  is  true,  have  in  several  instances  been  omit- 
ted, either  on  account  of  the  apathy  of  those  concerned  or  the  inability  of 
the  compilers  to  secure  the  information  necessary  for  a  symmetrical  sketch; 
but  even  more  pains  have  been  taken  to  secure  accuracy  than  were  promised 
in  the  prospectus.  Works  of  this  nature,  therefore,  are  more  reliable  and 
complete  than  are  the  "standard"  histories  of  a  country. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


INDKX. 


Abbott,  Handsel  A.,   163 
Ahlberg.  G.  F.,  677 
Ainswiorth.  Avery   R.,  626 
Ainsworth,  Jesse,  486 
Albrigbt,  M.  J..  378 
Allen,  Albert  S.,   598 
Allison,    Burton,   300 
Allison,  M.   E.,  298 
American  Steam  Laundry,  104 
Anderson,  Joel  M.,  334 
Anderson,  Thomas  J.,  624 
Andrews,   Henry   G.,    142 
Andrews,  James  A.,   560 
Appel,  George  A.,  371 
Appel,  William  E.,  371 
Astle,  William,  222 
Avery,  George,  474 
Axtell,  J.  T.,  669 

Bain,  Millard   F.,  543 
Bainum,   Levi   H.,  606 
Bainum,   William  G.,  660 
Bainum,    William    M.,    657 
Baker,  Ira,  381 
Baker,   James    F.,   715 
Baker,  James  R.,  561 
Baker,  James  W.,  746 
Baker,  Lew,  117 
Baker,  Willis  N.,  20 
Banfield,  Albert,  736 
Bardwell,  John  W.,  93 
Barkhurst,   William,  457 
Bates,  Frank  A.,  517 
Baxter,  Jackson  B.,  505 
Bay,  C.   M.,  288 
Beaman,    Alonzo,   693 
Bean,   Nathan  A.   C,  529 
Bean,  Robert  R.,  685 
Beers,   Isaac,   1.38 
Bellew,   Noah.  269 
Benedict,  William   H.   S.,  256 
Bennett,   William   R..   192 
Bettenbrook,   Frederick,  3.^8 
Birney,  David,  325 
Bishop,   G.   A.,   473 
Blackball,  John,  515 
Blakely,   Henry   H.,  400 
Blodgett,  William  C,  689 
Bobb,   Aaron,   216 
Bolinger,  Jacob,  756 
Boroughs.   Bartley   C,  391 
Boy,  Charles  F.,  631 


Boyce,   David,   477 
Branch,  Andrew   C.,  535 
Branch,   Phineas  C,  276 
Brinckerhoff,  Jermain  W.,  398 
Bromley.  John   H.,  204 
Brown,  G.  W.,  615 
Brown,   Jesse,   45 
Brown,  John  B.,  65 
Brown,  Weslev  S.,  437 
Brown,  W.   L..   147 
Bruce,   Frederick  J..  29 
Burdick,   Barnett,   464 
Burdick,  Charks  E.,   465 
Burke,  Laurence,  737 
Butler.   John,  220 
Butler,   John    F.,   220 

Caffry,  Eugene  M..  557 
Caldwell,  A.  B.,  40 
Calhoun,  Joseph  W.,  491 
Campbell.  James  M..  452 
Cannon.  William  T..  ,304 
Cappis,   William.  622 
Carhart,  William  H.,   124 
Carnahan,  Elias  M.,   S89 
Chamberlin,  David  C,  272 
Chambers,  Robert  R.,  620 
Church.   Bvron   L.,    152 
Clark,  Ira'H.,  663 
Clark,  William  H.,  S73 
Clarke.    J.    W..    109 
Clayton,  W.  B.,  670 
Cloud,  Fred  J.,  633 
Cole,  Baxter,  215 
Colladay.  Frank,  539 
Collett,  George  A.,  287 
Collings,  Albert  W..  407 
Collingwood.   Daniel   F.,  374 
Combs,    Albert,   228 
Conkling,   Clark,   .v'!8 
Connett.   A.   H.,  712 
Connor,    Eugene,    701 
Connor.  W.    B.,   168 
Cook,  Fred  W.,  564 
Cooper,   E.   C,  632 
Cragun,  John   A..  406 
Crawford,  John  C.   F.,  21 
Crow,   Martin,   329 

Danner,  Clark  L.,  340 
Davis,  Caleb  R..  126 
Davis,  George  T.,  75 


Davis,  J.   C,  343 
Day,    Claude    D.,    310 
Day,  John,   100 
Dayhoff,  Insley  L.,  88 
Dean,  Albert  A..  520 
Dean,  C.  A.,  408 
Deck,   Peter,   720 
Deissroth,   Frederick.   237 
Demoret,  Joseph,  366 
Demoret,    Mrs.    Ella,   375 
Dern,  B.  F.,  439 
DeWeese,   Carey,    584 
DeWeese,  William   S.,  360 
Dickhut,  Charles  W..   174 
Dillman,  James  M.,  353 
Dodge,  D.  P.,  495 
Dodge,   E.  J.,  664 
Dorr,  Josephus,  509 
Dtotson.  John  W.,   119 
Doze,  George  W.,  666 
Doze,  John   C,    709 
Duff,  J.  R.,  654 
Dukelow,  James.  28 
Dunham,  Jay,  98 
Dunkelberger,  Samuel,  611 
Dunkelberger,   William,  612 
Durham.    LaRue    H..   651 
Duval,    Claude,    178 

Easton,  Marquis  L..  656 
Ebbert,  William,  202 
Elbury,  Thomas  G.,  600 
Elwood,  Robert  J..  618 
Endicott,  J.   S..  628 
Engel,   James   P.,   46 
Eppley,  Josiah  T.,  394 
Evans,  Charles  J.,  754 
Evans,  John  G.,  703 
Evans,  Perry  A.,  198 
Everett,  Elmer,  501 

Paris,  Winfield  S..  629 
Fendrick.   Andrew,   610 
FInley,    M.,    208 
Fisher,    E.    C,    152 
Filch,  D.  D.,  570 
Fitzpatrick,  William,  95 
Ford,   Patrick  O..   662 
Forsha,  Alexander  L.,   155 
Forsha,   Sam  W.,   158 
Forsyth.  John   D..  86 
Forward,  M.   W.,  739 


INDEX. 


Foster,   Frank    H.,   73 
Foster.   Frank   S.,  740 
Fox,  David,  648 
Fox,  Thomas  O.,  213 
Franklin,  John  H.,  719 
Freels,  W.  H.,  611 
Freese,  James  A.,  566 
Frisbie,  George  M.,  338 
Fry,  Frank  A.,  392 
Fuller,  F.  E.,  250 
Fulton,   Samson,   53 
Funk,  James  F.,  380 

Gardner,  John   S..   70 
Giaston,  W.  E.,  577 
George,  Joseph   S.,  450 
Gerber,  John,  616 
Gerber,  Mike,  466 
Giertz,  Joseph,  202 
Gilchrist,  John,  166 
Gile,  William  S.,  385 
Giles,  Daniel,  33 
Gillett,   Preston   B.,    136 
Ginter*  George  W..  526 
Goldsborough,  H.  J.,  695 
Gordenier,   Fred  B.,  493 
Gorman.   John.    704 
Grant.  David  F.,  5.28 
Greenfield.  Jesse.  608 
Greenlee.  Jasper  J.,  757 
Gregg,  Andrew  J..  250 
Gregg,   Currence,  63 
Griem,   Renning   H..   651 
Griffith,    Frederick   J.,   320 
Griffith,  John  D..  751 
Grosvenor,  William   S..  Z2:i 
Groth.    Henry    M..    574 
Grover,  Dallas,  758 

Hair,  William  T.,  572 
Hamilton.   James   W.,   743 
Handy,    William,    749 
Harbaugh.   David.  492 
Harding,  John  B..  373 
Harlow.   Frank.  324 
Harrison.   William   J'..   118 
Hauschild.   Jacob.   307 
Hauser.  George  F.,  207 
Hay,  Geo.  L.,  484 
Heath,   William   V.,  405 
Hedden.   Elisha,    15 
Hedges,  M.  T..  682 
Hedrick.    Charles.    454 
Heist,  Michael  B.,  467 
Helm.  Wesley  B.,  308 
Hendry,  William  F..  488 
Herren,   Isaac   W..    57i 
Heryer,   David,   357 
Hibbert.  James,  55 
Hill,  W.  W.,  76 
Hilton,   James,   621 
Hilyard.  W.  H.,  363 
Himes.  Solomon   P..  558 
Hissem.,  Henry  Z.,  552 
Hoagland,  Martin,  644 
Hodgson,   H.   C,    122 
Hodgson,  William,  314 
Hoesman,  H.   F.,  ii 
Holcomb,   T.   C.,   639 


Holland.  James  M.,  44 
Holmes,  John   B..   342 
Holmes.  John   E..    115 
Holton,   Richard  H..  318 
Honey,  Henry  R.,  732 
Hopkins,  Isaac  A.,  332 
Hopkins,  James  L.,  171 
Hopkins,  O.   E..  224 
Howard.    Daniel    H.,   533 
Howell.   David.   671 
Hoyt.   Henry   S..  '18 
Hudson.  Robert  B..  540 
Huey,  Thomas  J..  311 
Huffman.  J.  R.,  387 
Hughes.   Robert   W..   446 
Hummel.    Peter.    23 
Humphrey.   Joseph    E..    35 
Hunter.   Alexander    S.,   246 
Huntington,  Frank  H..  726 
Hutton,    Emmett.   96 
Hutton  &   Oswald,   104 
Huycke,  George,  445 

Inman,    Henry,    506 

Jellison,   Charles  R..  227 
Jennings.    Charles    E.,   259 
Jewell,  A.  M..  72 
Jewell.  Warren  D..  579 
Johnson.  DeWitt  C.  78 
Johnson,   G.   B..  725 
Johnson,  Henry,  472 
Johnson,  Jacob.   296 
Johnson.   William  L..  362 
Johnson.  William  R..  247 
Johnston  J.   E..  718 
Jones.  Edward  W..  525 
Jones.  George  W..  536 
Jones.   Samuel.  433 
Jordan.  James  M..  22 
Judson.  John  S.,  109 

Kabler.   L.    W..   696 
Kansas  Grain   Company.   592 
Kauflfman.    Samuel,    i^i 
Kelley.  Frank.  S38 
Kendall.   Charles   T..    ^12 
Kidd.   T.   M..   617 
King.  William  B.,  47 
Kirby.  Elisha  W.,  575 
Kirk,   James,   412 
Klose.   Edward.   302 
Koons.   Simon   W..  239 
Krey.   Frederick.   283 
Kunkle,   Aaron,   738 

Lackey,  John  T.,  727 
Landis,  Levi  F.,  471 
Lang,  John   A.,    194 
Lash.  Albert  R..  60^ 
Lashmet,  J.  E..  468 
Latshaw.  Joseph.  92 
Lavertv,   Lewi-.    146 
Laviellc,    P.,ri,.,Nl,    y,- 
Lawrence.    Willia.n.   43 
Leighty,   Steplieii    S.,  662 
Leonard.   C.   D.,  692 
Leslie,  John   F..   141 
Levitt,  George  L.,  568 


Lewis,   J.    F..    516 
Lewis,  William  N.,  238 
Libbev.   Leon    D..    172 
Libby,   William  H..  252 
Light,  Jacob  W.,  27 
Lindsley,   Herbert   K.,  469 
Lippincott,  E.  M,.  623 
Livingston,    Samuel    B..    402 
Logan,   David   W..   686 
Long,   Gabriel.   293 
Lonnon.   F.   M..  42=; 
Love.  William  R..  463 
Lucas,  William   B.,  251 
Lydecker,  John   E.,  411 
Lyman,  Herbert    S.,    175 

Maguire.   M..   653 
Majors.  Samuel,  431 
Malcolm.  John  G.,  206 
March.  John.   158 
Markham.  John  J..  500 
Markle.    H.    C.   7H 
Martin,   Andrew   B.,   128 
Martin.   John.    307 
Masters.   C.    I)..   755 
Mathews.   Samuel.  326 
May,  James  S..  s6 
May,  W.   L..  383 
McAlillv.   M.    L..   3i8 
McCandless,   M.   H..  664 
McClellan,  Wylie,  395 
McClelland,  George  F..  714 
McConnell.  J.   A.,  680 
McCormack,   W.    B.,   390 
McCracken.  Isaac  L..  242 
McDavitt.  John  L.,  344 
Mcllhenny,    Henry    L..    706 
McKenry.  Joseph  F..  683 
McKinnis.  Robert.  312 
McLaurin.  John   R.,  270 
McMillan.   W.   K..  594 
McMurphy.    Alonzo.    198 
McPeek.    Joseph,    478 
McPlicrson.    Owen    P..    597 
MtVay.  Mrs.  Cornelia    (Buckles). 

377 
Measer.   John   J..    16=; 
Melville.  William.  ^72 
Meng.   Michael.    183 
Miller.  Charles  P..  162 
Miller.  P.  D..  627 
Miller,  Robert  C.   m9 
Milligan.   S.   C.  84 
Miner.   George   H..   422 
Mitchell.   Ida    M..   441 
Mitchell.   William   H..  3(10 
Monroe.  A.  J..  66 
Monroe.  G.  A..  67 
Moon..   James   V..   303 
Morgan.   William  Y..  9 
Morris,  Harvey.  483 
Morris.   Samuel   J..  544 
Morris,  T.    E.,  607 
Morrison,  John  T..  508 
Morter.   G.   W..   531 
Moscript.  Robert  O.,  623 
Moses,  Brothers,  594 
Moses,  Clayton  L.,  594 
Moses,   Edward  W.,  594 


INDEX. 


Moi^es,   George   N..  51 

Rose,  John   W.,   120 

Swartz.    Simeon,   413 

Mowery,  G.  H.,  555' 

Rose,    William   A..  231 

Swingle,  Asa   S.,  636 

Murphy,  Will   R..  661 

Ross,  William  J.,  280 

Switzer,  Alexander  M.,   102 

Murray,  James,   399 

Russell,   F.   Vernon,  603 

Sykes,  C.  T.,  393 

Murray,   William   F.   354 

Ryker,  Charles   A.,  355 

Mustoe,  H.   A.,  710 

Ryther,  James,   48 

Tampier,  Joseph  F.,  226 

Mustoe,  U.  G.,  635 

Tanton,  Robert  E.,  31 

Myers,  Adolphus  F.,  569 

Sallee,   Samuel,  496 

Taylor,  Charles  R,  490 

Sample,  Charles   \V.,  403 

Taylor,  Ernest  A.,  244 

Nash,  J.  T.,  200 

Sample,  Edward,   711 

Tedrick,  William  R.,  409 

Negley,   David   M.,  708 

Sanderson,   Ernest   W.,   587 

Tellin,   Peter,   716 

Nelson,  John  W,,  189 

Sanderson,    Samuel,    587 

Templer,  Thomas  J.,  592 

Nesmith.  William  L.,   13 

Schaet?er,  August  H.,  599 

Teter,   Samuel   P.,   149 

Newk.rk.   R.   R  .  534 

Schall,   Harry   S.,  45O 

Thornley,   David   M.,  273 

Newlm.    William.  591 

Schardein,  John.   134 

Tibbutt,  George,  722 

Newnmn,  Henry   B.,  243 

Schermerhorn,   Edward   D.,   72^ 

Tincher.  J.  N..  655 

Nichols.  George  H..  532 

Schmidt,   William.   368 

Tiln^.    Hrnrv.   (>)7 

Nickason.  G.  M.,  177 

Seeley,  Loren  L.,  613 

r-Mrn.     1  r„-tiniuil    P..   420 

Norris,   F.   H.,    162 

Sentney,  Charles  N.,  688 

r-uimihl,    George.    504 

Nunemaker,  J.   S.,  2^2 

Shaw,  Kinsey,  382 

Trao,    David    B.,   2to 

Nutter,  John  N.,  440 

Shaw,  Simeon  J.,  602 

Truesdell,  E.  R,  255 

Sheriff,  William  E.,  742 

Truitt,  George,  39 

Obermowe,   Henrv,   135 

Sherman,  E.  F.,  586 

Ogle,  B.  F.,  667 

Shideler,  Jacob  C,  448 

Van  Bibber,  Moses  H.,  234 

O-Hara,  Henry  C..  210 

Shiells,   John,    171 

Vandeveer,   George   A.,  67 

Oswald,  Charley  W..  97 

Shock,   Benjamin,    143 

Van  Deventer,  Cyrus  C,  17 

Overton,   Benjamin   F.,   541 

Shuler,  Tillman  A.,  562 

Van  Patten,  Myndert,  188 

Shuler,  William  D.,  191 

Van   Sickle,   William  J.,  498 

Palmer,  Daniel,  637 

Shumway,  Reuben   B.,  426 

Vaughan,  C.  L.,  240 

Park,  Joseph  E.,  90 

Shuyler,  David  M.,  419 

Venn,  Harry,   752 

Patterson,  J.  W.,  676 

Shuyler,  John  S.,  25 

Vermillion,  L.  E.,  160 

Peckham,   Charles   W.,   4S8 

Siemsen,   Henry,   277 

Vincent,  Frank,  24 

Pennington,   William   R..   284 

Smith,    C.    B.,   235 

Vincent,  John  B.,  218 

Peters,   Samuel   R.,  641 

Smith,   Edward  B.,  447 

Volkland,  William,  99 

Pickerill,    Walter,   647 

Smith,  Edward  L.,  336 

Pieper,  Conrad  H.,   130 

Smith,  Ephraim  A.,  196 

Walker,  John  P.,  480 

Pierce,  William  E.,  54 

Smith,  Francis  M.,  36 

Walters,  Leonard,  679 

Plank,   C.   v.,   17 

Smith,   George,  8i 

Ward,  Mahlon,  604 

Plankenhorn.  David,  416 

Smith,  Isaac   N.,   328 

Ward,  William  M.,  734 

Pollock,   William   C,  379 

Smith,  John  L.,  186 

Warner,   H.    C.   113 

Porter,   Frank   S..  597 

Smith,  Joseph    A.,   519 

Warrell,  Mark,  98 

Porter,  William  M.,  346 

Smith,  Louis  C,  279 

Warren.    William    A..   652 

Potter,    Peter   B.,    125 

Smith,  S.  J.,  429 

Waterman,   William  H.,  482 

Potter,   William,   184 

Smith,   S.   L,,  424 

Watkins,  Robert  J.,  253 

Presby,   Solon  P.,  553 

Smith,  William,  523 

Watson,  Robert  N.,  465 

Price,  John   R.,   275 

Smith,  Wilson,  279 

Weatherd.  John  W.,  60 

Prigg,   Frank    R,    11 

Soden,  William  T.,  694 

Weaver,   Ezra,  278 

Proffitt,  C.   G.,  219 

Southerland,   Charles   Y..   569 

Weigel,  Jacob,  233 

Proffitt,  J.    M.,   266 

Sparks,  Chauncey  C,  350 

Wellman,  Edward  C,  5SS 

Prose,  Joseph   B.,  495 

Speck,  A.  D.,  435 

Wellman,  J.  M.,  556 

Prouty,  F.  A.,  690 

Sperry,  Samuel  A.,  442 

Wells,  John  W.,  491 

Spickard,   Samuel,  205 

Wernet,  Herman.  263 

Radcliffe.  John  C,  6r 

Sponsler,  A.  L.,  106 

Wernet.   Xaver.    is'i 

Radiol,  George  V„  521 

Stahl,  C.  C,  485 

West.  William.  70s 

Ramsev,  James  M..  si  I 

Stephenson,  John,  678 

Westerman.   Le«,;  11..  261 

Rankin,    lamrs.   77 

Stevenson,  C.  C,  728 

Westfall.   B.   S..  418 

Raiip.    W  illiaiii,  (.40 

Stewart,  Henry  M.,  56=; 

White.   C.   C.  85 

R;nl,    I'liiah,   J4S 

Stewart,  J.  E.,  in 

Whiteside,    Houston.   713 

Reann.r.    I'aMl.    41/ 

Stewart.  Samuel  W.,  730 

Wiegel.  Louis.  294 

Rrdtiel.l,   (ieorge  Z.,   582 

St.  John.  J.amc.    .53 

Wiggins,  Harvey.  167 

keid.   Daniel   E..  285 

Stockwdl.    b.h.i    II..   00 

Wiggins.  John.  349 

Ku-e,    Wilbur    H..   352 

Stoltcnl.rr..;.    1  Ionian    .\..    12 

W.ldin.  John   R.    144 

Rickar.l.  J.   W.,  684 

Stone,   Gilbert   11.,   476 

Willett.   Thomas  J..   514 

Riggs.  Eli  J..  700 

Stone,  Solomon,  513 

Williamson.   Cicero.    S4g 

Ritchey,  W.   F.,  438 

Stratmann.  Bert.  423 

Wilson.  Eli  C.  699    ■ 

Robbins,  William   W..   546 

Strohmeyer,  Henry,  672 

Wilson,  J.  A..  301 

Robinson,   Charles.   292 

Sturgis.  W.  D..  214 

Wilson,  James  M..  271 

Roff.  John   W..  384 

Sultzbach.  Henry,  581 

Wilson,   W.   Henry,   290 

Root,  Edwin   S.,  58 

Summers,   Alvin   E.,   229 

Winsor,  George  R.,  80 

INDEX. 


Winsor,  James,  79 
Wolf,   Fred,  396 
Wolfe.   Gideon  R..  576 
Wood.   C.   A..   5-'7 
Wooddell.  Charles  N.,  124 
Wright,   Benjamin,   542 


Wright,  Hannah,  264 

Yeoman,  J.   A..  71 

Wyer,  John  W.,  721 

Young,  Jacob   A.,    105 

Wyman.  David,  550 

Young,  John  M.,  82 
Youngs,  Francis  L.,  675 

Yearout.   N.   J..  432 

\ust,   Fred.  547 

Yeoman,  A.  O.,  351 

Yust,  John,  331 

A  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


OK 


CENTRAL  KANSAS. 


WILLIA^I  Y.  .MORGAN. 

A\'illiam  Y.  Morgan,  president  of  the 
State  Exchange  Bank,  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing representatives  of  journalistic  interests 
in  central  Kansas,  occup3nng  the  responsible 
position  of  state  printer.  For  thirty  years 
he  has  lived  in  Kansas  and  has  made  his 
home  in  Hutchinson  since  1895.  He  was 
born  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  April  6,  1866,  and 
was  only  four  3"ears  of  age  when  his  par- 
ents came  to  the  Sunflower  state.  His  fa- 
ther, William  A.  ^Morgan,  is  a  native  of  Ire- 
land but  was  reared  in  America  where  he 
arrived  with  the  family  when  a  little  lad  of 
four  summers,  his  parents  locating  in  Cin- 
cinnati. Throughout  almost  his  entire  life 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  printing 
business,  becoming  familiar  with  it  in  e\-ery 
department.  At  the  time  of  the  civil  war 
he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  the  Twenty-third 
Kentucky  regiment  and  saw  much  active  ser- 
vice. He  has  bee*  prominent  in  Grand 
Army  circles  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
everything  tending  to  advance  the  welfare 
of  his  ciinu-ades  who  wnre  the  blue,  when 
upon  the  southern  battle  fields  they  fought 
for  the  preservation  of  the  union.  He  is  at- 
taining to  distinction  in  civic  life  and  has 
served  in  both  branches  of  state  legislature 


since  coming  to  Kansas  in  1871.  He  makes 
his  home  in  Cottonwood  Falls,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  the  publication  of  the  Chase 
County  Leader.  A  man  nf  .strung  mentality 
and  marked  force  nf  character,  he  has  left 
the  impress  of  his  indixiduality  for  good 
upon  many  lines  of  thought  and  action.  He 
married  Minnie  Yoast,  who  is  prominent  as 
a  member  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps. 

William  Y.  Morgan,  whose  name  begins 
this  re\-iew,  was  well  fitted  for  life's  practi- 
cal and  responsible  duties  by  a  liberal  educa- 
tion which  he  pursued  in  the  state  univer- 
sity of  Kansas  at  Lawrence.  There  he  pur- 
sued a  special  course  that  prepared  him  for 
the  vocation  which  he  had  chosen  for  his  life 
work.  At  an  early  date  he  learned  to  set 
type  in  his  father's  office  in  Cottonwood 
Falls,  and  thus  became  connected  with  the 
art  preservative  of  arts.  The  practical  work 
which  he  had  done  in  connection  with  the 
printing  business,  gave  him  a  better  insight 
into  the  instruction  he  received  at  the  uni- 
versity so  that  he  profited  much  more  l)y  his 
college  training  than  nthers  who  had  no 
kuDwlcd-c  of  the  business,  and  in  his  class 
he  to,  k  high  rank.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Phi  Gamma  Delta,  a  college  fraternity. 

After  his  graduation,  Mr.  Morgan  was 
engaged  in  local  work  on  a  Lawrence  paper 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


and  then  purchased  a  newspaper  in  Strong 
City,  which  he  edited  and  published  for 
four  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  pe- 
riod he  sold  out  and  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  Emporia  Daily  Gazette.  His  work  in 
connection  therewith  was  \-ery  successful 
and  he  conducted  a  paper,  making  it  a  first 
class  publication,  until  1895,  when  he  sold 
to  ^^'illiam  Allen  ^^'hite,  the  noted  writer 
and  journalist,  and  came  to  Hutchinson. 
The  collapse  of  the  boom  at  this  place  had  af- 
fected the  newspaper  interests,  as  well  as 
other  lines  of  business,  and  the  circulatiim  of 
the  papers  was  lessened  thercl)y.  However, 
recognizing  the  opportunit}*  to  build  up  a 
good  business  here,  Mr.  Morgan  organized 
the  News  Company,  of  which  he  is  president 
and  the  principal  stuckliolder.  While  he 
has  followed  the  plan  oi  ha\ing  his  co-work- 
ers interested  iinancially  in  the  success  and 
thus  stimulating  them  to  greater  effort,  he 
is  the  manager  of  the  paper  and  has  made 
it  one  of  the  leading  journals  in  the  state. 
Here,  as  in  all  other  newspaper  enterprises 
in  which  he  has  embarked,  his  own  industry, 
capable  management  and  enterprise  have  had 
marked  effect  in  building  up  the  business, 
increasing  the  circulation  of  the  paper,  and 
making  it  a  paying  inxestment.  Few  cities 
of  the  size  of  Hutchinson  can  boast  of  a 
daily  paper  issued  with  as  much  general 
news  as  has  the  one  of  which  ]\Ir.  Morgan 
has  charge.  He  has  an  efficient  corps  of  re- 
porters in  the  field  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Associated  Press,  thus  receiving  the  latest 
telegraphic  news.  It  has  taken  much  labor 
and  experience  to  place  the  paper  in  its  ex- 
cellent condition,  but  he  brought  to  bear  his 
long  and  varied  experience  in  the  newspaper 
field  together  with  marked  business  ability. 
Its  patronage  has  largely  increased  in  every 
department  and  it  is  miw  the  niddel  paper  of 
central  and  western  Kansas,  ]Ta\-ing  marked 
effect  in  moulding  public  opinion  and  at  the 
same  time  greatly  advancing  the  interests  of 
the  Republican  party. 

Mr.  Morgan  has  always  been  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Republican  principles,  and 
was  only  twenty  vears  of  age  when  he  was 
made  secretary  of  the  Douglas  county  con- 


vention. In  whatever  community  he  has 
lived  since,  he  has  been  honored  with  the 
position  of  either  secretary  or  chairman  of 
the  Republican  Central  committee,  and  at 
the  present  time  he  is  serving  in  the  latter 
office  here,  having  acted  in  that  capacity  for 
four  consecutive  years.  He  has  never  been 
a  candidate  for  any  office  himself,  outside  of 
the  line  of  his  profession.  In  January,  1899, 
he  was  elected  by  the  state  legislature  to  the 
office  of  state  printer  and  is  still  the  incum- 
bent. His  work  is  highly  satisfactory,  ow- 
ing to  his  thorough  understanding  of  the 
printing  business,  and  his  efficiency  is  indi- 
cated by  most  excellent  workmanship  pro- 
duced under  his  control. 

Mr.  ]\Inrg-an  was  elected  president  of  the 
State  Exchange  Bank  of  Hutchinson  in  Jan- 
uary, 1902.  and  is  deeply  interested  in  all 
matters  intended  for  the  general  good.  He 
is  a  memljcr  .  d'  the  board  of  managers  of  the 
Jubilee  association,  which  has  done  so  much 
to  advance  the  musical  interests  not  onlv  of 
the  city,  but  of  the  state.  He  is  a  member  of 
both  the  Park  and  Fair  associations,  which 
he  has  since  aided  to.  a  considerable  extent  in  ■ 
a  financial  way.  He  served  for  two  or  three 
years  as  secretary  of  the  Commercial  Club 
and  later  as  its  president.  In  Masonry  he 
holds  membership  in  the  lodge  of  Emporia, 
m  Reno  Chapter.  Xo.  34,  R.  A.  M. ;  in  Reno 
Commandery,  No.  26,  K.  T.,  and  in  Wichita 
Consistory  No.  2,  S.  P.  R.  S.  He  is  an 
active  member  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  and 
has  served  as  its  commander  in  the  state  leg- 
islature. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  grand 
lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  belongs 
to  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  \\'orkmen, 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

On  the  20th  of  November,  1891,  in 
Strong  City,  Mr.  Morgan  married  Colie 
Adair,  a  daughter  of  Wit  Adair  of  that  city. 
He  has  just  completed  the  erection  of  a  fine 
residence  at  No.  416  Sherman  street,  which 
is  the  highest  point  on  the  street.  Mr.  Mor- 
gan has  a  wide  acquaintance  throughout  the 
state  and  is  prominent  among  the  best  people 
of  Kansas.  He  is  known  in  the  legislative 
and  business  circles,  amid  the  members  of 


n 

Sf  o 

3    ?a 


-   o 
^  z 

2    O 

m 
Z 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


fraternal  organizations,  and  wherever 
known,  he  is  held  in  highest  regard.  His 
career  is  imbued  with  the  enterprising  spirit 
of  the  West,  and  progress  has  been  his 
watchword.  Every  movement  or  concern 
with  which  he  becomes  connected  feels  the 
intiuence  of  his  labors  and  is  advanced  there- 
l)_v.  A  natural  leader,  the  impress  of  his  in- 
dividuality has  ever  been  for  good,  and  he 
stands  to-day  among  the  leading"  men  of  cen- 
tral Kansas,  known  and  honored  for  his 
genuine  worth. 


FRANK  F.  PRIGG. 

Few  citizens  of  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  are 
unacquainted  at  least  by  reputation  with  the 
scholarly,  able  and  successful  member  of  the 
legal  profession,  Frank  F.  Prigg,  the  senior 
memlaer  of  the  prominent  firm  of  Prigg  & 
Williams,  of  Hutchinson,  Kansas.  Since 
I SS3  he  has  been  identified  with  the  business 
interests  of  this  city. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Prigg  occurred  in 
^^ladison  county,  Indiana,  on  June  5,  1853. 
and  he  traces  an  honorable  ancestry  from  a 
worthy  Welsh  emigrant  on  down  to  his  loyal 
grandfather,  who  made  the  name  of  William 
Prigg  respected  in  the  war  of  1812.  For 
\-alorous  ser\-ices  during  this  war  the  govern- 
ment granted  him  land,  and  he  removed 
from  his  former  home  at  Havre  de  Grace, 
^laryland,  first  to  Ohio  and  later  to  Indiana. 
Here  he  was  a  pioneer  and  entered  some 
land  in  what  is  now  Madison  county.  By 
trade  he  was  a  tanner,  but  after  settling  in 
loiHana  fdlowed  farming. 

Edward  C.  Prigg.  the  son  of  \\"illiam 
the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  during 
the  family  residence  in  Ohio,  being  still  a 
lad  when  removal  was  made  to  Indiana.  He 
assisted  on  the  pioneer  farm  and  always  en- 
joyed agricultural  pursuits,  although  he  be- 
canie  a  successful  physician ;  for  manv  years 
he  combined  the  two  vocations.  He  be- 
came active  in  the  Republican  party,  al- 
thjiugh  never  an  office  holder,  and  was  a 
leading  member  of  the  Universalist  church. 


The  first  marriage  of  Dr.  Prigg  occurred  in 
Indiana,  to  Miss  Harriet  Curry,  and  the  chil- 
dren of  this  union  are:  Frank  F.,  of  this 
biography,  and  Mary  F.,  who  is  now  a  Mrs. 
Bryant  and  a  resident  of  New  York.  The 
second  marriage  of  Dr.  Prigg  was  to  Mar- 
garet Jones,  two  children  also  being  born  to 
this  union,  namely:  Helen  M..  who  now  is 
a  i\Irs.  Ginn,  residing  in  Indianapolis,  and 
Edward  R.,  who  is  a  salesman  in  New  York. 
Dr.  Prigg  is  passing  the  evening  of  life  in 
his  home  in  Indiana,  his  years  now  reaching 
seventy-four. 

The  rudiments  of  our  subject's  education 
were  accjuired  in  the  public  schools  of  Madi- 
son county,  Indiana.  The  natural  and  ir- 
resistible bent  of  his  mind  was  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  law,  and  very  ear]\-  he  f^  iresaw 
that  his  own  efiforts  must  pro\ide  the  neces- 
sary education,  although  he  was  assisted  by 
all  that  his  father  could  provide,  his  mother 
having  died  when  he  was'  but  seven  years  of 
age.  Taking  a  preparatory  teacher's  course, 
he  contributed  to  his  own  support  by  teach- 
ing, in  the  meantime  employing  all  spare  mo- 
ments in  study.  A  scientific  course  followed 
at  Valparaiso,  Indiana,  and  later  he  was  en- 
abled to  graduate  at  the  Central  Normal 
College,  at  Danville,  Indiana.  Beginning 
to  teach  in  187S,  he  followed  this  profession 
for  three  years  in  the  country  schools,  and 
four  years  in  the  graded  schools,  continually 
reading  law  under  instruction,  both  in  Dan- 

'  ville  and  Middletown.     In  1882  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  Danville. 

In  1883  he  came  as  a  teacher  to  Hutch- 
inson, Kansas,  serving  for  two  years  as  the 
efficient  superintendent  of  the  city  schdols. 
a  position  at  that  time  of  great  resiKnisibility 
and  annoyance,  hampered  as  he  was  liy  exist- 
ing conditions.  Although  eminently  success- 
ful, this  was  not  the  career  which  he  had 
marked  out  for  himself  and  for  which  he  had 
so  carefully  prepared.  Resigning  this  lucra- 
tive position,  he  started  out  upon  the  untried 
path  of  the  law.     In  1885  he  opened  an  office 

i  in  the  some  liuilding  in  which  he  is  now  lo- 
cated, where  he  has  since  remained. 

From  his  initial  case  our  subject  has  been 
successful,    his    aljilitv   receiving   immediate 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


recognition,  bringing  him  a  large  practice 
which  has  resuhed  in  social  prominence  and 
financial  prosperity.  In  1896  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Charles  M.  Williams,  the 
legal  firm  of  Prigg  &  Williams  being  one  of 
the  strong  combinations  in  the  business 
world  of  Reno  county.  Both  members  of  the 
firm  are  men  of  thorough  knowledge  and 
judicial  mind,  and  both  are  thoroughly 
equipped  for  the  legal  battles  in  which  they 
are  constantly  involved.  The  library  pos- 
sessed by  this  firm  needs  a  passing  notice, 
being  complete  and  kept  entirely  up-to-date 
in  all  respects,  and  represents  at  the  present 
time  an  outlay  of  over  five  thousand  dollars. 
This  gives  the  firm  not  only  all  past  records, 
but  also  the  latest  decisions,  so  tliat  the 
clients  are  assured  of  advice  sustained  by 
precedent,  in  every  case.  Aside  from  this 
]\Ir.  Prigg  possesses  an  extensive  library  at 
his  home,  which  represents  the  latest  and 
best  of  the  world's  literature.  While  not 
making  a  .specialty  of  any  branch  of  the 
law,  he  has  given  close  attention  to  real  es- 
tate and  corporation  law  and  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  safest  and  most. thoroughly  in- 
structed lawyers  in  the  state,  and  is  entrusted 
with  cases  involving  ^-ast  amounts  of  money 
and  embracing  many  avenues  of  business 
activity. 

Although  so  constantly  occupied  with  the 
cares  and  responsibilities  of  his  profession, 
Air.  Prigg,  like  his  father,  has  a  liking  for 
agriculture,  and  his  recreation  consists  in 
experiments  in  horticulture,  on  his  farm  of 
forty  acres,  located  in  the  rich  Cow  Creek 
bottoms,  adjoining  the  city  on  the  east. 
Twenty  acres  of  this  tract  he  has  set  in  fine 
young  apple  trees,  which  have  just  come  to 
a  bearing  age,  promising  a  great  fruitage. 
When  wearied  with  business  care  this  is  a 
pleasant  retreat,  although  Mr.  Prigg  has  a 
pleasant  residence  in  the  city,  at  No.  509 
Avenue  A,  east. 

In  his  political  affiliations  he  has  always 
been  actively  identified  with  the  Republican 
party:  but  previous  to  this  time,  the  stress 
of  private  business  has  precluded  anv  ac- 
ceptance of  office  except  that  for  seven  con- 
secutive terms  he  served  as  citv  attornev,  and 


during  his  administration  important  ques- 
tions of  water  works  and  sev/erage  were  con- 
sidered and  settled.  In  1891  he  received  the 
nomination  of  the  Republican  party  for 
judge  of  the  district  court  of  the  ninth  judi- 
cial district.  The  nomination  was  unsolicited 
and  unexpected,  and  he  was  not  present 
when  the  nomination  was  made.  After  con- 
sidering the  matter  the  nomination  was  de- 
clined. 

The  first  marriage  of  iMr.  Prigg  occurred 
in  1879,  in  Indiana,  to  Miss  Minnie  Gar- 
rard, one  daughter,  Edna  ]M.,  being  born  of 
this  union.  Previous  to  locating  in  Kansas, 
Mrs.  Prigg  passed  out  of  life.  The  second 
marriage  of  our  subject  occurred  in  this 
city,  to  ]\Iiss  Laura  A.  Van  Winkle,  three 
children  being  born  to  this  marriage,  name- 
ly: Jesse  G.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  one 
year,  Roberta  Lucile  and  Mamie  B. 

In  fraternal  circles  Mr.  Prigg  has  been 
as  prominent  as  he  is  in  social  and  profes- 
sional life,  belonging  to  Reno  Lodge,  No. 
140,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Reno  Chapter,  No.  34, 
R.  A.  M. ;  Reno  Commandery,  No.  26, 
Knights  Templar;  Byron  Lodge,  No.  197, 
K.  of  P. ;  La  Rue  Division,  No.  4,  Unifomi 
Rank,  K.  of  P. ;  and  Reno  Lodge,  No.  99,  I. 
O.  O.  F.  He  joined  the  latter  order  in  In- 
diana, and  for  many  years  has  been  active  in 
its  work,  ser\'ing  on  committees  and  repre- 
senting it  at  the  higher  councils  of  the  order. 
Locally  he  is  connected  with  the  Commercial 
Club,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  progress  and  advance- 
ment of  the  citv,  countv  and  state. 


HERMAN  A.  STOLTENBERG. 

In  a  rapidly  de\'eloping  country  like  Kan- 
sas, the  hardware  merchant  and  the  imple- 
ment dealer  are  as  necessary  to  the  work  of 
advancement  as  any  two  men  who  can  be 
named.  The  gentleman  mentioned  above  is 
both  a  hardware  merchant  and  an  imple- 
ment dealer  and  is  a  member  of  one  of  the 
leading  firms  of  its  kind  in  central  Kansas. 
The  firm  of  Stoltenberg  Brothers,  the  part- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ners  in  which  are  Herman  A.,  William  and 
Julius  Stoltenberg,  is  the  proprietor  of  one 
of  the  leading  enterprises  of  Holyrood,  Ells- 
worth county,  Kansas.  The  Stoltenbergs 
deal  in  hardware,  implements,  silverware, 
tinware,  guns,  ammunition,  pumps  and 
windmills,  vehicles  of  different  kinds,  stoves, 
fence  wire  and  machinery  supplies,  bicyxles 
and  bicycle  repairs,  and  are  agents  for  the 
Crescent  paints  and  oils.  Their  tine  new  two- 
story  building  was  erected  in  1900,  and  is 
one  of  the  best  for  the  purpose  in  this  part 
of  the  state.  It  occupies  a  ground  space  of 
sixty-four  by  seventy  feet  and  the  lower 
story  is  divided  into  double  rooms  extending 
the  whole  length  of  the  building,  the  upper 
room  being  used  as  a  storeroom  for  imple- 
ments and  vehicles,  and  heavy  implements 
are  stored  in  a  large  shed  which  has  a  depth 
of  seventy  feet  and  stands  at  the  rear  of  the 
store.  The  tirm  makes  a  specialty  of  the 
Moline  Blue  Ribbon  buggies  and  Old  Hick- 
ory wagons. 

Herman  A.  Stoltenberg,  who  is  the  act- 
ive manager  of  this  enterprise,  was  born 
near  Davenport,  Scott  crmnty.  Liwa,  Febru- 
ary 21,  1868,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Annastina 
(  6tt )  Stoltenberg,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  Holstein,  Germany.  .  ^Ir.  Stoltenberg's 
father  came  to  America  in  1853,  when  he 
was  nineteen  years  old.  Annastina  Ott,  who 
became  his  wife,  came  over  from  the  father- 
land a  ^•ear  later  and  they  were  married  in 
Iowa,  where  they  farmed  imtil  1881,  when 
they  located  in  Ellsworth  county,  where  in 
1878,  Mr.  Stoltenberg  had  bought  railroad 
land  located  in  Palacky  township.  His 
holdings  aggregated  five  quarter  sections 
and  he  farmed  successfully  until  1888,  when 
he  removed  to^  Holyrood. 

Hemian  A.  Stoltenberg  and  his  bnitliers 
were  reared  to  farming.  They  were  \iiung 
men  (if  enterprise  and  were  tlie  first  in  their 
\'icinity  to  engage  in  threshing  by  steam 
priwer.  They  carried  on  a  business  of  that 
kind  in  season  for  nine  years,  farming  mean- 
time with  considerable  success.  Mr.  Stolten- 
berg is  the  owner  of  three  hundred  acres  of 
good  agricultural  land,  which  he  rents  to 
tenant  farmers.     He  retired  fnim   farming 


in  1898,  and  engaged  in  the  hardware  trade 
in  a  building  one-half  the  size  of  the  Stolten- 
berg Brothers'  present  store,  the  original 
building  being  utilized  in  the  structure  which 
has  been  described.  In  politics  Mr.  Stolten- 
berg is  a  Democrat  and  has  served  his  fellow 
citizens  two  years  in  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace.  For  one  year  he  was  a  member  of 
the  tirm  of  Siemsen  &  Company,  dealers  in 
lumber  at  Holyrood.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  German  Lutheran  church. 

Flenry  and  Annastina  (Ott)  Stoltenberg 
had  twelve  children.  Tlie  following  memo- 
randa concerning  some  of  them  will  be 
found  of  interest  in  this  connection:  John 
is  a  farmer ;  William  and  Julius  are  farmers 
and  are  members  of  the  firm  of  Stoltenberg 
Brothers;  Agnes  is  the  wife  of  Alexander 
Stratmann,  a  farmer  of  Ellsworth  county: 
Bertha  is  tlie  wife  of  Henry  Siemsen,  a  well 
known  lumber  dealer  at  Holyrood;  Lizzie 
is  the  wife  of  A.  Besthorn,  a  farmer  of  Ells- 
worth county;  Gustav  and  Ferdinand  are 
well  known  in  the  county.  Herman  A.  Stoi- 
tenberg  was  married  November  22,  1891,  to 
Elizabeth  A'oss,  and  they  have  three  children, 
namelv  :    August,  Edward  and  Mabel. 


WILLIAM  L.  XES:MITH. 

If  those  who  claim  that  fortune  has 
favored  certain  individuals  above  others  will 
but  investigate  the  cause  of  success  and  fail- 
ure, it  will  be  found  that  the  former  is  large- 
ly due  to  the  improvement  of  opportunity, 
thelatter  to  the  neglect  of  it.  Fortunate  en- 
vironments encompass  nearly  e\'ery  man  at 
some  stage  in  his  career,  but  the  strong  man 
and  the  successful  man  is  he  who  realizes 
that  the  proper  moment  has  come,  that  the 
jiresent  and  not  the  future  holds  his  oppor- 
tunity. The  man  who  makes  use  of  the  Now 
and  not  the  To  Be  is  he  who  passes  on  the 
hig"hway  of  life  others  who  started  out  ahead 
of  him  and  reaches  the  goal  of  prosperity 
far  in  advance  of  them.  It  is  this  qualit}'  in 
!Mr.  Xesmith  that  has  made  him  a  leader  in 
the  Ijusiness  world  and  won  him  a  name  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


connection  with  commercial    interest?    that 
is  widely  known. 

ilr.  Xesmilh  is  now  engaged  in  dealing 
in  groceries,  lumber,  furniture,  hardware 
and  coal  in  \\  ilson  and  has  been  a  resident 
of  Kansas  since  1874.  He  was  bom  in  \"an 
Buren  county,  April  24.  1S52.  His  grand- 
father. Henry  Xesmith,  was  a  native  of  \'ir- 
ginia  and  ser\ed  in  the  war  of  1812,  while 
his  father-in-law  was  a  Hessian  soldier. 
\Mien  a  young  man  Henr\-  Xesmith  removed 
to  Ohio,  becoming  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that 
state.  He  secured  a  tract  of  land  and  car- 
ried on  fanning  until  the  early  '40s,  when 
he  emigrated  to  Iowa,  where  he  continued 
work  as  a  pioneer.  In  his  later  years  he  re- 
moved to  Iowa  county,  Iowa,  where  he  spent 
his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  when  he 
had  passed  the  eightieth  milestone  on  the 
journey  of  life.  In  his  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren Joseph  T.  X'esmith.  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  the  eldest.  He  was  born  in 
Perr\-  counr\-,  Ohio,  September  i,  1S23.  and 
was  reared  to  farm  work.  In  the  early  '40s 
he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal 
to  VsLTi  Buren  county,  Iowa,  and  cast  in  his 
lot  with  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  portion 
of  the  countn,-,  experiencing  all  the  hard- 
ships and  trials  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  the 
frontiersmen  who  established  homes  there. 
He  aided  in  preparing  the  countn,-  for  the  in- 
coming tide  of  emigration.  He  afterward  re- 
moved to  Iowa  count\-,  where  he  secured  a 
tract  of  land  and  improved  a  farm,  becoming 
one  of  the  successful  and  well  known  agri- 
culturists of  that  locality-.  In  his  early  life 
his  political  support  was  given  the  AMiig 
party,  and  on  the  dissolution  of  its  ranks  he 
joined  the  forces  of  the  new  Republican 
part}-,  with  which  he  was  allied  until  his 
death.  He  held  membership  in  the  [Method- 
ist Protestant  church,  was  long  one  of  its 
officers  and  was  an  active  worker  in  its  be- 
half. He  married  Jennie  Truscott,  a  native 
of  England,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
live  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  three 
are  residents  of  Wilson,  namelv :  William  L.. 
Mrs.  D.  W.  Tilton  and  INIrs.'S.  E.  Barton. 
About  1892  the    father    came    to    Wilson, 


where  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  passing 
away  December  3,  1898,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
ty-five. His  wife  still  survives  him  and  is 
living  in  Iowa. 

William  L.  X'esmith  is  indebted  to  the 
public  school  system  for  -  the  educational 
privileges  which  he  enjoyed  in  his  youth. 
He  has  added  largely  to  his  knowledge  by 
experience,  reading  and  observation.  He 
was  reared  upon  a  farm,  and  in  1874  came 
to  Kansas  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  the 
government  offer  of  cheap  lands.  He  se- 
cured a  claim  upon  the  flats,  intending  to 
follow  farming  here,  but  did  not  remain 
long.  Returning  to  Iowa,  he  was  there  iden- 
tified with  agricultural  pursuits  until  1877. 
when  he  came  to  Wilson  and  embarked  in 
the  grocery-  business,  meeting  with  success 
in  the  undertaking  from  the  beginning. 
Later  he  added  a  stock  of  hardware  and 
afterward  purchased  a  furniture  store  and 
undertaking  establishment — the  only  one  in 
the  town.  In  1S89  he  purchased  a  lumber 
T.-ard  and  has  since  conducted  that  industry 
in  connection  with  dealing  in  coal.  He 
handles  both  eastern  and  western  coal  and 
also  mines  coal  on  the  river  here,  taking  out 
from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  tons  of 
the  mineral  each  month  during  the  mining 
season.  He  aided  in  erecting  the  stone  mill 
— the  first  here — and  built  the  stone  store 
building  which  he  now  occupies,  also  one  to 
the  south,  and  his  residence  in  the  city.  In 
many  ways  he  has  advanced  the  material  in- 
terests of  Wilson.  He  has  three  quarter 
sections  of  land,  which  is  devoted  to  farming 
and  grazing  purposes,  and  on  Coal  creek  he 
owns  a  section,  which  is  devoted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  cereals  and  to  the  raising  of  stock. 
He  has  both  farms  well  stocked,  but  does 
not  operate  them  himself.  In  his  business 
affairs  he  has  met  with  a  high  degree  of  suc- 
cess, being  a  man  of  capable  management, 
keen  discrimination  and  far-sighted  sagacity. 
In  his  work  here  he  has  found  that  his 
knowledge  of  the  German  language  has  been 
to  him  of  great  advantage.  By  the  aid  of  a 
few  lessons  he  acquired  the  rudiments  of  the 
tongue  and  by  continuous  practice  he  has 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


increased  his  vocabularj-  unti!  he  can  now 
speak  fluently  with  the  German  settlers  of 
the  neighborhood. 

In  1874  ilr.  Xesmith  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Clara  H.  Carhart,  a  sister  of  W.  H. 
Carhart,  and  unto  them  have  been  bom  four 
sons,  namely :  Edgar  L.,  who  is  engaged  in 
business  with  his  father  in  Wilson,  Kansas; 
Hal  J.,  Verne  and  Aura,  the  last  three  be- 
ing at  home.  In  his  pohtica!  riews  ilr. 
Xesmith  is  an  ardent  and  earnest  Prohibi- 
bitionist,  laboring  untiringly  for  the  success 
of  the  part\-  and  the  adoption  of  temperance 
principles.  Whenever  the  party  has  a  tickrt 
in  the  field  his  support  is  assured.  At  other 
times,  the  nominees  being  of  equal  capabilitj-, 
he  casts  his  suffrage  with  the  Republican 
part}-.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  city 
council  and  has  also  filled  the  position  of 
mayor  of  Wilson.  During  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  Mr.  Xesmith  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church,  and  has  served  as 
class-leader  and  as  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school.  He  and  his  wife,  leather 
with  W.  H.  Carhart  and  his  wife,  were  the 
four  charter  members  of  the  church  on  its 
organization  in  1878,  and  he  has  ever  since 
acted  as  one  of  its  trustees,  \\ith  the  excep- 
tion of  a  year  and  a  half  he  served  as  super- 
intendent of  the  Sunday-school  since  its  or- 
ganization. He  aided  materially  in  the  erec- 
tion of  the  house  of  worship  here  and  has 
never  abated  in  his  zeal  or  energy  in  support 
of  the  cause  of  Christianit].-.  He  has  been  a 
leading  factor  in  the  progress  of  Wilson. 
Educational,  church  and  social  interests  owe 
their  promotion  in  a  considerable  degree  to 
■-•m.     Twenn-four  years  has  this  citv"  been 

-  '-.cnie.  vear;  largelv  devoted  to  the  pub- 

-  c:vd. 


ELISHA  HEDDEX. 


Hutchinson  has  no  more  honored  or 
highh-  esteemed  citizen  than  the  gentleman 
whose  name  introduces  this  re^-iew.  He  v\-as 
born  in  Shelby  countv",  Kentucky,  on  the 
25th  of  ilarch.  1834,  a  son  of  Ellsha  Hed- 
den,  a  native  of  Xew  Jersey.  The  latter  re- 
moved with  his  father,  Jacob  Hedden.  who 


was  also  bom  in  Xew  Jersey  2T?d  ^.  Gerrrsn 
descent,  to  Kentucky,  in  a     ;  _;-. 

He  established  a  hcmesteac  -i 

from  where  General  F.  J^  _  -i. 

and  was  osMt  of  the  early  pioneers  of  ihai  pari 
of  the, country.  He  was  a  vnan  of  mndi 
force  and  strength  of  character  and  became 
one  of  the  most  prominent  njen  in  his  com- 
munity. He  was  ver;.-  sv::;;;:-^  in  his 
agricultural    operatic  r  -  .    lime  to 

time  added  to  his  ori^'  :  until  he 

owned  about  fifteen  ':!_:-_.,  _.:;;  ;f  land, 
where  he  followed  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing on  a  large  scale,  his  being  one  of  the 
best  improved  properties  in  that  secti«Dn. 
Such  was  the  estomation  in  which  he  was 
held  by  the  people  that  he  was  solicited  to 
represent  his  district  in  the  legislature,  but 
he  cared  little  for  the  emoluments  of  public 
life  and  refused  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used. 
He  was  an  active  worker  in  the  Baptist 
church,  in  which  he  held  the  positions  of 
moderator  and  clerk,  and  was  prominent  in 
the  organization  of  the  First  Baptist  church 
of  that  locahty. 

In  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  Mr.  Hed- 
den was  united  in  marrage  to  Mary  Carriss, 
a  native  of  the  old  Bluegrass  state  and  of 
Pennsylvania  German  parentage.  Her  fa- 
ther was  also  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of 
that  locality.  His  son,  Henry  Carriss,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  having  fought 
under  Jackson  at  Xew  Orleans.  The  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hedden  was  blessed 
with  eleven  children,  namely:  Elizabeih, 
who  died  in  Shelby  coimty.  Kentucky- ;  Mary, 
who  died  in  Missouri:  Rebecca,  who  also 
died  in  Shelby  county;  Simon  H-,  who 
passed  away  in  Missouri;  Jane  and  Jacob 
H..  both  of  whtMn  passed  away  in  Shelbv 
county:  Xancy  H..  who  died  in  Missouri; 
John  H.,  who  was  called  to  his  final  rest  in 
Shdby  county:  Henry,  who  died  in  Spencer 
county.  Kentuckv- ;  Thomas,  a  retired  farmer 
of  LouisA-ille.  Kentucky- ;  and  Ehsha.  the  sub- 
ject of  this  reraw.  The  mother  of  :h:=  -.r - 
ily  passed  away  on  the  loth  of  X  .  - 
1852,  and  on  the  loth  of  October  the  : 
ing'year  her  husband  joined  her  in  the  spiri: 
world. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


Elisha  Hedden  remained  in  the  place  of 
liis  nativity  until  1866,  receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  his  locality, 
and  his  youth  and  early  manhood  was  prin- 
cipally spent  in  assisting  his  father  on  the 
home  farm.  After  the  death  of  his.  father, 
which  occurred  when  he  was  nineteen  years 
of  age,  the  estate  was  divided  among  the 
heirs,  our  subject  receiving  the  old  home- 
stead as  his  share  of  the  property,  and  there 
he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  un- 
til 1886.  In  October,  1861,  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  war,  entering  Company 
D,  Sixth  Kentucky  Infantry,  and  on  its  or- 
ganization, in  December  of  that  year,  he  was 
elected  its  captain,  and  as  such  served  until 
January,  1864.  At  the  battle  of  Shiloh  he 
received  a  gunshot  wound  in  the  head,  after 
which  for  a  time  he  was  confined  in  the 
United  States  marine  hospital  at  Mound 
City,  Illinois,  and  was  later  sent  to  Louis- 
ville. After  his  recovery  he  rejoined  his 
comiiany  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Stone  River.  Chickamauga  and  many  minor 
engagements,  and  while  acting  as  second  in 
command  at  the  battle  of  Stone  River  he 
was  a  second  time  wounded.  He  now  main- 
tains pleasant  relations  with  his  old  anny 
comrades  by  his  membership  in  Joe  Hooker 
Post,  No.  17,  of  Hutchinson.  In  1886  Mr. 
Hedden  sold  his  possessions  in  Shelby  coun- 
ty and  came  to  Kansas,  arriving  in  Hutch- 
inson on  the  28th  of  October.  Soon  after 
his  arrival  here  he  purchased  what  was 
known  as  the  Clifton  House,  and  for  three 
years  thereafter  was  its  genial  proprietor, 
his  efforts  in  that  line  having  been  attended 
with  a  high  and  well  merited  degree  of 
success.  During  that  period  he  also  did  a 
good  business  in  a  private  way  as  a  real-es- 
tate agent  of  Hutchinson,  in  which  he  was 
equally  successful.  In  1889,  however,  he 
sold  his  hotel  property,  and  two  years  later, 
in  1 89 1,  was  appointed  to  the  police  force, 
filling  that  position  for  one  year,  while  for 
the  following  two  years  he  served  as  assist- 
ant marshal.  His  next  public  office  was  that 
of  marshal,  remaining  as  its  incumbent  for 
one  year.  In  tlie  Republican  convention  of 
April,  1899,  I\Ir.  Hedden  was  nominated  for 


the  position  of  city  marshal,  was  afterward 
elected  and  served  therein  for  one  year,  and 
was  then  re-elected,  his  temr  of  office  ex- 
piring May  20,  1901.  While  a  resident  of 
Kansas  he  was  for  sixteen  years  in  the 
United  States  revenue  service,  beginning  on 
the  14th  of  July,  1869,  first  as  a  store  keeper 
and  afterward  as  a  ganger.  His  present 
attractive  and  tasteful  residence  was  pur- 
chased in  1899,  and  there  he  now  resides  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  former  toil. 
In  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  on  the  5th 
of  October,  1854,  Mr.  Hedden  was  united  in 
marriage  to  ^Miranda  Harrison,  a  relative  of 
General  Harrison,  their  grandfathers  hav- 
ing been  first  cousins.  She  is  now  deceased, 
passing  away  in  Hutchinson  on  the  31st  of 
October,  1892,  in  the  faith  of  the  Baptist 
church,  of  which  she  was  a  worthy  and  con- 
sistent member.  At  her  death  she  left  six 
children,  namely:  Charles  M.,  born  in 
Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  October  5,  1855,  is 
emplo}-ed  as  clerk  for  the  Kansas  City  & 
fronton  Railroad  Company  at  Lake  Charles, 
Louisiana;  Ben  C,  born  February  28,  1858, 
is  a  prominent  farmer  of  Vernon  county, 
]\Iissouri ;  .  Mary  Jane,  widow  of  Noah 
Sinder,  is  a  resident  of  Ansley,  a  suburb  of 
Birmingham,  Alabama ;  Elisha  is  an  inmate 
of  the  acyium  at  Anchorage,  Kentucky,  his 
affliction  having  been  caused  by  brain  fever : 
Sallie  Belle  is  the  wife  of  P.  J.  Connolly,  a 
carpenter  of  Ensley,  Alabama;  and  Guthrie 
H.,  also  follows  the  same  occupation  in  that 
city.  Our  subject  has  been  a  second  time 
married,  his  last  union  being  with  Mrs.  H. 
C.  Carriss,  formerly  Susan  D.  Cardwell,  a 
native  of  Shelby  county,  Kentucky.  Her  first 
husband,  H.  C.  Carriss,  came  from  that  state 
to  Hutchinson  in  March,  1886.  and  in  June 
of  the  following  year  was  called  to  his  final 
rest.  He  was  a  relative  of  the  mother  of  our 
subject.  In  politics  Mr.  Hedden  is  a  life- 
long Republican,  and  for  many  years  has 
been  an  active  worker  in  its  ranks.  He  has 
served  as  a  delegate  to  many  county  conven- 
tions, and  while  in  Kentucky  was  a  member 
of  the  state  convention  that  selected  the 
Blaine  delegates.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  ^Masonic  fraternitv  for  fortv  vears,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


since  1854  has  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church,  being  a  faithful  worker  in  the  cause 
of  Christianity. 


CYRUS    CLARKE  A'AX    DEVEXTER. 

Mr.  Van  De\'enter  is  a  native  of  BufYalo. 
Xew  York,  born  in  1856.  and  is  a  son  of 
James  and  Jennie  (  Clarke)  Van  Deventer, 
of  the  same  city.  The  Van  Deventers  \Yere 
natives  of  Holland  and  took  up  their  abode 
at  X"e\v  Utrecht,  on  Long  Island,  in  1653. 
On  the  mother's  side  he  was  descended  from 
Joseph  Clarke,  who  located  at  X^ewport, 
Rhode  Island,  in  1638,  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  that  town.  His  wife  was  Be- 
thiab.  Hubbard,  a  greal-granddaughter  of 
Thomas  Hubbard,  one  of  the  men  burned  at 
the  stake  during  the  reign  of  Queen  ^lary 
of  England  on  account  of  their  religious  l^e- 
lief. 

Peter  Van  Deventer.  the  great-grand- 
fatlier  of  our  subject,  belonged'  to  the  Xew 
Jersey  branch  of  the  family,  for  whose  head 
the  British  government  offered  five  hundred 
pounds  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  His 
son,  Alajor  Christopher  \a.n  Deventer,  was 
a  graduate  of  W^est  Point  and  served  as  ad- 
jutant general  to  General  Brown  in  the  war 
of  181 2.  At  the  battle  of  Chippewa  creek  he 
was  captured  and  confined  at  Quebec  until 
the  cldse  of  the  war.  For  some  time  he 
served  as  chief  clerk  under  Calhoun.  His 
son,  James  Van  Deventer,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Buffalo,  X^ew  York, 
studied  for  the  bar  and  became  a  practicing 
attorney  there.  He  ?er\-ed  as  major  and 
lieutenant  colonel  of  subsistence  during  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion.  He  was  afterward 
president  of  the  Iowa  Railroad  Land  Com- 
pany and  was  recognized  not  onlv  as  a:  most 
prominent  and  prosperous  business  man, 
but  as  a  leader  O'f  public  thought  and  opinion. 
He  was  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  Republican 
party  and  its  principles.  He  married  Jen- 
nie Clarke,  a  daughter  of  Cvrus  Clarke,  a 
well-knr'wn  merchant  of  Brffalo,  X"ew  York. 

Cyrus  Clarke  Van  Deventer  was  grad- 


uated at  Hobart  College  in  1876,  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  while  in  1879 
that  of  Master  of  Arts  was  CDuferrcd  upon 
him.  He  engaged  in  business  in  lUiffalo 
from  1876  until  1886,  when  he  came  to 
Kingman,  where  he  became  one  of  the  pro- 
moters of  the  Telephone  Company. 

Prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  city  of 
Kinginan,  his  ability  and  trustworthiness 
being  recognized  by  his  fellow  citizens,  Mr. 
Van  Deventer  has  been  several  times  called 
to  public  office  and  for  many  years  served  as 
city  clerk  or  city  treasurer.  He  is  an  active 
Democrat  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  Indiana- 
polis convention  in  1896.  In  religious  faith 
he  is  an  Episcopalian  and  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Episcopal  church  in  King- 
man. He  served  as  its  first  junior  warden 
and  upon  the  death  of  Dr.  Lanning  he  be- 
came senior  warden  and  has  since  continued 
in  that  office.  He  belongs  to  Xine  Scab 
Lodge,  Xo.  230,  F.  &  A.  'M.,  of  which  he  has 
served  for  two  years  as  master.  He  has  also 
been  high  priest  of  Kingman  Chapter,  Xo. 
71,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  and  belongs  to  Kingman 
Commander}-,  Xo.  34,  K.  T.  His  worth  and 
prominence  are  widely  recognized  in  frater- 
nal, business,  and  political  circles,  and  he  is 
one  of  the  intelligent,  enterprising  men  of 
the  west,  influential  in  molding  public 
thought,  opinion  and  policy,  and  standing 
as  a  high  type  of  our  stalwart  American 
manhood. 


C.  Y.  PLAXK 


C.  y.  Plank,  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
and  leading  agriculturists  of  Rice  county, 
was  born  in  Lagrange  county,  Indiana,  on 
the  15th  of  June,  1852.  His  father,  Isaac 
Plank,  is  a  native  of  Wayne  county,  Ohio, 
and  of  German  descent.  He  was  reared  on 
a  farm  in  the  state  of  his  nativity,  and  when 
a  young  man  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Elizabeth  X'ofziger,  a  native  of  the  Buckeye 
state  and  a  daughter  of  Valentine  X^ofziger, 
of  Pennsyh-ania-German  descent.  After 
their  marriage.  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Plank 
removed   to   Elkhart   countv,   Indiana,    and 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


five  years  later  located  in  Lagrange  county, 
that  state,  where  they  still  reside,  honored 
and  respected  by  all  who  know  them.  The 
father  has  been  a  fanner  all  his  life,  and 
he  also  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  Rice  county,  Kan- 
sas. He  has  rounded  the  Psalmists  span 
of  three-score  years  and  ten,  being  now  in 
his  seventy-ninth  year,  and  his  wife  has 
reached  the  good  old  age  of  seventy-seven 
years.  His  political  support  is  given  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  hold 
membership  in  the  Amish  church.  This 
worthy  couple  are  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Levi,  a  prominent  farmer 
of  Harrison  township.  Rice  county;  Jacob, 
who  resides  southwest  of  Lyons ;  Elizabeth, 
who  yet  resides  in  Indiana;  Christian  V., 
the  sirbject  of  this  review;  David,  a  resident 
of  Idahn;  Ephraim,  also  of  that  state;  and 
Isaac,  whii  makes  his  home  in  Oklahoma. 

Christian  Y.  Plank  was  reared  on  the  old 
family  homestead  in  Lagrange  count)',  In- 
diana, where  he  was  early  taught  the  \-alue 
of  industry  and  economy  as  a  preparation 
for  the  active  duties  of  life.  He  remained  un- 
der the  -parental  roof  until  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  when  he  began  life  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  as  a  companion  and  helpmate  on 
the  journey  of  life  he  chose  Celestia  Smeltz- 
ly,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  in  Lagrange 
county.  Indiana,  in  1877.  She  was  born  in 
Ohio,  where  she  was  reared  until  seven 
years  of  age,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Chris- 
tian and  Mary  (Lehmer)  Smeltzly,  who  still 
reside  in  Indiana.  The  union  of  our  subject 
and  wife  has  been  blessed  with  three  chil- 
dren,— Claude,  who  is  now  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  Mary  and  Florence. 

In  the  fall  of  1878  Mr.  Plank  came  to 
Kansas,  and  in  the  following  spring  he  lo- 
cated on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  his 
present  farm.  As  the  years  have  passed  he 
has  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  has 
added  to  his  original  purchase  until  he  now 
owns  four  hundred  acres,  in  one  body.  His 
farm  is  located  on  section  27,  Victoria  town- 
ship, and  there  he  is  engaged  in  the  culti- 
vation of  the  cereals  best  adapted  to  this  soil 
and  climate  and  in  the  raising  of  a  good 


grade  of  cattle,  horses  and  swine.  He  has  a 
good  farm  residence,  a  barn  thirty-eight  by 
forty-eight  feet,  a  beautiful  grove  and 
orchard,  and  all  necessary  outbuildings  and 
improvements,  and  a  glance  at  his  well  regu- 
lated place  indicates  to  the  passer-by  the 
careful  supervision  of  a  progressi\'e  owner. 
He  is  well  versed  in  all  branches  of  farm 
work,  and  his  life  has  been  characterized  by 
energy,  perseverance  and  hard  work,  quali- 
ties which  have  won  him  a  high  and  well 
merited  degree  of  success. 


HENRY  S.  HOYT. 


The  year  1877  witnessed  the  arrival  of 
Henry  S.  Hoyt  in  Ellsworth  county,  and  he 
took  up  his  abode  on  section  fourteen,  Gar- 
field township,  where  he  yet  makes  his  home, 
•although  the  farm  of  to-day,  with  its  splen- 
did equipments,  bears  little  resemblance  to 
the  undeveloped  tract  of  which  he  obtained 
possession  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 
The  buildings,  including  a  fine  residence  and 
large  barn,  are  built  of  stone,  and  everything 
indicates  the  careful  supervision  of  one 
whose  methods  are  progressive,  whose  ideas 
are  practical  and  whose  elTorts  therefore  are 
crowned  with  success. 

i\Ir.  Hoyt  was  born  in  what  was  then 
Ne-\vburg,  now  Cle\'eland,  Ohio,  January  19, 
1834.  His  father,  Lriah  Hoyt,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Vermont  and  after  spending  a  short 
time  in  Canada  went  to  Ohio.  He  was  a 
tanner  and  currier  by  trade.  In  the  Green 
Mountain  state  he  married  Comfort  Day- 
ton, \\ho  was  descended  from  one  of  the  Pil- 
grim Eathers.  They  had  eleven  children,  of 
whon'i  Henry  S.  is  the  eldest  son  and  the  only 
one  living  in  this  portion  of  the  country. 
The  Hoyts  are  one  of  the  old  families  of 
America  and  the}'  have  complete  records 
back  to  tlie  da}-s  when  the  first  of  the  name 
came  to  the  new  world,  but  the  copy  which 
our  subject  possessed  was  destroyed  by  fire 
in  1895,  his  residence  being  burned  at  that 
time.  The  father  was  a  W'hig  in  his  early 
political  affiliations  and  afterward  became  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Republican.  He  took  an  active  interest  in 
politics  and  in  educational  affairs  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Disciples  church.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  died  in  Ohio. 

Henry  S.  Hoyt  pursued  his  education  in 
the  district  schools  and  when  young  he 
learned  the  tanner's  trade  under  the  direction 
uf  his  father,  while  later  he  mastered'  the 
trade  of  paper-making.  He  started  out  upon 
his  own  account  when  about  nineteen  years 
of  age,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  was 
married  and  began  keeping  house.  In  the 
fall  of  1855  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  fol- 
luwed  farming  in  Lake  county,  that  state, 
for  six  years,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Ohio  and  worked  at  his  trade.  In  the  first 
year  of  the  civil  war  he  enlisted,  and  at  the 
close  of  his  three  months'  term  was  honor- 
ably discharged.     On  the  17th  of  August, 

1864,  he  again  entered  the  army,  becoming 
a  member  of  Company  C,  Secmd  Ohio 
Heavy  Artillery,  with  which  he  ^aw  service 
in  Tennessee,  Alabama  and  Georgia.  He 
was  once  wounded  by  a  bayonet  thrust 
through  the  fleshy  part  of  his  right  leg  but 
did  not  leave  the  field  on  that  account.  He 
suft'ered  more  from  exposure  than  from 
wounds.     At  Nashville,  Tennessee,  July  17, 

1865,  he  received  an  honorable  discharge. 
Returning  to  Ohio  Mr.  Hoyt  was  con- 
nected with  a  paper  mill  for  a  time  and  later 
engaged  in  farming  there  for  three  years. 
In  1878  he  came  to  Kansas,  arriving  in 
April,  where  he  bought  out  the  man  who  had 
filed  a  claim  on  the  place  where  Mr.  Hoyt 
now  lives.  He  then  started  in  to  get  the 
farm  in  good  shape,  erected  a  house  and  be- 
gan raising  both  grain  and  stock.  Having 
fine  bottom  land  on  the  Mulberry  he  can 
raise  corn  when  others  fail.  For  twenty 
successive  years  he  has  raised  good  corn 
crops  in  the  same  field.  He  raises  native 
cattle  and  always  has  good  grades.  He 
owns  a  pedigreed  Durham  bull  and  has  thus 
graded  his  stock.  Formerly  he  was  exten- 
sively engaged  in  dairying,  but  now  that  he 
and  his  wife  are  alone  he  has  abandoned  that 
branch  of  his  business.  They  made  such 
excellent  butter  that  they  could  always  se- 
cure for  it  twenty-five  cents  per  pound,  even 


when  the  regular  price  of  butter  on  the  mar- 
ket was  ten  cents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoyt  have 
lived  through  the  hard  times  here,  but  have 
persevered  in  their  attempt  to  establish  a 
home  here  and  their  labors  have  eventualh' 
been  crowned  with  a  high  degree  of  success. 
He  now  owns  twoi  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
valuable  land  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Mul- 
berry, and  his  improvements  are  all  of  the 
most  substantial  kind.  The  stiMie  liain. 
erected  in  SS",  is  thirty-twn  l)y  lift_\-  fcL-t. 
There  are  alsu  two  l;a-ge  c  .rrals,  liuth  of 
stone,  the  walls  being  built  by  Mr.  Hoyt.  In 
November,  1895,  he  met  with  a  severe  loss, 
his  dwelling  with  all  its  contents  being  en- 
tirely ilestriiyed  by  fire,  and  he  and  his  wife 
having  nuthing  left  but  the  cfothing  which 
they  wore.  With  characteristic  energy  he 
began  the  erection  of  a  new  home,  which 
Phcenix-like  rose  from  the  ashes,  and  the}' 
now  have  a  very  comifortable  residence. 
Upon  the  place  there  is  also  a  good  orchard 
and  he  has  planted  two  acres  of  mulberries 
and  a  number  of  cottonwood  trees.  He  is 
largely  engaged  in  the  raising  of  liogs  and  is 
the  owner  of  two  especially  fine  teams,  his 
driving  team,  a  span  of  large  grays  being 
particularly  speedy. 

The  lady  who  bears  the  name  of  Mrs. 
Hoyt  was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Marcia 
F.  Oaks,  and  their  marriage  w'as  celebrated 
July  12,  1854.  Her  parents  were  George 
and  Eveline  (Foster)  Oaks,  the  former  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  whence  his  parents 
removed  to  New  York  when  he  was  ten  years 
of  age.  Tliere  he  followed  farming  and  also 
carried  on  the  same  pursuit  after  going  to 
Ohio,  in  which  state  his  death  eventually  oc- 
curred. The  family  is  of  English  descent 
on  the  paternal  side,  but  the  grandmother 
was  of  East  India  Dutch  stock.  Unto  Mv. 
and  Mrs.  Hoyt  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren :  Sarah,  now  the  wife  of  Washington 
Litch,  of  Topeka ;  David  Gerard,  who  also  is 
living  in  Topeka ;  and  Ellen,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

In  his  political  views  i\Ir.  Hoyt  has  al- 
ways been  a  Republican,  but  at  local  elec- 
tions where  there  is  no  issue  up  before  the 
people  he  \-otes  independently  of  party  ties. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


He  does  all  in  his  pOAver,  hoavever,  to  secure 
the  adoption  of  his  party  principles  and  liis 
services  have  been  recognized  by  the  party 
which  has  frequently  elected  him  to  office. 
He  has  served  as  township  treasurer,  has 
been  treasurer  of  the  school  district  for  nine 
years,  was  township  trustee  and  assessor, 
was  county  committeemen  for  three  years 
from  the  first  district,  was  county  commis- 
sioner for  three  years,  and  has  always  proved 
a  good  and  efficient  officer.  Socially  he  is 
connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
among  his  brethren  he  is  held  in  high  es- 
teem— a  feeling  which  is  entertained  for  him 
whereA'er  he  is  known. 


WILLIS  X.  BAKER. 

A  native  of  Michigan,  Mr.  Baker  was 
born  at  Battle  Creek,  on  the  20th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1S60,  a  son  of  James  and  Lucy  A. 
(Webster)  Baker,  the  former  a  native  of 
New  York  and  the  latter  of  the  Wolverine 
state.  The  father  was  reared  in  his  native 
state  and  in  early  manhood  went  to  Mich- 
igan, engaging  in  mercantile  pursuits  in 
Battle  Creek.  Leaving  that  place  he  went  to 
Belle  Plaine,  Iowa,  where  lie  again  conduct- 
ed a  mercantile  establishment.  In  1887  he 
took  up  his  alx)de  in  Hutchinson,  Kansas, 
and  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  loan 
business,  and  in  1892  became  associated  with 
the  banking  interests  of  the  county.  In  con- 
nection with  his  son,  ^\'illis  N.  Baker,  he 
organized'  the  Farmers  State  Bank  at  Pretty 
Prairie.  Reno  county,  conducting  that  insti- 
tution for  five  years,  when  in  the  fall  of  1897 
they  organized  the  State  Exchange  Bank  of 
Hutchinson,  with  the  father  as  president, 
the  son  as  cashier,  in  which  positions  they 
had  respectively  served  in  Pretty  Prairie. 
Here  they  began  doing  a  general  banking 
business,  making  a  specialty  of  farm  loans 
and  investments.  The  father  died  January 
20,  1900.  He  was  one  of  the  successful  busi- 
ness men  and  respected  citizens  of  Hutchin- 
son who  during  a  comparatively  short  resi- 
dence in  this  citv  became  favorablv  known 


in  financial  circles  for  his  strictly  honorable 
dealings  and  his  business  ability,  and  socially 
for  his  many  worthy  and  estimable  quali- 
ties. In  his  political  views  he  was  a  stanch 
Republican  and  in  his  chifrch  relations  was 
a  Presbyterian.  He  often  held  office  in  the 
church  to.  which  he  belonged'  and  was  serv- 
ing as  an  elder  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His 
widonv  is  still  living  with  her  son. 

^^'illis  N.  Baker  was  the  only  child  born 
to  his  parents  and  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof,  acquiring  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Belle  Plaine, 
Iowa.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  matriculated 
in  the  State  University  at  Iowa  City  and  was 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1883,  standing  sec- 
ond in  a  class  of  forty.  After  completing  his 
college  course  he  joined  his  father  in  busi- 
ness, becoming  his  partner,  an  association 
that  was  maintained  until  the  father's  death, 
when  he  succeeded  to  the  presidency  of  the 
bank.  For  a  number  of  years  he  had  been 
the  virtual  manager  of  the  business,  his  fa- 
ther encouraging  him  from  his  boyhood  to 
assume  personal  responsibility  and  giving 
him  all  the  aid  possible  that  would  fit  him 
for  the  conduct  of  important  affairs.  As 
the  son  mastered  business  methods  and 
principles  the  father  more  and  more  re- 
legated to  him  the  control  of  their  banking 
interests  and  prior  to  his  father's  death  he 
was  the  virtual  president  of  the  State  Ex- 
change Bank  of  Hutchinson,  which  is  now 
widely  recognized  as  a  leading  and  reliable 
financial  institution  of  this  part  of  the  state. 
He  served  as  president  of  this  bank  until 
Januan-,  1902. 

On'the  20th  of  October,  1887,  Air.  Baker 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Nellie  M. 
Norton,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Frances 
(Stone)  Norton.  She  was  born  in  St. 
Charles,  Illinois,  and  is  a  most  estimable 
lady  who  has  made  her  hospitable  home  a 
favorite  resort  with  their  many  friends.  Mr. 
Baker's  reputation  in  banking  circles 
throughout  the  state  is  indicated  by  the  fact 
that  at  the  state  convention  of  bankers  htld 
in  1901  he  was  elected  to  the  ofiice  of  vice- 
president  for  Group  3  of  the  state  asso- 
ciation.    His  influence  and  efforts,  however. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


have  not  been  confined  entirely  to  business 
matters,  as  lie  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
educational,  religious  and  social  affairs  and 
withholds  his  support  from  no  movement 
or  measure  which  promises  advancement 
along-  any  of  these  lines.  In  fact  he  is  a 
leader  in  such  progress  and  his  opinions 
carry  weight  with  the  public  mind.  In  the 
jNIasonic  order  he  has  attained  the  Knight 
Templar  degree,  and  of  Reno  Lodge,  No. 
99,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  he  is  a  past  noble  grand. 
He  is  an  active  and  official  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  For  several  years  he 
has  served  as  deacon,  has  taken  a  leading 
part  in  the  various  branches  of  church  and 
Sunday-school  work,  and  has  ser\-ed  as  su- 
perintendent of  the  latter.  In  politics  he  is 
Republican  and  while  he  keeps  well  in- 
formed on  the  issues  of  the  day,  as  every 
true  American  citizen  should  do,  he  has 
never  sought  or  desired  political  prefer- 
ment. The  cause  of  education  has  ever 
found  in  him  a  warm  friend  and  he  is  al- 
ways on  the  side  of  progress,  reform,  and 
improvement. 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT  CRAWFORD. 

John  C.  F.  Crawford,  who  for  a  number 
of  years  has  occupied  a  very  conspicuous 
place  among  the  leading  business  men  of 
Reno  county,  was  born  in  Allen  county,  In- 
diana, on  the  20th  of  November,  1856.  His 
father,  John  Crawford,  claimed  Ohio'  as  the 
state  of  his  nativity,  his  birth  there  occur- 
ring in  Columbiana  county  on  the  6th  of 
November,  1820,  and  in  that  county  his  fa- 
ther, Samuel  Crawford,  lived  and  died.  He 
was  probably  born  in  the  Buckeye  state,  and 
was  there  married  to  Kate  George,  a  native 
of  Columbiana  county.  The  great-great- 
grandfather of  our  subject  reached  the  re- 
markable age  of  one  hundred  years,  passing 
away  ni  Columbiana  county.  John  Craw- 
ford, the  father  of  him  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review  was  married  in  that  coun- 
ty, in'  1853,  to  Elizabeth  A.  Bowman,  and 
she,  too,  was  born  in  Columbiana  countv. 


Prior  to  his  marriage,  however,  Mr.  Craw- 
ford had  removed  to  Allen  county,  Indiana, 
and  had  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-three  acres  of  heavily  timbered 
land,  and  with  his  bride  he  located  in  the 
dense  forest.  At  the  call  of  one  hundred 
day  men  during  the  war  of  tlie  Rebellion  he 
nobly  put  aside  all  personal  considerations 
and  responded  to  the  call  of  duty,  and  on  re- 
turning to  his  home  after  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  service  he  found  that  his  loving 
wife  had  passed  away  in  death  just  the  day 
before  his  return.  About  eleven  years  ago 
he  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  farm  life 
and  since  that  time  has  made  his  home  at 
Roanoke,  Huntington  county,  Indiana.  His 
political  support  is  given  to  the  Republican 
party,  and  socially  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  Odd 
Fellows  fraternity.  His  religious  prefer- 
ence is  indicated  by  his  membership  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  By  his  first 
marriage  he  became  the  father  of  four  chil- 
dren,— Noah  Henry,  who  is  engaged  with 
the  Packard  Organ  Company,  of  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana:  John  C.  F.,  the  subject  of 
this  review;  Christian  Frank  Y.,  ah  agent 
for  the  Wabash  Railroad  Company  at  Catlin. 
Illinois;  and  Sarah  Emaline,  the  wife  of 
Austin  Hamlin  Lopshire,  a  hotel  proprietor 
of  Fort  Wayne.  About  1867,  in  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  Mr.  Crawford  w^as  united  in 
marriage  to  Sarah  Armstrong,  and  they  had 
three  children, — Hattie,  who  died  in  child- 
hood; Perr>-  M.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hard- 
ware business  at  Rogers,  Ohio;  and  Effie 
Elma,  who  died  in  Allen  countv,  Indiana,  in 
1899. 

John  C.  Fremont  Crawford,  of  this  re- 
view, remained  on  the  home  fann  with  his 
father  until  he  was  twenty-si.x  years  of  age, 
after  which  for  a  short  time  he  was  employed 
in  railroad  work.  In  the  spring  of  1883  he 
took  charge  of  his  aunt's,  Mrs.  Sarah  Bow- 
man, farm,  and  in  the  following  spring  he 
came  to  Kansas,  locating  first  in  Saline 
county,  where  he  fomied  a  partmership  with 
his  cousin  and  together  they  purchased  a 
quarter  section  of  land,  which  they  farmed 
during  that  season.     Our  subject  then  be- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


came  dissatisfied  with  the  place,  as  the  land 
was  hilly  and  unproductive,  and  he  sold  his 
interest  to  his  cousin  and  came  to  Reno  coun- 
ty in  the  fall  of  1884,  where  in  the  following 
spring  he  purchased  the  lots  on  which  his 
present  residence  now  stands,  erecting  a 
small  house  fourteen  by  eighteen  feet.  At 
that  time  his  land  was  located  in  the  wild 
prairie,  there  being  then  but  eleven  houses 
south  of  what  is  now  East  C  street.  From 
that  time  until  the  spring  of  1886  he  was 
engaged  in  teaming,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Kiowa  county,  Kansas,  and  pre-empted 
one  hundred  and  forty -five  acres,  but  after 
a  time  he  abandoned  farming  and  returned 
to  Hutchinson,  although  he  still  retains  pos- 
session of  his  land.  In  the  spring  of  1887 
Air.  Crawford  took  up  the  trade  of  carpen- 
tering, which  he  had  learned  of  David  Boyle, 
of  Hutchinson,  and  with  him  he  carried  on 
that  occupation  for  the  following  five  years, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  alone  in  busi- 
ness. He  has  assisted  in  building  the  many 
establishments  for  the  Hutchinson  Packing 
Company,  having  been  employed  by  that 
company  long  before  it  engaged  in  the  salt 
busmesS,  his  work  there  covering  the  period 


from   1 89 1   until 


He  has  tw'ice  en- 


larged and  remodeled  his  home,  which  is 
now  a  tasteful  and  attractive  residence,  and 
has  planted  his  ground  with  grape  vines  and 
pear,  peach  and  apple  trees. 

On  the  3d  of  April,  1883.  at  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana,  Mr.  Crawford  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Anna  Hamilton,  who  was  born  in 
Allen  county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam A.  and  Barbara  (Scott)  Hamilton,  the 
father  a  native  of  Allen  county,  Indiana,  and 
the  mother  of  Licking  county,  Ohio.  They 
now  reside  on  the  farm  on  which  they  orig- 
inally located  in  Allen  county.  The  union 
of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been  blessed  with 
two  children, — Edna,  who  was  born  Jan- 
uary 12,  1890,  and  Jay,  born  January  4, 
1892,  and  Ixith  are  attending  the  Maple 
school,  of  Hutchinson.  In  matters  of  na- 
tional importance  Mr.  Crawford  gives  his 
support  to  the  Republican  party,  but  was 
made  councilman  of  his  city  against  both  the 
Republican  and  Citizens  tickets,  having  been 


elected  to  the  position  by  a  majority  of  one 
hundred  votes,  and  in  1901  he  completed  his 
two  years"  tenn.  He  is  now  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  having  been 
elected  to  that  position  on  the  Citizens  ticket, 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  building  commit- 
tee. He  has  passed  all  the  chairs  and  is  now 
past  grand  of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Red  Men,  while 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  identified  with  the 
Court  of  Honor. 


JAMES   :\I.  JORDAN. 

Few  traveling  men  of  Kansas  and  the 
southwest  have  a  wider  acquaintance  or 
are  more  generally  esteemed  than  James  i\I. 
Jordan,  of  Hutchinson,  who  for  se\-enteen 
years  has  represented  upon  the  road  the 
firm  of  R.  L.  McDonald  &  Company,  of  St. 
Joseph,  manufacturers  of  men's  furnishing 
goods.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  this  city 
since  1872  and  has  therefore  witnessed  the 
greater  part  of  its  growth  and  development, 
having  become  identified  with  its  mercan- 
tile interests  in  the  early  period  of  its  up- 
building. 

Mr.  Jordan  was  born  in  Cabell  county. 
Virginia,  in  1849,  and  is  a  son  of  Chapman 
Jordan,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the  Old 
Dominion.  Our  subject  is  a  representative 
of  the  fourth  generation  of  the  family  that 
has  resided  in  America.  In  1867  his  father 
removed  westward  with  the  family  to  ]\Iis- 
souri  and  after  James  ]M.  came  to  Hutchin- 
son he  also  took  up  his  abode  here,  but  sub- 
sequently removed  to  Lawrence,  Kansas, 
where  he  spent  his  remaining  days.  He 
was  married  near  Gallipolis,  Ohio,  to  -Miss 
Maria  Sloan,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  seven  children.  John  M.,  who  came  to 
Hutchinson  in  the  fall  of  1871  and  started 
in  business  here,  but  is  now  a  resident  of 
Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa ;  Jackson,  deceased : 
James  M. ;  Margaret  A.  and  \\'illiam  M.. 
who  have  also  passed  away ;  Dallas  and 
Emma,  who  are  living  in  Lea\'enworth, 
Kansas. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


23 


James  M.  Jordan  pursued  his  educa- 
tion largely  in  the  public  schools  of  Indiana 
and  when  a  young  man  became  connected 
with  mercantile  life.  Joining  his  brother 
John  in  Hutchinson  in  1872  they  made 
plans  whereby  a  branch  house  was  estab- 
lished in  Medicine  Lodge — this  being  the 
first  general  store  in  that  place — and  of  this 
our  subject  took  charge.  After  a  short  time, 
however,  he  sold  out  and  returned  to 
Hutchinson,  entering  the  store  here.  He 
was  thus  engaged  in  merchandising  until 
1874,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests  and 
was  afterwards  associated  with  different 
mercantile  firms  until  January,  1884, 
when  he  entered  the  ser\-ice  of  R.  L.  Mc- 
Donald &  Company,  of  St.  JosqMi,  J\lis- 
souri,  with  Avhom  he  has  since  remained  as 
their  traveling  rq^resentative  in  the  territory 
co\-ered  by  southern  Kansas,  northern 
Texas,  Oklahoma  and  Indian  Territory. 
Before  Oklahoma  was  opened  up  he  also 
made  New  Mexico  and  Colorado.  He 
makes  four  trips  annually  to  the  more 
thickly  populated  districts  and  Texas  he 
visits  about  twice  each  year.  He  is  very 
pijpular  on  the  road  and  with  the  many  pa- 
trons riiat  he  has  secured  for  the  house,  and 
the  firm  which  he  represents  allows  him  the 
utmost  liberty  and  freedom  in  carr\-ing  on 
his  work,  for  they  have  implicit  confidence 
in  his  ability  and  trustworthiness. 

On  the  26th  of  July,  1869,  in  Missouri, 
INIr.  Jordan  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Alargaret  A.  Burkhart,  a  daughter  of 
George  Burkhart,  a  farmer  of  Carroll  coun- 
t}-,  that  state.  They  became  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  but  only  three  are  living: 
William  S.,  a  graduate  of  the  high  school 
of  Hutchinson,  who  is  engaged  in  the  dry- 
goods  business  in  Pittsburg,  Kansas,  and 
married  Bird  Oviatt,  of  Astoria,  Illinois,  by 
whom  he  has  one  child,  Eugene,  who  is 
with  the  Star  Clothiers,  of  Hutchinson,  and 
Xina  'Ms.y,  at  home.  ]\Ir.  Jurdan  has  erect- 
ed two  residences  in  Hutchinsnn  and  the 
family  now  occupy  an  attractive  home.  In 
poltics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  served  as  sec- 
retary of  the  Duval  Campaign  Club,  but 
has    usually   taken    no   very   active   ixart    in 


political  work.  He  belongs  to  Reno  Lodge, 
Xo.  140.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Reno  Chapter,  Xo. 
34,  R.  A.  ^I.;  Hutchinson  Council,  X'o.  13, 
R.  &  S.  AI. ;  Reno  Commandery,  Xo.  26, 
K.  T. ;  Isis  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
of  Salina;  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of 
Acacia  Chapter,  No.  37,  O.  E.  S.  She  also 
belongs  to  the  Baptist  church  and  is  a  most 
estimable  lady.  In  addition  to  his  JNIasonic 
affiliation  Mr.  Jordan  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  United  Commercial  Travelers"  Asso- 
ciation and  was  the  second  senior  counsel 
of  the  organization  in  Hutchinson.  He  is 
a  wide-awake,  energetic  and  enterprising 
man,  who  in  his  business  life  has  become 
an  excellent  judge  of  human  nature.  Tact 
as  well  as  industr}-  has  made  him  an  excel- 
lent traveling  salesman  and  his  honorable 
business  methods  have  at  all  times  won  him 
the  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  has 
had  dealings,  while  his  genial  manner  and 
friendly  disposition  render  him  popular  in 
all  circles. 


PETER  HUMMEL. 

From  early  in  our  historv  tlie  German 
element  in  our  population  has  been  one  of 
its  best  factors.  The  German  character  has 
always  made  for  progress  and  prosperity  of 
the  most  substantial  kind.  Kansas  is  justly 
proud  of 'its  citizens  who  were  born  in  the 
fatherland,  and  among  those  l>est  known  in 
Ellsworth  co'unty  is  Peter  Hummel,  who 
lives  on  Blake's  addition  to  Ellsworth  and  is 
the  owner  of  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  in  Noble  township  and  also  of 
much  town  property.- 

Peter  Hummel  was  born  at  Heiback, 
Germany,  October  19,  1843,  a  son  of  Lud- 
wig  and  Catherine  (  Clech  )  Hummel,  both 
natives  of  Hesse-Darmstadt.  Germany, 
where  Mrs.  Hummel  died,  when  her  son,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  four  years  old. 
In  1849,  ^Ir-  Hummel  and  his  seven  chil- 
dren came  to  .-Vmerica,  and  located  in  Frank- 
lin county.  Pennsylvania,  where  they  lived 
until  1856,  when  they  removed  to'  Knox 
county,  Illinois,  where  :\Ir.  Hummel 
bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  within  five  miles  of  Galesburg". 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


The  subject  of  the  sketch  grew  up  on  his 
father's  farm  near  Galesburg,  Illinois,  and 
received  such  education  as  was  afiforded  in 
the  public  schools  near  his  home.  Novem- 
ber 9.  1S63,  h^  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
Seventh  Regiment  of  Illinois  Cavalry,  under 
Captain  Reynolds  and  Colonel  Prince,  and 
saw  active  service  with  General  Sherman's 
command  in  Hatch's  brigade  in  Tennessee, 
Alabama,  Georgia  and  Mississippi*  At 
Summerville  his  company  was  surrounded 
by  Forrest's  cafalry  and  did  not  escape 
without  the  loss -of  forty  men.  He  sen-ed 
continuously  until  the  close  of  the  war  and 
his  last  service  was  on  relief  guard  duty  at 
East  Port,  near  Eureka,  Mississippi,  when 
General  Forrest  came  in  and  surrendered  to 
the  federal  commander.  He  was  honorably 
discharged  from  the  United  States  service 
at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  November  4,  1865, 
and,  returning  to  Illinois,  worked  for  farm- 
ers for  wages  until  he  had  saved  sufficient 
money  to  buy  a  team  and  wagon,  when  he 
rented  a  farm  in  Knox  county,  which  he 
worked  successfully  until  1873,  when  he 
drov;e  with  horses  from  Illinois  to  Ells- 
worth, Kansas,  where  he  secured  a  soldier's 
land  claim  within  the  borders  of  section  6, 
Columbia  township.  He  put  one  hundred 
acres  on  his  land  under  cultivation  and 
otherwise  improved  the  property  and  lived 
upon  it  until  1880,  when  he  traded  it  for 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  section  i,  in 
the  same  township,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  sheep  raising  until  August,  1897,  when 
he  removed  to  his  present  home,  the  old 
Ramonsbury  place,  at  Ellsworth.  He  has 
a  fine  two-storv  house,  surrounded  by  a 
large  yard,  nicely  laid  t)ut  and  ornamented 
with  fruit  trees  and  shrubbery.  About  that 
time  he  bought  a  half  section  in  Enterprise 
township,  and  he  .has  altogether  six  hun- 
dred acres,  which  he  rents  to  tenant  farmers. 
Mr.  Hummel  is  one  of  the  representative 
citizens  of  the  county,  and  has  achieved  a 
most  worthy  success.  His  public  spirit  is 
such  that  he  alwa\-s  aids  every  movement 
which  in  his  judgment  promises  good  to 
the  people  at  large.  He  is  especially  inter- 
ested in  educational  matters  and  has  served 
ably  as  a  member  of  his  township  school 
board,  and  he  has  also  filled  the  office  of 


township  treasurer.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican ^nd  in  religion  he  adheres  to  the 
creed  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Hummel  was  married  February  22, 
1882,  to  Miss  Qara  Erdtmann,  of  Ells- 
worth, Kansas,  and  has  children  named 
Amanda,  George,  John,  Elma,  Mata  and 
Paul. 


HON.  FRANK  VINCENT. 

Few  men  in  Reno  county,  Kansas,  are 
more  widely  known  than  Hon.  Frank  Vin- 
cent, who  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  social,  religious,  educational  and 
political  development  of  this  section  of  the 
state  since  the  spring  of  1874.  His  fellow 
citizens  have  honored  him  with  many  posi- 
tions of  trust  and  responsibility,  and  he  is 
now  distinguished  as  the  senator  from  the 
thirty-sixth  senatorial  district. 

Tlie  birth  of  Senator  Vincent  occurred  in 
Bro'wn  county,  Ohio,  in  May,  1853,  ^"d  he 
is  a  son  of  J.  P.  and  Sophia  (Miller)  Vin- 
cent. The  father  was  a  native  of  Penns}l- 
vania,  but  in  young  manhood  moved  to  Ohio 
and  there  engaged  in  business  both  as  a 
merchant  and  farmer.  There  he  married 
Sophia  Aliller,  and  two  children  were  born, 
Mr.  Vincent  of  this  biography  being  the 
only  survivor.  Later  the  father  married 
Caroline  Morehead,  and  had  a  family  of 
nine  children.  In  1854  he  moved  with  his 
family  to  Lucas  county,  Iowa,  where  he  was 
a  pioneer,  and  the  mother  died  soon  after 
their  arrival.  Mr.  Vincent  became  a  prom- 
inent man  in  that  section  and  an  active  work- 
er and  leader  in  the  Methodist  church.  In 
1886  he  removed  to  Hutchinson,  Kansas, 
and  spent  his  last  days  here,  dying  in  1898. 

Frank  Vincent  was  but  a  babe  one  year 
old  when  the  family  exodus  was  made  from 
Ohio  to  Iowa,  and  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age  he  attended  school  in  that  state. 
in  March,  1874,  he  made  his  way  to  Hutch- 
inson, Kansas,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  that 
year  took  up  a  one-quarter  section  in  Castle- 
ton  township  and  engaged  in  farming  for  a 
couple  of  years  and  then  turned  his  attention 


t 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


25 


to  mercantile  pursuits,  for  three  years  con- 
ducting a  store  at  Castleton.  Having  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  deputy  register  of 
deeds,  he  sold  his  business  in  Castleton  and 
removed  into  Hutchinson,  where  two  years 
later  he  opened  a  business  in  real  estate  and 
loans.  Until  1888  Mr.  Vincent  was  engaged 
in  the  above  line,  becoming  then  interested 
in  the  salt  business,  this  having  been  one 
with  which  he  has  been  connected  ever  since, 
holding  now  the  position  of  general  manager 
of  the  Hutchinson  Salt  Works.  He  was  one 
of  the  incorporators  of  this  company,  and 
they  had  but  one  competitor.  The  Hutch- 
inson Salt  Company  started  the  plant  known 
as  the  Vincent  plant,  later  bought  other 
plants  and  now  control  ten.  In  January, 
1900,  the  business  was  sold  to  the  Hutchin- 
son, Kansas,  Salt  Company,  a  wealthy  syn- 
dicate, and  Mr.  Vincent  was  retained  as  gen- 
eral manager.  The  salt  business  as  now 
managed  is  the  largest  industry  in  the  city 
of  Hutchinson.  The  united  plant  has  a  ca- 
pacity of  •  forty-five  hundred  barrels  a  day, 
but  ships  only  one  million  barrels  annually. 
Employment  is  gi\'en  to  from  four  hundred 
and  fifty  to  six  hundr.ed  men,  according  to 
the  season,  the  business  bringing  comfort 
into  many  worthy  homes. 

Senator  Vincent  invested  largelv  in  farm- 
ing property  and  is  among  the  largest  land 
owners  in  the  county,  one  of  his  valuable 
farms  lying  five  miles  north  of  the  city,  to 
which  it  is  our  subject's  delight  to  drive. 
This  comprises  four  hundred  acres  under 
cultivation,  also  three  hundred  and*  twenty 
acres  in  pasture  land,  where  are  raised  thor- 
nughbred  Black  Angus  cattle,  the  finegt  in 
this  part  of  the  state.  Senator  Vincent  takes 
a  ])ersonal  interest  and  pride  in  his  farm  and 
tine  cattle,  enjoying  the  management  more 
than  either  the  strife  of  political  or  the  com- 
petition of  commercial  life.  In  almost  all  of 
the  various  organizations  of  a  public  char- 
ricter  he  has  taken  a  leading  position.  He 
w  as  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Wholesale 
( iroters'  Company,  and  for  four  }-ears  was 
its  vice-president,  and  was  not  only  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Hutchinson  National 
I'.ank,  but  was  also  vice-president  and  direc- 


tor. Every  educational  and  religious  move- 
ment has  had  his  hearty  support,  and  he 
has  liberally  contributed  to  the  erection  of 
the  various  edifices.  He  has  always  been  an 
active  worker  in  the  Republican  party.  For 
six  years  he  served  as  mayor  of  the  city, 
during  which  time  he  reduced  the  water 
rentals  one-half  and  instituted  many  reforms. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  national 
convention  at  St.  Louis,  at  which  the  late 
lamented  President  McKinley  was  nomi- 
nated, and  has  been  one  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers of  his  party  in  this  locality.  In  1900 
he  was  nominated  for  senator  and  was  elect- 
ed by  a  majority  of  seven  hundred. 

The  marriage  of  Senator  Vincent  occur- 
red in  August,  1874,  to  Miss  Anna  C. 
Payne,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Rev.  John 
Payne,  a  farmer  in  Iowa  and  for  over  forty 
years  a  minister  in  the  Methodist  church. 
He  now  lives  a  retired  life  in  the  home  of 
our  subject,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 
Seven  children  were  born  to  this  union, 
namely :  Lizzie,  who  is  the  assistant  post- 
mistress of  this  city;  Frank,  Jr.,  who  is  a 
shipping  clerk  in  his  father's  office;  George 
who  superintends  the  farm ;  Sophia  ;  Esther ; 
Louie;  and  Jay.  In  fraternal  circles  Senator 
Vincent  has  long  been  active,  holding  a 
membership  in  the  Ancient  Order  of  L'nited 
Workmen,  and  in  the  Alasonic  order,  be- 
longing to  Reno  Lodge,  Xo.  140,  to  Reno 
Chapter,  No.  38,  and  tO'  the  Commandery 
No.  26.  The  religious  connection  of  the 
family  is  with  the  Presbyterian  church, 
where  Senator  Vincent  is  a  liberal  contri- 
butor. His  record  as  a  politician  has  been 
unstained,  and  he  stands  a  true  representa- 
tive of  the  highest  class  of  citizenshii)  in 
Reno  countv. 


JOHN  S.  SHUYLER. 

Labor  forms  the  foundation  of  all  pros- 
perity and  it  is  to  his  enterprising  and  well 
directed  efforts  that  our  subject  owes  his 
position  as  a  leading  and  representati\e 
farmer  of  Enterprise  township,  Reno  coun- 
ty.    He  was  born  in  Spencer  county.   In- 


26 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


diana,  in  1846.  His  father,  Michael  P. 
Shuyler,  who  was  born  about  the  year' 1800, 
died  in  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  in  1855. 
He  followed  blacksmithing  as  a  means  of 
livelihood,  having  learned  the  edge  tool  bus- 
iness in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
an  excellent  workman.  As  a  companion  for 
the  journey  of  life  he  chose  Elizabeth  Cies, 
who  was  born  near  Hagerstown,  Maryland, 
and  they  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  was  the  youngest  in  order  of  birth, 
and  of  that  large  number,  six  sons  and  six 
daughters,  all  have  passed  away  with  the 
exception  of  John  S.  and  his  brother  David, 
The  latter  is  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  Huntsville  township,  Reno  county, 
Kansas.  The  mother  of  this  family  died 
when  our  subject  was  but  an  infant,  and 
the  father  was  again  married,  the  second 
union  resulting  in  the  birth  of  four  children, 
of  whom  two,  a  son  and  daughter,  still  sur- 
vive: Louis,  a  resident  of  Boonville,  In- 
diana ;  and  Seleta,  wife  of  John  R.  Bacon, 
of  Topeka,  Kansas.  The  mother  is  now 
Mrs.  Bacon  and  makes  her  home  at  Boon- 
ville, Indiana. 

John  S.  Shuyler,  the  subject  of  this 
review,  made  his  home  with  his  brother, 
David  M.,  from  his  ninth  to  his  fifteenth 
year,  receiving  but  meager  educational  ad- 
vantages during  that  period,  as  his  time  was 
principally  employed  in  the  arduous  task 
of  clearing  an  Indiana  farm  from  the  heavy 
timber.  At  the  early  age  of  fifteen  years,  in 
January,  1862,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the 
Civil  war,  entering  the  Sixty-second  In- 
diana Volunteer  Infantry,  which  regiment 
was  afterward  consolidated  with  the  Fifty- 
third  Indiana,  and  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany G,  he  served  in  its  ranks  for  three 
and  a  half  years,  during  which  time  he 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Corinth,  Vicks- 
burg  and  Hatcher's  Run,  and  was  also  with 
Sherman  on  his  Atlanta  campaign.  Dur- 
ing his  army  service  Mr.  Shuyler  also  spent 
three  months  in  the  Overton  hospital,  at 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  where  he  suffered 
with  a  relapse  of  the  measles.  After  re- 
covering his  health  he  veteranized  at  Camp 


Heborne,  Alississippi,  and  at  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  in  August,  1865,  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged,  for  the  war  had  ended  and 
the  country  no  longer  needed  his  services. 
After  returning  home  he  spent  one  winter 
in  school,  and  afterward  engaged  in  farm- 
ing the  old  Allen  place,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years,  and  for  the  following  two 
years  resided  on  a  farm  in  Pike  county,  In- 
diana. In  August,  1872,  he  began  the 
journey  westward  with  his  team  and 
wagon,  working  on  the  railroad  and 
at  other  occupations  during  the  trip, 
and  after  traveling  over  one  thou- 
sand miles  finally  arrived  in  the  Sun- 
flower state,  where  he  secured  a  homestead 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  which 
he  located  on  the  12th  of  July,  1873.  Here 
he  has  ever  since  made  his  home,  but  as  the 
years  have  passed  by  and  prosperity  has 
rewarded  his  efforts  he  has  added  to  his 
original  purchase  until  he  now  owns  a  half 
section  of  land,  but  farms  in  all  three  quar- 
ter sections.  His  principal  crop  is  wheat 
and  corn,  and  in  one  year  he  raised  fifty- 
five  hundred  bushels  of  the  latter  cereal, 
while  in  1901  his  wheat  crop  yielded  him 
four  thousand  bushels.  He  has  planted  all 
the  fruit  and  shade  trees  which  add  so  much 
to  the  value  and  attractive  appearance  of 
his  place,  and  the  many  other  improvements 
upon  his  farm  stand  as  monuments  to  his 
thrift  and  ability.  His  present  beautiful 
residence  was  erected  in  1889,  ^"d  in  the 
same  year  his  large  barn  was  also  built, 
which  is  one  of  the  finest  structures  of  the 
kind  in  the  county.  In  addition  to  the  rais- 
ing of  the  cereals  best  adapted  to  this  soil 
and  climate  Mr.  Shuyler  is  also  extensively 
engaged  in  the  stock  business,  keeping  on 
hand  from  ten  to  fifteen  horses  and  large 
numbers  of  hogs,  which  are  of  the  Poland 
China  breed'.  Success  has  abundantly  re- 
warded his  efforts  since  coming  to  the  Sun- 
flower state,  but  the  high  position  which  he 
now  occupies  among  the  leading  agricul- 
turists of  Reno  county  has  been  attained 
through  his  enterprising  spirit  and  his  de- 
termined purpose. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


27 


On  the  27th  of  March,  1867,  was  cele- 
braled  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Shuyler  and 
Miss  Julia  M.  Allen.  The  lady  is  a  native 
of  the  state  of  Tennessee,  born  in  1848,  a 
daughter  of  \Villiam  and  Mary  (Harden) 
Allen,  natives  also  of  that  state.  The  fa- 
ther, who  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  died 
in  Indiana,  leaving  his  widow  with  their 
tive  children,  four  of  whom  still  survive, — 
:\Irs.  Shuyler;  Alice,  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Kel- 
lum,  a  farmer  of  section  two,  Enterprise 
township;  James  L.,  who  for  many  years 
has  held  an  important  position  with  the 
finn  of  Fuller  &  Fuller,  in  Chicago;  and 
Rinda,  now  Mrs.  Ed  Behler  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Huntington,  Indiana.  Previous  to 
her  marriage  with  the  father  of  these  chil- 
dren the  mother  had  wedded  Robert  B. 
Shaw  and  by  that  union  had  one  child.  She 
is  now  the  widow  of  Perry  Chinn  and 
makes  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Shuyler,  having  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-five  years.  The  children  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shuyler  are  as  follows :  W. 
P.,  wlio  is  a  prominent  agriculturist  of 
Enterprise  township,  and  has  a  son  and 
daughter;  Adella,  wife  of  W.  C.  Detter,  by 
whom  she  has  two  children;  O.  C,  a  farmer 
near  Lerado,  this  county,  and  has  one  son; 
Florence,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Detter;  Harr}' 
A.,  who  is  attending  the  State  Agricultural 
College;  Mabel,  a  member  of  the  Linsborg 
Musical  College,  where  she  is  studying  both 
vocal  and  piano  music;  Reynolds,  a  youth 
of  fifteen  years,  who  is  attending  the  dis- 
trict schools;  Mary  Mildred,  a  maiden  of 
ten  summers;  and  Dean  M.,  seven  years  of 
age.  Those  who  passed  away  are:  Mil- 
lard, who  died  at  the  age  of  nine  months; 
Georgia  Lee,  who  also  died  when  only 
nine  months  old;  and  Floyd  S.,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  In  his  j 
political  affiliations  Mr.  Shuyler  is  a  Popu- 
list, but  previous  to  his  identification  there-  | 
with  he  was  a  supporter  of  Republican  prin- 
ciples. He  has  served  his  township  as  a 
trustee  for  several  terms,  and  for  six 
years  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  has  a  wide  acquaintance  in  this  section 
of  the  state,  and  his  honestv  in  all  trade 


transactions,  his  reliability  in  discharging 
his  duties  of  citizenship  and  hs  fidelity  to 
the  interests'  of  private  life  have  won  him 
marked  esteem. 


JACOB  W.  LIGHT,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Jacob  W.  Light,  who  has  been  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  Kingman  since  1884,  was  born  near 
Fostoria,  Ohio,  in  January,  1859,  soon 
after  the  removal  of  his  parents  from  Penn- 
sylvania to  the  Buckeye  state.  The  fam- 
ily is  of  German  lineage  and  the  name  was 
originally  spelledi  Lichte.  Felix  Light,  the 
Doctor's  father,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
and  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade.  He  was 
married  in  his  native  state  to  Susan  Pef- 
fer,  who  was  of  the  same  family  to  which 
Senator  Peffer  belonged.  They  became  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom 
attained'  years  of  maturity.  The  family 
were  connected  with  the  United  Brethren 
church  and  were  people  of  the  highest  re- 
spectability. 

The  Doctor  attended  the  district  schools 
until  eighteen  years  of  age  and  then  entered 
the  Ada  N'ormal  College,  at  Ada.  He  en- 
gaged in  teaching  as  a  means  whereby  to 
procure  the  funds  necessary  for  the  con- 
tinuance of  his  studies,  and  this  determina- 
tion to  procure  an  education  no  matter 
what  the  difficulties  which  stood  in  the  way 
showed  forth  the  elemental  strength  of  his 
character  and  gave  promise  of  accomplish- 
ment in  later  life.  Before  going  to  Ada 
he  made  arrangauents  to  study  medicine 
with  a  physician  in  Findlay,  Ohio,  but  the 
accidental  death  of  the  ph3-sician  forced 
him  to  change  his  plans,  and  after  teaching 
for  several  years  he  became  a  student  in  the 
office  of  a  physician  in  Columbus  Grove, 
Ohio,  reading  under  his  direction  all  the 
time  between  the  courses  of  lectures  which 
he  took  in  college.  In  March,  1884,  he 
was  graduated  in  the  Pulte  ATedical  Col- 
lege, at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  winninL;"  the  prize 
there  for  the  best  work  in  physiology. 


28 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Dr.  Light  then  made  his  arrangements 
to  remove  to  the  west,  and  in  June  arrived 
in  Kingman,  which  was  then  enjoying  an 
era  of  marked  progress.  The  railroad  had 
just  reached  here  and  the  Doctor  complet- 
ed his  journey  on  the  construction  train. 
There  was  only  one  brick  building  in  the 
town  and  many  conditions  were  primitive, 
but  the  western  spirit  of  enterprise  was 
soon  to  dominate  the  place  and  produce  a 
transformation.  Our  subject  entered  into 
partnership  with  Dr.  Yancey,  who  was  the 
owner  of  a  drug  store  in  iCingman,  but  in 
the  autumn  following  his  arrival  the  part- 
nership was  dissolved  and  Dr.  Light  en- 
tered upon  an  independent  business  career. 
\\'ith  one  exception  he  is  the  oldest  resident 
physician  of  Kingman  and  his  practice  is 
proportionate  to  the  length  of  his  stay.  \\'ith 
the  growth  of  the  town  his  patronage  in- 
creased and  from  the  1>eginning  he  has  en- 
joyed a  successful  professional  career.  Li 
the  early  days  of  his  location  here  he  was 
called  as  far  as  seventy-five  miles  and  had 
to  endure  many  hardships  by  making  long 
drives  across  the  country  in  storm  as  well 
as  in  sunshine,  but  he  never  refused  to  give 
his  aid  in  alleviation  of  suffering.  He  is 
now  called  as  far  as  thirty  miles,  and  in 
Kingman  and  the  immediate  surrounding 
district  he  has  a  large  business.  He  has 
been  particularly  successful  in  treating  cases 
of  dropsy,  having  effected  cures  in  cases 
which  others  had  pronounced  incurable,  and 
thus  his  reputation  has  gone  abroad  and 
won  him  high  standing  in  his  profession.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Kansas  State  Medical 
Society  and  the  American  Institute  of  Hom- 
eopathy, and  thus  he  keeps  in  touch  with 
the  advanced  thought  of  the  day  along  the 
lines  of  medical  and  surgical  investigation 
and  practice.  In  order  to  still  further  per- 
fect himself  in  his  work  he  took  a  course  in 
the  Polyclinic  in  Chicago  in  1893. 

Just  before  his 'removal  to  Kingman  Dr. 
Light  was  married  to  Miss  Aimee  Sterling, 
the  wedding  being  celebrated  March  20, 
1884.  in  her  home  in  Columbus  Grove.  With 
his  bride  he  came  to  this  city  and  their  home 
has  been  blessed  with  three  children,  but 
only  one  is  now  li\ing.  F.  ]\Iarvin.     In  1899 


the  Doctor  erected  a  fine  residence  at  the 
corner  of  Spruce  street  and  Avenue  F.  It 
is  an  ornament  to  the  city  and  is  the  most 
modern  dwelling  here,  being  supplied  with 
the  latest  improvements  and  conveniences. 
He  also  owns  another  house  which  he  rents. 
He  also  has  extensive  stock  raising  inter- 
ests, having  a  fine  herd  of  shorthorns. 

Dr.  Light  holds  membership  with  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  \\'orkmen  and 
was  formerly  connected  with  the  team  of 
Select  Knights.  He  is  likewise  a  worthy 
exemplar  of  Ninnescah  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  pension  Ixiard  and 
with  the  exception  of  four  years  has  held 
the  office  of  its  secretary  since  1888.  He 
served  for  five  years  as  county  health  officer 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
In  politics  he  has  always  been  an  earnest 
Republican,  but  has  ever  refused  to  become 
a  candidate  for  office.  He  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  skillful  physicians  of  his 
locality.  His  knowledge  and  abilif}-  in  med- 
icine and  surgery  and  all  matters  pertaining 
to  the  health  of  the  body,  his  intelligence 
in  other  lines  of  study  and  his  manly  char- 
acter alike  entitle  him  to  esteem,  and  he  is 
regarded  with  the  highest  respect  in  this 
and  other  communities. 


JAMES  DUKELOW. 

The  eminent  position  which  Reno  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  has  attained  as  a  leading  one  in 
the  state  is  in  a  large  measure  due  to  the 
class  of  citizens  which  makes  up  so  large 
a  proportion  of  her  agricultural  population. 
Among  those  who  have  succeeded  and  be- 
come subsitantial  pillars  oi  the  countv 
through  their  own  well  directed  and  intel- 
ligent efforts  is  James  Dukelow,  who  has 
owned  property  here  since  1880. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Dukelow  was  in  Great 
Britain  in  1846,  and  he  came  to  America 
prior  to  attaining  his  majority.  For  some 
years  he  was  located  in  New  England,  trav- 
eling in  the  interests  of  the  well  known  firm 
of  J.  Gould's  Sons,  tea  iniporters  of  New 
York  city,  his  business  taking  him  through 
Maine,  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


his  headquarters  being  in  Boston.  His  first 
visit  to  Kansas  was  made  in  the  interest  of 
tiiis  firm,  being  sent  hither  to  make  investi- 
gations concerning  its  fomier  representa- 
tive, and  wliile  here  he  joined  one  of  the 
tlome  Seekers"  excursions  which  went  to 
look  at  land  in  this  territory.  The  party 
made  stops  at  Newton,  at  Florence,  and  at 
Hutchinson,  and  the  greater  number  went 
on  to  Larned,  but  the  location  of  this  city 
pleased  Mr.  Dukelow  the  best,  resulting  in 
his  buying  the  claim  for  the  farm  upon 
which  he  now  resides,  in  1880.  He  paid 
eight  hundred  dollars  for  the  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,'  having  the  original  deed 
made  out  tO'  him.  Then  he  returned  tO'  the 
east  and  closed  up  his  business  affairs  there, 
agreeing  with  his  former  emplo}-ers  to  con- 
tinue to  represent  their  house  in  this  locality. 
This  he  did  until  increasing  private  business 
made  it  inexpedient.  The  improvements  on 
the  place  consisted  of  a  small  frame  shanty, 
and  a  shed  which  was  made  out  of  a  straw 
]3ile.  About  eighty  acres  of  the  land  had 
been  broken,  and  after  his  locating,  in 
the  fall  of  that  year,  he  put  in  wheat, 
and  in  the  following  spring  began  to 
]iut  out  some  fruit  trees.  No  trees  of  any 
kind  were  there  prior  to  this,  the  beautiful 
grove  which  is  one  of  the  adornments  of  this 
ideal  country  home  having  all  been  planted 
and  nurtured  by  our  subject.  The  soil  re- 
sponded so  generously  that  he  foimd  it  nec- 
essary at  times  to  cut  down  some  of  the  trees 
of  his  planting,  as  their  spreading  branches 
crowded  each  other.  He  has  made  a  special- 
ty of  fruit  trees  and  he  now  has  two  hundred 
and  sixteen  acres  in  fruit  alone,  one  hun- 
dred acres  in  peaches,  twenty-five  acres  in 
grapes  and  twenty-seven  acres  in  berries. 
Each  year  he  cultix'ates  ])iitatoes  on  fifteen 
acres,  although  the  cereals,  corn  and  oats, 
he  considers  his  jirincipal  crops.  He  has 
}'early  added  to  his  land  and  now  owns  fi\e 
farms  and  keeps  all  under  his  own  supervi- 
sion, having  them  worked  on  the  share  s}-s- 
tem.  In  stock  raising  also  he  has  pros- 
pered, and  keeps  hogs  on  three  of  his  farms 
and  also  has  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
head  of  cattle.  In  the  fall  of  1899  he 
erected  his  elegant  residence,  this  being  one 


of  the  most  comfortable  and  attractive 
homes  in  Reno  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Dukelow  was  in 
September.  1873,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Justice, 
who  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts.  To 
this  union  three  sons  have  been  born,  name- 
ly:   Herbert  L.,  Elmer  R.,  and  Howard  ]M. 

Mr.  Dukelow  has  l)een  identified  with 
almost  all  of  the  progressi\-e  mii\-enients  in 
the  county  since  his  locatidu  here,  and  has 
been  connected  with  many  enterprises  in  a 
financial  way.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Citizens'  Bank  of  Hutchinson,  and  fo-r 
four  years  was  its  president,  resigning  that 
honorable  position  on  account  of  stress  of 
personal  business.  The  Presbyterian  church 
in  this  locality  owes  much  to  his  devotion,  he 
being  one  of  the  pioneer  memibers  of  that 
religious  body,  ever  ready  with  time,  influ- 
ence and  means  to  promote  its  interests.  For 
a  long  period  he  ser^^ed  as  chairman  of  the 
board  of  deacons  in  that  church.  In  politi- 
cal sympathy  he  has  alwavs  been  an  ardent 
supporter  of  the  Re])ulilicaii  jiarlv,  although 
in  no  sense  a  puliii'.-ian,  dc-inii^  iiMue  of  the 
public  offices,  his  .:\vii  liUMiicss  demanding 
his  constant  attention.  Although  he  has 
been  unusually  successful  since  locating  in 
Kansas,  there  is  no  mystery  in  it.  He  pre- 
pared himself  by  close  attention  to  business 
for  the  work  he  had  undertaken  and  gained 
a  thorough-  knowledge  of  the  properties  of 
the  soil  and  its  adaptatidu  tn  tlie  various 
growths,  of  the  scientific  lireeding  and  eco- 
ncniiral  feeding  of  st.  ck.  and  with  energy 
and  intelligence  carried  this  knowledge  into 
practice.  He  is  well  and  favorably  known 
throueh  Reno  county,  where  he  has  hosts 
of  friends  and  many  imitators  of  his 
methods. 


FREDERICK  J.  BRUCE. 

Frederick  J.  Bruce  is  a  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  residing  on  the  east  half  of  section 
14.  Garfield  township,  Ellsworth  county, 
and  is  the  oldest  settler'  in  this  locality. 
Great  indeed  are  the  changes  which  ha\e 
occurred  since  his  arrival,  for  he  found  an 
undeveloped  section  of  the  country,  the  land 


30 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


as  yet  not  claimed  for  the  purposes  of  civili- 
zation. Buffalo  roamed  over  the  prairies, 
and  often  going  out  on  a  hunt  he  has  se- 
cured all  that  he  could  bring  home  with  an 
ox  team.  As  men  from  the  east  came  to  this 
portion  of  Kansas  dug-outs  and  sod  houses 
were  seen  as  the  homes  of  the  settlers,  and 
these  in  turn  were  replaced  by  the  more 
commodious  and  modern  frame  residences, 
and  the  district  has  become  the  abiding 
place  of  a  contented  and  prosperous  farm- 
ing people,  whosie  homes  surround  thriving 
towns  and  villages  where  all  kinds  of  manu- 
facturing and  industrial  interests  are  car- 
ried on.  All  these  changes  Mr.  Bruce  has 
witnessed  since  his  arrival  in  Ellsworth 
county,   in  the  fall   of    1869. 

The  family  originated  in  Scotland  but 
]Mr.  Bruce  of  this  re\-iew  was  born  in  the 
duchy  of  ^Mecklenburg,  Germany,  Decem- 
ber 27,  1839.  His  father,  Frederick  J. 
Bruce,  was  also  a  native  of  Gennany,  and 
in  1852  came  to  America  in  the  old  sailing 
vessel  Gibraltar,  which  was  nine  weeks  up- 
on the  water  before  reaching  the  harbor  of 
Xew  York.  He  was  a  tishennan  in  the 
old  country  and  upon  landing  in  the  new 
world  he  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  wdiere  he 
followed  the  same  pursuit  until  1856,  when 
he  located  upon  a  fann  and  there  spent  his 
remaining  days.  His  political  support  was 
given  to  the  Democracy.  He  married  a 
]Miss  Johnson  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  three  children,  but  our  subject  is  the 
only  one  now  living. 

Frederick  J.  Bruce  began  work  at  a  very 
earlv  age,  assisting  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
home  farm,  upon  which  he  remained  until 
he  had  attained  his  majority.  He  enlisted 
in  April,  1861,  at  the  first  call  for  troops, 
becoming  a  member  of  the  Buckeye  Rifles, 
but  this  regiment  was  not  furnished  with 
arms  and  was  discharged  without  going  to 
the  front.  Upon  the  three  years'  call  he  re- 
enlisted,  on  the  2ist  of  August,  1861,  be- 
coming a  member  of  Company  K,  Second 
Ohio  Cavalry,  which  was  assigned  to  the 
Army  of  the  Frontier,  thus  serving  until 
1863,  when  it  was  transferred  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Ohio,  and  in  1864  became  a  part 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.     ?*Ir.  Bruce 


participated  in  the  battles  of  Independence, 
Carthage  and  Newtonia  in  Missouri;  Cave 
Hill,  Prairie  Grove  and  White  River,  Ar- 
kansas ;  Monticello  and  Columbia,  Ken- 
tucky; and  Greenville,  \\'alker's  Ford, 
Knoxville,  Blue  Springs,  jNIorristown  and 
Bean's  Station,  Tennessee.  The  regiment 
then  changed  its  base  of  operations  to  \'ir- 
ginia  and  ]\Ir.  Bruce  participated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  the  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  Han- 
over Court  House,  Ashland,  Nottawav 
Creek,  Stone's  Creek,  Ream's  Station,  Win- 
chester, Berryville,  Opequan,  Luray  Val- 
ley, Tom's  Brook,  Cedar  Creek,  Middle 
Road,  Lacey  Spring,  Five  Forks,  Sailor's 
Creek  and  Appomattox,  Virginia  ;  and 
Charlestown,  West  Virginia.  On  the  9th 
of  May,  1864,  he  was  wounded  by  a  minie 
ball  in  the  right  breast  and  left  hip,  at  Spott- 
sylvania. From  Augvist,  1864,  until  dis- 
charged he  served  as  orderly  to  General  Cus- 
'.  ter.  He  was  honorably  discharged  on  the 
;  1st  of  July,  1864,  but  re-enlisted  as  a  vet- 
eran on  the  same  day,  and  his  final  discharge 
was  received  at  Camp  Chase,  Columbus, 
Ohio,  September  11,  1865. 

Mr.  Bruce  afterward  began  work  upon 
a  farm  near  Chagrin  Falls,  Ohio,  and  a  year 
later  he  was  married  and  began  farming  on 
his  own  account.  It  was  on  the  i8th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1866,  at  Chagrin  Falls,  that  he  mar- 
ried Miss  ^lan'  Meeker,  a  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel Abner  and  Sidney  (Clark)  IMeeker.  Her 
father  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  whence  he 
removed  to  Ohio,  where  the  birth  of  Mrs. 
Bruce  occurred.  Our  subject  and  his  wife 
began  their  domestic  life  in  Ohio,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  dairy  business  and  the  manu- 
facture of  cheeses,  carrying  on  that  pur- 
suit for  three  years.  During  the  first  year 
of  his  army  service  he  had  visited  Kansas 
and  the  Indian  Territory,  and  believing  that 
he  would  have  a  better  chance  to  getting 
a  home  of  his  own  in  the  west,  he  came  to 
the  Sunflower  state  in  1869  and  took  up  a 
soldier's  homestead  on  the  quarter  section 
of  land  where  he  now  resides.  There  were 
a  few  settlers  living  on  the  creek  in  Saline 
cotmty,  but  there  was  not  a  house,  nor  had 
a  furrow  been  turned,  between  his  home  and 
Fort  Harker.     It  looked  dismal  enough,  as 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


the  prairie  liad  been  burned  over  and  there 
was  not  a  tree  or  shrub  in  si,s:ht.  There  were 
also  many  snakes  on  the  prairie  and  Mr. 
Bruce  frequently  killed  rattlers  aroiuid  his 
home.  He  erected  a  small  frame  house  and 
started  in  to  cultivate  the  g-round,  raising 
potatoes  and  garden  vfegetables  to  sell  in 
Ellsworth  and  Salina,  the  two  nearest  mark- 
ets to  his  home.  Later  he  began  raising 
grain  and  afterward  made  a  start  in  the 
cattle  business  by  raising  a  few  head  of 
stock.  He  has  living  water  upon  his  place, 
which  makes  the  fami  a  good  one  for  stock 
raising  purposes.  At  the  present  time  his 
attention  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of  cattle 
and  hogs.  He  owns  a  thoroughbred  Dur- 
ham bull  which  he  is  cross-breeding  with 
his  stock.  He  has  had  sixty  acres  of  land 
and  has  given  his  daughter  eighty  acres, 
but  cultivates  the  balance  of  his  farm.  He 
has  planted  all  of  the  trees  on  his  place  and 
is  now  cutting'  cordwood.  many  of  the  trees 
being  from  eighteen  to  twenty  inches  in  di- 
ameter. He  has  also  planted  fruit  trees, 
which  are  in  good  bearing  condition.  His 
farm  is  now  valuable  and  especially  attrac- 
tive in  appearance,  and  all  of  the  improve- 
ments upon  it  stand  as  monuments  to  his 
enterprise. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bruce  has 
been  blessed  with  four  children,  but  Willie 
and  Anna  died  at  the  ages  of  fourteen  and 
thirteen,  respecti\-ely.  \'enelia  S.  is  the 
wife  of  Eli  Bradford,  who  is  engaged  in 
fanning  in  this  locality,  and  Frederick  died 
at  the  age  of  one  year.  ^Ir.  Bruce  has 
served  as  township  treasurer,  and  for  about 
fifteen  or  sixteen  years  has  been  a  member 
of  the  school  board.  He  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  school  district,  built  the 
first  school  house  and  was  also  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  church,  the  services 
being  held  in  the  school  house  until  18S3, 
when  he  was  largely  instrumental  in  secur- 
ing the  erection  of  the  present  stone  church. 
In  former  years  he  conducted  services  here 
and  in  other  places,  but  owing  to  the  effects 
of  the  wounds  he  sustained  in  the  war,  he 
has  given  up  active  ministerial  work,  al- 
though he  still  holds  a  license  to  preach,  but 
seldom  officiates  in  that  capacity  unless 
called  upon  to  preside  at  some  funeral.     He 


has  always  been  one  of  the  trustees,  and  has 
labored  effectively  to  promote  the  best  in- 
terests of  moral  advancement.  Socially  he 
is  identified  with  John  A.  Logan  Post,  No-. 
127,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Salina. 


ROBERT  E.  TANTON. 

Robert  E.  Tanton,  who  since  1879  has 
made  his  home  in  Ellsworth  county,  is  now 
carrying  on  farming  on  section  21,  Sher- 
man township.  He  is  one  of  the  worthy 
citizens  that  England  has  furnished  to  cen- 
tral Kansas,  his  birth  having  occurred  on 
the  "Merrie  Isle"  March  12,  1836,  his  par- 
ents being  James  and  Rebecca  (  Brinsmade) 
Tanton.  He  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  land  and  when  seventeen  years  of 
age  came  to  the  United  States,  crossing  the 
Atlantic  on  the  Rosalind  Castle,  which  was 
five  weeks  in  completing  the  voyage  from 
Plymouth  to  Quebec.  After  reaching  the 
new  world  he  learned  the  wagonmaker's 
trade  and  remained  in  Canada  for  a  year 
audi  a  half.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period 
he  removed  to  Boone  count\'.  Illinois,  where 
he  remained  for  two  or  three  \-ears  and  sub- 
sequently he  went  to  Miimesnta,  where  he 
engaged  in  teaching  school  thmugh  the  win- 
ter, near  Red  Wing.  He  next  took  up  his 
abode  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years,  and  then  went  to-  Mis- 
souri, spending  a  similar  period  in  Macon 
City,  after  which  he  purchased  a  farm  and 
followed  agricultural  pursuits  for  about 
nine  years.  He  then  sold  that  iimperty  and 
went  to  Silver  Citv.  Coli-radn,  Imt  was  not 
pleased  with  ;that  sectinn  of  tlie  country 
and  returned  tO'  his  family  in  Missouri. 

The  year  1879  witnessed  the  arriwal  of 
Mr.  Tanton  in  Ellsworth  cnunty,  and  here 
he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  railroad  land, 
•upon  which  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
There  was  nr;t  a  tree  or  bush  uimn  the  ]ilace, 
all  being  in  the  nati\-e  sod.  lie  had  (lri\'en 
from  ]\lissouri  in  a  prairie  schooner  drawn 
by  a  team  of  horses,  and  with  these  he  be- 
gan breaking  ground.  Immediately  after 
his  arrival  he  erected  a  small  frame  house, 
which  forms  a-  part  of  his  present  residence. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


He  began  farmin.s:  in  a  small  way  and  grad- 
ually was  enabled  to  add  to  his  possessions, 
purchasing  an  adjoining  quarter  section  of 
land.  He  also  engaged  in  the  raising  of  cat- 
tle, and  he  usually  sells  his  calves  when  two 
years  old.  However,  the  greater  part  of 
his  attention  is  devoted  to  the  production  of 
wheat,  which  crop  always  gives  a  good  yield 
in  Kansas  and  the  products  of  his  farm  find 
a  ready  sale  on  the  market.  He  has  sold 
eighty  acres  of  his  land,  but  still  owns  the 
original  tract  and  another  eighty  acres. 

On  the  I2th  of  April,  1865,  in  Beloit, 
Wisconsin,  Mr.  Tanton  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Emma  Maxworthy,  a  daugh- 
ter of  George  Maxworthy,  who  was  born  in 
England  and  came  to  America  prior  to  the 
war  of  1812,  in  which  he  participated.  He 
afterward  returned  to  his  native  land  and 
was  there  united  in  marriage  to  Sabina  S. 
Huxtable.  He  located  at  Statford.  Gene- 
see county,  New  York,  where  Mrs.  Stanton 
was  born  and  reared.  Later  the  family  re- 
moved to  Wisconsin,  but  both  the  parents 
died  in  Illinois.  Mr.  Maxworthy  had  a  great 
desire  to  see  the  world  and  traveled  exten- 
snvely  in  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa,  thereby 
gaining  that  knowledge  and  culture  which 
only  travel  can  bring.  I\Irs.  Tanton  was  one 
of  "five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. Her  two  brothers,  Albert  and  George, 
were  both  Union  soldiers  in  the  civil  war. 
The  latter  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany D,  Second  Delaware  Regiment,  and 
served  with  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
He  was  captured  at  the  battle  of  the  Wil- 
derness and  after  eleven  months  spent  in 
Andersonville  prison  died  while  thus  in- 
carcerated. He  was  corporal  of  his  com- 
pany. Albert  was  attending  college  in  Be- 
loit at  the  time  of  the  inauguration  of  the 
war,  enlisting  at  that  place.  Mrs.  Tanton 
has  one  sister  living,  Mrs.  Mary  Hinman.  a 
resident  of  Boone  coimty,  Illinois.  In  her 
girlhood  days  Mrs.  Tanton  received  excel- 
lent educational  privileges.  For  one  year 
she  was  a  student  in  Ingham  University,  in 
Leroy,  New  York,  and  subsequently  con- 
tinued her  studies  in  the  Haughton  Sem- 
inary at  Clinton,  Oneida  county.  New  York. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  ^^'oman's  Relief 
Corps  and  she  and  her  two  older  sons  are 


members  of  the  Baptist  church.  The  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  JNIrs.  Tanton  has  been 
blessed  with  three  children,  namely:  George, 
who  is  now  farming  in  Oklahoma ;  jNIax,  a 
resident  of  Harper  coimty,  Kansas;  and 
Burt,  at  home.  The  two  elder  sons  were 
both  successful  teachers  in  Ellsworth  county 
for  three  years  each. 

In  his  political  views  ;\Ir.  Tanton  is  in- 
dependent, preferring  to  support  the  men 
whom  he  thinks  best  qualified  for  office  rath- 
er than  follow  the  dictates  of  party.  He  has 
served  as  road  overseer  and  as  school  di- 
rector and  is  known  as  a  citizen  of  worth, 
true  to  the  best  interests  of  his  county,  state 
and  nation.  The  many  qualities  which  are 
characteristic  of  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Tanton  have 
gained  for  them  the  warm  regard  of  a  large 
circle  of  friends. 


CAPTAIN  H.  F.  HOESMAN. 

Captain  H.  F.  Hoesman  is  one  of  the 
honored  pioneer  citizens  of  Ellsworth  coun- 
tv  and  veteran  of  the  Ci\-il  war,  whose  loy- 
alty to  the  Union  was  manifest  upon  south- 
ern battlefields.  He  was  born  January  15, 
184 1,  in  Auglaize  county,  Ohio,  his  parents 
being  John  A.  and  Engle  (Klute)  Floesman, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Hanover. 
Germany.  In  the  state  of  his  nativity  our 
subject  was  reared  to  manhood,  residing 
there  upon  a  farm'  until  nine  years  of  age, 
when  the  family  removed  to  New  Bremen, 
where  he  attained  his  majority,  being  edu- 
cated in  the  German  free  schools.  In  his 
youth  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  at 
which  he  worked  until  July  8.  1861,  when, 
in  response  to  his  country's  call  for  troops, 
he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  D, 
Thirty-ninth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  as 
a  private.  He  was  soon  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  sergeant,  and  on  the  14th  of  April, 
1864,  was  commissioned  captain  and  sen'ed 
until  after  the  close  of  the  war,  receiving 
an  honorable  discharge  on  the  24th  of  April, 
1866.  He  was  first  on  duty  in  Missouri, 
going  down  the  Mississippi  and  taking  part 
in  the  battle  of  Island  No.  10  and  in  the 
Fort  Pillow  campaign.     He  was  afterward 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


in  the  engag-ement  at  Corinth  and  the  siege 
of  that  city,  his  reg-iment  being-  the  first  to 
raise  its  flag;  in  the  town  after  its  evacuation 
by  the  Confederate  troops.  His  regiment 
was  with  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  and  ai- 
terward  in  the  Atlanta  campaigii. 

^^'l^e^  the  country  no  longer  needed  his 
ser\-ices  the  Captain  returned  to  Ohio,  and 
in  ]\Iay,  1867,  came  to  Ellsworth  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  embarked  In  the  grocery 
business,  which  he  conducted  for  two  years. 
He  was  then  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness for  a  time,  after  which  he  entered  the 
hardware  store  of  J.  L.  Bell  as  bookkeeper. 
That  connection  was  maintained  until  1881, 
when  he  established  a  hardware  and  imple- 
mem  lousiness  of  his  own,  which  he  con- 
ducted until  January,  1899.  He  then  sold 
out  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business,  representing 
the  Concordia,  German,  of  Freeport,  the 
Northwestern  National  and  the  Farmers 
and  ]\l€rchants  insurance  companies.  He 
writes  many  policies,  and  also  does  a  large 
real  estate  business.  In  1899  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  in  which  office  he  has 
served  in  a  capable  and  satisfactory  manner, 
and  for  the  past  two  years  he  has  been  no- 
tary public.  He  has  taken  an  active  part 
in  public  afifairs.  He  was  elected  the  first 
mayor  in  1870,  was  sheriff  for  two  years, 
county  clerk  one  year  and  township  clerk 
one  year.  In  1872  he  was  elected  to  represent 
his  district  in  the  state  legislature,  where  he 
served  during  the  Pomeroy-York  trouble. 
For  tAVO  years  he  was  deputy  treasurer  and 
was  chainnan  of  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners for  three  tenns,  or  nine  years, 
from  1878.  In  all  his  public  offices  he  has 
manifested  a  liwal  an*l  patriotic  spirit,  dis- 
charging his  duties  with  promptness  and 
fidelity.  In  politics  he  is  a  prominent  Re- 
publican, has  been  \tvx  active  in  his  party 
and  has  served  on  various  committees,  being 
a  delegate  to  many  of  its  conventions,  also' 
a  chairman  of  the  county  conventions.  His 
labors  have  been  of  material  benefit  in  pro- 
moting the  welfare  and  progress  of  Ells- 
worth coimty  along  other  lines,  for  he  was 
one  of  the  organizers  and  the  secretary  of 
the-EIlswiirth  ^Mining  Comnany,  which  was 
the  first  to  make  the  discoverv  of  the  salt 


deposjt  underlying  this  county,  and  also  as- 
sisted in  locating  the  Midland  j\.ddition  to 
Ellsworth.  He  has  been  interested  in  resi- 
dence and  business  property  in  the  city  and 
has  co-operated  in  even'thing  which  he  be- 
lieved would  prove  of  general  good  along 
substantial  lines  of  advancement. 

On  the  2ist  of  February,  1884,  Cajitaiu 
Hoesman  was  united  in  marriaL;(.'  i^  Miss 
Esther  B.  Lyons,  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Sarali 
Lyons,  of  Ottumwa,  Iowa.  Her  death  oc- 
curred December  29,  1898,  and  she  left  one 
child  to  mourn  her  loss,  Sarah  E.,  w'ho'  yet 
resides  with  her  father.  Socially  the  Cap- 
tain is  connected  with  Ellsworth  Lodge,  No. 
146,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  was  its  first  worship- 
ful master.  He  assisted  in  organizing  Ells- 
worth Chapter,  No.  54.  R.  A.  M.,  of  which 
he  is  past  high  priest,  and  also  took  part  in 
the  organization  of  St.  Aldemar  Command- 
ery,  No.  33,  K.  T.,  of  which  he  was  the 
first  conmrander.  and  in  fonning  Ellsworth 
Council,  No.  9,  R.  &  S.  M.,  of  which  he  is 
a  past  thrice  illustrious  master.  He  is  like- 
wise a  member  of  Isis  Temple  of  the  Mys- 
tic Shrine  at  Salina.  Wherever  he  is  known 
he  is  held  in  high  regard  by  reason  of  his 
sterling  worth,  his  fidelity  to  principle  and 
bis  loyaltv  in  everv  relation  of  life. 


DANIEL  GILES. 


Daniel  Giles  occupies  the  important  ])iisi- 
tion  of  foreman  with  the  Kan>as  ( ii'ain 
Company.  His  rise  in  the  business  wi  irlil  is 
due  to  his  determined  purpose,  unflagging- 
energy  and  enterprise.  He  started  out  for 
himself  at  an  early  age  without  ca])ital,  and 
brooking  no  obstacle  that  could  be  oxcrcome 
by  resolution,  he  has  \\-oi-kc(i  liis  \\a\-  ^a■ad- 
ily  upward  until  he  is  now  a  leading  repre- 
sentative of  the  grain  trade  in  central  Kan- 
sas, his  home  lieing  in  Hutchinson.  He  was 
bo-ni  in  Carroll  count}-,  Indiana,  December 
6,  i860.  His  father,  William  Giles,  was 
born  in  Kent,  England,  in  1812,  and  after 
his  miarriage  came  to  America  about  1830, 
bringing  with  him  his  wife  and  five  chil- 
dren. He  landed  at  Quebec.  Canada,  but 
soon  afterward  removed  to  Rochester,  New 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


York,  where  he  remained  for  more  than  a 
year  and  t}jen  went  to  White  county,  Indi- 
ana, where  he  followed  farming  for  about 
twelve  years.  His  next  place  of  residence 
was  in  CaiToll  county,  that  state,  where  he 
carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  until  1861. 
He  then  returned  to  White  county  and 
bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  partially 
improved,  continuing  its  further  develop- 
ment until  his  death,  January  15,  1883.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  his  political  affiliations. 
He  was  twice  married  and  by  the  first  union 
had  three  children,  who  are  yet  living :  John 
H.,  a  retired  farmer,  now  engaged  in  build- 
ing and  improving  city  property  in  Brooks- 
ton,  White  county,  Indiana ;  Mary  Ann,  the 
wife  of  John  Foster,  a  fanner  of  Oklahoma ; 
and  Janet,  the  wife  of  Gustavus  Fewell,  an 
agriculturist  of  White  county,  Indiana.  For 
his  second  wife  William  Giles  married  Han- 
nah Butcher,  who  was  born  in  Greenbrier 
county,  Virginia,  about  1821.  They  were 
married  in  Carroll  county,  Indiana,  in  1858 
and  she  is  now  living  on  the  old  homestead 
in  \Miite  county  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
They  were  the  parents  oi  so'cn  children,  of 
whom  five  are  living,  namely:  Daniel,  the 
subject  of  this  review;  Nelson,  a  farmer  of 
White  county,  Indiana;  Edtwin,  a  farmer  of 
^^'hite  county.  Indiana,  located  at  Brooks- 
ton;  Helen,  who  died  in  infancy;  Zuillah, 
the  wife  of  Benjamin  Rush,  a  resident  farm- 
er of -White  county,  Indiana;  Lillie  Belle, 
who  married  James  Shigley.  also  a  farmer 
of  White  county,  Indiana;  and  Alice,  who 
died  in  infancy. 

In  the  common  schools  of  White  county, 
Indiana.  Daniel  Giles  was  educated,  and  up- 
on his  father's  fami  he  assisted  in  the  culti- 
vation of  the  fields  until  fifteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  began  work  as  a  farm  hand  in 
the  neighborhood,  his  time  being  thus  occu- 
pied until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
On  the  1st  of  March.  1883,  in  Carroll  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  he  wedded  Ida  May  Reed,  who 
was  born  in  White  county  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Francis  Marion  and  Hellen  M. 
(Compton)  Reed,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  the  Hoosier  state.  Mrs.  Giles  is  of 
Scotch  and  Irish  descent.  Her  father  en- 
listed in  the  Union  anny  during  the  Civil 


war    and    died    in    the    service.    His    wife 
passed  away  in  White  county,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Giles,  abandoning  farming,  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  with  Cockran  Brothers, 
of  Brookston,  ranaining  in  their  employ 
for  two  years.  In  the  spring  of  1886  he  lo- 
cated in  Conway  Springs,  Sumner  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  followed  carpentering  for 
a  year,  working  for  a  part  of  the  time  on 
his  own  account.  He  thai  removed  to  Fin- 
ney county,  where  he  secured  a  homestead 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  during 
his  three  years'  residence  in  that  county 
he  also  pre-empted  another  quarter  section 
of  land  and  took  a  timber  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  making  in  all  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  which  he 
owned  there.  He  lived  on  the  pre-emption 
claim  for  a  year  and  then  removed  to  the 
homestead,  where  he  continued  for  two 
years.  On  the  former  he  built  a  frame  house 
and  on  the  latter  a  sod  house  and  broke 
about  sixty  acres  of  land.  In  1889.  how- 
ever, he  sold  his  property  there  and  came 
to  Hutchinson,  where  he  followed  carpen- 
tering until  January,  1890,  when  he  began 
working  by  the  day  for  the  Kansas  Grain 
Company,  being  thus  anpiloyed  until  June, 
when  he  was  gi^-en  the  position  of  second 
foreman.  He  served  in  that  capacity  until 
June,  1893.  when  the  company  was  dis- 
solved. It  had  been  organized  in  Missouri 
and  was  dissolved  on  account  of  a  techni- 
cality of  the- law  which  required  the  prefix 
"the"  to  the  name  of  all  such  corporations 
of  the  state,  and  a  word  lacking  in  the  title 
of  the  Kansas  Grain  Company.  A  new  com- 
pany was  then  organized  with  the  article 
prefixed.  During  the  time  which  elapsed 
between  the  dissolution  and  the  organiza- 
tion, perhaps  six  or  seven  months,  Mr.  Giles 
again  followed  carpentering,  but  in  October, 
1893.  became  foreman  for  the  new  company 
and  has  since  served  in  that  capacity.  His 
duties  are  by  no  means  light  for  he  has  en- 
tire supervision  of  all  the  complicated  de- 
tails of  the  work  within  the  house,  inspect- 
ing all  of  the  grain,  securing  employes  and 
in  short  acting  as  the  real  head  of  the  practi- 
cal working  of  the  plant.  He  has  gained 
this  position  by  his  thorough  and  conscien- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


±^ZZ72A 


tious  service.  Since  becoming-  foreman  he 
has  not  lost  a  single  day"s  paj-  and  he  richly 
merits  and  enjoys  the  entire  confidence  of 
the  company.  The  plant  is  strictly  modern, 
and  one  feature  that  is  seldom  seen  west  of 
Kansas  Citv  is  the  dust  collecting  system, 
bv  means  of  which  the  dust  is  drawn  from 
every  part  of  the  building  to  the  furnace 
room,  where  it  is  consumed,  thus  greatly 
adding  to  the  comfort  and  health  of  the  em- 
ployes. ^\'hen  the  present  company  began 
business  they  had  only  an  old  building  with 
a  limited  capacity,  but  in  1895  a  large  new 
elevator  was  erected  with  all  modern  equip- 
ments. In  addition  to  the  purchase  and 
shipping  of  grain,  the  company  manuafac- 
tures  two  grades  of  chopped  feed,  the  plant 
being  equipped  with  one  set  of  rolls  and  one 
steel  mill.  A  regular  transfer  system 
is  conducted  in  the  grain  business, 
and  all  cleaning,  mixing  and  grading 
is  here  done.  The  motive  power  of 
the  plant  is  furnished  by  a  two-hundred- 
and-fifty  horse  power  St.  Louis  Corliss 
engine.  The  engine  room,  sixty  by  seventy- 
fi\-e  feet,  was  built  only  two  years  ago  and 
is  of  brick.  The  cleaning  capacity  o-f  the 
plant  is  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  thousand 
bushels  of  grain  every  ten  hours.  The  offi- 
cers of  the  The  Kansas  Grann  Company  are 
T.  J.  Templer.  president;  L.  B.  Young,  sec- 
retary; W.  K.  Meridian,  treasurer;  and 
Daniel  Giles,  foreman. 

]\Ir.  and  "Sirs.  Giles  have  a  pretty  modern 
residence  on  Twelfth  Avenue  "\\^est,  of 
which  tliey  recently  took  possession.  They 
have  three  children:  Ethel  Rosamond; 
Wilbert  Claud;  and  Mary  Helen,  aged  re- 
specti\ely.  sixteen,  thirteen  and  eight  years. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Giles  are  members  of 
the  Christian  church,  with  whicli  they  have 
been  identified  for  twelve  years,  and  for 
about  eight  years  he  has  served  as  deacon. 
Socially  he  is  connected  witli^  the  Modern 
^^■oodmen  and  Ivnights  and  Ladies  of  Se- 
curity. In  politics  he  is  a  supporter  of  Dem- 
ocratic principles  and  votes  with  the  party  at 
state  and  national  elections,  but  at  local  elec- 
tions, where  no  issue  is  involved,  he  is  in- 
dependent, supporting  the  men  whom  he 
thinks   best  qualified   for  oflice.     He  is   an 


earnest  advocate  of  the  temperance  cause 
and  does  everything  in  his  power  to  ad- 
vance those  interests  which  tend  to  uplift 
humanity,  giving  his  support  to  temperance, 
educational  and  church  work.  High  and 
honorable  principles  have  actuated  his  en- 
tire career  and  have  gained  him  a  reputa- 
tion  in  business   which   is  above  reproach. 


JOSEPH  E.  HUMPHREY. 

A  genealogical  work  in  three  volumes 
published  by  Dr.  Frederick  Humphre}",  of 
New  York,  shows  that  the  Humphreys  of 
America  trace  their  ancestry  to  England. 
Two  brothers  of  the  name  came  from  the 
mother  country  and  one  located  in  Virginia 
and  the  other  in  Pennsylvania,  and  from 
them  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  Humphrevs  in 
America  are  believed  to  be  descended.  A 
prominent  representative  of  the  family  is 
ex-Governor  Humphre}-,  of  Kansas. 
Another  representative  of  the  family  well- 
known  in  Reno  county  and  throughout  the 
surrounding  country  is  Joseph  E.  Humph- 
rey, postmaster  at  Nickerson. 

Joseph  E.  Humphrey  was  born  Septem- 
ber 6,  .1861,  in  Athens  county,  Ohio,  a  son 
of  E.  C.  Humphrey,  who  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Ohio,  in  1817,  and  is  now 
living  in  .Athens  ounty,  that  state,  aged 
eight_\'-foin-  }'ears  and  is  in  pn.^session  of  all 
his  faculties.  E.  C.  Humjihrey  is  a  son  of 
W.  E.  Himiphrey.  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  a  pioneer  in  Ohio,  who,  while  clearing 
up  some  land  was  accidentally  killed  Ijy  a 
tree  which  he  was  chopping  down.  E.  C. 
Humphrey  was  a  member  of  Company  E, 
Seventy-four  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  in  which  he  enlisted  from  Athens 
county,  Ohio,  in  1862,  and  in  which  he 
served  until  he  was  discharged  in  1S63  on 
account  oif  a  wound  which  he  had  received 
while  attending  to  his  duties  as  a  soldier.  He 
re-ailisted  in  the  same  rcL^iment  and  was 
detailed  to  take  charge  ni  a  pack  train  which 
went  over  the  Cumberland  mountains.  He 
was  inactive  service  until  the  close  of  the 
war  and  long  suffered  from  disabilities 
which   came  upon   him    while    in    service. 


36 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


Tliough  often  urged  by  friends  to  apply  for 
a  pension,  he  steadfastly  refused  to  do  so, 
but  late  in  life  he  permitted  his  son  to  make 
application  in  his  behalf.  His  eldest  son, 
John  E.  Humphrey,  enlisted  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  and  he  was  killed  in  action  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  and  fills  an  unkno^vn 
grave  on  a  southern  battlefield.  He  was  an 
unusually  large  youth,  being  nearly  six  feet 
in  heighth  and  otherwise  well  developed 
and,  young  as  he  was  and  brief  as  was  his 
service,  he  made  a  record  as  a  brave  and  de- 
\'Oted  soldier,  of  which  any  man  might  well 
be  proud. 

E.  C.  Humphrey-,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  married  Sarah  Rigg,  who  was 
born  at  Brownsville,  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1823,  daughter  of  William' 
Rigg.  Mrs.  Humphrey,  who  was  twenty- 
one  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  marriage, 
was  born  at  Brownsville,  of  a  Quaker  fam- 
ily. Her  father,  who  was  also  born  at 
Brownsville,  in  1792,  was  a  boat  builder  on 
the  Ohio  and  Allegheny  rivers  and  was  a 
man  of  more  than  ordinary  mentality  and  of 
fine  and  imposing  physique,  who  was  six 
feet  and  one  inch  in  height  and  weighed  two 
hundred  and  forty  pounds.  He  reared  three 
daughters  and  two  sons,  one  of  whom,  Par- 
ker Rigg.  is  a  contractor  and  builder  at  Ath- 
ens. Ohio,  and  another,  !Mary,  married  A. 
Cooley. 

E.  C.  and  Sarah  (Rigg)  Humphrey  had 
four  soiTS.  The  eldest  was  John  E.  Hum- 
phrey, who  was  killed  in  the  Civil  war,  as 
has  been  stated.  The  next  in  order  of  birth 
was  Charles  E.  Humphrey,  who  became  a 
coach  finisher  and  died  of  congestive  chills 
at  Alaska.  Ohio,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years.  He  was  not  married.  William  E. 
Humphrey,  the  third  son.  is  a  farmer  and 
lives  at  Albany,  Ohio.  He  is  married  and 
has  three  children.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  'tJie  fourth  son  of  his  parents  in  the 
order  of  birth.  Their  mother  died  in 
JIarch,  1889,  aged  sixty-six  years.  Their 
father  was  in  early  life  a  pattern-maker  and 
was  later  a  builder. 

Joseph  E.  Humphrey  gained  a  high 
school  education  and  then  entered  the  office 
of  the  Athens.  Ohio,  Journal,  to  learn  tlie 
printer's   trade.      He  was   a   compositor  in 


that  establishment  for  eight  years,  and  for 
two  years  filled  the  position  of  foreman.  In 
1886  he  went  to  Nickerson,  Reno  cotmty, 
Kanstas,  and  as  a  meml>er  of  the  firm  of 
Hendry  &  Humphrey,  bought  .the  Nickerson 
Argosy  at  sheriff's  sale.  After  publishing 
it  about  twelve  years  he  was  appointed  post- 
master at  Nickerson  and  sold  his  share  in 
the  publishing  enterprise  to  Mr.  Hendry, 
whose  wife  was  ]\Ir.  Humphrey's  mother's 
sister  ayd  who  had  been  a  mother  to  him  as 
she  had  to  mjany  others,  who  know  her  as 
one  of  the  noblest  women  with  \\-hom  the\- 
have  ever  met. 

Mr.  Humphrey  is  a  member  of  Nickerson 
Lodge,  No.  43,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Nicker- 
son ;  of  Nickerson  Lodge,  No.  90,  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows ;  and  is  a  Knight 
of  Pythias.  He  is  at  this  time  filling  the 
office  of  worshipful  master  of  his  Masonic 
Lodge.  He  is  an  active  and  influential  Re- 
publican and  his  appointment  as  postmaster, 
in  1899,  came  to  him  without  a  contest.  He 
has  been  secretary  of  the  Republican  state 
convention  several  times  and  held  that  office 
in  the  convention  of  1900,  for  the  nomina- 
tion of  state  officers. 

Mr.  Humphrey  was  married  at  St.  Jo- 
seph, Missouri,  April  24,  1901,  to  Miss  Nel- 
lie B.  McCoy,  who  was  born,  reared  and 
educated  in  Ohio,  and  who  for  the  past  six 
}ears  has  been  private  secretary  to  the  Ham- 
mond Packing  Company,  of  Omaha.  Mrs. 
Humphrey  has  been  a  stenographer  since 
she  was  fifteen  years  old  and  at  seventeen 
filled  the  responsible  position  of  court  ste- 
nographer. She  is  a  member  of  the  Episco- 
pal church.  Mr.  Humphrey  has  always  taken 
an  active  part  in  advancing  the  prosperity  of 
Nickerson  and  of  Reno  county.  He  is  a 
man  who  has  a  kind  word  for  every  one  and 
there  is  not  a  more  popular  postmaster  in 
Kansas. 


FRANCIS  M.  SAIITH. 

The  record  of  Francis  M.  Smith  con- 
tains an  acconnt  of  valiant  ser\-ice  in  the 
civil  war  and  of  fidelitv  to  duty  in  every 
walk  of  life.     He  is  numbered  among  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


37 


early  settlers  of  Rice  county,  dating  his  res- 
idence from  1873.  He  was  born  in  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  January  30,  1841,  and  is  a 
son  of  James  Job  Smith,  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  honored  citizens  of  Lyons.  The 
father  was  born  in  Cumiberland  county,  Ken- 
tucky, on  the  5th  of  January,  18 13,  and 
^\'as  a  son  O'f  James  Smith,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  in  1782. 
The  great-grandfather  of  our  subject  was 
Samuel  Smith,  who  removed  tb  North  Car- 
olina about  1792,  and  therefore  his  son, 
James,  was  reared  in  that  state.  After  ar- 
riving at  years  O'f  maturity  he  wedded  Eliz- 
abeth Job,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  two^  children 
while  residing  in  that!  state.  Subsequently 
they  went  to  Kentucky,,  crossing  the  moun- 
tains on  horseback.  They  took  up  their 
abode  in  Cumberland  county,  that  state, 
among  the  pioneer  settlers,  and  aided  in 
laying  the  foundation  for  the  present  pros- 
perity and  progress  of  that  commonwealth. 
They  were  the  paraits  of  nine  children: 
Samuel  and  Jane,  who  were  born  in  North 
Carolina ;  Thomas,  Levi,  Ruth,  James  Job, 
John  and  William,  who  were  born  in  Ken- 
tucky; and  Elijah,  who  was  born  in  Lidi- 
ana,  whither  the  family  had  previously  re- 
moved. After  residing  for  a  time  in  the 
Hoosier  state  they  went  to  Morgan  county, 
Illinois,  suljsequently  to  Cass  county  and 
afterward  to  ]\Iadison  county,  Iowa,  where 
James  Smith  and  his  wife  spent  their  last 
days,  both  passing  away  when  about  seven- 
t\'-tliree  years  of  age.  They  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  were 
earnest  and  loyal  Christian  people,  rearing 
their  children  in  that  faith  and  doing  all  in 
their  power  to^  promote-the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity among  their  fellow  men. 

James  Job  Smith  w^as  reared  in  Ken- 
tucky and  Illinois,  accompanying  his  par- 
ents on  their  removal  to  Morgan  county, 
of  the  latter  state,  in  1829.  In  1845  h^  be" 
came  a  resident  of  Cass  county,  Illinois,  but 
was  married  in  the  former  county,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years,  to  !Miss  Eve  Mil- 
ler, who  was  born  in  Indiana,  a  daughter  of 
Henry  Miller,  one  of  the  honored  pioneer 
settlers  of  that  state,  arriving  there  at  a 
period  when  all  was  wild,  the  work  of  im- 


provement and  civilization  being  scarcely 
begun.  The  Indians  still  lived  in  the  neigh- 
lx)rhood,  and  he  had  to  tiee  with  his  familv 
to  a  block  house  to  secure  protection  from 
the  red  men.  He  had  removed  tO'  Indiana 
from  Pennsylvania  and  was  of  German  lin- 
eage. From  the  time  of  his  first  settlement 
in  the  Hoosier  state  until  his  death  he  aided 
in  the  work  of  development  and  advance- 
ment there.    His  wife  was  Hester  Miller. 

In  1845  James  Job  Smith  ranoved  to 
Cass  county,  Illinois,  and  in  1853  went  to 
Mahaska  county,  Iowa,  where  he  remained 
for  a  }-ear,  after  which  he  took  up  his  abode 
in  Madison  county,  that  state,  casting  in 
his  lot  with  its  pioneer  settlers.  In  1873 
he  came  to  Rice  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
has  since  resided,  and  to-day  is  one  of  the 
venerable,  honored  and  respected  residents 
of  this  community.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smith  were  born  six  children:  Elizabeth 
Ann,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen ;  J. 
F.,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Fourth  Iowa 
Infantry  during  the  Civil  war,  and  is  now 
living  in  Lincoln  township,  Rice  county; 
Francis  ^I.,  who  was  also  a  member  of  the 
same  regiment ;  Isaac  N.,  who',  with  his 
brothers,  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Iowa  Infan- 
try and  is  now  living  in  Lyons;  Elijah  T., 
a  resident  of  Douglas  county,  Kansas ;  Will- 
iam Thomas,  who  makes  his  home  in  Lyons; 
and  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Summers,  also  of  Lyons. 
The  mother  of  this  family  was  called  to  her 
final  rest  April  2,  1896,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years.  She  was  loved  by  aill  whO'  knew 
her  for  her  kindness  of  heart  and  mind,  for 
she  was  a  devoted  wife  and  mother,  a  faith- 
ful friend  and  her  generous  and  kindly  spirit 
were  recognized  by  all  with  whom  she  came 
in  contact.  A  noble  Christian  woman,  she 
held  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  and  her  life  was  in  harmon}- 
with  her  professions.  For  sixty-two  years 
she  traveled  life's  journey  by  the  side  of  her 
husband,  and  as  time  passed  their  mutual 
love  and  confidence  increased.  Mr.  Smith 
devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits throughout  his  acti\c  business  career. 
anvl  thus  provided  a  CMnilMrialilc  support  for 
his  family.  Since  the  1 11  ^anizatinn  of  the 
party  he  has  been  a  stalwart  Republican, 
and  his  sons  are  all  of  the  same  political 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


faith.  For  sixty  years  he  has  been  a  zealous 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  for  a  half  century  has  served  as  class- 
leader.  He  does  all  in  his  power  to  promote 
the  work  of  the  church  in  its  various  lines, 
and  his  upright  life  reflects  credit  upon  the 
Christian  teachings  which  he  has  so  closely 
followed. 

Francis  M.  Smith,  whose  name  intro- 
duces tliis  revicAv  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years 
when  the  family  removed  to  Iowa,  and  upon 
a  farm  in  that  state  he  was  reared.  His 
education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools 
and  he  was  early  trained  to  the  work  of  the 
farm,  assisting  in  its  labors  tliroughout  the 
summer  months,  while  in  the  winter  season 
he  pursued  his  studies.  When  the  Civil 
war  was  inaugurated  his  patriotic  spirit  was 
aroused  and  in  response  to  President  Lin- 
coln's call  for  'tliree  hundred  thousand  men 
he  enlisted  in  July,  1861,  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Fourth  loiwa  Infantry,  under 
Colonel  Granville  M.  Dodge,  afterward 
General  Dodge,  and  one  of  the  most 
prominent  statesmen  that  Iowa  has  pro- 
duced. He  has  been  very  prominent  in 
the  affairs  of  the  nation,  exercising  strong 
influence  in  the  national  councils.  The  cap- 
tain of  tlie  company  of  which  Mr.  Smith 
was  a  member  was  H.  J.  B.  Cummings.  Our 
subject  participated  in  thirty  battles,  includ- 
ing the  engagements  at  Sugar  Creek,  Pea 
Ridge,  the  first  attack  on  Vicksburg,  the 
battles  of  Grand  Gulf,  Jonesboro,  Chickasaw 
Bayou,  Lookout  Mountain,  Missionary 
Ridge  and  the  entire  Atlanta  campaign  un- 
der General  Sherman,  including  the  cele- 
brated march  to  the  sea,  which  proved  that 
the  Rebel  forces  had  been  drawn  to  other 
c^uarters  and  were  thus  almost  exhausted. 
He  was  also  in  tihe  battle  of  Goldsboro,  pro- 
ceeded thence  to  Richmond  and  afterward 
participated  in  the  grand  review  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  where  "wave  after  wave  of 
bayonet-crested  blue"  passed  by  the  stand  on 
which  stood  the  president,  who  watched  the 
return  of  the  victorious  army  after  the 
greatest  war  of  that  history  has  ever  known. 
'Mr.  Smith  was  honorably  discharged,  witli 
the  rank  of  corporal  in  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
and  was  paid  off  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  after 


whidi  he  returned  to  his  home  in  the  Hawk- 
eye  state. 

In  1866  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Smitli  and  Miss  Maggie  Coultrap,  of 
Deersville,  Ohio,  who  died  in  Madison  coun- 
ty, Icnva,  April  2,  1873,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren, of  whom  two  yet  survive,  namelv : 
The  Rev.  James  O.  Smith,  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  now  located  in  Arizona, 
and  Rev.  Ernest  D.  Smith,  who  is  pastor  of 
the  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  church  in  Lowell, 
Indiana.  One  son,  Walter  S.,  died  in  in- 
fancy. On  the  25th  of  October,  1877,  Mr. 
Smith  was  again  married,  his  second  union 
being  with  Geneva  B.  Enoch,  a  lady  of  cul- 
ture and  intelligence,  who  has  indeed  proved 
to  her  husband  a  good  helpmate.  She  was 
born  in  Ohio,  but  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Davis  count}%  Iowa.  Her  father,  George 
Enoch,  was  born  in  Virginia  and  married 
Persis  Cook,  a  native  of  Essex  county.  New 
York,  and  a  daughter  of  Lewis  Cook,  who 
was  born  "near  Boston,  Massachusetts.  The 
last  named  was  a  son  of  James  and  Persis 
(Newton)  Cook.  Lewis  Cook  married 
Anna  Peck,  who  was  born  in  Massachu- 
setts ,and  was  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Peck, 
of  that  city.  Mr.  Enoch,  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Smith,  died  in  Winfield,  Kansas,  at  the  age 
O'f  ninety  years.  He  was  the  father  of 
eleven  children :  Henrs-,  who  is  living  in 
Winfield;  Mrs.  Malinda  Dodge;  I\Irs.  Julia 
A.  Pierson,  of  Lyons;  Mrs.  Louise  Kinny,of 
Appanoose  county,  Iowa ;  j\Irs.  Mary  Mont- 
gomery, also  of  Iowa;  Mrs.  Smith,  of  Ly- 
ons ;  Mrs.  Clara  Cook,  of  Ellsworth  county, 
Kansas;  Mrs.  Eliza  Vermillya,  who  died  in 
Winfield  Kansas;  and  three  who  died  in 
early  childhood.  The  mother  of  this  family, 
however,  is  still  living.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  to  which 
her  husband  also  belonged.  She  has  reached 
the  age  of  eightj'-eight  years  and  makes  her 
home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Smith. 

By  the  marriage  oi  our  subject  and  his 
wife  five  living  children  have  been  born : 
Arthur  O.,  Enoch  F.,  Maggie  E.,  Leora  B. 
and  Geneva  F.  TlieA-  also  lost  one  daughter, 
Nona  B.,  who  was  the  fourth  in  order  of 
birth  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years. 
For  many  years  the  family  resided  in  Lin- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


39 


coin  township,  upon  the  homestead  fann 
which  Mv.  Smith  secured  on  coming  to  the 
county  in  1873.  There  he  resided  until 
1S93,  wlien,  in  order  to  provide  better  edu- 
cational advantages  for  his  children,  he  re- 
moved to  W'infield,  Kansas,  placing  his  chil- 
dren in  the  Soutliwest  Kansas  College,  an 
institution  under  the  jauspices  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  In  1898  he  re- 
turned to  Rice  cO'Unty,  locating  in  Lyons, 
where  he  now  makes  his  hime.  He  is  the 
owner  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  ^■aluable  land,  and  the  farm  yields  to 
him  a  good  income.  In  his  political  affilia- 
tions he  is  stalwart  Republican,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
in  which  he  has  filled  several  offices.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  of  which  he  is  a  steward,  and  he 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  everything  pertain- 
ing to  educational,  church  and  temperance 
work  and  to  the  improvement  of  the  com- 
munity along  substantial  lines  of  progress. 
He  has  witnessed  almost  the  entire  growth 
and  development  of  his  community,  and  is 
one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  the  county, 
who  for  twenty-eight  years  has  been  iden- 
tified with  its  progress,  and  well  deserves 
mention  in  this  volume. 


GEORGE  TRUITT. 

In  almost  every  town  and  village  in  the 
country  may  be  found  men  of  worth  who 
have  retired  from  lives  of  activity  on  the 
farm  to  pass  in  ease  and  comfort  their  de- 
clining years,  surrounded  by  the  results  of 
past  labors.  One  of  these  respected  citizens 
was  George  TruS'tt,  who  was  one  O'f  the 
most  highly  esteemed  residents  of  the  pleas- 
ant little  village  of  Langdon,  Kansas. 

The  birth  of  George  Truitt  occurred  in 
Rush  county,  Indiana,  on  January  28,  1829, 
and  was  the -grandson  of  Collins  Truitt,  who 
was  brought  by  hSs  parents  from  England 
to  America,  when  but  a  small  boy.  Grand- 
father Truitt  took  an  active  part  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary war,  and  his  wife  is  remembered 
for  many  admirable  qualities  and  also  for 
her  longe\'ity  and  vigor.     At  the  age  of  one 


hundred  and  one  years  it  is  related  that  she 
had  the  agility  of  a  girl  and  still  attended 
to  her  household  tasks.  Of  their  children 
Elias  S.  became  the  father  of  our  subject. 
His  birth  was  at  Delaware,  in  1786,  and  his 
death  occurred  in  1873,  at  AVorthington, 
Indiana.  The  motlrer  of  our  subject  was 
named  Sybil  Reeves  and  she  was  born  in 
Kentucky  about  1790,  and  died  in  Indiana 
in  1863,  while  her  son,  George,  was  in  the 
army.  Of  her  ten  cliildren,  six  sons  and 
three  daughters  grew  to  maturity,  the  only 
survivor  of  the  family  now  being  Austin 
Truitt,  a  bachelor  of  seventy-six  years,  who 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  California 
gold  fields  more  than  fifty  years  ago.  He 
is  a  veteran  of  the  Alexican  war.  and  is  pass- 
ing his  last  days  in  the  Soldiers"  Home.  The 
parents  lie  buried  in  Indiana,  both  in  the 
same  state,  although  fifty  miles  apart. 

On    October    22,     1856,     our    subject, 
George  Truitt,  was  umted  in  marriage,  in 
Monroe  county,  Indiana,  to  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Eller,  who  was  born  there  on  August   12, 
1836,   a  daughter    pf    John    and    Mahala 
(Pauley)    Eller,   the  former    a    native    of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  Indiana.  Mr. 
Eller  .was  a  soldier  in    the    Alexican    war, 
where  he  died  of  fever,  and  his  body  was 
placed  in  a  boat  for  conveyance  home,   in 
charge  of  his  brotlier,  James,  but  the  boat 
struck  a  snag  in  the  Ohio  river  and  the  body 
was  lost.     This  was  in  October,  1846,  when 
he  was  but  thirtv-four  years  of  age.     The 
widow  was  left  with  five  children.     Later 
she  married  ,Samuel  Reeves  and  two  chil- 
dren were  born  to  that  union,   her   death 
taking  place  in  1853,  and  her  burial  was  in 
Bloomington,  Indiana.     The  Eller  family  is 
one  of  the  old,  honored  and  intellectual  ones 
of  Indiana,  and  its  numerous  memljers  have 
kept  bound  together  by  .establishing  a  }-early 
reunion,  in  Monroe  county,  Indiana,  on  the 
farm    which    Grandfather    Eller    reclaimed 
:  from  the  forest.     Early  in  the  settlement  of 
I  the  county  he  came  thither  from  Kentucky 
I  and  established  a  home  and  bought  three 
I  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  and  here 
I  the  grandparents  died.     Their  posterity  and 
I  that  of  the  Pauley's  of  the  maternal  side  of 
j  Mrs.  Truitt's  familv  are  all  settled  within 
ten  miles  of  the  old  home,  and  some  of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


well-known  survivors  are  Frank  A.  EUer, 
a  minister  of  the  Methodist  church;  James 
Eller,  now  an  octogenarian,  who  without 
difficuhy  walked  the  five  miles  in  order  to 
attaid  the  last  family  reunion  and  he  is  a 
veteran  of  the  Mexican  and  the  Civil  wars. 
The  military  spirit  has  not  been  lacking  in 
any  generation  of  this  family,  for  Grand- 
father Eller  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Truitt  had  some  ed- 
ucational opportunities,  which  they  em- 
braced, both  possessing  bright  intellects. 
They  settled  on  their  own  small  farm  in  In- 
diana and  there  their  seven  sons  and  two 
daughters  were  born.  These  were :  James 
Albert,  on  the  Kansas  homestead  fann,  who 
has  two  daughters  and  four  s:ons :  Eli  Mc- 
Kee,  who  is  a  fanner  in  Indiana,  near  Jack- 
sonville, and  has  six  children;  Elias  Edgar, 
who  is  a  farmer  in  Indiana,  and  has  five 
children;  Charles,  who  is  a  resident  also 
of  Indiana,  and  has  one  son  and  one  daugh- 
ter:  Ella  J.  was  the  wife  of  Samuel  H. 
Creig  and  died  in  1896,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren; John  O.,  who  is  a  farmer  on  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  two  miles  north  of 
Langdon,  and  has  two  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter; George  Homer,  who  is  a  farmer  near 
Langdon,  and  has  three  daughters  and  one 
son;  Carrie,  ,who  is  the  wife  of  Lewis  Cat- 
tie,  of  this  vicinity,  and  they  have  one 
daughter;  and  Benjamin,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Truitt  were  reared 
in  the  Methodist  church,  and  in  its  faith  lie 
passed  away  in  death  December  3,  1902, 
at  Langdon. 

On  August  22.  1862,  Air.  Truitt  joined 
the  great  army  of  loyal  citizens  and  became 
a  Union  soldier,  enlisting  from  Greene 
county,  Indiana,  in  Company  I,  Ninety-sev- 
enth Indiana  Infantry,  and  faithfully  served 
until  the  close  of  the  struggle,  being  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  in  Washington,  in 
June,  1865.  Mr.  Truitt  received  a  flesh 
wound  in  the  left  breast,  which  fractured 
his  rib,  thus  necessitating  a  few  days  in  the 
hospital  at  Barton  Iron  Works,  in  Georgia, 
and  he  was  then  given  a  furlough  home. 
For  several  years  he  was  an  invalid,  the 
privations  and  exposures  of  his  army  life 


having  left  traces,  but  he  could  find  no 
more  devoted,  sdf-sacrificing  or  capable 
nurse  than  Mrs.  Truitt,  who  in  every  sense 
proved  a  helpmate.  In  1^87  he  took  his 
homestead  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Reno  county,  Kansas,  but  in  April, 
1 90 1,  they  took  up  their  abode  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Langdon.  In  politics  our  subject 
was  always  an  active  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  before  leaving  Indiana  held 
public  office.  He  was  one  of  the  honored 
members  of  the  G.  A.  R. 


HOX.  A.   B.  CALDWELL. 

Among  the  old  settlers  of  the  state  of 
Kansas  none  possess  any  better  claim  than 
does  Hon.  A.  B.  Caldwell,  of  this  biography, 
who  is  now  an  honored  citizen  of  Hutchin- 
son. His  location  here  was  after  the  close 
of  the  war  and  the  organization  of  Reno 
countv.    The  birth  of  Mr.  Caldwell  was  near 


Ithaca,  Xew  York,  in  IVIarch.  1838,  his  an- 
cestors having  founded  the  American  branch 
of  the  family  shortly  after  the  battle  of 
Boyne.     In  every  generation  members  of  it 


Ar^  Ca.tXurtUL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


became  conspicuous  in  some  walk  of  life, 
notably  so  was  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject,  Capt.  Thomas  Cald'weli,  who,  al- 
though a  minister  in  the  Presbyterian  church 
was  a  soldier  and  officer  in  the  Patriot  army. 
His  helpless  wife  and  innocent  child  were 
killed  by  the  Hessian  hirelings  during  the  re- 
treat from  Philadelphia. 

Asa  Caldwell,  who  was  the  father  of  our 
subject,  became  a  clergyman  of  note  in  the 
Baptist  church,  exerting  a  power  and  in- 
fluence through  the  state  of  New  York 
which  is  still  recalled  in  the  annals  of  the 
church  and  in  the  reforms  he  instituted 
wherever  he  was  given  an  opportunity  to 
exert  an  influence.  He  was  a  man  who  lived 
up  to  the  highest  standard  of  Christian  citi- 
zenship. Always  in  the  front  rank,  protest- 
ing against  oppression  and  lawlessness,  he 
was  the  first  clerg}-man  to  bring  before  an 
association  of  ministers  a  resolution  con- 
demning slavery  and  endured  undeserved  ob- 
loquy for  it,  the  time  being  not  yet  ripe  for 
the  opening  oi  men's  eyes.  The  marriage 
of  Rev.  Caldwell  was  to  Pamelia  Pennell, 
and  to  this  union  were  born  four  sons  and 
one  daughter,  our  subject  and  his  brother, 
John  G.,  being  the  only  members  of  the  fam- 
il}-  to  locate  in  Kansas.  The  latter  served 
tiu-ough  the  Civil  war,  in  Company  A, 
Se\-enty-sixth  New  York  Volunteers,  and 
is  now  located  on  a  farm'  in  this  county.  The 
sister,  Lydia  A.,  married  Barclay  Pennock, 
who  accompanied  the  celebrated  Bayard 
Taylor  during  several  years  of  travel.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  were  authors  of  note,  being 
connected  with  New  Yr^-k  journals. 

The  early  education  of  Air.  Caldwell,  of 
this  sketch,  was  obtained  in  the  public 
schools,  in  preparation  for  a  thorough  scien- 
tific course  of  study,  but  failing  health  made 
it  necessary  to  abandon  this  ambition.  \\'ith 
a  hope  of  regaining  his  health  he  decided  to 
make  a  tri-p  to  the  west,  by  way  of  the  Santa 
Fe  trail,  reaching  the  village  of  Chicago  in 
1850.  He  v/ent  on  to  St.  Louis,  thence  up 
the  Missouri  river  as  far  as  Westport.  where 
was  situated  an  outfitting  depot  for  this 
trail.    Here  he  was  engaged  as  a  trailer  and 


made  se\-eral  trips  from  Leavenworth  to 
Santa  Fe,  and  in  the  fall  of  i860,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  and 
engaged  in  trapping  in  British  Columbia. 
In  that  day  he  lived  a  life  of  adventure,  hav- 
ing acted  as  a  scout  in  Minnesota  against  the 
Sioux  Indians  in  their  uprising,  and  was 
wounded  by  them,  still  carrying  that  bullet. 
While  carrying  dispatches  from  Big  Stone 
Lake  to  Fort  Zarah,  Kansas,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  pass  through  Nebraska,  among  hos- 
tile Indians,  and  he  dared  only  travel  at 
night.  When  he  bad  covered  about  one- 
half  of  the  trip  he  was  attacked  and  wound- 
ed, making  the  remaining  four  hundred  miles 
in  this  condition.  Recalling  that  time  Mr. 
Caldwell  says  that  only  his  duty  supported 
him  through  the  torture  he  then  endured,  for 
it  would  have  cost  him  much  less  to  end  his 
life  than  to  prolong  its  agony. 

When  the  whole  country  was  aroused 
by  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war,  the  loyal 
spirit  of  his  ancestors  stirred  the  blood  of 
our  subject,  and  with  as  little  loss  of  time  as 
possible  he  started  on  a  walk  of  eight  hun- 
dred miles  in  order  to  reach  the  recruiting 
station  at  St.  Paul.  At  Fort  Snelling  he  was 
taken  as  one  of  Berdan's  sharp  shooters,  this 
company  making  a  most  enviable  record 
during  those  trying  years.  With  this  gal- 
lant band  Mr.  Caldwell  became  connected 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  took  part 
in  twenty-one  of  the  dangerous  engage- 
ments, and  at  one  time  spent  thirty  days  con- 
tinuously under  fire.  The  records  of  history 
tell  that  at  Gettysburg  only  thirty-one  of  our 
subject's  company  of  sixty-three  men  sur- 
vived that  day  of  slaughter,  and  while  these 
gallant  soldiers  were  acting  as  pidvets  they 
discovered  Longstreet's  advance  and  were 
told  to  hold  Little  Round  Top  "as  long  as  a 
man  is  left."  and  this  was  literally  done 
these  brave  heroic  men  fighting  until  every 
man  was  either  killed  or  wounded.  No  re- 
stricted space  such  as  the  present  can  in  any 
proper  wa}-,  tell  of  the  .courage,  the  daring, 
the  prowess  of  that  little  band.  General. 
Daniel  Sickles,  himself  a  brave  man,  who 
ordered  the  point  held,  said  later  he  would- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


rather  have  lost  any  regiment  than  that  com- 
pany of  Berdan  Sharp  Shooters. 

The  vahied  Hfe  of  our  subject  was  mirac- 
ulously spared,  but  he  received  three  serious 
wounds  and  still  carries  one  bullet  in  his 
person.  At  Little  Round  Top  Mr.  Caldwell 
was  first  shot  through  the  body  and  as  he 
fell,  another  bullet  entered  his  neck  and 
buried  itself  in  the  muscles  of  the  loin,  where 
it  still  remains.  Recovering  from  the  shock 
he  again  picked  up  his  trusty  rifle  and  man- 
aged to  fire  five  rounds,  when  a  third  bullet 
hit  him,  entering  his  right  arm.  During  the 
night  while  lying  on  the  field,  he  heard  a  call 
from  some  poor  wounded  comrade  for  water 
and  he  managed  to  stagger  along  between 
fainting  spells  until  he  reached  the  soldier's 
side,  finding  in  him  an  old  companion  of  his 
scouting  and  trapping  life.  But  recently 
these  two,  who  came  back  from  the  very  jaws 
of  death,  had  their  first  meeting  since  that 
dreadful  day,  and  it  was  one  affecting  in  the 
e.xtreme,  exciting  all  the  noljlcr  feelings  of 
those  of  a  later  generation.  During  his  army 
career  Mr.  Caldwell  participated  in  many 
hard-fought  battles  of  the  war,  including 
those  of  Falmouth,  Fredericksburg,  Orange 
Court  House,  Guiney's  Station,  Rappahan- 
nock Station,  Warrington  Springs,  Bull 
Run,  South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Chancel- 
lorsville,  Gettysburg  and  many  others. 
Strange  as  it  may  appear  he  shows  little  oif 
all  this  stress  and  strain  to-day,  his  physical 
condition  being  remarkable. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Caldwell  re- 
turned tn  lii-;  nlil  hi  line  in  Xew  York  and 
there  \\;is  married  tn  ]\Iiss  T.otiisa  Brown. 
With  his  liride  he  returned  to  the  west,  lo- 
cating near  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  just  after 
the  organization  of  Reno  county.  He  hauled 
lumber  from  Newton,  took  up  a  soldier's 
claim  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county  and 
was  prospering  until  the  visit  of  the  grass- 
hoppers, an  old  landmark  in  Kansas  history. 
He  recalls  the  days  when  he  saw  in  his  vicin- 
ity 1x)nes  of  buffaloes  covering  acres  of  land, 
they  having  been  ruthlessly  slaughtered  for 
their  tongues  only.  Later  as  they  grew 
more  scarce  their  hides  were  also  taken.    He 


continued  on  his  farm  until  1890,  coming 
then  into  this  city,  where  he  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  having 
established  the  same  while  living  in  Arling- 
ton, as  early  as  1880,  living  there  and  com- 
ing to  Hutchinson  to  attend  to  business.  Mr. 
Caldwell  is  the  oldest  in  point  of  service  of 
any  man  in  his  line  in  the  county.  He  is 
now  associated  in  business  with  Mr.  Rick- 
secker,  and  they  handle  the  greater  part  of 
country  property  in  this  locality,  long  ex- 
perience making  them  valuable  advisers.  In 
politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and 
while  living  in  Arlington,  in  1884,  was  elec- 
ted to  the  legislature,  serving  for  twO'  terms, 
during  which  time  he  gave  especial  atten- 
tion to  the  bill  allowing  th'e  county  commis- 
sioners to  have  the  sum  of  fifty-five  thousand 
dollars  to  expend  in  the  building  of  bridges. 
The  sum,  however,  was  reduced  to  two  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  also  advocated  changes  in 
the  townships  in  the  county. 

Some  ten  years  after  locating  in  Kansas, 
Mrs.  Caldwell  passed  away.  In  1886  our  sub- 
ject returned  to  New  York  and  at  Homer, 
in  that  state,  was  married  to  Miss  Anna 
Babcock,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Babcock.  Mrs.  Caldwell  is  a  most  estimable 
lady,  of  great  refinement  and  intellectuality, 
literary  in  her  tastes,  and  for  many  years 
was  connected  with  the  Detroit  News  and 
the  Detroit  Tribune.  Her  immediate  fam- 
ily was  sadly  bereft  during  the  Civil  war, 
one  brother,  the  brave  Lieutenant  Babcock, 
dying  at  Gettysburg,  and  another,  General- 
Babcock,  at  Winchester,  while  the  third 
passed  away  a  prisoner  at  Andersonville. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Caldwell  two  children  have 
been  born,  Florence  and  Addie. 

Few  citizens  have  the  congenial  home  life 
that  Mr.  Caldwell  now  enjoys,  and  it  com- 
pensates for  many  of  the  hard  experiences 
of  earlier  years.  His  pleasant,  genial  man- 
ner makes  the  hospitality  he  delights  to  offer, 
all  the  more  acceptable  to  his  wide  circle  of 
old  and  devoted  friends.  For  twelve  years 
Mr.  Caldwell  has  written  short  stories  de- 
scribing western  ife,  most  of  which  have 
been  published  in  the  Youth's  Companion. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


WILLIAAI  LAWRENCE. 

Among  the  pioneer  settlers  and  promi- 
nent agriculturists  of  Xickerson,  Kansas,  is 
^\"iiliam  Lawrence,  who  was  born  in  York- 
shire, England.  ^Iax  14,  1827.  His  father, 
^\'illiam  Lawrence,  was  born  in  1800  and 
died  of  smallpox  at  the  early  age  of  thirty- 
eight  years,  leaving  children  of  Avhom  the 
subject  is  the  second  child  and  oldest  son. 
His  mother  was  Mary  Pocklington,  who  died 
a  widow  at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  Our 
subject  thus  being  left  an  orphan  was'  bound 
out  to  a  xleep-sea  captain  and  after  serving 
for  ti\-e  years  he  continued  to  follow  the  sea 
until  his  twenty-second  year.  During  that 
time  he  was  wrecked  three  times,  once  on 
Prince  Ed-wards  Island,  once  near  Yar- 
mouth, England,  and  the  third  time  in  the 
Irish  Channel,  barely  escaping  death.  He 
was  reared  on  the  water,  his  father  being  a 
ri\er  man,  serving  as  second  mate  and  as 
first  mate  one  year.  His  mother  loved  her 
boy  and  could  not  bear  to  have  him  cxik  ised 
to  the  perils  of  the  sea  and  for  her  sake  he 
left  the  sea  and  came  to  America  in  1849, 
\\-hen  twenty-two  years  of  age,  the  voyage 
from  Liverpool  to  New  Orleans  consuming- 
eight  weeks.  After  coming  to  America  he 
was  for  one  year  on  the  Mississippi  river 
running  from  St.  Louis  to  Galena,  Illinois, 
and  on  one  of  these  trips  he  came  near  dying 
of  cholera,  but  the  clerk  of  the  boat  gave 
him  some  medicine  which  saved  his  life. 
Till. ugh  his  money  was  all  gone  he  finally 
fdimd  his  uncle,  James  Pocklington,  in  Ma- 
coupin county,  Illinois,  who  was  rme  of  the 
earl\"  piimeers  of  the  state,  locating  there 
in  183 J  after  .spending  se\-en  weeks  in  Xew 
York.  He  \\-as  a  poor  man  and  saw  verv 
hard  times  at  first  but  afterward  became 
well-tr,-,lo. 

^^'hen  the  Civil  war  was  inaugurated  our 
subject.  William  Lawrence,  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  August,  1861,  in  Company  B. 
First  ^Missouri  Cavalry  Volunteers,  and 
served  until  Julv,  186c;,  when  he  res-igned 
on  account  of  ill  health,  and  was  mustered 
out  (if  the  service  as  a  first  lieutenant,  hav- 
ing participated  in  forty-four  battles,  fear- 
lessly defending  the  stars  and   stripes  and 


the  cause  it  represented.  He  has  had  many 
narrow  escapes  for  his  life  by  land  and  sea 
because  of  his  fearless  daring  and  faithful- 
ness to  duty,  and  believes  that  his  mother 
is  his  guardian  angel.  As  a  souvenir  of  his 
experiences  on  the  battlefield  he  has  pre- 
served his  sword,  and  of  his  life  as  a  sailor, 
a  seaman's  triangle. 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  first  married  in  Gor- 
laston,  Englanil.  when  twenty-three  years  of 
age,  but  his  wife  died  in  seven  months  after 
their  marriage,  and  her  loss  was  so 
deeply  felt  by  her  husband'  that  he 
remained  a  widower  sixteen  years  and 
then  was  again  married  in  Illinois, 
in  1866,  to  ^liss  Xancy  Joihnson,  by 
whom  he  had  four  chihlren,  but  lost  one. 
The  mother  was  called  to  her  final  rest  on 
the  nth  oif  Jul}-.  1873.  wheu  thirty-five 
years  of  age.  Five  years  later,  in  1878, 
Mr.  Lawrence  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Martha  Brigbtenstine,  of  Mahaska 
county,  Iowa,  who  was  born  in  Ashland 
county,  Ohio.  Her  father,  Peter  Brighten- 
stine,  moved  to  Iowa  in  1848,  when  this 
daughter  was  ten  years  of  age.  By  his  sec- 
ond wife,  Mr.  Lawrence  has  three  children, 
namely :  May,  wife  of  Frank  Pittman,  of 
Argentine,  Kansas,  and  has  one  son  ;  Emma, 
wife  of  \Varren  Smith,  of  the  same  place, 
and  has  four  sons;  and  George  A.,  a 
farmer,  who  has  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. Tlie  children  by  'tJhe  firsit  marriage 
were  Henry,  who  died  in  infancy,  and 
Freddie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years. 

Mr.  Lawrence  owned  several  fanns  in 
Illinois,  which  he  bought  and  then  sold  or 
traded  to  good  advantage,  and  in  1872  he 
drove  his  mule  team  from  Illinois  to 
Kansas,  and  after  his  wife's  death,  in  the 
fall  of  that  year,  he  drove  back  with 
his  children.  Later  he  drove  to  Iowa 
and  then  in  the  spring  drove  back  to  his 
farm  in  Salt  Creek  township,  Kansas,  to 
the  cabin'  home,  which  was  fourtteen  by  eigh- 
teen feet  and  the  first  cabin  in  the  town- 
ship, as  hi's  present  home  is  the 
fir=it  hmise  built  twai'ty-one  years  ago. 
His  farm  consists  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  excellent  land,  on  which  he  does 
general  farming,  meeting  with  good'  success. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


JAMES  M.   HOLLAND. 

Among  the  prominent  farmers  of  Bell 
township,  residing  on  section  19,  is  James 
yi.  HoHand  who  by  industry  and  economy, 
.comJDined  with  most  excellent  judgment,  has 
become  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
Kansas.  His  birth  occurred  in  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois,  on  May  27,  1857,  and  he 
is  a  grandson  of  Benjamin  Holland,  who 
at  one  time  was  a  large  slave  owner  and 
Kentucky  planter.  He  was  twice  married, 
rearing  two  sons  and  three  daughters  by 
his  first  marriage  and  four  children  by  the 
second  marriage.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject was  William  T.  Holland  and  he  was 
born  in  the  Kentucky  blue-grass  region,  on 
February  i,  1831,  and  died  in  Langdon,  in 
December,  1899.  One  of  his  brothers, 
Monroe  Holland,  is  a  resident  of  Mis- 
souri. The  mother  of  Mr.  Holland,  of  this 
sketch,  was  Julia  Ann  Hurt,  a  native  of 
Menaid  county,  Illinois,  where  she  was 
married  to  William^  Holland  in  1852.  They 
had  a  family  of  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  still  survive  with  the  ex- 


the  well  tilled  fields  yielding  abundant  har- 
vests and  bringing  to  him  a  handsome  in- 
come. He  is  a  very  generous  man  and  has 
spent  much  money  in  helping  his  friends. 
He  also  believes  that  one  should  enjoy  some 
of  the  ptesures  of  life  as  well  as  its  trials 
and  labor,  so  he  and  his  wife  spent  scnne 
time  at  the  Worldl's  Fair  at  Chicago  and  left 
the  farm  for  a  few  years  and  li\-ed  in  one 
of  the  suburbs  of  Kansas  City.  l>ut  ci includ- 
ing that  the  dearest  place  on  carili  t.i  them  , 
was  the  old  home  on  the  farm  lhe_\  returned 
to  it  and  will  there  spend  their  remaining 
days.  His  wife  has  been  a  most  faithful 
companion  and  helpmeet  to  her  husband  and 
a  devoted  mother  to  his  motherless  children 
and  there  are  few,  if  an}',  happier  couples  to 
l)e  fnund  anywhere  than  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Law- 
rence. He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  his 
p<iHtical  views  and  is  one  of  the  best  known 
and  hig-hly  respected  citizens  of  Nickerson. 


ception  of  Homer,  who  died  in  Atchison 
county,  Kansas,  about  1878.  W'illiami  T. 
Holland  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and 
came  to  Kansas  from  Sangamon  county, 
Illinois,  when  our  subject  was  a  lad.  He 
preempted  one  hivndred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  in  Kingman  county,  selling  the  same 
one  year  later  and  then  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  near  Langdon,  adjoin- 
ing the  property  of  his  son-in-law,  R.  C. 
Miller,  and  remained  on  that  farm  for 
twelve  years,  moving  then  into  Langdon, 
where  for  several  years  he  was  postmaster 
and  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  was  identi- 
fied with  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
town.  To  the  ^lethodist  church  he  was  a 
liberal  giver  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
consistent  members  of  the  same.  The  hon- 
ored mother  of  our  subject  still  resides  in 
Langdon. 

James  Monroe  Holland  enjoyed  but 
limited  school  privileges  during  his  youth 
in  eastern  Kansas,  remaining  with  his  fa- 
ther and  assisting  in  the  fanm  work  until 
his  majority,  coming  then  to-  his!  homestead. 
This  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  wild  prairie  land,  and  to  sulxlue  this 
wilderness  and  make  of  it  the  beautiful, 
well  cultivated  and  fruitful  farm  which  now 
attracts  the  eye  and  consoles  the  owner, 
Mr.  Holland  was  obliged'  to  set  himself 
some  hard  tasks.  He  owned  but  little  capi- 
tal as  far  as  mone}-  goes,  but  he  was  young,, 
energetic  and  industrious,  owned  a  pair  of 
strong  young  horses,  and  during  the  first 
year  he  was'  a'ble  to-  break  about  forty  acres 
of  his  land  and  sow  it  to  wheat.  He  also 
built  his  log  house,  w'hich  was  small,  but 
snug  and  warm.  He  follows  general  farm- 
ing and  raises  a  considerable  amount  of 
stock,  keeping  from  forty  to  sixty  head  of 
cattle  and  horses.  He  Bas  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  raising  wheat  and  corn  and  in 
1896  his  land  yielded  three  thoiisand  bush- 
els of  that  grain.  Mr.  Holland  wisely  set 
out  his  orchards  early  and  has  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  bearing  trees,  thrifty  and 
well  cared  for.  He  has  never  made  the 
mistake  of  expecting  his  farm  to  do  every- 
thing that  land  in  other  locations  and  cli- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


mates  might  do,  but  he  has  studied  its  i>os- 
sil:iihties  and  has  reaped  most  satisfactory 
results.  The  first  Httle  home  is  attached  as 
an  outbuilding  tO'  his  present  handsome 
residence.  All  his  life  he  has  worked  hard 
and  although  he  has  not  retired,  takes 
pleasure  in  the  honest  toil  which  brings  its 
sure  reward. 

The  marriage  of  ^Nlr.  Holland  occurred 
on  No'vember  29,  1885,  to  Miss  Ophelia 
Prv,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Rev.  John  H. 
Pry,  a  prominent  minister  of  the  Baptist 
church,  and  the  children  born  to  this  union 
are  as  foUo-ws:  Cora  B.,  thirteen  years  of 
age;  Franklin  D.,  five  years  of  age;  Elma, 
se\-en  years  of  age;  Raymond;  and  Nellie, 
who  is  a  babe  of  seven  months,  all  of  them 
bright,  intelligent  children  who  promise  to 
become  the  excellent  citizens  of  the  future. 

Mr.  Holland  has  been  identified  with  the 
Republican  party  all  his  life,  and  has  effi- 
ciently served  as  constable  and  road  over- 
seer, while  socially  he  is  connected  with  the 
order  of  Modern  Woodmen.  The  religious 
connection  of  the  family  is  with  the  Method- 
ist church,  where  they  are  most  highly  es- 
teemed. 


JESSE  BROWN. 

Jesse  Brown  is  a  retired  farmer  and 
civil  engineer  living  in  the  village  of  Alden. 
He  was  born  in  Israel  township,  .Preble 
county,  Ohio,  011  the  9th  of  February,  1835, 
and  on  the  paternal  side  he  is  of  Welsh  line- 
age, while  on  the  maternal  side  he  is  of 
English  descent.  His  father.  Thomas 
Brown,  was  born  in  Georgia,  in  1785,  and 
w  hen  twenty-one  years  of  age  went  ti  >  Ohio. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Sam- 
uel Brown,  a  native  of  Xnrth  Camlina  and 
a  representative  of  a  family  of  Friends  or 
Quakers.  After  arriving  at  years  of  ma- 
turity Thomas  Brown  married  Miss  Re- 
becca Stubbs,  who  was  bo.rn  in  Georgia,  in 
1793,  and  when  a  maiden  of  twelve  sum- 
mers was  taken  to  the  Buckeye  state,  where 
she  remained  until  her  marriage,  which  was 
celebrated  in   181  t,  when  she  was  twentv- 


two  years  of  age.  Unto  I\Ir.  and  Mrs. 
Brown  were  born  twelve  children,  ten  of 
whom  reached  mature  years.  Of  this  num- 
ber seven  were  married  and  si.x  have  had 
children. 

Jesse  Brown,  whose  name  forms  the 
caption  of  this  review,  was  reared  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  upon  his  father's  large 
farm  and  was  early  inured  to  the  labor  of 
the  field  and  meadow..  He  was  also  pro- 
vided with  good  educational  privileges,  pur- 
suing a  high  school  course  and  also  studied 
I  surveying.  For  thirteen  years  he  has  filled 
the  position  of  county  surveyor  in  Ohio  and 
Kansas.  Before  leaving  his  native  state  he 
was  married,  on  the  5th  of  June,  1866,  to 
Miss  Margaret  McBurne>%  a  lady  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  her  people  being  connected 
with  the  Presbyterian  church.  There  is  but 
one  son  bj'  this  marriage,  Elmer  Brown, 
who  is  now  the  railroad  station  and  ticket 
agent  at  St.  John,  Kansas.  He  was  agent 
at  Alden  for  twehe  A'car?.  and  in  August, 
1900,  was  transfcrrr,]  tn  lijs  present  loca- 
tion. He  is  married  and  ha^  iwn  children,  a 
son  and  a  daughter. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1877  that  Jesse 
Brown  came  to  Kansas  and  purchased  a 
claim  oif  eighty  acres  for  three  hundred  dol- 
lars. There  he  engaged  in  farming  for  fif- 
teen years,  during  which  time  he  worked  a 
wonderful  transformation  in  the  appearance 
of  his  land.  He  afterward  owned  another 
farm,  but  in  1893  h^  ^°°^  "P  '^i^  abode  at 
his  present  home  in  the  village  of  Alden. 
He  entered  upon  his  business  career  with 
limited  capital,  owning  a  small  farm  in 
Ohio,  on  which  there  was  an  incumbrance. 
His  determined  purpose  and  resolute  will, 
however,  have  enabled  him  to  work  his 
way  steadily  upward,  overcoming  all  obsta- 
cles in  his  path  and  surmounting  all  diffi- 
culties. As  the  years  have  gone  by  he  has 
addeil  tu  his  capital  and  to-day  he  is  the 
posse--"!'  'f  a  comfortable  competence, 
which  enal)les  him  to  enjoy  rest  from  furth- 
er toil.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  is  not  a  professor  of  religion, 
believing  in  deeds  before  creeds.  He  has. 
hnwe\'er.   lived   for   sixtv-six   vears   without 


46 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


using  wliisky  or  toibacco,  and  oaths  never 
cross  his  Hps.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling  hc-n- 
or,  strict  integrity  and  all  who^  know  him 
respect  him  for  his  genuine  worth. 


TAMES   P.   ENGEL. 


James  P.  Engel  -is  an  agriculturist  and 
stock  bi'ceder  of  Valley  tO'wnsliip,  now  car- 
rying on  a  successful  business.  He  was 
born  in  Northampton  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  13,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of 
Charles  and  Ellen  f Heller)  Engel.  The 
father  was  born  about  1810  and  died  in 
1846.  before  the  birth  of  their  son  James, 
who  was  his  only  child.  The  mother  was 
a  daughter  of  Adam  Heller,  a  native  of  I 
Germany.  She  was  thrice  married,  her  first 
union'  being  with  John  Bruch,  by-  whom 
she  had  three  cliildren.  rearing  two  sons, 
Adam  and  Andrew  Bruch,  who  are  yet 
living  in  Pennsylvania.  Her  third  husband 
was  Jacob  Godshalk. 

In  the  state  of  his    nativity    James    P. 
Engel  was  reared  and  the  public  schools  af- 
forded liimi  his  educatinnal   pri\-i]eges.    On 
the  i8th  of  November,  iSCh,  he  was  united 
in  marriage,  in  Pennsylvania,  to  :\Iiss  Clar- 
issa  Gods'^alk,   a  daughter  of  Jacob  God-  j 
shalk.       She    was    born    in     Northampton  ' 
county,    Pennsylvania,   Decemljer    10,    1847,   i 
and  at  the  time  of  the  marriage  the  groom  i 
was  in  his  twenty-first  year,  wliile  the  bride  ' 
was  eighteen  years  of  age.     They  removed 
to  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  and  were 
connected  with  farming  interests  there.  Mr. 
Engel  continuing  the    operation    of    rented 
land  for  a  numljer  of  years  and  then  pur- 
chased property.     He  there  remained  alto- 
gether  for  twelve    years,    after    which    he 
took  his  family  to  Indiana,  settling  in  South 
Bend  in  1872.     Howe\'er,  he  soon  returned 
to  Michigan,  and  in  the  spring  of  1878  he 
came  to  Sterling,  Kansas.     Not  long  after- 
ward he  settled  on  a  pre-emption  claim  of  I 
eighty  acres  north  of  Alden.  and  there  re-  | 
mained  for  four  years,  after  which  he  was 
engaged   in  business   in     Sterling    for    six 


years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
purchased  his  present  farm,  comprising  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  the  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  Company  paying  eleven  hundred 
dollars  for  the  wild  land,  upon  which 
not  a  furrow  had  been  turned  or  an 
improvement  made.  Fourteen  years  ago, 
in  the  spring  if  1887,  he  removed  to 
the  farm  and  has  since  made  it  his  home. 
In  1884  he  had  erected  a  part  of  his  resi- 
dence thereon  and  it  was  occupied'  by  a  ten- 
ant until  he  concluded  to  make  it  his  home. 
He  has  constructed  all  of  the  buildings  on 
the  fami  and  planted  all  of  the  trees,  includ- 
ing a  good  orchard  of  apple,  cherry  and 
peach  trees.  His  fine,  large  red  barn  was 
built  in  1899.  He  has  for  a  number  of 
years  been  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  pure 
blooded  Shorthorn  cattle,  carrying  on  this 
industry  for  more  than  two  decades.  He 
also  grows  wheat,  corn  and  broom  corn,  and 
in  both  departments  oi  his  business  he  is 
meeting  with  creditable  success. 

Mr.  Engel  ser\-ed  for  one  }"ear  during 
the  Civil  war,  joining  the  army  in  the  fall 
of  1862,  as  a  member  of  Cumpau}-  I,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-third  Pennsylvania  In- 
fantry. He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Chancel- 
Idrsville  and  held  in  captivity  for  two  long 
months,  enduring  many  ol  the  hardships  of 
prison  life.  He  has  always  been  a  loyal 
citizen,  as  true  to  the  interests  of  his  coun- 
try as  when  he  followed  the  stars  and  stripes 
upim  siiuthcrn  jiattlefields.  In  his  jiolitical 
attiliations  he  is  now  a  Poptdist  and  was 
formerh^  a  Republican,  but  he  largely  votes 
independently.  For  one  year  he  served  as 
township  treasurer  and  for  several  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
and  for  three  years  was  sergeant  at  arms 
in  his  post.  His  religious  faith  is  indicated 
by  his  connection  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  in  which  he  has  been  trustee, 
steward  and  Sunday-school  superintendent 
for  se\-eral  years. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Engel  has 
been  blessed  with  four  sons.  Elmer 
Franklin,  who  was  born  April  7,  1868,  in 
Plainfield,   Northampton    county,    Pennsyl- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


47 


vania,  pursued  his  education  in  the  Ster- 
hng  high  school,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
teaching  for  three  terms  and  then  took  a 
five  years'  course  in  the  State  University,  be- 
ing graduated'  with  high  honors  in  the  class 
Oif  1892.  He  then  became  an  assistant  pro- 
fessor in  that  institution,  in  which  he  had 
won  the  dtegree  of  bachelor  of  arts,  and  after 
pursuing  a  post-graduate  course  in 
Harvard  College  he  won  the  degree 
of  master  of  arts.  He  is  now  pro- 
fessor of  German  in  the  State  Uni- 
versity and'  is  one  of  the  prominent  educa- 
tors of  Kansas.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  personal 
appearance  and  of  high  mental  and  moral 
worth.  On  the  27th  of  June.  1891,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Essie  Powers,  and  they  have  two 
sons  and  two  daughters.  William  Ezra, 
the  second  member  of  the  Engel  famih",  was 
born  in  St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  June 
lb,  1873,  ^"'d  is  a  farmer,  living  upon  a 
tract  of  land  adjoining  his  father's  prop- 
erty.* He  has  a  wife  and  one  daughter. 
Raymond  Jacob,  who  is  married  and  has 
one  son,  also'  resides  upon  a  farm  in  this  lo- 
cality. Frederick  Austin,  born  June  27, 
1882,  is  a  young  man  at  home.  He  acquired 
a  good  education  and  is  now  of  great  as- 
sistance to  his  father  in  carrying  on  the 
home  farm.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Engel  are  both 
young  appearing  people  and  are  justly 
proud  of  their  children  and  grandchildren. 
Far  thirty-seven  years  they  ha\e  traveled 
life's  journev  togetlier,  sharing  with  each 
other  in  its  joys  and  siirrows,  its  adversity 
and  prosperity,  and.  though  they  had  to 
work  hard  in  early  life,  they  are  now  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  comforts  and  many  of 
the  luxuries  of  life. 


WILLIAM  B.  KING. 

W'illiam  B.  King  is  numbered  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Barton  county,  Kansas, 
who  came  to  tliis  jinrtion  of  the  state  when 
the  work  of  progress  and  development  lay 
in  tlie  future.  Only  a  few  enterprising  men 
from  the  east  had  come  to  this  localitv  to 


establish  homes  and  reclaim  the  wild  land 
for  purposes  of  civilization.  Throughout 
the  intervening  years  he  has  watched  with 
interest  the  progress  that  has  been  made  as 
tlie  raw  prairie  has  been  converted  into 
good  farms  and  as  towns  and  villages  have 
sprung  up,  while  churches  and  school- 
houses  have  been  built  and  the  modern  im- 
provements of  a  thriving  and  enterprising 
community  have  been  added.  He  has 
borne  his  part  in  tlie  work  oi  development 
and  his  name  is  thus  inseparably  connected 
with  the  history  of  the  county. 

Mr.  King  w^as  born  in  Greene  county, 
Illinois,  near  Carrollton,  June  19,  1844,  and 
is  a  son  of  Samuel  P.  and  grandson  of 
Isaac  King,  who  was  a  native  of  Ireland 
and  emigrated  to  America  in  colonial  days. 
He  became  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  Re\-o- 
lutionary  war  and  afterward  located  upon 
a  fami  in  Tennessee,  where  he  reared  a  large 
family.  Samuel  P.  King  was  born  in 
Knoxville,  Tennessee,  and  about  1836  re- 
moved to  Greene  county,  Illinois,  locating 
upon  a  farm.  He  died  in  Carrollton,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-two  years.  On  the  14th'  of  No- 
vember, 1832,  he  had  married'  IMiss  Eliza- 
beth Sawyer,  a  native  of  Alabama,  who 
died  when  about  sixty  years  of  age.  Their 
children  were:  Rebecca,  Sarah,  Mary,  Mar- 
tha, Jane,  William  B.,  Tletha,  John,  George 
and  Etta. 

In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  of 
the  period  William  B.  King  spent  the  days 
of  his  childhood  and  youth  until  1861, 
when,  on  the  15th  of  October,  he  responded 
to  the  president's  call  for  troops,  although' 
only  seventeen  years  of  age,  joining  Com- 
pany B  of  the  Sixty-fifth  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  remained  at  the  front  until  honoirably 
discharged  on  the  25th  of  October,  1865, 
having  in  the  meantime  re-enlisted  in  the 
same  company  and  regiment  an^d  partici- 
pated in  many  hotly  contested  engagements, 
but  Avas  only  once  injured,  being  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  Nashville  on  the  14th  of 
December.  T8ri4,  when  he  had  the  third  fing- 
er of  his  Icfl  lian.l  sh..t  uli.  I  lis  was  a  most 
creditalile  mihtary  rccurd,  fnr  his  \-alor  and 
gallantry  was  displayed  upon  many  a  south- 


48 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ern  battle-field.  When  the  war  was  over 
he  returned  to^  his  home  in  Greene  county, 
where  he  follo-wed  farming  and  railroading 
until  June,  1877,  when  he  came  to  Barton, 
county  and  pre-empted  land  in  Eureka 
township,  thus  becoming  the  owner  of  a 
quarter  section.  He  at  once  began  improv- 
ing the  property  and  also  worked  on  the 
railroad.  After  a  time  he  traded  his  first 
tract  of  land  for  ano'ther  farm,  which  is  to- 
day owned  by  C.  Samuels,  and  there  he  re- 
sided until  1892,  during  which  time  he 
erected  good  buildings  and  planted  a  large 
orchard,  which  was  the  best  in  the  county 
when  he  disposed  of  the  property.  It  con- 
tained one  hundred  and  se\-enty-five  bear- 
ing fruit  trees  and  a  large  amount  of  small 
fruit.  In  1892  Mr.  King  sold  his  property 
in  Barton  county  and  removed  to  Califor- 
nia, where  he  remained'  unjtil  1895,  when 
he  returned  and'  resumed  farming,  which 
pursuit  claimed  his  attention  for  two  years. 
He  then  took  up  his  abode  at  Hoisington, 
where  he  conducted  the  Arlington  Hotel  un- 
til 1900,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Great 
Bend,  where  he  is  practically  living  retired. 
However,  he  purchased  the  Arcade  Hotel, 
in  which  he  resides  but  rents  out  the  greater 
part  of  that  property.  He  also  has  charge 
of  the  city  park. 

Mr.  King  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Mary  Pinkerton,  a  daughter  of  James 
M.  Pinkerton,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  a 
granddaughter  of  James  Pinkerton,  Sr., 
who  was  likewise  born  in  Tennessee,  but  in 
an  early  day  removed  to  Greene  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits until  his  life's  laljors  were  ended  in 
death  when  he  was  about  se\-enty  years  of 
age.  His  children  were:  William,  Willie, 
Randall,  John  R,  Mary,  Martha,  Rebecca, 
Rhoda,  Paulina  and  James  M.  The  last 
named,  the  father  of  Mrs.  King,  was 
a  cooper  by  trade,  and  at  an  early  period 
removed  to  Monmouth,  Illinois,  whence  he 
afterward  went  to  Iowa,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1883.  His  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Jane  C.  Reynolds,  was 
born  in  North  Carolina  and  died  in  1876. 
Their  children   were:     Cecelia   Ann,   .\nnie 


J.,  Sarah  E.,  James  B.,  ]\Iary,  ]\Iartha,  Da- 
vid and  John.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  King  has  been  blessed  with  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  George 
Brisbie ;  Mary  J.,  wife  of  Elem  Crawford ; 
Calvin,  deceased';  twin  sons  who  died  in  in- 
fancy ;  Iva  M.,  who  has  passed  away ;  Ger- 
trude, wife  of  Joseph  Woodburn;  and  Leon 
Pearl,  who  has  departed  this  life. 

Socially  Mr.  King  is  connected  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  in  which  he  has  taken 
the  Royal  Arch  degree,  and  with  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  Knights  of  Pythias  societies. 
In  the  blue  lodge  of  iMasonry  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  he  is  now 
holding  office.  He  is  also  a  member  and  the 
commander  of  the  Grand  Army  Post  at 
Great  Bend  and  thus  maintains  pleasant  re- 
lations with  his  old  army  comrades  with 
whom  he  fought  for  the  preser\ation  of  the 
Union  on  the  battlefields  of  the  south. 


TAMES  RYTHER. 


After  a  long  and  honoral>le  career  as  a 
brick  and  stone  contractor,  James  Ryther 
is  no'W  practically  living  retired  at  his 
pleasant  home  in  Hutchinson,  surrounded 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends,  who  hold  him 
in  the  highest  regard.  Born  in  Erie  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  August  24,  1838,  he  is  a 
son  of  Hiram  A.  Ryther,  a  native  of  the 
Empire  state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Oneida  county,  in  1807.  The  first  of  the 
family  to  locate  in  America  was  Adijlphus 
Ryther,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  who 
came  with  a  brother  to  this  country  about 
1780,  locating  in  the  Black  River  country, 
in  New  York,  near  \Vatertown,  wliere  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days,  passing 
away  in  death  about  1814.  The  family,  it 
is  belie\-ed.  is  of  pure  Englisli  descent,  and 
as  far  back  as  its  histor}-  can  be  traced  its 
members  have  Ijeen  natural  mechanics  and 
artists.  The  name  is  a  very  uncommon  one, 
and  it  is  therefore  believed  that  Rvther's 
map  of  the  city  of  London,  published  in 
1600,  a  copv  of  which  is  now  in  the  posses- 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


sion  of  our  subject,  is  the  work  of  one  of 
his  ancestors.  A  daughter  of  Adolphus  Ry- 
ther,  Dorotliy,  married  David  Shell,  who  be- 
came prominent  in  the  early  Canadian  re- 
bellion. He  was  captured  by  the  British  and 
banished  to  the  United  States. 

Hiram  A.  Ryther,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  only  seven  years  of  age  when  his 
father  died,  and'  at  that  early  age  he  was 
thrown  largely  upon'  his  own  resources. 
When  a  young  man  he  was  noted  for  his 
great  strength  and  endurance,  and  could  cut 
more  grain  with  a  cradle  in  a  day  than  any 
other  one  person  in  that  locality.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Cynthia  Wood,  a  na- 
tive of  the  Empire  state,  but  she  died  at  the 
early  age  of  thirty-six  years,  leaving  two 
daughters, — ]\Iary,  who  became  the  wife  of 
O.  S.  Boughton  and  died  in  Berrien  county, 
Michigan,  and  Martha,  who  passed  away  in 
the  same  locality,  and  was  the  wife  of  J.  S. 
liaskins.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Ryther 
chose  Caroline  Stancliff,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  Stancliff,  and  that  union  was  blessed 
with  five  children,  namely:  James,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  re\-ie\v ;  Franklin,  who  died  in 
battle  (luring  the  Civil  war;  Solon,  deceased; 
Alice,  widow  of  Frank  Pugh,  who  was  a 
millwright  by  trade  and  died  in  Minne- 
apolis, Minnesota,  and  in  that  city  his 
widow  was  a  matron  for  a  number  of  years 
in  the  St.  Barnabas  Hospital;  and  Ellen  D., 
the  wife  of  Arthur  Grey,  a  farmer  of  Lynch, 
Nebraska. 

About  1833  Hiram  A.  Ryther  began  op- 
erating a  sawmill  about  twenty  miles  from 
Buffalo,  Xew  'S'ork,  which  he  continued  for 
the  following  ten  years,  and  oiu'  subject  now 
has  in  his  possession  a  turning  tool  used'  in 
the  first  mill  built  by  his  father  in  Edentown, 
that  state.  On  leaving  the  Empire  state  in 
1843,  ^\''th  his  wife  and  five  children,  Mr, 
Ryther  drove  to  Michigan,  spending  about 
five  weeks  on  the  road,  and  on  their  arrival 
in  that  state  the  family  located  in  Sodus 
township,  Berrien  county.  There  the  father 
purchased  forty  acres  of  land  in  the  dense 
timber,  erected  a  log  cabin  and  began  the 
arduous  task  of  clearing  his  farm  and  plac- 
ing his  fields  under  cultivation.     In  additirn 


to  his  agricultural  pursuits  his  time  was  also 
employed  as  a  millwright,  ship  carpenter  and 
house  builder.  In  1861,  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  war,  he  enlisted  in  Company  L, 
Third  Michigan  Cavalry,  entering  the  army 
in  the  fall  of  that  year,  and  in  tlie  lollnwnig 
spring  he  was  discharged  on  account  ^f  dis- 
ability. He  was  confined  in  camp  during  a 
long  period,  and  his  death  occurred  six 
months  after  he  had  received  his  discharge. 
His  son  Frank  also  entered  the  same  com- 
pany during  that  struggle,  and  was  killed 
in  a  skirmish  near  Rienzi,  Mississijipi.  An- 
other son,  Solon,  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany L,  in  1864,  and  was  ordered  to  the 
front,  but  died  of  measles  on  the  way.  In 
that  year  James,  our  subject,  answered  to 
the  last  draft  issued,  but  as  his  wife  and  sis- 
ter were  both  dangerously  ill  at  the  time  a 
substitute  was  secured  for  him.  The  death 
of  the  mother  of  these  children  occurred  in 
Nebraska,  in  1890,  while  residing  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Ellen  D.  Grey,  passing  away 
in  the  faith  of  the  United  Brethren  churcli, 
of  which  he  was  a  worthy  and  consistent 
member,  Mr.  Ryther  became  an  influential 
and  prominent  citizen  of  his  locaIit\-,  and  in 
his  political  afliliations  he  was  first  a  ^^"hig 
and  afterward  a  Republican,  ever  taking  an 
active  interest  in  the  progress  and  welfare 
of  his  party  and  was  a  great  admirer  of 
Grant.  He  held  the  oHice  of  justice  of  the 
peace  while  residing  in  ^Michigan,  and 
throughout  his  entire  career  he  did  all  in  his 
power  for  the  advancement  and  bettemient 
of  his  fellow  men. 

■  James  Ryther,  the  immediate  subject  of 
this  review,  enjo}'ed  the  educational  ad- 
vantages aft'or<led  l)y  the  common  schools  of 
Berrien  count).  Michigan,  and  during  his 
youth  and  early  manhood  he  also  assisted 
his  father  in  the  difficult  task  of  clearing  and 
impro\'ing  new  land.  After  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war  he  cleared  a  timber  farm  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  }tticliigan,  tlie  tract  consist- 
ing of  forty  acres,  fifteen  acres  of  which  he 
planted  with  fruit  trees,  and  in  187 1  he 
shipped  three  thousand  Ijaskets  of  choice 
peaches  from  his  orchard  to  the  Chicago 
market.     Shortly  afterward.  hcwe\'er,  a  pe- 


5° 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


culiar  disease  affected  the  trees  of  that  lo- 
caUty,  ahnost  ruining  liis  orchard,  and  this, 
together  with  the  financial  crisis  of  1872, 
compelled  him  to  sacrifice  his  place.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1874,  he  came  to  the  Sunflower  state, 
first  locating  at  Emporia,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  gardener  and  in  stone  and  brick 
work  until  Jul_\-,  1876,  when  he  came  to  the 
city  of  Hutchinson,  and  during  the  first  two 
}Tears  and  a  half  of  his  residence  here  resided 
on  East  A  avenue,  subsequently  purchasing 
lots  adjoining  and  thereon  erected  a  mag- 
nificent residence,  the  structure  costing  thir- 
ty-one hundred  dollars.  It  was  located  at 
No.  328  A  avenue,  and  was  beautifully  and' 
tastefully  furnished  throughout.  For  a  time 
Mr.  Ryther  conducted  a  large  and  profitable 
business  in  this  city  as  a  stone  and  brick 
contractor,  anploying  many  men,  and  he 
shipped  into  Hutchinson  nearly  all  of  the 
heavy  stone  used  in  the  erection  ot  its  liuild- 
ings.  He  superintended  the  brick  and  stone 
work  in  the  erection  of  the  water  works, 
built  the  Atwood  flats,  and  many  of  the  fin- 
est residences  and  public  buildings  of  the 
town  stand  as  monuments  to  his  skill  and 
ability.  He  also  put  in  the  first  curb  and 
gutter  work  in  the  city  of  Hutchinson.  After 
building  up  a  large  and  lucrative  trade  in 
this  line  he  admitted  a  partner  into  the  busi- 
ness, but  the  latter  proved  dishonest,  and 
Mr.  Ryther  was  again  compelled  to  part 
with  his  beautiful  home.  The  next  resi- 
dence which  he  erected  was  on  B  and  Elm 
street,  built  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  afterward,  on  East  Fourth  street, 
he  erected  a  one-thousand^dollar  residence. 
His  present  residence,  located  at  328  East 
Ninth  street,  was  erected  in  1899,  also  at  a 
cost  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  is  an  at- 
tractive and  commodious  dwelling.  Mr. 
Ryther  has  built  in  all  five  or  six  residences, 
but  by  a  strange  and  fatal  combination  of 
circumstances,  dishonesty  of  partners,  sick- 
ness of  himself  and  family  and  the  bursting 
of  the  great  boom  in  Hutchinson, — each  one 
has  been  swept  from  him  in  turn,  and  eight 
years  ago,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he 
was  compelled  to  abandon  his  trade,  after 
which  he  took  up  gardening,  at  one  time 


having  as  many  as  forty  lots  under  his  care. 
He  has  also  devoted  a  portion  of  his  time 
tO'  the  setting  out  of  shade  trees  in  this  city, 
and  thus  has  assisted  not  a  little  in  adding 
to  the  atractive  appearance  of  this  beauti- 
ful little  city.  Another  branch  of  his  busi- 
ness has  been  that  of  a  correspcndent  to  sev- 
eral papers,  including  the  Hutchinson  News, 
the  Kansas  Workman,  and  the  Select 
Knights,  During  recent  years,  however, 
he  has  been  greatly  troubled  with  fail- 
ing eyesight,  and  at  one  time  he  spent 
eighty-one  days  in  Dr.  Pitt's  hospital  at 
St.  Joseph,  where  he  underwent  three  opera- 
tions, but  his  sight  is  still  very  poor. 

In  1862,  in  Berrien  county,  Michigan, 
was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Ryther 
and  Miss  Frances  A.  Millard,  a  native  of 
New  Hampshire  and  a  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Martha  (Skinner)  Millard,  the 
I  former  a  native  of  Troy,  New  ^'ork,  and 
the  latter  of  Vermont.  The  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Ryther,  Charles  Millard,  was  a  native 
son  of  the  Empire  state,  and'  his  father, 
Jonathan  Millard,  was  the  first  of  the  fam- 
ily to  locate  on  American  soil,  ^^'ith  two 
brothers,  Nehemiah  and'  Thomas,  he  was 
driven  from  England  to  France  on  account 
of  his  Huguenot  principles,  and  in  iC)38  they 
came  to  this  country,  locating  in  Martha's 
Vineyard.  The  family  coat  of  arms  con- 
sisted of  a  stag  feeding  on  a  hill  and  an 
ermine,  and  their  motto  was  ''Fortune  fa- 
vors the  brave."  Mrs.  Ryther  has  been 
called  to  her  final  rest.  She  was  one  of  a 
family  of  eight  children,  namely :  Charles 
O.,  who  served  throughout  the  Civil  war  as 
a  member  of  the  Fourteenth  Brooklyn  In- 
fantry, but  as  a  result  of  his  army  experi- 
ence he  became  broken  in  health  and  his 
death  occurred  on  the  loth  of  June,  1900; 
George  B.,  who  served  in  the  Ninth  Illi- 
nois Cavalry  as  a  sergeant,  and  died  of  apo- 
plexy on  his  way  home  from  the  army; 
Frances  A.,  the  wife  of  our  subject,  who 
died  on  the  loth  of  February,  1900;  Helen, 
who  died  at  Caswell,  New  York,  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years;  Louise,  who-  is  employed 
as  our  subject's  housekeeper:  Bessie,  wife 
of  Rev,  S,  Hendrick,  a  retired  minister  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Hutchinson;  David  J.,  who  died  in  Clay- 
viile,  New  York,  in  1852;  and  Armenia, 
who  died  when  only  eleven  months  old.  The 
daughter  Louise  is  a  lady  of  much  literary 
ability,  and  during  the  past  twelve  years  has 
contributed  many  valuable  articles  to  both 
eastern  and  western  periodicals.  The  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ryther  was  blessed  with 
three  children.  The  eldest,  Charles  S.,  a 
contractor  and  builder,  is  now  traveling  for 
his  health.  He  is  known  throughout  the 
west  as  big  Tex,  and  since  sixteen  years  of 
age  much  of  his  time  has  been  spent  in  the 
southwest,  largely  among  scouts  and  hunt- 
ers. At  different  times  he  has  been  em- 
ployed as  a  cowboy  and  stage  driver,  and 
he  has  also  traveled  with  Buffalo  Bill's  show, 
encountering  many  thrilling  adventures  in 
the  west.  The  second  son,  H.  B.,  is  em- 
ployed as  foreman  for  the  Grant  County 
Xews,  and  the  youngest  child,  Fred  J.,  died 
in  Hutchinson. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Ryther  is  an 
ardent  Republican,  and  many  times  has 
served  as  a  delegate  to  county  conventions. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Or- 
der of  United  Workmen,  the  Select  Knights 
and  Ladies,  and  has  attained  a  degree  of 
honor  in  the  Fraternal  Aid. 


GEORGE  X.  MOSES. 

It  is  the  enterprise  and  character  of  the 
citizen  that  enrich  and  ennoble  the  common- 
wealth. From  individual  enterprise  has 
sprung  all  the  splendor  and  importance  of 
this  great  west.  The  greatest  merchants 
have  e\'olved  from  the  humblest  origins. 
From  clerkships  have  emerged  men  who 
ha^■e  bnilt  great  enterprises.  America  is  a 
self-made  country,  and  those  who  have  cre- 
ated it  are  self-made  men.  No  influence  of 
birth  or  fortune  has  favored  the  architects 
of  her  glory.  Among  those  who  have 
achieved  prominence  as  men  of  marked'  abil- 
ity and  substantial  worth  in  Great  Bend  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  George  N.  INIoses. 
wlio  occupies   a   prominent    position.       No 


man  in  this  city  has  been  more  closely  or 
prominently  identified  with  its  upbuilding 
and  improvement.  He  has  been  the  pro- 
moter of  all  of  its  most  important  enter- 
prises and  from  an  early  day  has  been  a 
potent  factor  in  the  progres.s  which  has  led 
to  its  present  prosperity. 

The  wise  system  of  industrial  economics 
which  has  been  brought  to  bear  in  the  de- 
velopment of  Great  Bend  has  challenged  uni- 
form admiration,  for  while  there  has  been 
steady  advancement  in  material  lines  there 
has  been  an  entire  absence  of  that  inflation 
of  values  and  that  erratic  "booming"  which 
have  in  the  past  proved  the  eventual  death 
knell  to  many  of  the  localities  in  the  west 
where  "mushroom  towns"  have  one  day 
smiled  forth  with  "all  modern  improve- 
ments" and  practically  on  the  next  have 
been  shorn  of  their  glories  and  of  their  pos- 
sibilities of  stable  prosperity  until  the  e.xist- 
ing  order  of  things  shall  have  been  radically 
changed.  In  Great  Bend  progress  has  been 
made  continuously  and  in  safe  lines,  and  in 
the  healthful  growth  and  advancement  of 
the  city  Mr.  Moses  has  taken  an  active  part. 

George  N.  Moses  was  born  in  Olean, 
Cattaraugus  county.  New  York,  April  15, 
1844,  his  parents  being  Anson  G.  and  Mary 
Ann  (Bobn)  Moses.  The  father  was  a 
mason  by  trade  and  engaged  in  contracting 
along  that  line,  spending  most  of  his  busi- 
ness life  in  Philadelphia,  New  York  city 
and  at  other  points  in  the  Empire  state.  He 
did  much  contracting  for  the  New  York  & 
Lake  Erie  Railroad  during  the  period  of  its 
construction.  In  1855  he  removed  to  Rock- 
ford,  Illinois,  but  died  while  visiting  in  New 
York,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  His 
wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sevent3--nine. 
They  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children, 
and  with  the  exception  of  two  all  reached 
mature  years.  They  are  as  follows :  Lou- 
isa; Lucinda;  Francis;  Adeline;  Reuben  H., 
who  died  in  early  childhood';  Anson  ;  Reuben 
H.,  the  second  of  the  name;  Theodore; 
Mary ;  George  N. ;  Emma  ;  Laura ;  Charles 
and  Edward. 

George  N.  Moses  pursued  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  until    1861,  when,  at 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


tlie  age  of  seventeen  years,  he  offered  his 
services  to  his  country,  enlisting  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  I,  Fifteenth  Illinois  Infan- 
try. He  was  wounded  near  Memphis,  Ten- 
nessee, having  the  fore  finger  of  his  right 
hand  shot  away.  He  was  then  discharged 
on  account  of  disability,  but  re-enlisted  in 
1864,  becoming  first  sergeant  of  his  com- 
pany, and  with  that  rank  he  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  then  went  to  Se- 
dalia,  Missouri,  where  he  was  on  the  police 
force  for  a  time.  Afterward  he  made  his 
way  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  where  he 
joined  a  company  en  route  for  Arizona.  He 
was  then  engaged  in  prospecting  from  April, 
1867,  until  1 87 1.  This  brought  him  in  con- 
tact with  the  wild  west  and  he  experienced 
all  kinds  of  hardships;  several  months  pass- 
ing in  which  the  men  of  tlie  party  did  not 
even  see  a  hut.  He  engaged  in  hunting 
buffaloes  and  acting  as  scout  over  the  plains. 
While  in  Saline,  Kansas,  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  Luther  Morris,  of  Quincy, 
Illinois,  a  man  famous  as  a  builder  of  towns. 
Mr.  Morris  sought  the  services  of  Mr.  Moses 
to  pilot  him  over  the  country,  and  to  the  site 
of  Great  Bend  they  at  length  made  their 
way.  Mr.  Moses  had  ridden  all  over  this 
country  hunting  buffaloes  when  these 
animals  were  seen  in  herds  as  far  as  the  eve 
could  reach,  the  herds  being  so  dense  that 
it  was  dangerous  to  drive  through  them. 
Our  subject  conducted  Mr.  Morris  to>  Bar- 
ton county  and  they  located  on  Walnut 
creek,  near  a  spring,  and  established  a  town 
site  on  secton  34.  Mr.  Moses  secured  a 
quarter  section  of  land  where  the  town  is 
now  located  and  built  a  fcamdation  for  a 
building,  but  a  combination  of  the  railroad 
and  land  site  companies  was  made,  and  this 
company  concluded  that  Mr.  Moses  had  a 
better  tract  of  land  than  they  could  secure; 
so  he  disposed  of  his  interests  to  them  and 
took  another  quarter  section  further  west. 
Here  the  Quincy  Township  Companv  built 
a  shed,  which  was  constructed  by  Lewis  Fry. 
The  men  were  then  retained  to  erect  other 
buildings,  including  a  hotel,'  a  store  and  a 
dance  hall.  Mr.  ]\Iorris  had  his  office  in  the 
hall.     Among  the  first  settlers    were    ]\Ir. 


O'Dell  and  P.  Sneck,  and  T.  L.  Stone  was 
proprietor  of  the  first  store  which  was  con- 
ducted in  the  hotel.  Thus  the  work  of  build- 
ing a  town  and  promoting  its  interests  was 
carried  on.  Mv.  Moses  secured  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  32,  now  o\vned  by 
D.  W.  Heizer,  and  planted  a  fine  grove  of 
shade  trees.  This  was  in  iSj2.  and  the  grove 
to-day  is  the  finest  in  the  county.  In  con- 
nection with  Samuel  Hefty  and  J.  F.  Tilton 
he  dug  a  hole,  intending  to  make  a  dugout, 
and  put  on  a  log  on  which  to  pile  the  brush, 
but  the  work  was  never  completed,  although 
Mr.  Moses  slept  in  the  hole  for  a  long  time. 
When  it  rained  he  had  to  sit  up,  but  he  never 
caught  cold,  the  free  out-door  life  enjoyed 
by  the  pioneers  bringing  to  them  iron  con- 
stitutions. Their  principal  food  was  game, 
but  as  the  years  passed  and  the  coimtry  be- 
came more  thickly  settled  railroads  were  built 
and  all  of  the  comforts  of  civilization  were 
added.  After  a  time  Mr.  Moses  erected  a 
house,  which  he  enlarged  in  1886,  and  it  still 
stands  on  the  ranch  now  owned  liy  Mr. 
Heizer.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Moses  has  pur- 
chased and  sold  and  partly  improved  many 
places,  and  his  own  home  is  a  beautiful  resi- 
dence of  brick  built  in  modern  style  of  archi- 
tecture. This  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
attractive  homes  within  the  county  and  was 
built  by  Mr.  Heizer. 

Since  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  Barton 
county  our  subject  has  contributed  in  large 
measure  to  the  progress  and  enterprises  cal- 
culated to  prove  of  public  benefit  as  well  as 
to  promote  the  prosperity  cf  those  financially 
interested.  He  yet  owns  much  property  in 
Great  Bend.  He  established  the  largest 
hardware  store,  and  in  this  was  as.sociated 
with  his  brother,  Ed  R.  Moses.  After  a 
time  they  added  other  lines  of  goods,  thus 
introducing  a  department  store,  which  is 
still  carried  on  by  the  brother.  Our  sub- 
ject owns  valuable  farming  lands  and  is 
connected  with  the  ice  plant  and  manv  other 
interests  of  the  city.  He  is  a  man  of  excel- 
lent business  and  executive  abilitv.  and  his 
wise  counsel  and  sound  judgment  ha\-e  been 
important  factors  in  the  successful  control 
of  many  business  interests    in    this    place. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Along  another  line  Mr.  Moses  has  been  of 
great  benefit  to  the  city,  by  inducing  sub- 
stantial men  to  locate  here  and  found  busi- 
ness interests  and  promote  commercial  act- 
ivity, whereon  depends  the  welfare  and 
progress  of  e\'ery  town.  He  is  one  of  the 
prime  movers  and  is  financially  interested 
in  tlie  Lake  Koen  irrigation  and  navigation 
scheme,  whicli  will  improve  land  in  this  vi- 
cinity and  will  also  prove  a  pleasure  resort, 
makin.i;  the  lake  ime  of  the  finest  bodies  of 
water  in  central   Kansas. 

Mr.  Moses  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Ida  A.  Mitchell,  of  Ouincy.  Illinois, 
and  they  ha\'e  two  adopted  children, — Mor- 
ris and  Susie.  Socially  Mr.  Moses  is  con- 
nectetl  with  the  ^Masonic  fraternity,  in 
which  he  has  taken  the  degrees  of  the  blue 
lodge  and  commandery.  He  is  now  a  past 
master  and  has  filled  other  offices  in  those 
organizations,  while  in  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows  he'  is  past  grand.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  the  lodge  and 
ser\-ed  for  fourteen  years  as  noble  grand. 
He  also  belongs  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
fraternity  and  to  the  Fraternal  Aid.  He 
served  as  the  first  sheriff  of  the  county, 
filling  the  position  from  1871  until  ■  1875 
inclusively.  He  has  also  been  county  com- 
missioner and  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  city  council  and  as  mayor  of  Great 
Bend.  He  is  a  man  of  splendid  capability 
and  broad  resource — a  typical  representative 
of  the  American  spirit  which  within  the  past 
century  has  achieved  a  work  that  once 
amuses  the  admiration  and  astonishment  of 
the  world. 


SAMSON  FULTON. 

SaniS(in  Fulton,  the  efficient  night  fore- 
man of  the  Vincent  Salt  Works,  of  Hutch- 
inson, was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Ohio, 
on  the  27th  of  December,  1857,  a  son  of 
Hugh  and  Catherine  (Dixon)  Fulton,  and 
a  grandson  of  Hugh  Fulton,  Sr.,  who  was 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  was  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. The  father  of  our  subject  was  reared  . 
in  the  vicinitv  of  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and'  in 


early  life  was  engaged  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  but  later  turned  his  attention  to 
farming,  in  which  occupation  he  is  still  en- 
gaged, owning  a  valuable  homestead  of  one 
hundredi  and  seventy  acres  in  Scioto  county, 
Ohio.  Throiighout  his  entire  life  he  has 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of  his 
locality,  and  in  political  matters  he  is  a  sup- 
porter of  Republican  principles,  while  in  his 
religious  convictions  he  is  a  Baptist.  His 
first  wife  died  when  our  subject  was  but  a 
child,  leaving  a  son  and  a  daughter,  and  the 
latter,  Lucretia,  is  now  the  wife  of  Frank 
IMartin,  an  express  messenger  in  Chicago. 
For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Fulton  chose  Jane 
Shoemaker,  and  of  their  six  children  fi\e 
are  now  living. 

Samson  Fulton,  of  this  re\-iew,  was  left 
motherless  when  only  two  and  a  half  years 
of  age,  and  from  that  time  until  he  was 
eight  years  old  his  home  was  in  the  famih" 
of  his  grandmother  Dixon,  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty, Ohio.  He  then  returned  to  his  father, 
where  he  remained  until  sixteen  years  of 
age,  and  he  then  again  entered  the  home  nf 
his  maternal  grandmother,  there  continuing 
until  his  twenty-first  year.  Deciding  tn  re- 
move tO'  the  west,  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Barton  county,  Missouri,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged at  farm  labor  for  several  years,  and 
for  the  following  two  years  he  carried  on 
that  business  on  his  own  account  on  rented 
land.  The  year  18S6  witnessed  his  arrival 
in  the  Sunflower  state,  locating  at  Cimar- 
ron, the  county  seat  of  Gray  county,  where 
for  a  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  brick.  For  a  year  and  a  half 
thereafter  he  was  employed  as  a  salesman  in 
a  general  store ;  from  that  point  went  to 
Kansas  City,  where  he  had  charge  of  a 
tran.sfer  company;  went  thence  to  Butler, 
Bates  county,  where  for  six  months  he  was 
foreman  of  a  livery  stable;  and  from  that 
city  came  to  Hutchinson,  Kansas.  In  July, 
1889,  ■Mr.  Fulton  became  an  employe  of  the 
Vincent  Salt  ^^^Jrks,  in  the  packing  depart- 
ment, but  his  energy,  perseverance  and  well 
known  reliability  soon  secured  for  him  a  pro- 
motion and  for  the  past  eleven  years  he  has 
served  as   foreman  of  the  evaporating  de- 


54 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


partment.  This  long  service  with  one  cor- 
poration ihnstrates  in  no  uncertain  manner 
his  trustworthiness  and  ability,  and  his  en- 
tire business  career  demonstrates  what  may 
be  accomplished'  when  perseverance  and'  de- 
termination form  the  keynote  toi  a  man's 
life.  During  the  past  five  years  Mr.  Ful- 
ton has  also  been  engaged  on  a  limited  scale 
in  the  breeding  of  fine  horses. 

In  Barton  county,  Missouri,  on  the  25th 
of  April,  1880,  Mr.  Fulton  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Ellen  J.  Weir,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Mary  (Hogland)  Weir,  and  the 
parents  and  daughter  are  natives  of  Indi- 
ana. One  son  has  been  born  unto  this  union, 
Charles  S.,  who  was  one  of  the  organizers 
and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Globe  Coffee 
Company,  of  Hutchinson.  The  Republican 
party  receives  Mr.  Fulton's  hearty  support 
and  co-operation,  and  in  his  social  relations 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  the  Fraternal  Aid,  and  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Red  Men.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  connected  with  the  Rebekah  lodge 
of  the  Odd  Fellows. 


WILLIAM  E.  PIERCE. 

William  E.  Pierce,  who  since  1877  has 
been  a  resident  of  Rice  county  and  for  for- 
ty-two years  has  made  his  home  in  Kansas, 
now  resides  on  section  20,  Wilson  town- 
ship, where  he  owns  and  operates  a  good 
farm.  He  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Ten- 
nessee, on  the  7th  of  March,  1852,  and  is  a 
son  of  Isaac  M.  Pierce,  a  native  of  eastern 
Virginia.  His  mother  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Anna  Robinson  and  was  a  native 
of  Tennessee.  For  some  time  after  their 
marriage  the  parents  resided  in  the  latter 
state,  and  then  came  west  to  Kansas  by 
steamboat  and  rail,  locating  first  at  Leav- 
enworth, in  1859.  A  settlement  was  made 
in  Atchison  county,  near  Pardee,  and  they 
were  pioneer  people  of  that  region.  Sub- 
sequently the\'  removed  to  Springdale,  in 
Lea\-enwnrth  county,  where  they  remained 


for  two  or  three  years,  when  they  took  up 
their  abode  in  Leavenworth  city,  Kansas, 
there  residing  until  January,  1867.  In  that 
year  the  family  returned  to  Tennessee,  and 
the  parents  died  at  Jefferson  county,  that 
state,  the  mother  passing  away  at  the  age 
of  fifty-one,  the  father  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
four.  He  possessed  considerable  mechani- 
cal ingenuity  and  was  a  wagon-maker  and 
machinist.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Society  of  Friends  and  were 
people  of  the  highest  respectability,  enjoying 
the  confidence  and  regard  of  all  who  knew 
them.  They  had  eleven  children,  of  whom 
nine  are  living,  namely:  Mrs.  Mary  Rus- 
sell, of  Kansas ;  Mrs.  Amanda  Battersby,  of 
Saline  county;  A.  K..  who  is  living  in  Sa- 
line county  and  who  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Civil  war;  Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Stanley,  of 
Saline;  George,  who  is  living  in  the  same 
county;  William  E.,  of  this  review;  Joseph, 
of  Arizona;  Charles  E.,  of  Ottawa  county, 
Kansas;  Nate  R.,  who  is  a  resident  of  New 
Mexico;  Casper,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years ;  and  iMartha,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years. 

William  E.  Pierce  was  reared  in  the  city 
and  county  of  Leavenworth  and  received  his 
education  in  the  district  and  city  schools. 
He  entered  upon  his  business  career  as  a 
cow  boy  in  the  western  part  of  the  state  of 
Dakota.  In  the  latter  place  he  was  employed 
by  a  Mr.  Powers,  a  well  known  cattle  deal- 
er and  drover  of  Kansas.  In  1876  Mr. 
Pierce  took  up  his  abode  in  the  southeastern 
portion  of  Ellsworth  county,  on  ]\Iule  creek, 
where  he  remained  for  one  year.  He  then 
came  to  Rice  county,  locating  where  the  Ira 
Brothers  now  reside,  there  making  his  home 
until  1883,  when  he  sold  that  farm  and  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land  on  section  20,  Wil- 
son township.  Here  he  has  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land.  This  is  one  of  the 
farms  first  settled  in  the  county  and  is  a; 
tract  of  rich  land,  splendidly  improved  with  , 
all  modern  accessories  and  conveniences. 
The  house  is  substantial  and  the  outbuild- 
ings are  kept  in  good  repair.  Corn  cribs  and 
granaries  are  full  of  grain  and  everything 
about  the  place  is  neat  and  thrifty  in  appear- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


ance,  indicating  the  proigressive  supervision 
of  the  OAvner.  Near  the  house  is  a  good 
grove  of  five  acres,  for  this  was  a  timber 
claim.  There  is  also  an  apple  orchard  con- 
taining three  acres.  Mr.  Pierce  follows 
general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and' 
his  labors  are  attended  with  a  richly  mer- 
ited success.  He  has  witnessed  the  de- 
velopment in  the  county  and  has  con- 
tributed in  a  large  measure  to  its  sub- 
stantial upbuilding.  At  an  early  day  he 
spent  several  weeks  on  Little  river,  putting 
up  hay  on  the  old  Hutchinson  cattle  ranch. 
He  also  carried  the  mail  for  the  United 
States  government  from  Lindsburg  to 
Hutchinson  in  pioneer  days,  and  while 
traversing  his  route  he  saw  many  buffaloes 
on  the  plains.  He  has  watched  with  com- 
mendable interest  the  work  oi  civilization 
and  progress  and  in  every  way  possible  he 
has  aided  and  abetted  in  the  movements  for 
improvement  and  upbuilding. 

In  1882  Mr.  Pierce  was  united  in  mar- 
riage, in  Wilson  township.  Rice  county,  to 
]\Iiss  Frances  Buckles,  who  was  born  in 
Lee  county,  Iowa,  near  Fort  Madison,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Margaret  (Anders) 
Buckles.  The  father  is  now  a  resident  of 
Sterling.  Kansas,  but  the  mother  has  passed 
away.  In  the  family  were  two  children, — 
Mrs.  Frances  Pierce  and  Libby  Rye,  the  lat- 
ter of  Iowa.  The  father  is  a  mechanic  and 
harnessmaker  by  trade,  but  for  a  number 
of  years  has  engaged  in  farming  in  Rice 
county.  The  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs. 
Pierce  has  been  blessed  with  two'  children: 
Olive  E.,  who  was  born  January  9,  1883; 
and  George  H..  bom  March  31.  i'885.  Both 
]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Pierce  hold  membership  in  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  church,  and  they  take 
an  active  part  in  the  church  and  Sunday- 
school  work,  doing  all  in  their  power  to  pro- 
mote the  cause  of  Christianity  among  their 
fellow  men.  Their  support  is  not  withheld 
from  educational  interests  and  is  given  in 
hearty  measure  to  all  movements  for  the 
general  good.  One  of  the  honored  pioneers 
of  the  county,  Mr.  Pierce  has  witnessed  its 
development  from  the  days  when  this  por- 
tion of  Kansas  was  upon  the  frontier,  when 


much  of  its  land  was  unclaimed  and  the 
greater  part  of  it  was  still  in  its  primitive 
condition.  As  the  years  have  passed,  how- 
ever, the  wild  prairie  has  been  transformed 
into  richly  cultivated  fields  and  the  county 
has  become  the  home  of  a  prosperous  and 
contented  people,  whose  united  efforts  have 
gained  Rice  county  a  place  among  the  lead- 
ing counties  of  the  commonwealth. 


TAMES  HIBBERT. 


Our  mother  country,  England,  has  con- 
tributed to  the  United  States  an  element  of 
our  population  which  has  afforded  an  ex- 
ample of  indnstrious  endeavor  and  well 
earned  success  that  has  not  been  without  its 
effect  in  many  wa}'s  in  our  general  pros- 
perity. Kansas  has  had  her  share  of  settlers 
of  English  birth  and  has  been  glad  always  to 
welcome  them.  One  of  the  most  prominent 
citizens  of  the  class  in  Reno  county  under 
consideration  is  James  Hibbert.  who  is  a 
farmer  on  section  2j,  Hayes  township,  and 
whose  postoffice  is  at  Sylvia. 

Mr.  Hibbert  was  born  in  Lancashire. 
England,  July  21,  1840,  and  was  early  in- 
structed in  the  engraver's  trade,  at  which  he 
worked  from  the  time  he  was  lifteen  years 
old  until  he  was  twenty-five,  in  his  native 
land.  He  was  married  October  27,  1864, 
to  Miss  Hannah  McGillivray,  of  Manches- 
ter, England,  who  was  torn  October  29, 
1841.  When  he  had  attained  to  his  twenty- 
sixth  year  Mr.  Hibbert  came  to  the  United 
States.  He  went  to  Kansas  without  much 
means  and  homesteaded  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  on  wdfich  he  lived  eight 
years  in  a  box  house,  one  story  high  and  of 
the  dimensions  twelve  by  fifteen  feet.  He 
then  built  his  present  large  modern  house. 
He  grows  corn,  wheat  and  other  grains,  but 
gives  particular  attention  to  corn  and  wheat, 
often  planting  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
to  corn  and  sowing  two  hundred  acres  to 
wheat.  For  many  years  he  and  his  wdfe  both 
worked  hard,  early  and  late,  but  during  the 
last  three  vears  thev  ha\-e  Iseen  resting  from 


56 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


their  labors.  They  have  taken  great  pleas- 
ure in  planting  fruit  and  shade  trees  and  in 
improving  their  home  farm  otherwise,  and 
they  have  given  some  time  to  travel  and  have 
spent  some  weeks  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  where 
three  sisters  of  Mr.  Hibbert  have  lived  for 
twenty-six  years.  ]\Ir.  Hibbert  is  the  owner 
of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  fine 
land,  of  which  he  cultivates  all  except  sev- 
enty acres.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican 
and  he  has  ably  filled  the  offices  of  township 
clerk  and  justice  of  the  peace.  He  and  his 
good  wife  are  both  communicants  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church. 

James  and  Hannah  ( McGillivray)  Hib- 
bert have  had  eight  children:  Salina,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  ten  months;  Sarah  E., 
who  married  Ferdinand  Miller,  of  Okla- 
homa, and  they  have  had  three  sons ;  Anna, 
the  wife  of  Charles  P.  ]\Iiller,  Jr.;  John, 
who  is  married  and  lives  in  Oklahoma; 
\Mlliam  Emory,  who  was  killed  July  28, 
1890,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years,  by  the 
explosion  of  a  traction  engine,  and  he  left  a 
widow ;  Hannah,  who  married  George  Crape 
a  farmer  of  Reno  county,  and  has  one  son ; 
Matilda,  who  is  a  memlber  of  her  father's 
household,  as  is  also  the  daughter  Emilv. 


JA^IES  STEVEXS  AIAY,  ^I.  D. 

Few  citizens  of  the  city  of  Hutchinson, 
Kansas,  are  more  highly  esteemed  than  is 
Dr.  James  Stevens  May,  of  this  short  biog- 
raphy, who  bears  the  name  of  being  a  fine 
scholar,  a  ready  and  witty  writer,  a  genial 
companion,  ancl  one  who  has  long  been  dis- 
tinguished in  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He 
comes  of  honorable  ancestry.  His  great- 
grandfather, William  May,  was  a  resident 
of  Kentucky,  at  the  time  when  Daniel  Boone 
was  fighting  savages  and  civilizing  that  state, 
and  Mr.  May  was  shot  by  the  Indians  from 
ambush,  and  when  his  horse  galloped  into 
camp  it  carried  his  dead  body. 

Francis  May,  the  son  of  William  and  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  prominent 
in    militarv    circles,    serving    with    General 


Harrison.  Andrew  May,  who  was  the  father 
of  Dr.  May,  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  came 
to  Indiana  in  1816,  the  same  year  that  it  was 
admitted  into  the  Union.  As  pioneers  he 
and  family  cleared  up  a  fine  farm  from  the 
timber,  succeeding  where  others  failed,  both 
on  account  of  fine  physical  conditions  and 
by  the  industry  and  energy  which  have  char- 
acterized the  whole  family.  Those  were  the 
days  of  rail-splitting,  and  our  subject  can 
recall  his  feat  of  splitting  as  many  as  two 
hundred  and  fifty  in  one  day,  doing  twice  as 
much  as  his  brothers  were  able  to  accomplish 
in  the  same  time.  He  was  much  interested 
in  educational  matters,  and  he  contributed 
an  acre  of  his  land  for  the  erection  of  a  log 
schoolhouse,  the  windows  having  greased 
paper  in  place  of  unobtainable  glass  and 
puncheon  floor  and  slabs  for  benches.  In 
those  days  in  that  locality  books  were  rare 
and  it  was  almost  as  difficult  then  to  get  an 
education  as  it  now  is  to  escape  one.  The 
alphabet  was  learned  by  our  subject  from 
letters  which  were  cut  from  paper  and  pasted 
on  a  board,  other  ingenious  methods  being 
also  used.  No  advance  is  more  marked  than 
that  which  has  been  made  in  provision  for 
the  education  of  the  children  in  the  public 
schools.  Mr.  May  became  a  local  preacher 
in  the  Methodist  church  and  was  a  most 
worthy  and  highly  esteemed  citizen.  His 
marriage  was  to  a  most  estimable  lady,  and 
our  subject  had  a  number  of  brothers  and 
sisters,  seven  of  the  former  being  loyal  and 
patriotic  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war,  two  of 
them  giving  their  lives  to  their  country,— 
Simon  P.,  who  was  killed  at  Perrysville, 
Kentucky  on  October  8,  1862,  and  Henry, 
who  was  taken  prisoner  at  Shiloh,  and  died 
about  one  year  later. 

Dr.  May  of  this  sketch  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  Orange  county,  Indiana,  on  April 
I,  1845,  and  was  a  son  of  his  father's  sec- 
ond marriage,  with  ]\Irs.  (Stevens)  Peters, 
whose  first  husband  was  a  cousin  of  the  late 
distinguished  Judge  Gresham,  of  Chicago, 
and  was  a  brigadier-general  in  the  Civil 
war.  Our  subject  was  given  the  best  school 
privileges  possible,  as  related  above,  and  be- 
ing very  ambitious  applied  himself  so  closely 


I 


-'W- yptoj  pjf^^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


that  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  was 
engaged  in  teaching  scliooL,  continuing  for 
live  years,  in  the  meantime  studying  medi- 
cine, and  was  enabled  to  begin  practice  in 
the  spring  of  1868.  In  1875  he  received  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  the  In- 
diana Medical  College  at  Indianapolis.  Until 
1877  he  followed  his  profession  in  Daviess 
county,  Indiana,  and  then  decided  to  try  the 
great  west,  removing  to  Kansas  and  locating" 
in  Reno  county.  Here  he  took  up  a  home- 
stead of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Langdon  township,  all  wild  land,  and  this 
he  improved  and  operated  until  1883.  He 
has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  politics, 
being  an  active  Republican,  and  in  this  year 
he  was  elected  register  of  deeds  and  is  npw 
engaged'in  the  abstract  business.  For  some 
eight  years  he  has  been  secretary  and  chair- 
man of  the  county  central  committee  and 
has  frequently  been  a  delegate  to  the  various 
conventions  of  his  party.  During  his  four 
years"  term  of  office  as  register  of  deeds  his 
work  was  so  efficient  and  he  became  so  thor- 
oughly conversant  with  every  detail  that  he 
has  become  an  authority  in  the  abstract  busi- 
ness for  Reno  county.  His  personal  deal- 
ings in  real  estate,  however,  have  only  been 
in  the  way  of  investment. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  May  was  in  Indi- 
ana, in  December,  1865,  to  Miss  M.  J. 
Crotts.  and  the  children  of  this  union  were 
as  follows:  Ida,  who  is  the  wife  of  J.  E. 
Mc]\Ieen,  of  Chicago :  Elmer,  who  died  in 
1900:  Lizzie,  who  died  in  1892:  Vinnie,  who 
is  the  wife  of  H.  O.  Skinner,  and  resides  in 
Hutchinson;  James  P.,  a  resident  of  Kansas 
City :  Madge,  who  assists  her  father  in  his 
abstract  business;  and  Tressie,  at  home. 

Dr.  I\Iay  is  a  leader  in  the  Methodist 
church,  where  he  is  both  beloved  and  es- 
teemed. He  is  well  known  in  Masonic  cir- 
cles throughout  the  state.  His  record  com- 
menced in  Moore  Lodge,  No.  303,  in  Indi- 
ana, where  he  received  his  first  degree  on 
April  14,  1870.  On  his  removal  to  Kansas 
he  affiliated  with  Reno  Lodge,  No.  140,  A. 
F.  &  A.  'M..  and  Reno  Chapter,  No.  34,  at 
Hutchinson,  serving  as  high  priest  in  1890; 
was  annointed  to  the  holv  order  of  high 
4 


priesthood  in  February,  1890:  received  the 
cryptic  degree  in  Newton  Council,  No.  9, 
R.  and  S.  M.,  in  1885  ;  and  served  as  thrice 
illustrious  master  of  Hutchinson  Council, 
No.  13,  during  1890-91.  In  1895  he  served 
as  most  illustrious  grand  master  of  the  grand 
council  of  Kansas.  He  was  created  a  com- 
panion of  the  order  of  the  Red  Cross  in 
August,  1884,  and  dubbed  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar on  October  7.  of  that  year,  in  Reno 
Commandery,  K.  T.,  No.  26,  being  its  re- 
corder for  ten  years;  entered  the  order  of 
the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  in  Isis 
Temple,  May  10,  1887;  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Jubilee  class  of  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty who  received  the  thirty-second  degree, 
Scottish  Rite,  from  April  15  to  18,  190 1, 
in  \\"ichita.  Kansas.  He  has  held  the  inter- 
ests (if  this  order  as  one  of  the  leading  ones 
of  his  life  and  in  its  higher  circles  holds  a 
distinguished  place. 

From  the  annual  address  of  Dr.  May, 
delivered  before  the  grand  council  of  Kan- 
sas, at  its  session  held  in  Wichita,  February 
17.  1896,  and  which  has  been  most  favor- 
ably commented  upon  by  ]\Iasonic  writers, 
we  quote  the  following: 

"Illustrious  Companions — Some  hun- 
dreds of  miles  to  the  westward  lie  the  mighty 
Rockies,  from  whose  glinting  tops  and  rock- 
ribbed  sides  gush  forth  the  waters  pure  and 
sweet,  as  if  distilled  in  the  laboratory  of 
Heaven,  which,  rushing  on  their  way  to 
the  sea,  diffusing  life  and  blessings  every- 
where, uniting  with  other  streams  as  pure, 
form  the  stream  on  whose  peaceful  banks 
and  in  whose  fruitful  valley  sits  the  Peer- 
less Princess  of  the  Plains — whose  guests 
we  are  to-day,  and  wjiose  hands  are  out- 
stretched everywhere  to  extend  salutations 
to  us  as  we  come  at  the  opening  of  this,  our 
twenty-eighth  annual  assembly.  Not  manv 
generations  ago  where  you  now  sit  encircled 
with  all  that  exalts  and  embellishes  civilized 
life,  the  rank  blue  stem  nodded  its  tasseled 
head  in  the  wind:  tlie  sunflower,  the  em- 
blem of  our  state,  turned  its  face  to  the  great 
orb  of  day,  and  kept  watch  of  his  journev- 
ings;  here  lived  and  loved  another  race  of 
beings.      Beneath   the   same   sun   that   rolls 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


over  your  heads,  gazing  on  the  same  fair 
queen  of  night,  tliat  smiles  for  all  alike,  an- 
other and  far  different  council  was  assem- 
bled. To  these  poor  sons  of  the  then  desert 
no  light  of  the  Bible  had  come,  to  them  the 
laws  of  God  were  not  traced  on  tables  of 
stone,  but  in  the  book  of  nature,  whose 
teachings  are  never  distorted,  in  the  stars 
that  sank  in  beauty  beyond  the  crimson  west, 
where  earth  and  sky  touched  each  other,  in 
the  midday  flame,  from  the  blazing  sun,  in 
the  flower  that  bloomed  in  the  night-time 
and  withered  when  day  had  again  come,  in 
the  sighing  of  the  flower-scented  breezes  as 
they  came  laden  with  the  perfume  of  the 
sunny  south  lands,  in  his  own  majestic  form, 
on  the  tablets  of  his  heart — in  all  these  were 
traced  the  revelations  of  the  universe,  and  to 
whose  mysterious  source  he  bent  in  humble 
and  silent  adoration.  A  traveler,  in  jour- 
neying westward,  came  to  the  base  of  the 
mountain  and  saAv  before  him  nothing  but 
impregnable  rocky  fastnesses,  which  he 
could  not  climb.  But  there  came  also  a 
skillful  engineer  whose  cunning  was  equal 
to  the  skill  of  the  architect  at  the  building  of 
the  first  temple,  and  by  following  the  mys- 
terious inclinations  of  his  instrument  he 
sought  and  found  a  pathway  whereby  the 
mountain's  mighty  crest  was  reached.  The 
ribbons  of  steel  were  laid,  the  commerce  of 
a  continent  was  transported  over  what  at 
first  seemed  an  impassable  barrier.  So  like- 
wise, in  assuming  the  duties  of  the  station  to 
which  you  elevated  me  one  vear  ago  I  felt 
as  if  there  was  no  pathway  by  which  I  might 
reach  the  end  of  the  journey,  but  with  the 
assistance  of  the  companions  on  whose  wis- 
dom I  confidently  relied,  the  mountain 
heights  have  been  climbed,  the  difficulties 
overcome,  and  now  have  we  come  to  close 
the  year's  labor." 

Among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Reno 
county  Dr.  May  is  regarded  with  approba- 
tion and  affection.  He  is  always  ready  and 
willing  to  tell  the  truthful  tales  of  those 
early  days,  and  his  articles  possess  high  lit- 
erary merit.  It  is  related  that  at  one  time 
he  was  called  upon  to  deli\'er  an  address 
upon  this  subject,  his  auditors  the  next  day 


scarcely  believing  that  it  was  prepared  over 
night  for  that  occasion.  His  contributions 
to  the  press  are  widely  read,  his  wit  and  hu- 
mor making  them  very  enjoyable. 


EDWIN  S.  ROOT. 

Edwin  S.  Root  is  now  liviiig  a  retired 
life  in  Ellsworth.  He  has  reached  the  ripe 
old  age  of  seventy-three  years  and  until 
1900  he  continued  actively  connected  with 
business  affairs.  Such  a  record  should  put 
to  shame  many  a  man  of  younger  years, 
who,  grown  weary  of  the  strife  and  responsi- 
bilities of  Inisiness  life,  would  relegate  to 
others  the  burdens  which  In.  should  bear. 
Young  in  spirit,  progressive  and  energetic, 
jMr.  Root  could  easilv  pass  for  a  man  many 
years  his  junior.  He  has  the  resi>ect  of 
young  and  old,  rich  and  poor,  and  wherever 
he  goes  he  wins  friends. 

A  native  of  Monroe  county,  Xew  York, 
he  was  born  nine  miles  west  of  Rochester, 
on  the  24th  of  February,  1828.  His  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Thaddeus  Root,  was  a 
colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  the 
ancestry  of  the  family  can  be  traced  back 
directly  to  one  of  the  princes  of  England. 
The  family  was  founded  in  the  new  world 
soon  after  the  first  settlement  was  made  on 
the  shores  of  New  England  by  the  Pilgrims 
w^ho  crossed  on  the  Mayflower.  Edwin  S. 
Root,  Sr.,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Massachusetts  and  removed  to 
Rochester,  New  York,  when  that  place  was 
little  more  than  a  marsh.  There  was  no 
mill  within  forty  or  fifty  miles  and  the  en- 
tire country  around  about  was  unsettled  and 
gave  little  evidence  of  the  development 
which  would  make  it  a  large  center  of  pop- 
ulation. ]\Ir.  Root  built  a  tannen,-  and  also  \ 
engaged  in  farming.  He  cleared  several 
tracts  from  the  timber  and  Avas  thus  actively! 
connected  with  the  substantial  improvementj 
and  development  of  that  section  of  the  coun- 
try. He  was  also  interested  in  the  formation] 
of  schools  and  churches  and  aided  in  the' 
erection  of  the  Presbvterian  church  in  Roch- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ester.  His  influence  was  ever  given  to 
tlie  causes  which  tend  to  uplift  mankind  and 
he  was  a  vakied  citizen  oi  his  adopted  home. 
He  married  Catherine  Ensign,  and  they  be- 
came tiie  parents  of  five  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, but  our  subject  and  one  brother  are 
the  only  ones  now  living. 

Edwin  Sheldon  Root,  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  review,  was  reared  to  agricult- 
ural pm'suits  and  upon  the  home  farm  en- 
gaged in  raising  wheat,  cattle  and  hogs. 
Soon  alter  reaching  his  majority  he  started 
out  in  life  on  his  own  account.  In  1862  he 
became  a  resident  of  Illinois,  locating  two 
miles  from  Dekalb,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  for  nineteen  years.  In  1881  he 
came  to  Kansas  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  thirty-four  acres,  in  Black 
Wolf  township,  south  of  the  river.  He  after- 
ward bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  later  purchased  eighty  acres 
and  again  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 
Kansas  tested  the  faith  of  her  people  in 
her  possibilities  and  her  future.  There  were 
several  years  of  drouth,  when  many  settlers 
wished  to  sell  and  go  elsewhere,  but  Mr. 
Root  Ijelieved  that  a  splendid  future  lay  be- 
fore this  rich  section  of  country  and'  he  per- 
severed in  his  efforts,  which  were  ultimately 
crowned  with  a  high  degree  of  prosperity. 
In  connection  with  the  production  of  the 
crops  best  adapted  to  this  climate  and  soil 
he  carried  on  the  stock  business  quite  ex- 
tensively, both  raising  and  feeding  cattle. 
In  the  spring  of  1900  he  sold  all  of  his 
land  to  his  son,  witli  the  exception  of  two 
hundred  acres,  and  retired  tn  l'',llswi  atli, 
where  he  has  purchased  a  cnmfnrtaljle 
home,  in  which  he  and  his  wife  are  enjoy- 
ing life  quietly,  having  there  a  well  earned 
rest.  l\Ir.  Root  purchased'  a  half-section  of 
land,  which  he  now  rents,  and  the  income 
therefrom  provides  him  and  his  wife  with 
all  of  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries 
of  life.  At  the  same  tin-.e  he  has  a  suljstan- 
tial  bank  account.  He  carried  nn  active 
work  until  1900,  feeding  his  own  stock 
through  all  the  seasons.  His  is  certainly  a 
record  of  a  long,  useful  and  honorable  ca- 


On  the  24tli  of  February,  1850,  in  his 
native  state,  Mr.  Root  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Susanna  Fenner,  a  daughter 
■of  the  Rev.  James  Fenner,  D.  D.,  of  Mon- 
roe county.  New  York,  wdio  served  as  pastor 
of  one  of  the  churches  there  for  sixteen 
years.  Later  he  retired  to  New  York  city, 
where  he  spent  his  last  days.  He  sent  Mrs. 
Root  the  first  sewing  machine  used  in  this 
section  of  the  country  west  of  Rochester. 
Tliey  also  had  the  first  kerosene  lamp.  Their 
oil  was  then  crude  and  the  lamp  did  not 
prove  of  great  success  until  processes  for  re- 
fining oil  were  introduced.  Mrs.  Root  has 
ever  proved  a  faithful  companion  and  help- 
mate to  her  husband,  and  he  gives  her  credit 
for  much  of  his  success  in  life.  Their  home 
has  been  blessed  with  twelve  children,  but 
James  F.,  the  eldest,  died  in  early  childhood. 
Cara  Matilda  is  the  wife  of  A.  L.  Johnson, 
of  Ellsworth,  and  has  nine  children  ;  Elm^ra 
J.  is  the  wife  of  James  B.  Lewis,  of  Iowa, 
and  has  four  children ;  Clarence  M.  F.  died 
in  childhood;  Cynthia  \V.  is  the  wife  of  C. 
P.  \\'agonselIer,  of  Nashua,  Missouri,  and 
has  one  child;  William  Freeman  married 
Louisa  Boots,  and  at  his  death,  which  came 
by  drowning,  he  left  a  widow  and  two  chil- 
dren; Edwin  Sheldon,  of  Brookville,  mar- 
ried Addie  Stark,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  of  whom  their  eldest 
son,  Edwin  Sheldon,  represents  the  third 
living  generation  of  that  natne;  James  L. 
married  Daisy  Carey  and  is  living  in  Kan- 
sas City;  Susa  Almina  is  the  wife  of  J.  W. 
Ross,  of  Herrington,  Kansas,  and  has  four 
children;  Mary  Elizabeth  is  the  wife  of  G. 
A.  Dow,  of  Burlington,  Vermont,  and  they 
have  three  children;  Frederick  F.,  a  farmer 
of  Barber  county,  this  state,  married  Ollie 
Estes  and  has  two  children;  Albert  H. 
wedded  Ada  Allen  and  is  now  a  faimer  of 
Ellsworth  county.  There  are  thirty  grand- 
children and  two  great-grandchildren  living. 
In  an  early  day  Mr.  Root  was  a  silver-gray 
Republican,  but  is  now  a  Democrat.  He 
filled  some  local  offices  in  both  New  York 
and  Illinois  and  has  served  as  clerk  here. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  school  board 
from  the  time  of  his  arri\-al  in  Kansas  until 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


he  removed  to  Ellswortli.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs. 
Root  are  a  genial,  hospitaljle  couple.  They 
ha\'e  experienced  many  difficulties  and  en- 
countered many  obstacles  in  life,  but  by  de-^ 
termined  purpose  they  have  pressed  forward 
and  are  now  in  possession  of  a  very  hand- 
some competence.  While  in  the  country 
they  always  kept  open  house  and  entertained 
freely.  They  have  made  it  a  point  to  have 
a  Christmas  dinner  for  many  years  and  an- 
nually have  entertained  from  twenty  to  thir- 
ty-five guests  on  that  day.  In  1900  they 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding,  which  was 
an  occasion  greatly  enjoyed  by  their  many 
friends  and  relatives,  who  wish  for  them 
many  happy  returns  of  the  marital  anniver- 
sary. At  length  they  decided  to  leave  the 
farm  and  reside  cjuietly  in  town,  and  from 
Christmas  until  the  ist  of  March  they  were 
never  alone  for  a  single  day,  so  freely  is 
their  hospitality  extended  to  their  friends. 
Genial  and  kindly,  this  wnrthy  couple  have 
a  circle  of  friends  which  is  only  limited  by 
the  circle  of  their  acquaintances,  and  in  the 
liistnry  of  their  adopted  county  they  well 
deserve  an  honorable  mention. 


JOHN  W.  WEATHERD. 

•John  W.  ^^'eatherd,  who  is  filling  the 
office  of  county  commissioner,  is  one  of  the 
leading  and  influential  farmers  of  Kingman 
count}-,  his  home  being  on  section  4,  Vinita 
township.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
county  since  1883  and  has  therefore  wit- 
nessed much  of  its  development  and  prog- 
ress, taking  his  part  in  the  work  of  ad- 
vancement and  doing  all  in  his  power  for 
the  general  good.  He  was  born  in  Heiv 
dricks  county,  Indiana,  near  Danville,  on  the 
loth  of  October,  1853,  and  is  of  French  de- 
scent, his  paternal  grandfather,  Thomas 
Wea'therd,  being  a  native  of  France,  whence 
he  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  }'Oung 
man.  He  served  his  adopted  country  as  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12.  His  son,  Syl- 
vester C.  Weatherd.  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject,  was  born   in  Madison    county,    Ken- 


tucky, and  was  married  there  to.  Susan 
Bush,  also  a  native  of  that  county,  where 
both  were  reared  and  educated,  she  being  of 
I  German  descent.  After  their  marriage  they 
removed  to  Hendricks  county,  Indiana,  and 
in  1 86 1  went  to  Missouri,  settling  in  Gentry 
county.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  at  the  time  of  the  civil  war  he 
put  aside  business  and  personal  considera- 
tions, offering  his  services  to  the  govern- 
ment. He  was  assigned  to  the  Fifty-first 
Missouri  Infantry,  under  command  of  Col- 
onel McPherris'  and  proved  a  loyal  defend- 
er of  the  Union.  He  died  in  Gentry  coun- 
ty, Missouri,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years, 
but  his  widow  is  still  living  and  has  reached 
the  age  of  eighty-two.  In  his  political  affili- 
ations he  was  a  Whig  in  early  life,  and  on 
the  dissolution  of  that  party  he  joined  the 
ranks  of  the  new  Republican  party,  which 
he  continued  to  support  until  his  death.  Of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  he  was  a 
very  active  and  influential  member  and  was 
a  steward  in  the  congregation  with  which 
he  held  manbership.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Weatherd  were  born  ele\-en  children,  of 
whom  seven  are  yet  living:  Nancy;  Sarah; 
Virginia  and  America,  twins ;  Thomas ; 
John  W. :  and  P.  B.,  of  Borwich,  Kansas. 
Malvina  and  Susan  E.  both  reached  adult 
age  but  are  now  deceased,  while  two  of  the 
family  died  in  childhood. 

John  W.  Weatherd,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  sketch,  was  a  little  lad  of  eight 
years  when  he  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  Gentry  county,  Missouri. 
He  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  and  prac- 
tical experience  soon  made  him  familiar  with 
the  best  methods  of  producing  crops  and 
caring  for  stock.  He  acquired  his  education 
in  the  scliools  of  Indiana  and  Missouri,  also 
adding  to  his  knowledge  through  practical 
experience,  reading  and  observation.  He 
was  identified  with  agricultural  pursuits  in 
Missouri  until  1883,  when  he  came  to  King- 
man county,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  He  owns  one  of  the  best  farms  with- 
in its  Ixirders,  a  tract  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  erected 
a  modern  residence,  at  a  cost  of  two  thou- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY 


sand  dollars.  It  is  comfortably  furnished, 
indicating  the  cnltured'  and  refined  taste  of 
the  owners.  There  are  good  barns  and  all 
necessary  outbuildings  for  the  care  of  grain 
and  stock,  feed  lots,  a  windmill,  orchard, 
pastures,  a  grove  and  every  modern  acces- 
sory for  facilitating  the  work  of  the  farm. 
He  is  quite  extensi\-ely  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock  raising,  and  everything  about  the 
place  is  neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance. 

Mr.  ^^'eatherd  was  married  in  iS86,  to 
Miss  Mary  Brady,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
who  was  reared  and  educated  in  Pennsylva- 
nia and  Kansas.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John 
R.  Brady  and  accompanied  her  parents  on 
their  various  removals,  arriving  in  Kansas 
when  a  maiden  of  twelve  years.  Her  fa- 
ther died  in  Cheney,  Kansas,  in  1901,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one  years,  and  his  wife,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Catherine  Owen, 
is  living  in  Cheney,  at  the  age  of  seventy. 
The  Brady s  arrived  in  Kansas  in  1874  aiid 
for  a  number  of  years  resided  in  Vinita 
township,  Kingman  county.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Weatherd  were  born  two  daughters : 
Hazel  and  Elsie.  Their  onlv  son  Earl,  the 
second  horn,  died  in  1900,  at  the  age  of 
eleven  years. 

Mr.  Weatherd  lias  manv  times  been 
called  to  public  office,  and  his  duties  have 
been  sii  faithfully  and  honorably  discharged 
that  he  has  won  the  commendation  of  all 
concerned.  He  was  elected  county  commis- 
sioner and  once  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy 
and  then  re-elected  for  the  full  term  of  three 
years.  Elected  coimty  commissioner,  he 
filled  the  position  so  creditably  and  satis- 
factorily to  his  constituents  that  he  was 
chosen  f(^r  a  second  term  and  is  the  present 
incumbent,  and  no  doubt  will  be  again  elect- 
ed, judging  from  the  esteem  in  which  the 
people  hold  him.  He  never  wavers  in  his 
allegiance  to  what  he  believes  to  be  for  the 
public  good  and  is  both  practical  and  pro- 
gressive in  his  endorsement  1  if  measures.  He 
has  served  his  township  as  trustee  and  as 
township  treasurer  four  years,  and  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  but  resigned  that 
office  when  elected  county  commissioner. 
Like  his  father,   he  believes  in   reform  and 


advancement  in  politics  as  well  as  other 
things.  He  believes  in  taking  all  the  good 
and  rooting  out  the  bad,  and  the  new  he  be- 
lieves is  always  the  best.  He  affiliates  with 
the  reform  party,  but  holds  un  malice  against 
any  party.  Mr.  Weatherd  hel.nigs  to  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Eellows  and  is 
an  active  and  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  in  which  he  has  seiwed 
as  class-leader  and  Sunday-school  superin- 
tendent. Education,  temperance  and  moral- 
ity are  causes  dear  to  his  heart,  and  he  does 
all  in  his  power  to  uplift  his  fellow  men.  His 
manner  is  open  and  free-hearted,  and  in  his 
life  record  are  no  pages  which  will  not  bear 
the  closest  scrutiny  and  investigation.  He 
is  one  of  the  most  popular  and  honored  cit- 
izens of  Vinita  township,  Kingman  county, 
as  well  as  one  of  its-  most  prosperous  and 
practical  agriculturists. 


JOHN  C.  RADCLIFFE. 

John  C.  Radcliffe  is  a  retired  farmer  re- 
siding in  Ellsworth,  and  his  rest  is  well  mer- 
ited, for  his  has  been  an  active  and  useful 
career,  in  which  he  has  labored  effecti\'ely 
and  earnestly  for  the  welfare  and  improve- 
ment of  his  adopted  county.  He  has  done 
much  to  promote  its  horticultural  interests, 
and  along  the  lines  of  intellectual,  moral  and 
material  improvement  his  work  has  been  of 
marked  benefit  to  those  among  whom  he 
lives.  He  still  owns  a  farm  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  on  sections  14  and  15,  Em- 
pire township,  Ellsworth  county. 

Mr.  Radcliffe  is  a  native  of  LeRoy. 
Cuyahoga  county.  Ohio,  born  on  the  6th  of 
August,  1830,  his  parents  being  William 
and  Anna  (Halsell)  Radcliffe,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  where 
the  marriage  was  celebrated.  In  the  }'ear 
1833  they  came  to.  America,  locating  in 
Ohio.  The  father  was  an  iron  molder  and 
in  1837  removed  to  Ontario,  Canada,  where 
he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  acti\'e  busi- 
ness life,  his  last  days,  however,  being  spent 
in  the  home  of  his  son.  b'hn  C,  in  Illinois, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


where  he  died  in  1879,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven  j-ears.  His  wife  passed  away  in  Can- 
ada, in  185 1.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  namely:  William,  who  resides  in 
Califijrnia:  Airs.  Margaret  Johnson,  who 
died  in  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio;  John  C,  of 
this  review ;  George,  who  died  in  Canada ; 
James,  a  resident  of  Windsor,  Canada ;  Jane, 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Wallace,  also  of  Can- 
ada; Mary,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Carson,  of 
Indiana ;  Kate,  the  deceased  wife  of  Bernard 
Glattenhof ;  Jefferson,  who  is  living  in  Cuya- 
hog'a  county,  Ohio;  and  Sarah,  who  married 
William  Collett,  of  Wisconsin. 

It  was  during  the  early  boyhood  of  John 
C.  Radcliffe  that  his  parents  removed  to 
Canada,  Snd  he  was  there  reared  upon  a 
farm  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  as- 
sisted in  the  work  of  the  fields  and  meadow 
and  also  pursued  his  studies  in  the  common 
schools.  In  1850  he  removed  to  Putnam 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  arrived  with  only 
five  cents  in  his  pocket.  Soon  afterward  he 
secured  a  position  as  a  farm  hand,  and  thus 
entered  upon  an  independent  business  ca- 
reer. In  May  of  that  year  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Margaret  Kester,  a  daughter 
of  Rev.  Jesse  Kester,  a  Baptist  minister. 
After  his  marriage  he  operated  his  father- 
in-law's  farm  on  the  shares  until  the  spring 
of  1865,  and  in  the  meantime  he  purchased 
a  small  farm  of  his  own.  On  selling  that 
property  he  was  again  employed  by  others 
for  a  time  and  then  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  desiraljle  land,  for  which 
he  paid  six  dollars  per  acre.  He  had  two 
thousand  dolars  from  the  sale  of  his  Put- 
nam county  farm.  His  new  tract  was  raw 
land,  entirely  unimproved,  and  upon  this  he 
built  a  house  and  then  began  the  develop- 
ment of  his  land.  He  was  somewhat  im- 
peded in  his  labors,  for  he  lost  one  of  his 
horses.  He  also'  had  to  borrow  five  hundred 
dollars  to  complete  the  payment  on  his  farm, 
but  with  characteristic  energy  and  deter- 
mination he  prosecuted  his  labors  and  in 
course  of  time  Se^-eloped  a  good  property. 
He  set  out  a  good  orchard,  placed  his  fields 
under  cultivation,  and  in  1878  he  sold  his 
property  for  thirty-five  dollars  per  acre.      In 


May,  1878,  he  started  westward,  intending 
to  locate  in  Missouri,  but  concluded  to  come 
to  Kansas,  and,  reaching  Ellsworth  county, 
purchased  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
land,  \\-hich  he  mjw  owns,  pa}-ing  one  thou- 
sand d(jllars  for  the  amount.  A  few  acres 
had  been  broken  and  a  small  stone  house 
was  the  only  improvement  up  to  that  time. 
Returning  to  Missouri,  he  then  brought  his 
family  to  Kansas,  having  left  them  in  the 
fomier  state  while  he  secured  his  location 
here.  Upon  the  farm  he  remained  until  Oc- 
tober, 1899,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Ellsavorth.  Upon  his  farm^  he  erected  a  two- 
story  frame  residence,  barn  and  outbuild- 
ings, built  fences  and  added  all  modern  ac- 
cessories and  ecjuipments  for  facilitating 
farm  work  and  making  his  labors  success-- 

I  ful.  He  also  planted  the  first  orchard  in 
the  county,   containing  seven  hundred  and 

[  thirty  apple  trees,  together  with  an  abund- 
ance of  small  fruit.  He  has  also  an  orchard 
of  six  hundred  peach  trees.  As  the  years 
passed  he  made  judicious  investments  in 
property,  adding  other  land  until  he  now 
owns  six  hundred'  and  forty  acres.  He  en- 
gaged in  stock  and  grain  raising  and  now 
keeps  one  hundred  head  of  coavs  and  a  large 
number  of  calves,  making  two  hundred  in 
all.  He  has  given  considerable  attention  to 
the  breeding  of  draft  horses  of  the  Per- 
cheron  breed  arid'  also  raised  mules.   He  now 

j  has  about  fifty  head  upon  his  place,  includ- 
ing some  of  the  best  in  the  locality.  How- 
ever, Mr.  Radcliiife  is  best  known  in  connec- 
tion with  fruit  culture  and  has  demonstrated 
the  practicability  of  raising  fruit  successfully 
on  a  large  scale  in  central  Kansas.  Al- 
though now  residing  in  Ellsworth,  he  still 
retains  an  active  interest  in  his  farm,  upon 
which  his  son  Jesse  resides. 

To  Mr.  and  ^Nlrs.  Radclifife  were  Ijorn 
four  children,  of  whom  two  are  living^  Marv 
and  Jesse,  who  reside  upon  the  heme  farm. 
The  latter  married  Ellen  Adams,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  four  chil- 
dren,— George,  Hubert  J.,  Xorman  K. 
and  Marie.  Felicia  and  Philander,  children 
of  OUT  subject,  died  in  early  life.  The 
mother   of   this    familv   died    December    i;. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


63 


1897,  and  on  the  nth  of  October,  1899,  Mr. 
RadcHffe  was  again  married,  his  second 
union  being  with  Mrs.  Harriet  Burton,  the 
widow  of  Royal  Burton  and  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  Elam  Chapin,  a  minister  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  who  was  born  in 
Springfield,  Massachusetts,  and  was  edu- 
cated, ordained  and  spent  his  life  in  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut.  He  married  Harriet  Olm- 
sted, of  that  city,  born  in  the  old  home  of 
Samuel  Olmsted,  her  great-great-grandfa- 
ther, who  was  a  captain  of  a  militia  com- 
pany in  the  early  days.  !\Irs.  Radcliffe  was 
reared  and  educated  in  the  city  uf  Hartford, 
and  there  gave  her  hand  in  marriage  to 
Royal  Burton,  who  was  born  and  reared  in 
that  locality.  In  1885  they  removed  to  Ells- 
worth, on  account  of  Mr.  Burton's  health, 
and  here  he  died  on  the  18th  of  December, 
1897.  He  was  one  of  the  first  party  of  a 
hundred  members  that  crossed  the  plains  to 
California  for  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  For  some  time  he  remained 
in  San  Francisco  and  erected  the  first  large 
hotel  in  that  place,  at  a  cost  of  eighty  thou- 
sand (l(illars,  but  three  days  afterward  it  was 
destrii)C(l  l>y  fire.  He  remained  in  Califor- 
nia for  nine  years  and  made  three  fortunes, 
but  three  times  lost  all  he  had  by  fire.  He 
then  returned  to  Boston  and  enga.ged  in 
the  general  commission  business,  becoming 
a  prominent  and  enterprising  business  man 
of  that  place.  I\Irs.  Radcliffe  is  a  lady  of 
superior  culture,  refinement  and  intelligence 
and  is  an  active  leader  in  social  and  church 
circles.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  one 
daughter,  Alice,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
ele\-en  months. 

In  educational  matters  Mr.  Radcliffe 
has  always  taken  a  deep'  and  active  interest 
and  was  a  prime  mover  in  the  organization 
of  the  Radcliffe  school  district,  donating"  the 
ground  on  which  the  schoolhouse  was 
erected.  The  organization  of  the  district 
was  perfected  at  his  residence,  and  he  did 
all  in  his  power  to  promote  educational  in- 
terests in  his  locality,  serving  on  the  school 
board  for  many  years.  Fie  has  also^  filled 
the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  his 
political  affiliations  he  is  a  Democrat.     Pub- 


lic spirited  and  progressive,  he  has  withheld 
his  support  from  no  mo\'ement  or  measure 
which  he  believes  will  prove  of  general 
good.  He  was  at  the  head  of  the  movement 
to  erect  bridges  across  the  river  at  Wichita 
Crossing,  raising  considerable  money  by 
private  subscriptions  before  any  county  ap- 
propriation was  made.  He  was  the  first  to 
introduce  barb-wire  fences  into  this  section 
of  the  country,  securing  the  same  at  a  cost 
of  fourteen  cents  per  pound.  He  is  one  of 
the  solid,  successful  and  _progres'sive  citizens 
of  Ellsworth  county  and  is  yet  deeply  con- 
cerned in  the  welfare  and  progress  of  his 
cominunity.  His  worth  is  widely  acknowl- 
edged and  the  people  recognize  that  they 
owe  much  to  him  for  his  efforts  in  behalf  of 
this  section  of  the  state. 


CURRENCE  GREGG. 

Currence  Gregg  came  to  Rice  county 
nineteen  years  ago,  and  through  the  inter- 
vening period  has  been  a  well-known  repre- 
sentative of  the  farming  interests  of  Wash- 
ington township,  his  home  being  now  on  sec- 
tion twenty-seven.  He  was  born  in  Rush 
county,  Indiana,  March  6,  1848.  His  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  William  Gregg,  was  a 
Kentucky  farmer  and  removed  to  the 
Hoosiier  state  in  pioneer  days,  there  carry- 
ing on  the  work  of  the  farm  until  his  life's 
labors  were  ended  in  death,  in  1834.  He 
was  of  German  parentage.  lie  reared  five 
children,  three  snn<  ami  tw"  (l:iuL;"!iter-,  an.l 
among  the  numluT  \\;i-  \\'illi;iiii  ( ircgg.  jr., 
the  father  of  our  subject,  who  was  burn  in 
the  state  of  Kentucky,  in  1810.  Hav- 
ing arrived  at  years  of  maturity  he  wedded 
Mary  Hillegoss,  also  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  a  schoolmate  of  her  husband's  during 
her  girlhood  days.  They  were  married  in 
the  Blue  Grass  state,  but  soon  afterward 
went  to  Indiana,  where  they  became  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five 
daughters.  They  lost  one  daugliter  at  the 
age  of  eight  years,  but  seven  of  the  number 
are  now  living.    The  eldest,  America,  is  the 


64 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


wife  of  James  Coer,  of  Rushville,  Indiana, 
where  she  was  born  seventy  years  ago.  All 
of  the  nine  children  were  married  and  had 
families  with  the  exception  of  one  son  and 
one  daughter,  and  the  grandchildren  num- 
bered from  three  to  eight  in  each  family. 
The  fathei-  of  our  subject  was  a  life-long 
farmer  and  stock-dealer  and  dealt  consider- 
ably with  the  Indians.  About  1857  ^^''^7  ''^" 
moved  to  Clark  coimty,  Iowa,  where  the  fa- 
ther died  in  1876.  The  mother  survived 
him  about  three  years,  passing  away  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight.  Their  remains  were  laid 
to  rest  in  Clark  county,  where  they  had  been 
highly  esteemed  as  worthy  citizens. 

Currence  Gregg  received  but  meager  ed- 
ucational privileges  in  the  district  schools, 
pu-rsuing  his  studies  in  a  log  school  house 
with  puncheon  floor,  seats  and  desks.  His 
services  were  largely  needed  upon  the  home 
farm  and  thus  he  had  little  opportunity  to 
master  the  branches  o'f  English  learning. 
He  has  been  twice  married,  bis  first  union 
being  with  Josephine  Piper,  whom  he 
wedded  in  1868.  She  lived  for  ten  years 
after  their  marriage  and  then  died,  leaving 
four  children.  In  1882  ]\Ir.  Gregg  was 
again  married,  Miss  Mattie  Thomas,  of  Rice 
count}-,  Kansas,  becoming  his  wife.  Her 
parents  were  Solomon  and  Ruth  ( ]\Iorman) 
Thomas,  natives  of  Indiana,  and  their 
daughter,  Mrs.  Gregg,  was  born  in  Clark 
county,  Iowa.  In  1874  they  removed  to 
Rush  county,  Kansas,  and  in  1889  came  to 
Rice  county,  where  the  mother  died  in  1894, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  leaving  seven 
of  her  nine  children.  The  father  is  now  a 
farmer  in  Oklahoma  and  has  been  again 
married. 

Mr.  Gregg  came  to  Kansas  nineteen  years 
ago,  and  in  the  spring  of  1893  he  removed 
to  Oklahoma  and  made  the  run  to  the  Chero- 
kee strip.  He  improved  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  engaged 
in  farming  for  seven  years.  He  not  only 
built  a  home  but  added  a  fine  orchard,  con- 
taining all  kinds  of  fruit,  of  which  he  made 
annual  displays  each  year  at  the  county  fairs, 
carrying  off  many  premiums.  In  one  year 
he  gained  twenty-one  prizes  and  each  year 


took  the  lead  among  the  exhibitors.  He  was 
the  leading  man  in  this  enterprise  in  his  sec- 
tion of  the  country  and  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  shippers  of  fruit  to  other  states. 
In  his  home  he  has  several  excellent  pictures 
of  his  exhibits  and  of  his  Oklahoma  prop- 
erty. He  there  engaged  in  raising  wheat, 
corn  and  broom  corn.  He  also  exported 
watermelons  weighing  one  hundred  pounds 
and  raised  sweet  potatoes  weighing  eight 
pounds  each.  While  residing  in  Oklahoma 
he  made  considerable  money  and  at  length 
sold  his  property  there  for  three  thousand 
dollars.  He  then  came  to  Rice  county  and 
pui  chased  a  half  section  of  land  for  which 
he  gave  fifty-five  hundred  dollars  cash.  All 
of  this  he  had  made  himself,  for  when  he 
came  to  Kansas  he  had  nothing  and  was  glad 
to  get  fifty  cents  per  day  for  his  services. 
His  leading  crop  is  wheat  and  he  now  has 
two  hundred  acres  planted  to  that  cereal.  He 
threshed  five  thousand  bushels  in  one  year. 
He  also  has  from  forty  to  one  hundred  acres 
planted  with  corn  and  from  thirty  to  fifty 
acres  in  broom  corn,  which  pays  from  sev- 
enty-five to  one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars 
per  ton. 

Mr.  Gregg  had  ele^-en  children.  Those 
of  the  first  marriage  are:  Homer  William, 
of  Oklahoma,  who  has  a  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren :  Lola,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Geist, 
of  Reno  county,  Kansas :  Adblphus,  at 
home;  and  Josephine,  now  the  wife  of  James 
Ashley,  of  Clark  county,  Iowa,  by  whom  she 
has  two  children.  Those  of  the  second  mar- 
riage are:  Olive  M.,  a  youth  of  sixteen: 
a  son  who  died  in  infancy;  Sulva,  a  lad  of 
twelve  summers;  Gola,  who  died  in  Okla- 
homa, at  the  age  of  eight  years;  Ethel,  who 
is  now  seven  years  of  age;  Murray,,  two 
years  old;  and'  Alto,  who  is  a  year  old.  Mr. 
Gregg  votes  with  the  Republican  party  and 
is  one  of  its  stanch  advocates,  believing 
firmly  in  its  principles.  He  has,  however, 
never  sought  or  desired  office,  bis  attention 
being  given  to  his  farming  interests,  which 
claim  his  entire  time.  He  is  an  example 
of  the  boys  who  educate  themselves  and 
secured  their  own  start  in  life. — de- 
termined, self-reliant  bovs,  willing  to  work 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


6S 


for  advantages  which  other  boys  secure 
through  inheritance,  destined  by  sheer  force 
of  character  to  succeed  in  the  face  of  all  op- 
position and  to  push  to  the  front  in  one  im- 
portant branch  or  another.  As  a  man  his 
business  abihty  has  been  constantly  manifest, 
showing  large  possibilities,  and  the  farm  of 
which  he  is  now  the  owner  is  a  monument 
to  his  exceptional  power. 


JOHN  B.  BROWX. 


Jolin  B.  Brown  was  a  well-known  and 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Hutchinson, 
where  he  was  extensively  and  successfully 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  busness  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  was  born  in  Seneca  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  September  24,  1840,  and  repre- 
sented an  old  Virginian  family.  His  grand- 
father, Issacher  Brown,  resided  in  Londoun 
county,  Virginia,  where,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, he  located  a  land  grant  which  had  been 
given  him  in  recognition  of  his  loyal  service 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He  became  & 
well-knnwn  planter  of  that  locality  and  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  raising  tobacco,  which 
he  sold  in  the  markets  of  Alexandria.  He 
lived  and  died  in  Loudoun  county  and  like 
the  family  was  connected  with  the  Society 
of  Friends  or  Quakers. 

Giles  Brown,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  near  Alexandria,  Virginia,  and  in 
Loudoun  county  was  married  to  Harriet 
Briscoe,  also  a  native  of  that  state,  although 
her  people  were  originally  from  North  Caro- 
lina. Giles  Brown  and  his  family  removed  to 
Beaver,  Pennsylvania,  and  about  1827  went 
to  Canton.  Ohio,  and  thence  to  Salem,  that 
state.  Later  he  removed  to  Attica,  Seneca 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  purchased  a  tract  of 
heavily  timbered  land.  There  he  cleared  a 
space  on  which  he  built  a  log  cabin  and  in 
course  of  time  he  erected  a  good  brick  resi- 
dence, which  is  still  standing  and  which  is 
known  as  the  Giles  Brown  homestead.  He 
died  in  1842,  leaving  to  his  w'idow  the  care 
of  their  eight  children,  the  eldest  being  only 
about  fourteen  vears  of  age.     She  remained 


upon  the  old  homestead,  superintended  the 
cultivation  of  the  farm  and  reared  her  fam- 
ily. When  her  children  had  reached  mature 
j^ears  and  left  home  she  bought  a  farm  near 
Attica,  where  she  resided,  superintending 
her  farming  interests  until  her  death,  which 
occurred  in  1880. 

John  B.  Brown  pursued  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Attica  and  early  be- 
came familiar  with  the  work  of  the  heme 
fann.  At  the  time  of  the  civil  war  he  re- 
sponded to  his  country's  call  for  aid,  enlist- 
ing in  the  Fourteenth  Ohio  Lifantry,  with 
which  he  served  throughout  the  war,  mak- 
ing a  creditable  record  as  a  gallant  and  pa- 
triotic soldier.  He  participated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Wild  Cat,  Mill  Spring,  Corinth. 
Hoo\-er's  Gap,  Tullahoma,  Chickamauga, 
Chattanooga,  Missionary  Ridge,  Resaca, 
Allatoona,  Kenesaw  i\Iountain.  Peach  Tree 
Creek,  Chattahoochie  River,  Atlanta,  Jones- 
boro,  Milledgeville,  Savannah  and  Raleigh. 
His  regiment  was  always  connected  with  the 
western  army  and  served  under  Generals 
Tliom'as,  Buell,  Rosecrans,  Grant  and  Sher- 
man. 

After  his  return  from  the  war  ]\Ir. 
Brown  located  in  Napoleon,  Ohio,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  for  three 
years,  when  he  went  to  South  Carolina  with 
Governor  Scott.  He  remained  there  for  one 
year,  doing  constable  duty  during  the  recon- 
struction period,  and  then  returned  to  Na- 
poleon. On  the  15th  of  February,  1872,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Alma  Roff, 
who  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio.  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1845,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Catherine  (Frean)  Roff,  both  of  whom 
were  from  Pennsylvania  and  were  descended 
from  Holland  ancestrv  that  settled  in  the 
Keystone  state  prior  to  the  Re\-oluti()nary 
war. 

Li  the  spring  of  1872  Mr.  Brown  em- 
igrated westward  to  Kansas  and  in  Novem- 
ber of  that  year  went  into  the  land  office  with 
Mr.  Bigger.  He  was  practically,  thrnughout 
his  entire  residence  here,  engaged  in  dealing 
in  real  estate.  In  partnership  with  L.  A. 
Bigger  he  located  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thcusand  acres  (_;f  land  under  the  homestead 


66 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


act.  He  represented  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company  and  in  1880  sold  over  one  hun- 
dred thousand  acres  of  railroad  land  in  Reno 
and  adjoining  counties  during  the  "boom." 
yir.  Brown  was  a  very  active,  energetic  and 
enterprising  man  and  contributed  much  to 
the  upbuilding  of  Hutchinson.  He  erected 
the  Masonic  block  and  other  structures  in 
the  city  and  he  ever  enjoyed  the  confidence 
of  investors,  being  considered  the  standard 
authority  on  all  real  estate  matters  in  Hutch- 
inson. His  judgment  was  always  sought 
on  matters  of  public  moment  and  his  counsel 
was  ever  wise,  practical  and  judicious.  He 
was  an  active  promoter  of  many  new  enter- 
prises which  contributed  in  large  measure  to 
the  general  good.  When  Hutchinson  was 
incorporated  in  1872  he  was  elected  one  of 
its  councilmen,  in  1874  he  was  elected  mayor 
and  also  held  the  office  of  police  judge.  In 
politics  he  was  ever  a  stalwart  Republican. 
Socially  he  was  connected  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  attained  the  Knight 
Templar  degree  in  the  Masonic  fraternity 
and  belonged  to  the  ]\Ien's  Commercial 
Club. 

Unto  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  were  born 
two  children:  Catherine,  who  is  employed 
in  the  pension  office  in  Topeka;  and  John 
B.,"who  is  attending  school  in  Topeka.  Mrs. 
Brown  is  still  a  resident  of  Hutchinson  and 
makes  her  home  with  her  sister.  Airs.  Obee. 
Mr.  Brown  contributed  so  largely  to  the  de- 
velopment and  upbuilding  of  the  city,  was 
so  prominent  in  public  affairs  and  was  so 
active  in  all  measures  for  the  public  good 
that  his  name  is  inseparably  associated  with 
its  history  and  this  volume  would  be  incom- 
plete without  the  record  of  his  life. 


A.  J.  MONROE. 


A.  J.  Monroe  represents  a  family  that 
came  to  Rice  county  among  its  first  settlers, 
arriving  here  in  August,  1871.  Here  our 
subject  has  since  resided  and  made  his 
home,  and  his  life  record  illustrates  the 
opportunities  which  the  Sunflower  state  af- 


fords to  its  settlers.  A  native  of  Ohio,  his 
birth  occurred  in  Ross  county,  on  the  ist 
of  August,  1830.  His  parents  were  Samuel 
and  Mary  (Wishon)  Monroe,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Virginia,  and  their  marriage 
occurred  in  Pike  county,  Ohio.  They  after- 
ward removed  to  Ross  county,  that  state, 
where  they  remained  for  a  number  of  years. 
They  then  went  to  Newton  county,  Indiana, 
and  there  the  father  passed  away.  The 
mother  afterward  moved  to  Irocjuois  county, 
Illinois,  wdiere  she  also  died.  They  had  six 
children,  as  follows:  John  H.,  Andrew  J., 
Mary  Jane,  George  C,  Hannah  E.  and 
George  W. 

In  the  county  of  his  nativity  A.  J.  Mon- 
roe remained  until  thirteen  years  of  age, 
when  the  family  removed  to  Warren  county. 
Indiana.  The  labors  of  the  farm  occupied 
much  of  his  attention  throughout  the  period 
of  his  youth  and  he  gained  good  practical 
experience  in  the  best  methods  of  developing 
and  cultivating  land.  He  was  married  in 
Newton  county,  Indiana,  on  the  27th  of 
January,  1856,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Roberson, 
and  through  the  intervening  years  she  has 
been  to  him  a  good  wife  and  helpmate.  She 
possessed  much  exeoutive  ability  and  cour- 
age and  was  thus  well  fitted  for  the  experi- 
ences that  come  to  pioneer  settlers.  Her 
birth  occurred  in  Carroll  county.  Indiana, 
and  she  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Anna 
(Tinkle)  Roberson.  The  father  was  born 
in  the  south,  the  mother  in  Ohio,  and  the}' 
became  the  parents  of  se^'en  children,  name- 
ly: Mrs.  Monroe,  Nancy,  "Martha,  George 
R.,  now  deceased,  Josephine,  \\'arren  and 
Morgan.  The  father  died  in  Cowley  county, 
Kansas,  at  the  age  of  eighty.  Throughout 
his  life  he  was  a  farmer  and  a  bard-working, 
upright,  honorable  man.  He  held  member- 
ship in  the  Baptist  church.  His  wife  passed 
away  in  Cowley  county,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
four  years,  loved  b_\-  all  for  her  many  good 
qualities. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Monroe  made  the  oxxrland 
trip  to  Kansas  in  1858,  traveling  in  a  wagon 
drawn  by  ox  teams  and  camped  along  the 
wa}-  where  night  overtook  them.  They 
started  on  July  21,  1858,  and  arrived  at  their 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


destination  on  the  iSth  of  September  follow- 
ing. The)-  remained  in  eastern  Kansas  until 
the  15th  of  May,  1862,  when  thej-  started 
for  Indiana,  reaching  their  old  home  on  the 
27th  of  July.  The  return  trip  was  made 
with  both  oxen  and  horses.  They  crossed 
a  corner  of  Nebraska,  a  large  portion  of 
Iowa,  the  southeastern  corner  of  Missouri, 
the  state  of  Illinois  and  thus  reached  the 
Hoosier  state.  Through  the  following  year 
^Ir.  Monroe  was  engaged  in  farming,  but 
in  1863  he  put  aside  agricultural  pursuits 
that  he  might  give  his  country  the  benefit  of 
his  services  as  a  soldier  in  the  civil  war.  He 
enlisted  in  the  Eleventh  Indiana  Cavalrj', 
with  which  he  served  for  eighteen  months. 
He  sustained  a  flesh  wound,  but  was  never 
seriously  injured.  His  regiment  was  with 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  under  Gen- 
eral Thomas,  and  he  participated  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Nashyille,  Clarksville  and  many 
others  of  lesser  importance.  When  the  war 
was  over  he, was  honorably  discharged  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  thence  returned  to 
Indiana,  where  he  remained  until  1871. 

In  that  year  Mr.  Monroe  again  started 
for  sunny  Kansas  and  cast  in  his  lot  among 
the  early  settlers  of  Rice  coimty.  Here  he 
built  a  sod  house  and  afterward  a  small 
frame  house,  but  to-day  he  owns  a  large 
modern  residence,  built  in  a  good  style  of 
architecture  and  containing  a  number  of 
pleasant  and  well  ventilated  rooms.  It 
stands  upon  an  attractive  building  site  and 
is  surrounded  by  a  fine  grove  and  orchard 
containing  fifteen  acres,  and  has  also  erected 
excellent  barns.  The  fann  is  complete  in 
all  its  equipments.  Windmills  pump  the 
water  supply,  good  pastures  afford  excellent 
grazing  for  the  stock  and  the  fields  bring 
to  him  a  good  return.  The  Monroe  farm 
comprises  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
wel  improved  land.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  farming  properties  in  Rice  county 
and  is  a  monument  to  the  thrift  and  enter- 
prise of  the  owner,  whose  persistent  pur- 
pose and  diligence  have  enabled  him  to  gain 
a  prominent  position  among  the  substantial 
farmers  of  his  community. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ]\Ionroe  have  been 


born  three  children :  ]\Iary  Ann.  who.  was 
born  in  Kansas,  in  i860,  is  now  the  wife 
of  Moses  Baker,  of  Wilson  township.  Rice 
county.  George  A.,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  Wabash  county,  Indiana,  on  the  i6th  of 
April,  1864,  was  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-se^'en  years  to  Agnes  McCabe,  a  cul- 
tured and  intelligent  young  lady,  a  daughter 
of  Wesley  McCabe,  of  Wilson  township. 
She  died  in  1892,  leaving  a  daughter,  Clara 
Belle.  George  A.  Monroe  was  seven  years  of 
age  when  he  came  to  the  county,  where  he 
was  reared  and  educated.  Here  he  follows 
farming.  Charles  E.,  the  youngest  of  the 
family,  was  born  September  16,  1878,  on  the 
old  homestead  where  he  yet  resides.  The 
Monroes  were  originally  Republicans,  but 
the  sons  are  now  connected  with  the  Pei^ple's 
party.  Since  coming  to  Kansas  our  subject 
has  achieved  excellent  success  and  is  now 
numbered  among  the  substantial  citizens  of 
Rice  county. 


GEORGE  A.  A'ANDEVEER. 

Probably  no  citizen  of  central  Kansas  is 
better  known  throughout  the  county  in  finan- 
cial and  legal  circles  than  George  A.  Van- 
deveer,  the  senior  member  of  the  law  firm 
of  Vande\-eer  &  Martin,  of  Hutchinson. 
Admitted  to  the  bar  he  entered  upon  the 
practice  and  from  the  beginning  has  been 
unusually  prosperous  in  every  respect.  The 
success  which  he  has  attained  is  due  to  his 
own  efforts  and  merits.  The  possession  of 
advantages  is  no  guarantee  whatever  of  pro- 
fessional success.  This  comes  not  of  itself, 
nor  can  it  be  secured  without  integrity,  abil- 
ity and  industry.  Those  qualities  he  pos- 
sesses to  an  eminent  degree  and  he  has  been 
faithful  to  every  interest  committed  to  his 
charge.  Throughout  his  whole  life  whatso- 
ever his  hand  has  found  to  do.  whether  in 
his  profession  or  in  official  duties  or  as  the 
representative  of  most  important  interests, 
he  has  done  with  all  his  might  and  with  a 
deep  sense  of  conscientious  obligation.  Thus 
he  has  won  distinction  and  prosperity  and 


68 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


to-day  George  A.  Vandeveer  is  one  of  the 
most  honored  members  of  the  Kansas  bar. 

He  was  born  in  Christian  county,  Illi- 
nois. December  13,  1853.  his  parents  being- 
Aaron  and  Sarah  C.  (McWilliams)  Van- 
deveer. The  father  was  born  July  4,  1830, 
in  what  is  now  Christian  county,  but  was 
then  a  part  of  Sangamon  county,  Illinois. 
Throughout  his  entire  life  he  there  -resided, 
taking  up  his  abode  in  Pana  in  1867.  There 
he  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade  until  his 
death.  His  widow  afterward  married  again, 
her  second  husband  being  Hugh  A.  Bab- 
cock,  of  Hutchinson,  in  which  city  she  yet 
makes  her  home.  George  A.  Vandeveer  was 
one  of  ten  children,  of  whom  four  are  yet 
living:  Mrs.  E.  N.  Maxfield,  of  Stafford, 
Kansas:  Nellie  V.,  the  wife  of  Hon.  Frank 
L.  ]\Iartin,  of  the  firm  of  Vandeveer  & 
]\Iartin  and  the  present  mayor  of  Hutchin- 
son; Calvin  B.,  a  farmer  of  Clay  township, 
Reno  county,  and  George. 

But  the  ancestry  of  the  A'andeveers  may 
be  traced  back  to  a  more  remote  period. 
George  Vandeveer,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  be- 
came a  pioneer  of  Sangamon  county,  Illi- 
nois. His  father,  J.  Vandeveer,  was  a  na- 
tive of  either  New  Jersey  or  North  Carolina 
and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
while  his  father,  who  was  born  in  Holland, 
became  one  of  the  early  colonial  settlers  who 
took  up  their  abode  at  Communipaugh,  New 
Jersey.  His  descendants  removed  to  North 
Carolina  and  some  of  them  became  associ- 
ated with  Daniel  Boone  in  his  explorations 
of  Kentucky,  that  noted  hunter  and  explorer 
being  a  relative  of  the  Vandeveers.  The 
family  name  was  originally  von  der  Veer, 
meaning  "from  the  Veer."  A  member  of 
the  family  well  worthy  of  mention  was 
Horatio  M.  Vandeveer,  a  son  of  Aaron  Van- 
deveer and  a  cousin  of  the  father  of  our 
subject.  He  was  an  old-school  law  practi- 
tioner of  Illinois,  who  was  the  colleague  and 
associate  of  Lincoln,  Douglas  and  r  ther  dis- 
tinguished men  of  that  time  practicing  at 
the  Illinois  bar.  \Miile  experiencing  the 
difficulties  and  hardships  of  pioneer  life  he 
studied  law  by  the  light  of  the  fireplace  and 


the  blaze  of  hickory  bark,  and  he  spent  a 
long  life  engaged  in  practice  in  Christian 
county,  Illinois.  He  served  his  country  in 
the  war  with  Mexico.  Entirely  through  his 
own  efforts  he  acquired  his  education  and 
won  advancement  to  a  prominent  position 
among  the  noted  men  of  his  state,  and  at 
his  death,  which  occurred  in  1892,  he  was 
worth  three  million  di.illars  and  possessed 
sixty  thousand  acres  of  valuable  land  in  his 
county.  He  was  at  cHfferent  times  judge  of 
various  courts'  and  represented  his  fellow 
citizens  in  the  house  and  senate  of  the  state 
legislature.  His  son,  ^^■illiam  T.  Vande- 
veer, was  a  member  of  the  commission  which 
built  the  magnificent  new  capitol  building. 
He  took  a  very  prominent  part  in  molding 
the  history  of  the  state  at  an  early  day  and 
was  a  notable  figure  in  public  affairs. 

The  life  of  this  eminent  relation  has  been 
an  inspiration  and  source  of  encouragement 
to  George  A.  Vandeveer,  who  in  some  way 
was  deprived  of  a  collegiate  %ducation  and 
professional  training,  but  who  through  the 
innate  strength  of  his  character  has  over- 
come difficulties  and  worked  his  way  upward 
to  success.  He  ranained  with  his  parents 
upon  the  farm  until  fourteen  years  of  age 
and  assisted  in  the  work  connected  there- 
with, spending  much  of  the  time  in  the  sad- 
dle, herding  cattle.  The  father  owned  a 
large  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  and  kept 
a  large  herd  of  cattle,  which  grazed  over  the 
prairies,  which  were  unfenced,  therefore  de- 
manding that  some  one  constantly  be  on  the 
alert  lest  some  of  the  herd  stray  away. 
Young  George  had  very  little  opportunity 
of  attending  school  until  the  family  removed 
to  the  town  of  Pana,  after  which  he  pursued' 
his  studies  in  the  public  schools  for  three 
years.  From'  the  time  he  was  seventeen 
until  1872  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  con- 
duct of  the  grocers-  ?tore,  and  in  the  fall 
of  that  year  he  accepted  the  responsible  po- 
sition of  deputy  tax  collector  of  Pana  town- 
ship. He  did  most  of  the  work  of  his  su- 
perior officer,  collecting  and  conveying  to 
the  bank  taxes  amounting  to  over  forty-six 
thousand  dollars.  He  was  next  tendered  a 
position  in  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Pana.  act- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


69 


ing'  in  that  capacity  until  the  tinancial  jianic 
of  1873,  \yhen  that  bank,  together  with 
many  others,  closed  its  doors.  On  the  ist 
of  January,  1874,  he  became  assistant  cash- 
ier of  the  Nokomis  National  Bank,  of  No- 
komis,  Illinois,  which  position  he  occupied 
for  a  year,  when  his  father,  in  company  with 
James  P.  Walker,  established  a  bank  at 
.  ;\Iorrisville.  Illinois,  our  subject  and  Mr. 
\\'alker's  son  conducting  the  same  from 
February,  1875,  until  the  fall  of  1879. 

At  that  time  George  A.  Vandeveer  sold 
his  interest  and  came  to  the  west.  While 
in  Mcrrisville  he  was  married.  Septem- 
ber 5,  1876,  to  Miss  Clara  B.  Edgcomb,  a 
daughter  of  John  Edgcomb,  of  LaSalle 
county,  Illinois,  and  in  the  fall  of  1879  he 
came  to  Newton,  Kansas.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  ^Nlorrisonville,  w'hile  in  the  bank 
he  had  pursued  the  study  of  law  under  the 
direction  of  his  brother-in-law,  David  F. 
]Murry,  now  of  Tacoma,  Washington,  and 
in  December,  1879.  he  began  practice  in 
Newton  in  partnership  with  A.  B.  Knowl- 
ton,  which  connection  was  maintained  for 
about  a  year.  In  1880  he  removed  to  Burr- 
ton,  Har\-ey  county,  Kansas  and  established 
a  private  banking  business.  When  he  had 
placed  it  in  successful  operation  he  had  an 
opportunity  to  dispose  of  it  to  advantage  and 
did  so.  In  the  fall  of  1862  Hon.  A.  R.' 
Schebie,  of  Hutchinson,  who  had  been  elect- 
ed to  the  state  legislature,  desiring  an  active 
and  capable  young  attorney  in  his  ofifice,  of- 
fered to  make  Mr.  Vandeveer  a  partner,  and 
the  law  firm  of  Schebie  &  Vandeveer  was 
accordingly  formed,  maintaining  an  exist- 
ence as  such  until  December,  1885,  when 
the  senior  partner  died.  In  July  of  that  year 
Frank  L.  Martin  had  come  to  Hutchinson 
fnim  Illinois  and  succeeding  Mr.  Schebie 
became  a  member  of  the  present  firm  of  Van- 
deveer &  Martin.  They  enjoyed  a  large  and 
representative  clientage  until  September, 
1890,  when  our  subject  removed  to  Kansas 
City,  where  he  practiced  until  the  spring  of 
1896.  In  the  meantime  he  drafted  the  char- 
ter and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 
National  Surety  Company  with  Charles  A. 


Dean  as  president,  the  headquarters  being 
in  Kansas  City  until  the  spring  of  1876, 
when  the  business  was  removed  to  New 
York  city.  In  March  of  that  year  Mr.  Van- 
deveer went  with  Mr.  Dean  to  the  eastern 
metropolis  to  secure  additional  capital  and 
extend  the  organization.  Mr.  Vandeveer 
then  took  an  important  part  in  incorporating 
the  company  and  drafted  the  charter  fur  the 
New  York  organization.  He  became  gen- 
eral solicitor  for  the  New  York  National 
Surety  Compam-,  with  offices  at  No.  346 
Broadway,  in  the  New  York  Life  Insurance 
building,  where  he  remained  until  August, 
1900,  when  he  resigned  his  position  and  re- 
turned to  Hutchinson,  where  he  once  more 
entered  into  partnership  with  Mr.  Mar- 
tin for  the  general  practice  of  law.  Since 
that  time  he  has  given  his  attention  exclu- 
sively to  his  legal  work  and  his  devotion  to 
his  clients"  interests  is  proverbial. 

During  his  residence  in  New  York  city 
Mr.  Vandeveer  had  charge  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  important  cases  in  the  interests  of  the 
company  throughout  the  principal  cities  of 
the  United  States.  He  prepared  a  form  of 
fidelity  bond  which  was  adopted  and  is  now 
used  by  the  American  Bankers'  Association. 
The  success  of  the  National  Surety  Com- 
pany is  largely  due  to  his  talent  of  organi- 
zation as  well  as  control  of  its  afYairs.  It 
has  become  one  of  the  leading  institutions 
of  the  kind  in  the  entire  country  and  is  of 
national  importance  in  the  business  world. 
It  bonds  the  employes  of  over  fifty  per  cent, 
of  all  the  transportation  companies  of  the 
United  States,  such  as  railroad  and  express 
companies  and  the  employes  of  the  United 
States  mail  service,  also  the  employes  of 
banks,  and  furnish  bonds  for  guardians  and 
executors.  To-day  Mr.  Vandeveer  has  a 
large  and  constantly  growing  law  practice, 
which  connects  him  with  much  of  the  most 
important  litigation  tried  in  the  courts  of 
this  district,  while  in  the  supreme  court  of 
Kansas  and  the  supreme  court  oi  the  United 
States  he  has  tigured  in  connection  with 
notable  suits.  His  knowledge  of  the  law  is 
comprehensive   and  accurate,   his    mind    is 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


analytical  and  inductive  and  lie  has  shown 
splendid  ability  in  handling  the  most  intri- 
cate problems  of  jurisprudence. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vandeveer  have  been 
born  three  children:  Cossie,  the  wife  of 
Ernest  F.  Tietzel,  who  has  business  interests 
in  New  York  city  and  resides  in  Brooklyn; 
Fred  Leroy,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  and 
an  attorney  of  St.  Louis,  who  married  Vesta 
Hardy,  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  a 
daughter  of  George  Hardy,  chief  engineer 
of  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Railroad  Company;  and  Harry  D.,  who  was 
admitted  to  the  Kansas  bar  in  1901,  when 
in  his  nineteenth  year  and  is  now  a  student 
in  the  law  department  of  Yale  University. 
In  the  school  of  experience  George  A.  Van- 
deveer has  been  an  apt  pupil.  Study,  earnest 
investigation,  close  obserA-ation  and  laudable 
ambition  have  given  to  him  the  capability 
which  a  college  course  would  have  afforded. 
Marked  strength  of  character  has  been  mani- 
fest throughout  his  entire  life ;  and  the  prom- 
inence he  has  attained,  the  work  he  has  ac- 
complished, his  manly  principles  and  up- 
right career  have  ever  commanded  for  him 
the  admiration  and  respect  of  prominent 
men  throughout  the  country.  While  in  the 
localities  in  which  he  has  resided  he  has 
gained  that  friendship  which  is  a  tribute  to 
personal  worth.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 


JOHN  S.  GARDNER. 

History  chronicles  many  changes  in  con- 
dition, in  progress,  in  business  and  in  the 
ways  of  life.  No  longer  do  the  annals  of  a 
country  consist  of  a  record  of  wars  and 
conquests,  but  teem  instead  with  the  ac- 
counts of  business  extension,  of  commercial 
prosperity  and  of  the  consequent  progress 
and  improvements  which  appear  in  every 
walk  of  life.  The  conquests  now  made  are 
those  of  mind  over  matter,  not  of  man  over 
man,  and  the  victor  is  he  wdio  can  success- 
fully establish,  control  and  operate  extensive 
commercial  interests.  Although  a  young 
man  'Slv.  Gardner  has  become  an  important 


factor  in  the  business  life  of  Hutchinson, 
where  he  holds  a  responsible  position  as 
foreman  of  the  Perarsylvania  Salt  Block.  He 
has  also  been  prominent  in  public  affairs  in 
the  city  of  South  Hutchinson  and  in  mold- 
ing public  thought  and  actii^n  his  opinions 
have  carried  weight. 

Mr.  Gardner  was  born  in  Coles  county, 
Illinois,  September  20,  1869,  and  is  of 
Scotch-Irish  lineage.  His  grandfather 
opened  and  operated  a  farm  in  Indiana  and 
there  followed  agricultural  pursuits  through- 
out his  entire  life.  His  son,  Samuel  Gard- 
ner, was  born  in  Scott  county,  Indiana,  June 
13,  1847,  and  was  reared  to  the  work  of  the 
fann,  early  taking  his  place  in  the  fields. 
After  his  father's  death  he  assumed  the 
management  of  the  old  homestead,  which  he 
successfully  operated  for  some  time.  About 
1865  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Margaret  K.  Weir,  who  was  of  German  de- 
scent, and  was  born  in  Indiana,  February  2, 
1849.  Her  father,  James  Weir,  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  became  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  Hoosier  state.  Her 
brother,  George  Weir,  served  throughout 
the  civil  war  as  an  officer.  About  1866 
Samuel  Gardner  removed  with  his  family  to 
Coles  county,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  until  1875,  when  he  went  to  Barton 
county,  Missouri.  There  he  followed  the 
same  pursuit  until  about  1887,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Marion  county,  Oregon.  He  re- 
sided in  Woodburn  and  Oregon  City  dur- 
ing his  stay  there  and  followed  his  original 
trade  of  stonemason  and  plasterer.  In  1889 
he  became  a  resident  of  Gray  county,  Kan- 
sas, locating  in  the  town  of  Cimarron, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  same  pursuits  for 
six  years,  and  in  1895  ^^  ^'^°^  "-M^  l^'s  abode 
in  Hutchinson.  Here  he  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  foreman  in  the  packing  department 
of  the  Hutchinson  Salt  Block  and  he  makes 
his  home  at  No.  800  Third  avenue  East. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  served  as  a  team- 
ster in  the  Union  army.  In  his  political 
views  he  is  a  Democrat  and  fraternally  he 
is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
held  membership  in  the  Methodist  church. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


In  the  family  of  this  worthy  couple  were 
seven  children,  of  whom  four  are  now  Hv- 
ing.  The  record  is:  George,  who  died  in 
llhnois  in  childhood;  John  S.,  of  this  re- 
view ;  Orrell,  who  is  employed  in  a  grocery 
store  in  Hutchinson;  Anna,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Mason,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
creamerv  business  in  Preston,  Pratt  county, 
Kansas;  Dora,  the  wife  of  Harry  Mounts, 
who  is  employed  by  the  Centney  Wholesale 
Grocery  Company  and  lives  in  Hutchinson ; 
Charlie,  who  died  in  infancy,  while  the  fam- 
ily were  in  Missouri;  and  a  son  who  died 
in  infancy  in  the  same  state. 

In  the  common  schools  of  Barton  coun- 
ty, Missouri,  John  S.  Gardner  began  his  ed- 
ucatiiin,  which  was  continued  in  the  public 
schools  of  Cimarron,  Kansas,  where  he  re- 
mained with  his  father  until  nineteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  secured  a  railroad  position 
in  Greene  county,  this  state.  He  was  thus 
employed  for  about  two  years,  when  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  in  the  Hutchinson  Salt 
Block,  but  after  a  year  he  became  foreman  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Salt  Block,  located  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Arkansas  river  in  South 
Hutchinson  and  thither  he  removed  his 
family.  The  Pennsylvania  Salt  Block  was 
built  about  1886,  its  dimensions  being  two 
hundred  by  two  hundred  feet.  It  contains 
two  pans,  each  one  hundred  and  tifteen  by 
thirty-two  feet  and  the  capacity  of  the  plant 
is  three  hundred  barrels  per  day.  The  pro- 
cess of  evaporation  by  natural  heat  is  used 
and  twO'  grades  of  salt,  fine  and  coarse,  are 
manufactured.  The  output  is  sent  mostly  to 
packing  houses  in  Omaha,  Kansas  City,  and 
St.  Louis. 

On  the  24th  of  September,  iSgo,  in 
Hutchinsdu  Kansas,  Mr.  Gardner  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna  Millhouser,  a  na- 
ti\'e  I  if  Missouri  and  a  daughter  of  Fred 
INIillli'iuscr,  niiw  a  resident  farmer  of  Pratt 
county,  Kansas.  His  wife  died  in  Carroll 
county,  in  1873,  when  Mrs.  Gardner  was 
only  three  years  old.  Her  uncle.  John  Mill- 
houser, served  as  an  officer  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  Civil  war  and  on  account 
of  the  wound  he  sustained  now  draws  a 
pension.    Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gardner  have 


been  born  four  children:  Hubert  S.,  who 
was  lx>rn  July  30,  1891  ;  Dora,  born  Octo- 
ber 5,  1892:  Leslie,  January  5,  1895;  and 
Orrell,  September  22,  1896,  All  were  born 
in  South  Hutchinson.  Mr.  Gardner  owns  a 
pleasant  residence  just  outside  the  city  lim- 
its of  South  Hutchinson.  This  he  pur- 
chased together  with  seventeen  acres  of  land, 
in  June,  1899.  There  was  a  fine  peach  or- 
chard on  the  place  at  the  time  he  bought  it 
and  he  has  since  set  out  a  new  orchard  of 
peach  and  apple  trees.  The  remainder  of 
his  land  he  usually  plants  in  corn  forage,  and 
other  grains. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Gardner  is  a 
Republican  when  party  issues  are  involved 
but  at  local  elections  he  votes  independently. 
In  the  spring  of  1895  he  was  elected  coun- 
cilman of  South  Hutchinson  on  the  Citizen's 
ticket,  an  anti-license  ticket,  and  served  out 
his  term.  The  following  spring  he  was 
elected  mayor  and  filled  the  position  for  three 
consecutive  terms,  while  in  1899  he  was 
again  elected  councilman.  He  has  been  a 
member  oi  the  board  of  education  from 
1895  until  1901  inclusive.  Socially  he  is 
identified  with  the  following  orders :  the 
subordinate  lodge  and  encampment  of  the 
Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  has  passed 
through  all  the  chairs;  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  and  the  Modern  Tonties, 
in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs,  and  is 
now  secretary  of  Council  No.  83,  of  South 
Hutchinson.  In  his  life  history  there  are 
many  elements  worthy  of  commendation  and 
of  emulation  and  the  high  regard  in  which 
he  is  held  as  a  man  and  citizen  is  indicated 
by  the  prominence  which  he  has  attained 
in  social  circles  and  in  politics  as  well. 


J.  A.  YEOMAN. 

J.  A.  Yeoman,  a  well  known  farmer  of 
Kin.gman  county,  was  born  in  Fa_\ette  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  on  the  2d  of  February,  1855.  His 
father,  Eli  Yeoman,  was  a  native  of  the  Em- 
pire state,  his  birth  having  there  occurred  in 
Drvden,  and  in  his  native  state  he  became  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


prominent  farmer  and  stock  man.  His  wife 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Jane  Knox  and 
was  a  daughter  of  James  Knox  and  a  cousin 
of  James  Knox  Polk,  president  of  the  Uni- 
ted States.  She  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and 
was  a  member  of  a  prominent  and  well 
known  family  of  that  commonwealth.  In 
1856  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eli  Yeoman  removed 
from  Ohio  to  Jasper  county,  Indiana,  where 
they  spent  their  remaining  days,  the  mother 
dving  in  the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  of  whicli  she  was  a  worthy  and  con- 
sistent member.  They  became  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  nine  sons  and  one  daughter, 
seven  of  whom  are  now  living,  and  those 
who  make  tlieir  home  in  Kingman  count}' 
are  O.  A.,  J.  A.  and  ^l.  M. 

J.  A.  Yeoman,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, was  reared  on  the  old  home  farm  in 
Jasper  coimty,  Indiana,  where  he  waisi  early 
inured  to  the  labor  of  the  fields,  and  he  re- 
mained under  the  parental  roof  until  he  at- 
tained to  years  of  maturity.  In  1886  he  re- 
moved to  Greensburg,  Kiowa  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  he  purchased  a  farm,  but  two 
years  later  he  sold  his  place  and  went  to  the 
St.  Louis  valley,  in  Colorado,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  ranching  for  a  time.  On  coming" 
again  to  this  state  he  purchased  a  fine  farm 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres'  on  sec- 
tion 10,  Ninnescah  township,  two  and  a  half 
miles  from  Kingman,  where  he  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in'  general  farming  and' 
stock-raising. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  years  iMr.  Yeo- 
man was  united  in  marriage  to  Amy  Is- 
rael, who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in 
Jasper  county.  Indiana,  a  daughter  of 
Whit  Israel.  The  father  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Civil  war,  a  member  of  the  Eighty-sev- 
enth Indiana  Infantry,  and  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga,  Tennessee,  leaving 
a  widow  and  two  daughters, — Mrs.  Maggie 
Kirchner  and  Mrs.  Yeoman.  The  former 
died  in  Berry,  Oklahoma.  The  mother  was 
killed  by  lightning  at  Greensburg,  Kansas, 
in  1885.  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Yeoman  became  the 
parents  of  six  children,  but  only  two  are 
now  living, — Don,  a  lad  of  seventeen  years, 
and  Joseph,  now  thirteen  years  of  age.   Guy, 


their  first  born,  died  at  the  age  of  three 
years;  their  second  child,  \'erne,  died  at  the 
age  of  six  months;  Frances  also  died  at  the 
age  of  six  months ;  and  Bessie,  the  3-oungest 
child,  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  months.  Mr. 
Yeoman  ^•otes  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Work- 
men. Both  he  and  his  wife  hold  manber- 
ship  in  the  Christian  church,  and  the  family 
are  among  the  well  known  and  highly  re- 
spected residents  of  Kingman  county. 


A.  M.  JE^^"ELL. 

The  real-estate  business  in  the  citv  of 
Hutchinson,  Kansas,  has  been  well  and  suc- 
cessfully managed  by  leaders  in  this  line, 
and  one  of  the  most  prominent  is  A.  '\l. 
Jewell,  who  since  1886  has  dealt  very  ex- 
tensively in  property  in  this  vicinity.  His 
birth  occurred  in  I^wiston,  Maine,  on  June 
29,  1850,  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Ursula 
(Ham)  Jewell,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  the  same  state.  Both  parents  have  passed 
away  and  also  all  of  the  children  of  the  fam- 
ily with  the  exception  of  ^Ir.  Jewell  of  this 
sketch,  and  one  sister.  He  was  but  two  \ears 
of  age  when  he  lost  his  parents  and  he  was 
reared  by  his  maternal  grandparents,  obtain- 
ing his  education  in  the  schools  of  iMon- 
mouth,  Maine,  and  graduating  at  the  iMon- 
mouth  Academy.  His  business  career  began 
in  his  native  state,  but  a  year  later  he  start- 
ed for  the  west,  locating  in  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois, and  there  he  engaged  in  railroad  work, 
in  the  transportation  department,  remaining 
as  clerk,  train  dispatcher  and  agent  for  the 
following  eight  or  nine  years.  Leaving  rail- 
road work,  he  then  embarked  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  being  associated  with  part- 
ners for  five  years  and  traveling  in  the  same 
line  for  seven  years. 

It  was  in  1886  that  Mr.  Jewell's  attention 
was  particularly  called  to  Kansas  as  a  place 
of  residence,  and  in  that  year  he  located  in 
Hutchinson,  soon  afterward  being  associated 
in  the  real-estate  business   with  several  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


the  leading-  citizens.  Three  years  later  he 
purchased  tiie  interests  of  his  partners  and 
since  then  he  has  conducted  liis  very  pros- 
perous business  alone.  He  liandles  both 
city  residences  and  farm  property,  has  also 
done  much  toward  the  improvement  and 
building  up  of  many  of  the  subdivisions  of 
this  city  and  lias  laecome  an  authority  on 
values  and  the  real-estate  market.  He  fre- 
quently buys  property  and  places  it  in  fine 
condition,  eventually  disposing  of  it  to  great 
advantage.  His  beautiful  residence  at  209 
Avenue  A  was  erected  in  1889,  and  he  also 
has  one  of  the  fine  farms  of  Reno-  county. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Jewell  occurrecVon 
May  26.  1873,  in  Springfield.  Illinois,  to 
Miss  Emma  C.,  a  daughter  of  H.  M.  Wick- 
ham,  who  was  a  resident  of  that  city.  Four 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  name- 
ly: Clinton  L. ;  Helen  G.,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Frank  H.  Battise,  a- resident  of  Hutchinson 
and  a  conductor  on  the  Hutchinson  &  South- 
ern branch  of  the  Santa  Fe  railroad;  Edna 
M. ;  and  Howard  M.  In  politics  Mr.  Jewell 
supports  the  Republican  party,  although  he 
is  not  a  politician  in  the  strict  sense  of  the 
word.  Socially  he  is  connected  with  both 
the  A.  O.  U.  \\\  and  the  ^Voodmen  of  the 
World,  while  in  religious  matters  he  has 
long  been  a  consistent  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church,  an  official  member  of  the  same 
and  a  leader  in  its  Christian  work.  Mr.  Jew- 
ell stands  very  high  in  the  estimation  of  the 
business  part  of  the  city,  while  his  pleasing 
personality  and  courteous  manner  wins  for 
him  friends  in  everv  walk  of  life. 


FRANK  H.  FOSTER. 

Mr.  Foster  was  born  in  Allen  county, 
Indiana,  June  19,  1858,  his  parents  being 
Asher  W.  and  Prudence  (Thrasher)  Fos- 
ter, both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Virginia, 
where  their  marriage  was  celebrated.  The 
paternal  grandfather  of  our  subject  was 
one  of  three  brothers  who  came  from  Ire- 
land to  America,  landing  in  Boston,  whence 
he  made  his  way  southward  to  Virginia.  He 


was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  died  during  the 
early  boyhood  of  his  son  Asher.  The  latter 
served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  cabinet- 
maker's trade,  and  in  1857  removed  to  In- 
diana, where  he  engaged  in  carpentering, 
following  that  pursuit  until  his  enlistment 
for  service  in  the  Union  army,  in  April, 
1 86 1.  He  was  with  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, and  after  serving  for  three  years 
veteranized  and  remained  with  his  com- 
mand until  the  close  of  hostilities,  receiving 
an  honorable  discharge  in  August,  1865.  He 
joined  the  army  as  a  private  but  was  later 
detailed  as  hospital  steward,  which  position 
he  continued  to  fill  until  the  war  was  ended. 
Much  of  his  service  was  near  his  old  home 
in  Virginia,  and  he  obtained  permission  to 
go  through  the  picket  lines  to  visit  his  old 
home.  He  found  that  all  of  his  relatives 
were  espousing  the  Rebel  cause.  He  was 
taken  in  by  his  brothers  and  mother,  and 
they  gave  him  protection  for  three  days,  but 
his  mother  felt  greatly  hurt  over,  as  she  ex- 
pressed it,  his  going  back  on  his  state  and 
the  interests  of  home.  He  remained  at  home 
until  his  command  went  north,  when  he  left 
with  them.  He  never  visited  his  home  again 
and  was  cut  ofif  from  the  estate.  Asher  Fos- 
ter had  but  one  furlough  during  his  entire 
army  service,  and  that  was  when  he  veter- 
anized. He  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Antietam,  the  A\'il(lcrness,  the  seven  days' 
fight  at  .\tlanta  and  Lonkdut  Mountain,  and 
was  in  the  detail  that  sailed  to  New  York 
to  enforce  army  regulations.  He  was  also 
in  the  fight  at  Pea  Ridge. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Foster  returned  to 
his  family  in  Allen  county,  Indiana,  and  en- 
gaged in  carpentering,  which  he  followed 
until  1885,  when  he  joined  his  son  Frank  in 
Kansas,  locating  in  Alden,  Rice  county. 
There  he  worked  at  his  trade  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  July  27,  1893,  when  he  was 
sixty-four  years  of  age.  He  was  a  man  of 
medium  size,  had  acquired  a  fair  education 
and  had  a  good  memory.  His  wife  died  in 
Alden,  in  January,  1898.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  a  Mr.  Thrasher,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  slave  owner  of  ^'irginia.  who  died  in 
that  state.      His  children   were   Mrs.   Mar- 


74 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


garet  Lipse;  John  P.,  who  served  in  the 
Confederate  army  and  died  in  Virginia; 
George,  a  Baptist  minister,  who  died  in  the 
Old  Dominion ;  Prudence,  the  mother  of  our 
subject;  Maria;  Kate;  Adeline;  and  Henry. 
Unto  the  grandfather  Foster  were  born  four 
children :  Asher  W. ;  John,  who  removed 
to  Missouri  and  afterward  to  Iowa,  where 
he  died;  George,  who  spent  his  last  days  in 
Missouri ;  and  Harriet.  Unto  the  parents 
of  our  subject  were  born  five  children: 
Frank  H. ;  John,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eleven  years ;  Dora,  the  wife  of  Lee  W.  Ar- 
nold, of  Burdette,  Kansas;  Maggie,  of  In- 
diana; and  Nettie,  who  is  attending  school 
in  Emporia.  The  mother  w^as  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  church,  and  her  Christian 
life  and  teachings  had  mr.ch  influence  over 
her  children. 

Frank  H.  Foster  remained  under  the 
parental  roof  until  ten  years  of  age,  after 
which  he  spent  three  years  in  the  home  of  the 
Rev.  W.  Y.  B.  Pierce,  a  Baptist  minister  of 
New  York.  He  then  returned  home  and 
later  was  employed  as  a  farm  hand.  Sub- 
sequently he  took  charge  of  a  livery  barn, 
which  he  conducted  for  a  time,  when  he  ac- 
cepted a  clerkship  in  a,  store.  He  followed 
difTerent  lines  of  business  until  1883,  when 
he  went  to  Nebraska,  where  he  worked  on  a 
cattle  ranch  until  the  spring  of  1884.  when 
he  removed  to  Colorado,  being  there  em- 
ployed on  a  ranch  until  the  following  July. 
In  that  month  he  came  to  Rice  county,  Kan- 
sas, and  was  first  employed  in  connection 
with  the  operation  of  a  threshing  machine. 
Subsequently  he  secured  a  situation  as  a 
salesman  in  a  store,  and  in  March,  1888,  he 
was  made  a  deputy  sheriff,  occupying  that 
position  fnr  fnur  \ears.  after  which  he  was 
elected  sheriff  for  a  term  of  two  years  and 
re-elected  for  the  same  period,  so  that  he  was 
connected  with  the  office  for  eight  consecu- 
tive years,  filling  the  position  with  credit  to 
himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 
During  their  long  service  no  complaint  was 
ever  made  and  no  prisoners  escaped.  While 
filling  the  position  Mr.  Foster  purchased  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  in 
1896  took  up  his  abode  thereon.  There  were 


only  a  few  improvements  and  after  a  time 
his  barn  was  destroyed  by  fire.  He  then 
erected  a  very  large  barn,  remodeled  his 
house  and  has  placed  his  farm  in  excellent 
condition,  his  fields  being  under  a. high  state 
of  cultivation.  He  also  purchased  another 
quarter  section  of  land  and  is  now  giving 
much  attention  to  the  growing  of  stock  of 
all  kinds,  including  short-horn  cattle  and 
Pel  cheron  horses.  He  has  a  fine  Percheron 
stallion,  also  a  saddle-bred  stallion  and 
roadsters.  The  stock  produced  on  his  farm 
is  among  the  best  to  be  found  in  Kansas, 
and  in  this  direction  he  has  gained  a  very 
enviable  reputation. 

Mr.  Foster  was  united  in  marriage  at 
Chase,  to  Miss  Minnie  M.  Smith,  who  was 
born  in  Madison  county,  Iowa,  the  wedding 
taking  place  January  20,  1892.  The  lady  is 
a  daughter  of  O.  F.  and  Nettie  (Compton) 
Smith,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and 
the  latter  of  Iowa,  in  which  state  their  mar- 
riage was  celebrated.  During  the  Civil  war 
her  father  joined  the  army  and  was  in  many 
hotlv  contested  battles.  He  received  what 
was  supposed  to  be  a  mortal  wound,  the  top 
of  his  head  being  torn  away.  He  was  left  to 
die,  but  his  strong  constitution  enabled  him 
to  recover.  A  portion  of  his  skull  was  torn 
off  and  he  lost  the  sight  of  one  eye.  He  has 
always  been  a  sufferer  since  the  \Yar,  but  life 
was  spared  to  him.  Later  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge  and  is  now  granted  a 
small  pension.  He  afterward  engaged  in 
the  meat  market  business  and  in  buying'  and 
selling  stock.  In  1880  he  removed  to  Chase, 
Kansas,  where  he  condiicted  a  meat  market 
until  his  retirement  to  private  life.  He  and 
his  wife  are  now  living  in  Chase,  where 
they  are  held  in  warm  regard.  In  politics 
he  is  a  strong  Republican,  has  served  as 
township  trustee  and  in  other  positions.  He 
was  the  eldest  of  se\-en  children,  the  others 
being  James,  Thomas,  Howard,  William  N. 
M.,  a  physician,  and  Mary,  who  married 
Rev.  A.  Hestwood,  a  Methodist  minister. 
He  also  had  a  half-brother  and  sister  by  his 
mother's  first  marriage,  namely,  Rufus  and 
Mrs.  jNIartha  Rowe.  L'nto  O.  F.  Smith  and 
his  wife  were  born  eight  children.     Charles 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


75 


O.  is  a  resident  of  Hutchinson.  Minnie  M. 
is  now  Mrs.  Fo'Ster.  C.  E.  was  in  Colorado 
when  the  Spanish-American  war  ijroke  out. 
He  there  enhsted,  was  sent  to  the  Philip- 
pines and  ultimately  was  discharged  as 
quartermaster,  being  now  a  merchant  at 
Chase.  Ernest  is  proprietor  of  a  meat  mar- 
ket at  lola.  Carrie  is  at  home.  George  W. 
served  with  the  Twentieth  Kansas  Regiment 
in  the  Philippines.  Flora  and  Albert  are 
still  at  home.  The  parents  are  devoted  and 
loyal  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster  also  belong 
to  the  same  church  and  he  is  identified  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Knights  of  Py- 
thias lodge  and  the  Sons  of  Veterans.  He 
was  reared  in  the  Republican  party  and  has 
frequently  attended  the  county,  state  and 
congressional  conventions  and  is  a  most 
ardent  ad\-rcate  of  tlie  party  principles. 


GEORGE  T.  DAVIS. 

A  man  who  has  won  for  himself  a  prom- 
inent place  among  the  successful  agricul- 
turists of  Galesburg  township,  Kingman 
county,  is  George  T.  Davis,  who  resides  on 
section  27.  He  is  a  native  of  Callaway 
county,  INIissouri,  his  birth  having  occurred 
here  on  the  gth  of  April,  1849.  His  father, 
James  Madison  Davis,  \v3^  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  in  1810,  when  a  little  lad,  came 
to  [Missouri  and  was  reared  and  educated  on 
his  father's  farm,  the  family  being  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  Callaway  cijuntv.  J\'Ir. 
Davis  was  married  in  ^Missouri  to  Mary 
Ely,  who  was  born  in  Virginia.  Her  father, 
Harry  Ely,  was  also  a  native  of  the  Old 
Dominion.  Mrs.  Davis  died  in  Callaway 
county,  Missouri,  at  the  age  of  forty-nine, 
but  her  hnsliand  is  still  liviiip',  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety  years,  in  Grayson  coun- 
ty, Texas.  They  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  which  our  subject  is  the  young- 
est, as  follows:  Sally;  Benjamin,  who 
served  in  the  war;  Molly;  Amanda:  and 
George  T.  Mr.  Davis  was  married  a  second 
time,  and  by  this  union  were  born  six  chil- 


dren, namely:  Cynthia,  Nancy,  James, 
Emma,  Lizzie  and  Charles.  During  his  en- 
tire life,  Mr.  Davis  followed  the  occupation 
of  farming.  He  gave  his  political  support 
to  the  Democratic  party  and  held  member- 
ship in  the  Baptist  church. 

George  T.  Davis  was  reared  to  farm  life 
on  the  homestead  in  Missouri,  and  there 
learned  lessons  of  thrift  and  perseverance. 
His  literary  education  was  received  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  county,  and  early  in  life 
was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  duties 
and  labors  of  farming,  as  well  as  having 
laid  a  good  foundation  for  later  knowledge 
in  the  school  room.  When  twenty-six  years 
of  age  he  led  to  the  altar  Miss  Martha  Ste- 
venson, who  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  but 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Missouri.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  James  R.  and  Sarah  R. 
(Givens)  Stevenson.  The  latter  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  where  she  was  reared,  and 
died  October  8,  1901,  at  the  great  age 
of  over  ninety  years.  In  1878  Mr.  Davis 
removed  with  his  family  to  Kansas  and  they 
were  numbered  among  the  Missouri  valley 
settlement  families.  Here  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  Osage  Indian 
land  to  which  he  has  added  from  time  to 
time  until  he  has  four  hundred  acres  of  high- 
ly cultivated  property,  constituting  one  of 
the  finest  farms  in  Kingman  county.  A  sub- 
stantial residence  and  well  built  barns  and 
sheds,  together  with  a  fine  grove  and  or- 
chard, are  among  the  salient  features  of 
this  well  kept  farm,  while  well  tilled  fields 
and  rich  pasture  lands  show  the  careful 
work  of  cultivation. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and^  Mrs.  Davis  has 
been  blessed  with  three  girls:     Sallie;  Mrs. 
Jennie  Endicott ;  and  Eva,  the  last  two  of 
whom  are  twins.     They  lost  one  child,  Ro- 
salie, in  infancy.     Politically  Mr.  Davis  is  a 
faithful  adherent  of  Democratic  principles; 
i  and  has  ser\'ed  as  road  overseer,  and  also'  as 
I  a  member   of  the  school  board.      He  is   a 
;  member  of  the  Court  of  Honor,  and  he  and 
his  family  hold  membership  with  the  Cum- 
berland  Presl)yterian  church,  of  which  the 
father  serves  as  elder.     He  has  always  lived 
an  upright  and  honorable  life,  and  is  inter- 


76 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ested  in  every  movement  which  will  promote 
the  welfare  of  his  community  along  relig- 
ious and  educational  lines. 


\\'.  W.  HILL. 


This  well  known  farmer  and  honored 
citizen  of  Kinginan  county  has  throughout 
his  active  husiness  career  been  prominently 
identified  with  agricultural  interests  and  for 
a  number  of  years  has  resided  upon  his  pres- 
ent farm.  He  was  born  in  Essex  county, 
New  Jersey,  in  1840,  and  in  that  state  his 
father,  W.  R.  Hill,  also  had  his  nativity,  as 
did  his  parents,  Ed  and  Elizabeth  Hill.  The 
grandfather  was  a  loyal  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812.  W.  R.  Hill  attained  to  years  of 
maturity  in  the  state  of  his  birth  and  was 
there  married  to  Caroline  Harris,  a  native 
daughter  of  New  Jersey,  where  her  parents, 
John  Harris  and  his  wife,  were  also  born. 
She  was  the  mother  of  eleven  children, 
eight  of  whom  grew  to  years  of  maturity, 
namely:  Eliza,  Mary,  Abraham,  William 
^\'.,  Catherine,  Charlotte,  Uriah  and  Mar- 
tha. The  first  named  passed  away  in  death 
at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years,  but  the  remain- 
ing seven  are  all  still  living.  Li  1856  the 
family  left  their'  New  Jersey  home  for  Taze- 
well county,  Illinois,  and  two  years  later 
they  located  near  Lincoln,  Lo_gan  county, 
that  state,  where  the  father  passed  to  his 
final  rest  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
He  followed  both  farming  and  carpentering 
as  a  means  of  livelihood,  and  his  political 
support  was  given  to  the  Democracy,  while 
religiously  he  was  a  member  of  the  Method- 
ist church.  His  widow  survived  until  her 
eighty-sixth  year,  and  she,  too,  passed  away 
in  the  faith  of  the  J\Iethodist  Episcopal 
church. 

^V.  W.  Hill,  whose  name  introduces  this 
review,  remained  in  the  state  of  his  birth 
until  his  fifteenth  year  of  age,  receiving  his 
education  in  its  public  schools,  and  he  then 
accompanied  the  family  on  their  removal  to 
Illinois.  The  year  1868  witnessed  his  ar- 
rival in  the  Sunflower  state,  and  for  a  time 


thereafter  he  made  his  home  near  Quenemo, 
Osage  county.  Later  he  became  the  owner 
of  a  claim  on  One  Hundred  and  Ten  Creek, 
which  he  improved  and  made  his  home 
thereon  until  1883,  when  he  sold  that  place 
and  purchased  his  present  fami  on  section 
30,  White  township,  Kingman  county,  one 
hund.ed  acres  of  which  had  been  placed 
under  cultivation.  His  homestead  now  con- 
sists of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  ex- 
cellent land,  where  he  has  a  fine  bearing  or- 
chard of  nine  acres,  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  small  fruits  of  all  kinds.  He  has  carried 
forward  with  success  the  work  of  an  agri- 
culturist and  fruit-grower,  and  is  to-day  ac- 
counted one  of  the  well-to-do  and  prosper- 
ous citizens  of  his  community.     His  capable 

!  management,  enterprise,  well  directed 
efforts  and  honorable  dealing  have  been  the 
important  factors  in  his  prosperity  and  have 

;  brought   to   him   a   very   handsome  compe- 

'  fence. 

'.  On  the  15th  of  March,  1869,  Mr.  Hill 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  A.  Hay- 
wood, who  was  born  in  Cass  county,  Illi- 
nois, in  1845,  ^nd  received  her  education  in 
the  city  schools  of  Burlingame,  Kansas.  Her 
parents,  James  and  Eliza   Haywood,   were 

1  born  near*  Sheffield,  England,  where  they 
were  married,  and  there  they  remained  until 
after  the  birth  of  their  first  child,  Fredrick, 

'  when,  about  1843,  they  emigrated  to  this 
country,  settling  in  Illinois.  The  father  had 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  the  old 
country,  but  after  his  arrival  in  America  he 
took  advantage  of  the  cheap  land  and  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits,  becoming  a 
successful  and  well-to-do  farmer.  In  1858 
he  sold  his  possessions  in  Illinois  and  came 
to  Kansas,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  dying  in  Osage  county,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-five  years.  His  wife,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Eliza  Farrar,  died  in 
that  county  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  in 
the  faith  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
(Wilkerson)  Farrar.  Our  subject  and 
wife  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely: 
Uriah,  of  Alvaretta,  Oklahoma;  Fred,  who 
also  makes  his  home  in  that  territorv  ;  Laura 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


who  was  formerly  a  popular  teacher  in 
Kingman  county;  Walter;  James;  and 
Pearl.  Mr.  Hill  gives  his  poilitical  support 
to  the  "Third  party,"  and  socially  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men. Mrs.  Hill  is  a  worthy  and  acceptable 
member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  the 
family  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  locality 
in  which  thev  reside. 


JAMES  RANKIN. 

James  Rankin  is  a  representative  of  the 
honored  pioneers  of  a  great  commonwealth 
who  have  served  faithfully  and  long  in  the 
enterprising  west  He  claims  Pennsylva- 
nia as  the  state  of  his  nativity,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  Indiana  county,  June  27, 
1839.  His  father,  Isaac  N.  Rankin,  was  a 
well  known  citizen  of  that  county  and  was 
a  son  of  Andrew  Rankin,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland,  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage.  An- 
drew Rankin  married  Ann  Stitt,  who  was 
also  born  O'f  Scotch-Irish  parents,  and  they 
were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Isaac  N.,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  county  and 
was  there  married  to  Jane  Alcorn,  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  Alcorn.  They  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  children :  Andrew,  a  resi- 
dent of  Bedford,  Iowa;  James,  our  subject; 
John,  a  twin  brother  of  James  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Oklahoma ;  William,  who  resides  fn 
Rice  county,  Kansas.  Two  of  their  children 
are  deceased, — Robert  Johnson,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  months,  and  Mary,  who 
died  in  Ringgold  county,  Iowa.  In  1874 
the  parents  came  to  Rice  damty,  Kansas, 
where  the  father  died  in  Harrison  township, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  He  was  a 
carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade  and  was  iden- 
tified with  the  Democratic  party.  The 
mother,  who  was  born  in  1800.  survived  her 
husliand  until  188S.  dying  at  the  age  of 
eighty-eight  years.  They  were  members  cf 
the  Presbyterian  church. 

James  Rankin,  whose  name  introduces 
this  re\-iew,  was  reared  in  his  parents'  home 


in  Pennsylvania.  He  accompanied  the  fam- 
ily on  their  removal  to  Tl;uicock  county,  Illi- 
nois, locating  near  Lali;u-]ic,  and  later  they 
removed  to  Des  Moines  count\',  Iowa.  A 
settlement  was  made  near  Middletown,  and 
he  was  there  married  to  Cynthia  Duke,  who 
was  born  in  Henry  county,  Iowa,  and  was 
there  reared  and  educated.  Her  father, 
James  M.  Duke,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  of 
which  state  the  grandfather,  John  Duke,  was 
also  a  nati\'e.  James  Duke  was  but  a  boy 
when  he  removed  with  his  father  to  Iowa. 
He  was  a  sawyer  by  trade  and  operated 
j  many  sawmills  in  Iowa,  Missouri  and  Ar- 
kansas. His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Elizabeth  Williams  and  was  a  native  of 
Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Xehemiali  and  Eliza- 
beth (Borden)  Williams.  James  and  Eliz- 
abeth Duke  became  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, but  one,  Francisca,  died  in  childhood. 
The  living  are  :  Cynthia  ;  David  W.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Victoria  township.  Rice  county : 
and  Mrs.  Harriet  Holmes,  of  Lyons,  Kan- 
sas. The  father  of  this  family  died  in 
Weiner,  Arkansas,  at  the  age  of  sevent_\--six 
years.  In  early  life  he  affiliated  with  the 
Greenbackers,  Init  later  was  an  advocate  id' 
Democracy.  His  widow  now  resides  with 
her  children  in  Rice  county,  Kansas,  and  is 
a  worthy  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  with 
which  her  husband  was  also  identified. 

In  the  year  1875  Mr.  Rankin  took  up 
his  abode  in  the  Sunflower  state,  casting  in 
his  lot  with  the  pioneers  of  Rice  county.  He 
first  secured  a  timber  claim,  containing  Cot- 
tonwood, box-elder  and  mulberry  trees.  He 
now  owns  a  fine  farm  of  one  Inmdred  and 
sixty  acres,  known  as  Grove  Land,  and  this 
is  one  of  the  beautiful  country  seats  of  Vic- 
toria township.  The  place  is  located  a  half 
mile  from  Pollard,  and  is  highly  cultivat- 
ed, the  product>ive  fields  yielding  a  golden 
return  for  the  care  and  labor  which  he  be- 
stows upon  them. 

The  marriage  of  ]\lr.  and  }ilrs.  Rankin 
has  been  blessed  with  three  children,  name- 
ly: Andrew  J.,  who  married  Miss  Lizzie 
Gruml)ine,  and  is  a  grain  buyer,  railroad 
agent  and  postmaster  of  Pcllard;  Hattie  P.. 
who  is  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Pol- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


lard;  and  Estella  H.,  a  successful  and  popu- 
lar teacher  of  Rice  county.  The  children  re- 
ceived excellent  educations  in  the  Normal 
College  at  Great  Bend.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Rankin  was  formerly  a  Democrat, 
but  now  affiliates  with  the  Populist  party, 
but  he  has  never  been  an  office  seeker,  pre- 
ferring to  give  his  time  and  attention  to  his 
business  interests.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
[Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  his  wife 
and  daughters  hold  meinbership  in  the  Re- 
formed church.  In  his  soaal  relations  he  is 
connected  with  the  Modern  Woodanen  of 
the  World.  He  is  imbued  with  fine  sensibil- 
ities and  clearly  defined  principles.  Honor 
and  integrity  are  synonyinous  with  his  name 
and  he  enjoys  the  respect,  confidence  and 
high  regard  of  the  community. 


DeWITT  C.  JOHNSON. 

DeWitt  C.  Johnson,  a  conductor  on  the 
Atchison,  Tope'ka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  and 
a  resident  of  Hutchinson,  was  born  at 
Wayne,  \\'ayne  county,  Michigan,  on  the 
23d  of  August,  1843.  His  father,  Stephen 
R.  Johnson,  was  a  native  of  the  Empire 
state,  and  when  a  young  man  began  work 
on  the  Erie  canal,  in  which  he  continued 
until  the  advent  of  the  railroads  rendered 
that  business  unprofitable  and  he  then  be- 
came identified  with  railroading.  He  was 
first  employed  in  furnishing  telegraph  poles 
to  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  Con?pany, 
and  was  later  made  general  roadmaster  of 
the  division  between  Chicago  and  Detroit, 
where  he  had  charge  of  all  construction  and 
building.  He  remained  with  that  company 
for  thirty  years,  or  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  during  that  period  the  road  was 
completed  from  Chicago  to  Ypsilanti,  he 
purchasing  and  paying  for  all  material  used 
in  its  construction.  After  the  completion  of 
the  road  to  that  place  Mr.  Johnson  removed 
to  Niles,  Michigan,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
maining years  of  his  life,  passing  away  on 
the  20th  of  March,  1872.  He  was  an  ardent 
Republican   in  his  political  views  and  was 


active  iii  the  work  of  his  party.  He  was 
married  in  New  York,  his  native  state,  and 
the  union  was  blessed  with  ten  children,  but 
our  subject  is  the  only  representative  of  the 
family  in  the  Sunflower  state,  the  others  re- 
siding in  Niles  and  Detroit,  Michigan. 

DeWitt  C.  Johnson  was  only  about  six 
years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  par- 
ents on  their  removal  to  Michigan,  in  which 
state  he  was  reared  and  e'ducated,  the  first 
school  which  he  attended  having  been  held 
in  a  log  house,  but  that  was  about  the  last  of 
those  primitive  structures.  On  first  locat- 
ing in  Wayne  county  the  family  lived  in  a 
log  cabin,  and  many  a  time  our  subject  has 
hauled  a  fire  log  into  the  cabin  with  horses 
and  wagon.  When  but  sixteen  years  of  age 
he  began  his  identification  with  railroading, 
and  his  father,  who  was  much  opposed  to 
his  entering  the  service,  would  not  assist 
him  in  obtaining  a  position,  but  by  his  own 
efforts  he  secured  the  position  of  a  brake- 
man,  which  he  followed  for  two  years.  For 
the  follriwing  four  years  he  had  charge  of  a 
construction  train,  and  was  tlien  made  road- 
master  of  the  division  between  Niles  and 
Kalamazoo,  but,  preferring  road  work,  he 
resigned  that  position  after  one  year.  In 
1870  he  came  west  and  for  a  time  had 
charge  of  repairs  and  building  on  the  Coun- 
cil Bluffs  road,  from  Corning  to  Council 
Bluffs,  after  which  he  was  again  employed 
as  roadmaster,  continuing  in  the  latter  posi- 
I  tion  until  1884.  In  that  year  he  began  work 
I  on  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  first  as  brakeman, 
!  but  a  year  and  a  half  later  was  given  charge 
of  a  train  in  the  construction  department, 
assisting  in  building  the  different  branches 
of  the  road  in  western  Kansas.  After  their 
completion  he  became  a  member  of  the  oper- 
ating department  and  has  the  exceptional 
record  of  running  one  train  on  the  main 
line  for  fourteen  consecutive  years,  or  up 
to  the  present  time,  his  run  being  from  New- 
ton to  Jetmore,  a  distance  of  three  hundred 
and  six  miles,  and  during  that  long  period 
he  hasi  been  absent  from  duty  only  on  three 
occasions,  one  having  been  to  visit  'the 
W^orld's  Fair.  Mr.  Johnson  has  invested  to 
a  considerable  extent  in  residence  property 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


79 


in  Hutchinson,  where  he  has  built  and  re- 
paired several  buildings,  and  his  beautiful 
residence  is  located  at  No.  219  Fifth  avenue. 
On  first  coming  to  the  Sunflower  state  Mr. 
Johnson  located  in  Topeka,  where  he  resid- 
ed for  aljout  two  years,  and  then  took  up  his 
abode  in  Burdette.  While  there  residing  he 
took  the  first  train  to  Jetmore,  where  they 
were  met  with  bands  of  music  and  many 
other  public  demonstrations.  Nine  years 
afterward  Mr.  Johnson  removed'  to  Nicker- 
son,  where  he  was  among  the  first  to  plant 
trees  and  flowers,  and  during  his  residence 
there  the  town  was  visited  by  a  severe  hail 
storm,  rendering  it  impossible  for  one  to 
venture  out  of  the  house  for  three  days.  His 
home  was  located  on  the  boulevard  in  that 
city.  In  July,  1897,  he  took  up  his  abode 
in  Hutchinson,  where  he  now  owns  much 
valuable  property,  and  during  his  absence 
from  home  his  wife  looks  after  their  .inter- 
ests and  has  proved  herself  a  capable  busi- 
ness woman. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Johnson  and  Miss 
Isabella  Frost  was  celebrated  on  the  17th  of 
April,  1873.  The  lady  was  born  in  Iowa, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  D.  Frost,  who 
was  also  connected  with  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral Railroad.  He  was  born  in  Fredonia, 
New  York,  in  1819,  and  in  early  life  was 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  selling  the 
lumber  and  rafting  it  down  the  Ohio  river 
to  Cincinnati.  He  located  in  Niles,  Michi- 
gan, in  a  very  early  day,  and  there  spent 
many  years  of  his  life,  having  been  princi- 
pally engaged  in  bridge  work.  In  1890  he 
came  to  Kansas,  but  he  was  not  long  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  a  residence  in  this  state,  as 
he  passed  away  in  death  one  year  later,  and 
his  remains  were  interred  in  a  cemetery  in 
Niles,  Michigan.  He  was  married  in  the 
latter  city  to  Irene  M.  Merritt,  and  three 
children  graced  th^ir  union,  but  Mrs.  John- 
son is  now  the  only  survivor  of  the  family. 
Her  maternal  grandfather,  Captain  Daniel 
Hicock,  was  a  Revolutionary  hero,  and 
many  of  his  descendants  now  reside  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  his  political  afhliations 
Mr.  Johnson  is  a  Republican,  and  although 
he  takes  an  active  and  commendable  interest 


in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  public  wel- 
fare he  has  never  sought  political  prefer- 
ment, as  his  entire  time  is  devoted  to  his 
railroad  interests.  His  social  relations  con- 
nect him  with  the  Order  of  Railway  Con- 
ductors, No.  II,  of  Newton.  His  life  has 
been  a  busy  and  useful  one.  He  is  a  man  of 
high  intellectuality,  broad  human  sympa- 
thies and  tolerance ;  honor  and  integrity  are 
synonymous  with  his  name,  and  he  enjoys 
the  respect,  confidence  and  high  regard  of 
the  community. 


JAMES  WINSOR. 


Since  1878  James  Winsor  has  been  a 
citizen  of  the  great  state  of  Kansas,  and 
since  1880  he  has  occupied  his  present  fine 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  located  on  section  36, 
Grcne  township,  Reno  county,  near  the  town 
of  Turon.  His  birth  occurred  in  Rensselaer 
county.  New  York,  on  June  16,  18 16,  a  son 
of  John  and  Lydia  (Boardman)  Winsor, 
the  fonner  born  in  England  about  1749  and 
the  latter  in  Scotland.  John  Winsor  was 
apprenticed  to  the  carpenter  trade  in  his  na- 
tive land,  and  so  faithfully  did  he  perform 
his  duties  that  his  employer  permitted  him 
to  leave  six  months  before  the  contracted 
date,  and  Mr.  Winsor  immediately  emigrat- 
ed to  America.  After  locating  in  the  new 
country  he  displayed  his  loyalty  to  it  by  en- 
tering the  Patriot  army  and  fighting  with 
them  to  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and'  was  one  of  its  pensioners  until  his 
death.  He  married  Lydia  Boardman,  and 
they  reared  four  sons  and  three  daughters. 
By  trade  he  was  a  cooper,  and  he  also  owned 
land  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1829,  in  the  town  of  Brunswick,  Rensse- 

I  laer  county,  New  York,  in  the  eightieth  year 
of  his  age.  The  Winsors  belonged  to  the 
yeomanry  class  in  England,  all  respected  for 
their  industry  and  honesty. 

James  Winsor  is  the  only  survivor  of  his 
parents'  family,  of  which  he  was  the  sixth 

I  child  and  youngest  son.  From  the  age  of 
twelve  vears  he  lived  awav  from  home,  earn- 


8o 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ing  liis  own  living  by  working  for  farmers 
and  then  learning  a  trade,  and  he  was  per- 
mitted by  his  parents  to  use  his  wages, 
this  being  contrary  to  the  general  usage 
of  the  time.  In  1838.  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years,  James  ^^'insor  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Charity  Feathers, 
in  Peekskill,  New  York,  and  seven  of  the 
eight  children  born  of  this  marriage  grew  to 
maturity,  and  those  still  surviving  are  as  fol- 
lows: George;  David,  who  lives  near  To- 
peka,  Kansas:  and  Mrs.  Lydia  Ann  Austin 
and  Mrs.  }ilarv  Burr,  both  of  whom  reside 
in  Rensselaer  county.  New  York.  Their 
mother  died  al^out  1859,  and  the  father  then 
married  Amanda  Burr,  whose  death  oc- 
curred on  March  29,  1897,  in  the  fifty-sixth 
year  of  her  age.  She  left  these  children: 
William,  who  has  one  son  and  one  daugh- 
ter; Wesley,  single,  living  at  home;  Cather- 
ine, who  married  Benjamin  Bush,  a  farmer 
of  Reno  county,  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren ;  and  Jennie,  who  married  Cyrus  Huff, 
has  one  daughter,  and  they  reside  in  the 
Sand  Hills,  in  this  county. 

Mr.  Winsor  entered  the  service  of  the 
Union  army  early  in  the  progress  of  the 
Civil  war,  enlisting  in  the  Fourteenth  New 
York  Infantry  as  a  private,  later  becoming  a 
corporal.  In  1862,  at  Antietam,  he  was 
wounded  in  the  hip  by  a  shell,  this  necessi- 
tating a  sojourn  of  fourteen  weeks  in  the 
hospital  at  Camp  Curtin.  The  injury  was 
so  serious  that  he  still  receives  a  pension  of 
twelve  dollars  a  month  from  the  govern- 
ment. For  three  years  he  lived  the  life  of  a 
soldier,  but  gladly  returned  to  peaceful 
times. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Winsor 
removed  to  Otto,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
remained  for  seven  years,  coming  to  Kansas 
in  1878,  where  he  took  up  a  government 
homestead  of  ninety  acres.  Three  years 
later  he  settled  on  his  present  eighty-acre 
farm,  paying  three  dollars  per  acre  for  raw 
prairie  land.  In  1880  he  lost  his  all  in  a  ter- 
rible prairie  fire  that  swept  over  his  section 
of  the  county,  saving  but  two  cows.  These 
could  not  take  the  place  of  a  fine  pair  of 
horses  he  had  owned,  but  as  a  necessity  he 


used  them  for  a  time  to  enable  him  to  do  his 
plowing.  He  is  now  retired  from  activity, 
his  son  cultivating  the  land.  In  politics  he 
is  a  very  pronounced  Republican,  and  he  was 
one  of  the  charter  members  of  Fremont 
Post,  of  Turon.  Mr.  Winsor,  with  his  sec- 
ond wife,  attended  the  Methodist  church, 
with  which  they  had  long  been  connected, 
the  former  wife  having  been  a  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  denomination. 

George  R.  Winsor,  a  stock  farmer  in 
Grove  township,  w-as  born  in  Rensselaer 
county.  New  York,  on  May  14,  1840,  and 
son  of  James  and  Charity  (Feathers)  \\'in- 
sor,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  New  York, 
and  "the  latter  died  in  1851.  Their  surviv- 
ing children  are  as  follows:  Mary,  who 
married  Hiram  Burr,  of  Lewis  county.  New 
York  :  George  R.,  of  this  sketch  ;  David,  who 
lives  in  Lecompton,  Kansas;  and  Lydia 
Ann, 'who  resides  in  Duke  Center,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr.  \Vinsor  had  but  limited  educa- 
tional opportunities.  He  was  reared  to  the 
wood  and  lumber  business,  but  in  1861  he 
became  a  soldier,  enlisting  at  Boonville, 
New  York,  in  the  Ninety-seventh  New  York 
Infantry,  and  at  his  second  enlistment  en- 
tered the  same  rebiment,  serving  his  coun- 
try with  gallantry  for  four  years  lacking  but 
forty-one  days.  On  September  14,  1862,  he 
Avas  wounded  in  the  left  thigh,  and  draws  a 
pension  for  the  same  at  the  present  time. 
His  wound  was  so  serious  that  he  was 
obliged  to  remain  in  the  hospital  for  seven 
months,  his  pluck  and  good  constitution  en- 
abling him  to  finally  recover  sufficiently  to 
return  to  his  regiment. 

Until  1874  he  remained  in  Lewis  coun- 
ty, New  York,  coming  then  to  Butler,  Kan- 
sas, and  one  year  later  he  took  his  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-acre  homestead,  moving  his 
family  here  in  187(1.  A  sod  house  twelve 
by  fourteen  feet  in  dimensions  was  awaiting 
the  family,  and  in  it  they  resided  until  1880, 
when  Mr.  ^^''indsor  built  his  first  box  house, 
which  is  now  used  as  an  out-building.  His 
present  residence  was  erected  in  1886,  and 
in  1899  it  was  remodeled  and  now  is  one  of 
the  most  comfortable  and  attractive  coun- 
try homes  in  this  neighborhood.      jNIr.  Wind- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


8i 


sor  feeds  from  thirty  to  forty  head  of  stock, 
buys  corn  and  fodder,  beheving'  this  the 
most  profitable  way.  He  milks  sixteen  cows 
and  raises  calves,  his  herd  being  Herefords 
mixed  with  common  stock.  The  productive 
orchards,  the  small  fruits  and  the  beautiful 
shade  trees  were  all  planted  by  the  industry 
of  our  subject. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Windsor  was  in 
Turin,  New  York,  on  October  21,  1868,  to 
Flora  C.  Perkins,  of  Lewis  comity,  New 
York,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Caroline 
(Smith)  Perkins,  both  deceased.  Mr.  Per- 
kins was  a  mechanic,  and  was  well  known 
as  a  great  deer  hunter  in  the  Adirondack 
mountains.  Seven  children  were  born  to 
this  union,  namely :  John,  who  was  born  in 
February,  1873;  Arthur,  who  was  born  in 
Kansas,  on  June  12,  1877,  and  both  of  these 
sons  are  married,  have  families  and  are  en- 
gaged in  the  well,  windmill  and  pump-  sup- 
ply business  under  the  firm  name  of  Wind- 
sor Bros.,  at  Bucklin,  Kansas.  The  third 
son  was  Charles  B.,  who  was  born  on  Au- 
gust 14,  and  died  at  the  age  of  four  years; 
Mvrtle.  who  married  W^arren  Thorp,  of 
Pratt  county :  Fred,  who  was  born  on  No- 
vember 10,  1886;  Fay,  who  was  born  on 
April  20,  1890;  and  Maud,  who  was  born 
on  April  22,  1891.  The  children  reflect 
much  credit  upon  the  parents.  jNIr.  Wind- 
sor is  a  stanch  Republican. 


GEORGE  SMITH. 

For  manv  years  George  Smith  has  been 
a  prominent  figure  in  the  annals  of  Reno 
county  and  lias  nided  materially  in  its  de- 
velopment. By  a  life  of  uprightness,  in- 
dustry and  sfjuare  dealing, — a  life  devoted 
to  the  su.pport  of  whatever  is  good  and  true, 
— he  has  won  the  admiration  and  gen- 
uine regard  of  a  large  circle  of  acquaint- 
ances. He  was  born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio, 
on  the  2d  of  May  1834.  His  oaternal  grand- 
father, Jacob  Smith,  was  employed  as  a 
sailor  on  the  ocean  during  his  early  life, 
but  later  he  located  in  Ross  countv.  Ohio, 


where  he  followed  farming  for  a  number 
of  years.  About  1840,  however,  he  re- 
moved from  the  Buckeye  state  to  Indiana, 
taking  up  his  abode  on  a  farm  in  Clinton 
coimty,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  passing  away  in  death  in  1855.  O"^ 
of  his  sons,  Thomas  Smith,  was  a  brave  and 
loyal  soldier  during  the  Mexican  war. 

James  C.  Smith,  the  father  of  him  whose 
name  introduces  this  review,  was  born  and 
reared  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  and  after  at- 
taining tO'  mature  years  he  was  there  em- 
ployed as  a  fuller  in  a  woolen  mill.  Before 
leaving  that  locality  he  was  married  to 
Maria  Thomas,  also  a  native  of  Ross  coun- 
ty. After  the  birth  of  their  second  child 
the  parents  left  their  Ohio  home  and  located 
in  Warren  county,  Indiana,  where  it  was 
Mr.  Smith's  intention  to  devote  his  time  to 
agricultural  pursuits  and  he  accordingly 
rented  a  farm  for  that  purpose.  He  next 
removed  to  Tippecanoe  county,  and  on 
Wea  creek  was  located  a  woolen  mill, 
which  was  owned  and  operated  by  a  Quaker 
named  Andy  Yunts.  The  latter  was  in 
need  of  a  competent  superintendent  to  con- 
duct his  mill,  and  a  former  neighlvir  of  Mv. 
Smith  in  Ross  county,  wlio  had  also  moved 
to  Tippecanoe  county  and  found  employ- 
ment in  the  mill,  told  the  owner  of  Mr. 
Smith's  abifity  in  that  Ijne,  and  he  accord- 
ingly offered  him  a  position,  the  latter  to 
receive  ninety  dolla'-s  a  month  for  six 
months  in  compensation  for  his  services. 
Mr.  Smith  accordingly  hft  Ms  farm  and 
assumed  the  position  of  supermtendent  ni 
the  mill,  which  he  retained  for  se\en  m  ei^lil 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  t'  at  pemul  lu 
removed  t:--  Clinton  count\ .  Indiana,  seciii 
ing  a  farm  in  the  dense  woods,  but  he  ^(^  11 
cleared  a  space  sulficient  to  erect  a  cabin 
home  and  at  once  began  the  arduous  task  of 
placing  his  land  under  cultivation.  In  1850 
he  sold  that  place  and  removed  to  Vermilion 
cornty,  Illinois,  purchasing  a  quarter  sec- 
tion of  land  (-n  the  north  folk  of  Vermilion 
ri\er.  A-^  iIk  Acars  passed  by  he  succeeded 
in  phicing  his  fields  under  a  fine  state  of  cul- 
ti\'ati(in.  and  there  he  made  his  home  until 
his  life's  lal^crs  were  ended  in  death,  passing 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


to  his  final  rest  in  1862.  He  was  survived 
lay  his  widow  for  many  years,  and  her  death 
occurred  at  the  home  of  her  youngest  son 
in  Vermilion  county  in  1880.  Mr.  Smith 
was  a  Whig  in  his  political  views,  and  in 
early  life  he  held  membership  in  the 
United  Brethren  church,  but  later  he  be- 
caine  a  member  of  the  Methodist  denomina- 
tion. Unto  this  worthy  couple  were  born 
eight  children,  namely:  George,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  William,  who  died  in 
Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana ;  Elizabeth,  who 
passed  away  in  Vermilion  county,  Indiana ; 
Eliza,  the  wife  of  John  G.  Brown,  a  shoe- 
maker of  Newport,  Vermilion  county,  In- 
diana; Laura  and  John,  who  died  in  Ver- 
milion county,  Illinois;  ]\Iary,  who  passed 
away  in  Fountain  county,  Indiana;  and 
INIartha,  who  also  died  in  Vermilion  county. 
George  Smith,  of  this  review,  received 
his  early  education  in  the  subscription 
schools  of  Warren,  Tippecanoe  and  Clinton 
counties,  Indiana,  attending  the  primitive 
log  structures  so  common  at  that  early  day, 
which  were  furnished  with  slab  benches  and 
pins  driven  into  the  wall  supported  planks 
for  desks.  Remaining  on  the  home  farm 
with  his  father  until  his  twenty-second  year, 
he  then  began  learning  the  carpenter's  trade 
in  Vermilion  county,  following  that  occu- 
pation until  1862,  but  in  that  year  his  fa- 
ther died  and  ouf  subject  then  returned 
home  and  took  charge  of  the  farm,  remain- 
ing there  until  his  marriage.  Soon  after 
that  event  Mr.  Smith  removed  with  his  wife 
..  to  Vermilion  county,  locating  near  Danville, 
•Cit,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 

P  suits  for  four  years,  and  for  tlie  following 
year  he  made  his  home  on  his  father-in-law's 
place.  For  the  succeeding  sixteen  years  he 
was  engaged  in  operating  the  Collet  farm, 
and  he  then  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  early 
pioneers  of  Reno  county,  Kansas,  securing 
the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
which  he  yet  owns.  At  the  time  of  the  pur- 
chase the  land  was  but  partiallv  improved, 
but  as  the  years  have  passed  by  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  placing  his  fields  under  an  excel- 
lent state  of  cultivation,  and  has  added  many 
improvements,  including  a  commodious  and 
well   built   residence,   a  large  barn  and   all 


other  necessary  buildings,  and  has  also  a 
beautiful  orchard  of  seven  acres.  Mr. 
Smith  follows  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  in  his  pasture  he  annually  keeps 
about  thirty  head  of  a  fine  grade  of  short- 
horn cattle. 

In  1863  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Smith  and  Miss  Armina  Brown.  The  lady 
was  born  on  the  26th  of  December,  1844, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  J.  and  Hanna 
(Wentwood)  Brown,  natives  of  Kentucky. 
From  that  state  they  removed  to  Indiana, 
where  the  father  was  engaged  at  his  trade 
of  shoemaking.  Unto  our  subject  and  his 
wife  have  been  born  six  children :  Frank, 
who  died  in  Valley  township,  Kansas ;  Ed- 
ward, who  also  departed  this  life  in  Valley 
township ;  Flora,  the  wife  of  Walter  G.  Har- 
ris, a  farmer  of  this  localitv;  George,  at 
home ;  Bernie,  who  is  attending  college  at 
Manhattan,  Kansas;  and  one  who  died  in 
Vermilion  county  in  infancy.  Three  years 
ago  Mrs.  Smith  sustained  a  severe  fall, 
which  resulted  in  breaking  her  hip.  and 
since  that  time  she  has  been  almost  an  in- 
valid, but  she  bears  the  affliction  with  re- 
markable courage  and  Christian  fortitude. 
In  his  political  affiliations  our  subject  is 
independent  and  socially  is  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  while 
his  religious  preference  is  indicated  In-  his 
membership  in  the  United  Brethren  church. 
His  many  admirable  qualities  of  heart  and 
mind  have  gained  for  him  a  large  circle  of 
friends,  and  he  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  Reno  countv. 


JOHN   ^I.   YOUNG. 

John  ]\I.  Young,  Letter  known  as  ]Mart 
Young,  is  a  representative  agriculturist  and 
stock  man  of  Ellsworth  county,  now  resid- 
ing on  section  eleven.  Empire  township. 
He  there  owns  four  hundred  and  five  acres 
of  land,  and  the  richly  cultivated  fields  yield 
to  h'm  a  golden  tribrte  while  his  extensive 
stock  interests  also  a  profitable  source  of  in- 
come. He  is  a  southern  man,  possessed  of 
the  enterprising  spirit   which   characterizes 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


83 


this  portion  of  the  country.  His  birth  oc- 
curred in  Bates  county,  Missouri,  November 
7,  1846,  his  parents  being  Daniel  E.  and 
Margaret  (Hornsinger)  Young.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  native  of  Wayne  county,  Ken- 
tucky, and  became  a  pioneer  of  Bates  county, 
Missouri,  where  he  met  and  married  Miss 
Hornsinger,  whose  people  w^ent  to  Missouri 
from  Pennsylvania.  He  became  an  exten- 
sive stock  man  and  farmer  and'  was  engaged  '' 
largely  in  the  breeding  of  horses  and  mules  j 
on  the  Osage  river.  During  the  war  he  had 
to  leave  ]\Iissouri,  owing  to  his  Union  sym- 
pathies, and  for  four  years  he  remained  in 
Illinois,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  farm, 
upon  which  he  spent  the  residue  of  his  days, 
dying  in  1878.  He  was  prominent  in 
the  Republican  party  and  was  a  Baptist  in 
religious  faith.  His  wife  died  when  their 
son  John  was  ten  years  of  age.  They  had 
three  children:  Jacob  F.,  who  is  now  a 
prominent  farmer  of  Greene  county,  Illinois ; 
^ilart:  and  Tabitha  A.,  the  wife  of  George 
W.  Cherry,  of  Howell  county,  Missouri. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  the  father 
was  again  married,  his  second  union,  being 
with  Robinett  Martin,  of  Missouri.  They 
had  seven  children,  but  only  two  are  now 
living,  Xathan  and'  Ingham,  both  of  whom 
are  residents  of  Indian  Territory  and'  with 
them  the  mother  makes  her  home. 

The  days  of  his  minority  J.  Mart  Young 
spent  under  the  parental  roof.  He  acquired 
but  limited  school  privileges,  being  only  able 
to  attend  school  for  about  three  months  in 
the  year,  ^^'hen  he  had  attained  his  major- 
ity he  received  forty  acres  from  his  father's 
estate  and  made  his  home  thereon,  devoting 
his  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits  until 
1868,  when  he  sold  that  property  and  went 
to  Texas,  there  engaging  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness. After  a  year  spent  in  Grayson  county, 
however,  he  returned  to  Missouri  and  rented 
land  in  St.  Clair  county,  where  he  remained 
until  1876,  when  he  came  to  Kansas  with  a 
horse  and  mule  team  and  a  covered  wagon, 
accompanied  on  the  journey  by  his  wife  and 
child.  At  length  they  reached  Smoky  river 
and  ]\Ir.  Young  purchased  railroad  land 
near  Venango,  securing  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  section  thirty-five.      He  built  a   log 


house,  sixteen  by  fourteen  feet,  dug  a  well 
and  broke  thirty  acres  of  land,  planting  a 
crop  of  wheat  the  same  year.  Soon  after- 
ward, however,  he  had  to  abandon  this  place, 
for  the  season  was  a  hard  one  and  the  crops 
produced  were  very  small.  Removing  eight 
miles  west,  he  located  on  section  twenty- 
two.  Empire  township,  EllsAvorth  county,  on 
Thompson  creek.  It  was  a  squatter's  claim, 
for  which  he  traded  a  young  team  and 
wagon.  About  forty  acres  of  the  land  had 
been  broken,  and  with  characteristic  energy 
he  continued  its  further  development  and 
improvement,  remaining  thereon  for  eight 
years,  during  which  time  he  added  another 
quarter  section.  He  broke  all  of  the  tillable 
land,  made  excellent  improvements  and  in 
connection  with  the  raising  of  grain  was 
quite  extensively  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness, keeping  as  many  as  four  hundred  head 
of  cattle,  which  grazed  on  the  rich  pasture 
lands.  The  ranch  of  Captain  Millett  ad- 
joins Mr.  Young's  farm,  and  the  latter  did 
considerable  work  for  the  Captain,  the 
money  thus  earned  aiding  him  to  carry  on 
the  work  of  improvement  in  his  own  fields. 
He  did  more  or  less  work  for  the  Captain 
for  fourteen  years  and  their  dealings  were 
always  of  the  most  pleasant  character,  Mr. 
Young  ever  retaining  the  highest  regard  for 
the  worthy  Captain,  who  afterward  sufi^ered 
such  heavy  losses  here.  After  the  failure 
of  Captain  Millett,  Mr.  Young  went  to  Colo- 
rado and  spent  one  year  in  the  employ  of 
D.  B.  Powers,  one  of  the  first  as  well  as  one 
of  the  most  exteijsive  cattle  men  of  Kansas. 
While  in  that  state  his  family  remained  upon 
the  home  place  in  order  to  care  for  the  prop- 
erty. After  his  return  Mr.  Young  contin- 
ued the  development  of  his  homestead,  there 
engaging  in  farming  and  stock-raising  until 
1898,  when  he  disposed  of  his  land  and  pur- 
chased his  present  home  on  section  11, 
township  16,  range  8.  This  was  formerly  a 
well  known  sheep  ranch  and  prior  to  that 
was  part  of  the  old  Fort  Harker  reservation. 
Mr.  Young  has  added  excellent  improve- 
ments to  the  place  and  now  has  a  good  home, 
supplied  with  substantial  buildings  and 
equipped  with  all  modern  accessories  and 
conveniences  for  facilitating  farm  work  and 


84 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


making  it  profitable.  He  handles  from  three 
ti )  four  hundred  head  of  cattle  each  year  and 
has  an  excellent  reputation  as  a  reliable 
stock  dealer. 

In  Alarch,  1866,  occurred  the  marriage 
of  Air.  Young  and  Miss  Samantha  Fer- 
guson, a  native  of  Cedar  county,  Missouri, 
and  a  daughter  of  Judge  John  and  Eme- 
line  (Patterson)  Ferguson,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Virginia.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Airs.  Young  have  been  born  two  children: 
Alaggie,  the  wife  of  Fred  Baker,  of  Ells- 
worth county,  and  Ella,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  two  years.  They  also'  have  an  adopted 
son.  Bruce  Powers,  who  came  to  them  when 
three  years  of  age  and  now  assists  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  home  place.  In  his  politi- 
cal views  Mr.  Young  is  a  Republican,  and 
for  eight  years  he  served  on  the  school  board 
in  his  ofd  neighborhood  and  has  occupied  a 
similar  position  since  coming  to  his  present 
home.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  Charity 
Lodge.  No.  109,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  also  be- 
longs to  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah.  Com- 
ing to  Kansas  in  pioneer  days,  he  has 
watched  with  interest  through  the  passing 
years  its  development  and  progress  and  has 
borne  his  part  in  its  substantial  upbuilding. 
He  is  known  as  one  of  its  reliable  and  pro- 
gressive citizens  and  a  man  whose  example 
is  well  worthv  of  anulation. 


S.  C.  MILLIGAN. 

There  has  been  no  more  valuable  or  im- 
portant element  in  our  national  citizenship 
than  that  furnished  by  Ireland.  From  the 
green  island  of  Erin  have  come  men  of 
versatility  and  determination,  ready  and 
willing  to  take  up  any  honorable  occupation 
that  would  yield  success  and  provide  a  com- 
fortable living  for  themselves  and  their  fam- 
ilies. Of  such  a  nationality  came  the  an- 
cestors of  our  subject.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents, Mr.  and  Airs.  Robert  Milligan, 
cri  -seil  the  Atlantic  from  Ireland,  locating 
in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  and  thence  re- 
moving to  Guernsey  county,  where  they 
spent  their  remaining  days.     At  the  time  of 


their  emigration  their  son  Thomas  was  but 
a  youth.  He  was  born  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  Emerald  isle  and  in  the  Buckeye  state 
was  reared  to  farm  life.  Ha\-ing  arrived  at 
years  of  maturity  he  wedded  Alary  Camp- 
bell, who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of 
Scotch-Irish  parentage,  her  father  and 
mother  having  been  natives  of  northern  Ire- 
land, whence  they  came  to  the  United  States, 
spending  their  remaining  days  in  Ohio.  The 
following  children  were  born  unto  Thomas 
and  Alary  Alilligan :  Robert  H. ;  Jane ; 
Joseph,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war ; 
Nancy  Isabelle :  Thomas  Clark :  Sylvanus  ; 
Calvin ;  Eliza  K. ;  and  William  C.  The  fa- 
ther died  in  Ohio  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years.  Throughout  his  business  career  he 
had  carried  on  farming  and  was  known  for 
his  sterling  honesty  and  many  excellent 
characteristics.        In  his  political  views  he 

[  was  a  stanch  Republican,  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  were  devoted  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  Airs.  Milligan  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  eighty  yfars,  but  her 
memory  was  long  afterwarcl  enshrined  in 
the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  her. 

S.  C.  Alilligan,  whose  name  introduces 
this  record,  spent  his  youth  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  where  his 
birth  occurred  on  the  2nd  of  January, 
1848.  His  childhood  days  were  passed  in 
the  usual  manner  of  lads  of  that  period,  the 
duties  of  the  school-room  and  the  pleasures 
of  the  play-ground  claiming  his  attentii'n. 
while  during  the  summer  months  he  worked 
in  the  fields  from  the  time  he  was  old  enough 
to  handle  the  plow.  He  was  married  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  to  Aliss  Elizabeth  Con- 

I  nell,  and  since  that  t'vre  she  has  been  an 
able  helpmate  to  him  on  life's  journey.  She 
was  a  native  of  Columbiana  county,  Ohio, 
where  she  was  reared  and  educated.     Her 

.  parents,  Alexander  and  Alary  Jane  Connell, 
were  residents  of  East  Liverpool,  Ohio.  The 
mother  passed  away  on  February  4,  1902, 
and  her  husband  followed  her  fifteen  hours 
later,  she  being  eighty-eight  years  of  age, 
while  he  was  in  his  ninetieth  year.  The  fol- 
lowing children  have  been  born  to  Air.  and 
Airs.  Alilligan,  namely:  Airs.  Ella  R.  Bone, 
of  ^^■hite  township,  Kingman  county;  Em- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


85 


ory  C,  who  lives  in  the  same  township; 
]\Iary  Anima  Hemphill,  of  Kingman  coun- 
ty; Anna  Pearl,  who  has  been  one  of  the 
successful  and  popular  teachers  of  this  local- 
ity from  the  age  of  sixteen  years;  and 
Harry  C,  who  completes  the  family. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Milligan  contin- 
ued his  residence  in  Ohio  until  1885,  when 
he  came  to  the  Sunflower  state,  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
on  section  9,  White  township,  Kinginan 
county,  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  built 
a  little  house,  fourteen  by  twenty  feet,  but 
this  has  since  been  replaced  by  a  commodi- 
ous residence,  tastefully  furnished,  and  is 
surrounnded  by  a  good  lawn  adorned  with 
shade-trees,  an  orchard  yields  its  fruit  in 
season  and  annually  the  fields  return  a 
golden  harvest  for  the  care  and  labor  that 
have  been  bestowed  upon  them.  By  addi- 
tional purchases  Mr.  IMilligan  has  extended 
the  boundaries  of  his  farm  until  it  now  com- 
prises two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  val- 
uable land.  The  farm  is  well  supplied  with 
the  many  improvements  that  go  to  facilitate 
agricultural  work  in  the  twentieth  century, 
and  this  property  is  a  visible  evidence  of  the 
enterprise  and  the  thrift  of  the  owner.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Milligan  is  an  advo- 
cate of  Republican  principles,  and  has  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  belongs  to  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  of  Pretty  Prai- 
rie, and  his  wife  and  two  of  the  children  are 
identified  with  the  same  denomination,  while 
the  other  children  belong  to  the  United 
Brethren  church.  Theirs  is  a  Christian  fam- 
ily, in  which  high  principles  permeate  the 
conduct  of  the  members  of  the  household, 
and  throughout  the  community  they  are  held 
in  high  regard. 


C.  C.  WHITE. 


C.  C.  White  is  one  of  the  well  known 
early  settlers  of  Rice  county  who  secured  a 
homestead  here  in  1872  and  has  since  been 
acti\-ely  associated  with  the  progress  of  this 
portion  of  the  Sunflower  state.  He  was 
born     in  Polk  countv,  ^Missouri,  December 


30,  1849,  ^"d  is  a  son  of  Captain  William 
White,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Ohio.  The 
grandfather,  James  A\'hite,  was  a  native  of 
New  England,  but  removed  to  the  Buckeye 
state  at  an  early  period  in  its  development, 
and  there  the  Captain  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated, subsequently  removing  westward  to 
Missouri.  At  the  time  of  the  Mexican  war 
he  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  regiment  com- 
manded liy  ("dlonel  Price,  afterward  the 
noteil  RelicI  ( ieneral  Price,  of  the  Civil  war. 
In  1S40  Captain  White  crossed  the  plains 
and  ser\ed  under  General  Fremont  in  th.e 
western  district,  remaining  a  member  of  the 
United  States  army  in  active  service  against 
the  Indians  upon  the  frontier.  His  gallantry 
and  bravery  won  him  promotion  to  the  rank 
of  captain  in  a  Missouri,  company.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  Union  army  during  the  war  of 
the  rebellion,  he  was  captured  at  Sjiringfield, 
Missouri,  and  rnic  nf  the  guards  placed  over 
him  \\a->  liis  own  liruther,  who  was  then  a 
member  of  the  Reljel  army!  Captain  White 
made  a  most  brilliant  record  as  a  brave  and 
loyal  soldier  and  a  gallant  officer,  and  his 
own  valor  often  inspired  his  men  to  deeds 
of  bravery.  He  has  indeed  a  brilliant  mili- 
tary record,  for  in  the  Mexican  war,  upon 
the  plains  of  the  west  and  as  a  defender  of 
the  Union  he  aided  his  country.  He  now  re- 
sides at  Halstead,  Harvey  county,  Kansas. 
He  married  Emma  E.  High,  who  was  born 
in  Tennessee  and  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Polk  county,  Missouri.  Tliey  became  the 
parents  of  the  following  children:  C.  C, 
of  this  review :  Sumner,  who  is  living  in 
Halstead.  Kansas:  ^^'illiam,  deceased;  Mrs. 
Fanny  Wonds,  of  Rice  county;  Joseph,  who 
is  living  in  Virg'inia ;  Mrs.  Ida  Lehman,  of 
Halstead,  Kansas;  Mrs.  Rose  Chapin,  who 
died  in  Halstead;  Mrs.  Hattie  Southard,  of 
Redlands,  California.  The  father  of  this 
family  was  a  wool  carder  by  trade  and  after- 
ward de\'Oted  his  energies  to  farming  when 
not  engaged  in  military  service  in  behalf  of 
his  country.  He  is  now  living  retired  at  his 
pleasant  home  in  Halstead,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six  years.  His  wife  passed  aAvay  in 
the  winter  of  1900.  and  her  loss  was  mourned 
by  many  friends,  for  she  had'  manty  esti- 
mable equalities  which  won  her  high  regard. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


C.  C.  White  of  this  review  was  reared  in 
]\Iontgomery  county,  Ihinois,  and  acquired 
a  good  education,  which  has  been  supple- 
mented by  the  knowledge  gained  by  travel. 
He  has  visited  almost  every  state  in  the 
Union,  and  is  thus  familiar  with  his  native 
land.  In  1872  he  came  to  Rice  county,  Kan- 
sas, and  took  a  homestead  claim.  During 
the  first  season  after  his  arrival  he  worked' 
on  the  railroad.  Upon  his  farm  he  built  a 
stone  house  and  dugout  and  lived  alone  for 
a  time.  During  the  greater  part  of  the  year 
he  engaged  in  hunting  bufifaloes  through- 
out central  Kansas,  selling  the  hides,  which 
brought  him  a  good  return.  Large  herds 
of  those  animals  were  seen  in  central  Kan- 
sas, sometimes  a  thousand  being  seen  in  one 
drove.  For  three  3'ears  Mr.  White  contin- 
ued hunting  and  thus  gained  a  good  living. 
He  afterward  turned  his  attention  to  the 
development  of  his  farm  and  erected  thereon 
a  rock  and  frame  residence,  which  stands 
upon  a  natural  building  site  and  c'ommands 
a  fine  view  of  the  river  and  surrounding 
prairie.  None  of  the  equipments  of  a  model 
farm  are  lacking.  A  fine  orchard  of  twenty 
acres  yields  its  fruits  in  season.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  development  of  the  fields  he  is 
operating  a  quarry,  selling  much  rock.  It  is 
this  which  has  given  the  name  of  White 
Rock  Farm  to  his  place. 

In  1875  Mr.  White  returned  to  the  east 
and  was  there  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
^lartha  A.  Kellar,  who  was  born  in  Ma- 
coupin county,  Illinois,  and  was  educated  in 
Litchfield,  that  state.  Her  father  was  the 
Rev.  J.  W.  Kellar,  who  for  fifty  years  was  a 
minister  of  the  Christian  church,  a  most  act- 
ive and  zealous  worker  in  the  cause  of  the 
■Master.  He  died  at  Mt.  Rose,  Missouri,  in 
1898,  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Sarah  Kellar  also 
passed  away  in  that  state.  Unto  our  sub- 
ject and  his  wife  have  been  born  four  chil- 
dren :  Walter,  whose  birth  occurred  April 
I,  1876;  Laura,  who  married  Menno  Slo- 
bach  of  McPherson  county,  Kansas;  and 
Ida.  Tliey  also  lost  one  child  in  infancy. 
Mr.  White  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
views,  and  for  twenty  years  he  has  served 
on  the  school  board.  A  man  of  intelligence, 
he  keeps  well  informed  on  the  general  is- 


sues and  questions  of  the  day  and  is  able  to 
suport  his  political  position  by  strong 
argument.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church,  and  he  advances  every 
measure  for  the  uplifting  of  his  fellow  men 
and  the  advancement  of  the  best  interests 
of  his  community  along  lines  of  intellectual, 
moral  and  material  progress. 


JOHN  D.   FORSYTH. 

The  record  of  Mr.  Forsyth  is  that  of  a 
man  who  has  worked  his  way  upward  to  a 
position  among  the  substantial  men  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives.  His  life  has 
been  one  of  industry  and  perseverance,  and 
the  systematic  and  honorable  methods  he 
has  followed  have  won  him  the  support  and 
confidence  of  many.  He  was  born  in  De- 
catur county,  Indiana,  on  the  14th  of  July, 
1837.  His  father,  John  S.  Forsyth,  was  a 
native  of  the  old  Bluegrass  state,  his  birth 
occurring  in  Louisville,  on  the  6th  of  Au- 
gust, 1796.  In  an  early  day  he  removed  to 
Indiana,  locating  first  in  Decatur  county  and 
afterward  in  Boone  county,  where  he  held 
the  office  of  sheriff  for  four  j-ears.  In  the 
fall  of  1844  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Marion, 
Linn  county,  Iowa,  where  he  made  his  home 
for  two  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which 
period  he  removed  to  Vinton,  Benton  coun- 
ty, that  state.  In  the  latter  place  he  served 
as  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  years, 
and  for  a  period  of  four  years  was  also  a 
county  judge.  The  death  of  his  wife  there 
occurred  in  1850,  and  in  1876  he  came  tii 
the  Sunflower  state,  locating  in  Sumner 
county.  Mr.  Forsyth  was  a  stone  mason 
by  trade,  but  after  the  birth  of  our  subject 
he  did  not  follow  that  calling.  In  politics 
he  was  first  a  Whig,  and  after  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Republican  party  he  joined  its 
ranks.  He  became  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church  in  his  later  years,  and  was  an 
active  worker  in  the  cause  of  religion  and 
temperance.  In  his  social  relations  he  was 
connected  with  the  Good  Templars. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Forsyth  was  cele- 
brated in  Kentucky,  when  Miss  Jane  ]\Ic- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


87 


Coy  became  his  wife.  She  was  born  in  that 
commonwealth,  and  her  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Scotland.  The  parents  of  Mr. 
Fors}-th  were  born  in  Ireland.  Unto  John 
S.  and  Jane  (McCoy)  Forsyth  were  born 
the  following  children :  Edwin  P.,  who 
was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Atlanta,  July  22, 
1864,  while  serving  in  the  Thirteenth  Iowa, 
his  enlistment  having  occurred  in  1861,  and 
he  had  veteranized  before  his  death ;  Ana- 
zett,  who  died  in  Wellington,  Kansas ;  Rob- 
ert 'SI.,  a  retired  carpenter  of  Wellington, 
having  reached  the  age  of  eighty-two  years; 
Mary  Ann,  who  died  in  Benton  county, 
Iowa ;  Martha  Jane,  a  twin  of  Nancy  Ellen, 
who  died  in  Wellington,  Kansas;  Nancy 
Ellen,  wife  of  J.  S.  Epperson;  David  M., 
who  died  in  Wisconsin ;  Christina,  who  also 
passed  away  in  that  state ;  John  ~D.,  the  sub-  ' 
ject  of  this  review;  and  Lucretia,  the  wife 
of  S.  B.  Jones,  who  resides  near.  Hennes-  1 
se}-,  Oklahoma. 

John  D.  Forsyth  was  only  thirteen  years 
of  age  when  his  mother  died,  and  for  a  time 
thereafter  he  made  his  home  with  his  broth- 
er-in-law. When  about  seventeen  or 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  began  learning  the 
carpenter's  trade,  working  first  with  Mr. 
Douglas,  a  prominent  contractor  of  that 
vicinity,  and  was  afterward  with  his  broth- 
er, who  was  also  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Dur- 
ing his  youth  he  received  but  meager  edu- 
cational advantages,  having  only  attended 
school  a  short  time  in  Benton  county,  Iowa. 
On  the  27th  of  March,  1859,  in  that  county, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lucinda  M. 
Jones,  a  native  of  Indiana  and  of  Welsh 
and  German  descent.  She. was  a  daughter 
of  Hugh  B.  and  Mary  (Douglas)  Jones. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Forsyth  temporarily 
abandoned  his  trade,  and  from  that  time 
until  1861  was  engaged,  in  farming.  On 
the  7th  of  August  of  the  latter  year  he  en- 
listed for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  joining 
Company  D,  Eighth  Iowa  Infantry,  and  was 
first  sent  to  Springfield,  Missouri,  thence  to 
Sedalia,  and  from  there  to  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, participating  in  the  battle  of  that  city, 
where  he  was  under  command  of  General 
Lew  Wallace.     A  part  of  ^\'allace■s  com- 


mand was  sent  to  the  assistance  of  General 
Prentice,  who  was  being  severely  handled, 
and  with  others  our  subject  was  captured 
while  holding  out  against  overwhelming 
odds.  He  was  taken  to  Tuscaloosa,  Ala- 
bama, where  he  was  .incarcerated  for  ten 
months,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period 
he  was  paroled.  In  the  fall  of  1862  he  was 
exchanged  and  participated  in  the  Vicks- 
burg  campaign,  also  in  the  battles  of  Ray- 
mond and  Jackson,  Alississippi,  and  on  the 
22d  of  May,  1862,  he  was  in  charge  of  the 
rebel  works  at  Vicksburg,  where  he  lay  in 
the  trenches  for  thirty-two  days,  acting  as  a 
sharpshooter.  After  the  surrender  of  that 
city  he  was  sent  to  Black  River,  thence  to 
Jackson,  Mississippi,  participating  in  the 
siege  and  capture  of  that  city,  and  afterward 
was  in  the  battle  of  Brandon,  ^ilississippi. 
Returning  to  Vicksburg,  he  was  sent  from 
there  to  Memphis,  thence  to  Pocahontas, 
and  on  the  ist  of  January,  1864,  veteran- 
ized and  was  again  sent  to  Vicksburg.  At 
this  time  Sherman  had  returned  from  his 
memorable  march  to  the  sea,  and  with  others 
Mr.  Forsyth  was  given  a  thirtv  davs'  fur- 
lough and  returned  to  his  home.  After  his 
leave  of  absence  had  expired  he  went  to 
Memphis,  where  he  was  engaged  in  doing 
patrol  duty  for  ten  months,  after  which  he 
joined  Canby  at  New  Orleans  and  was  with 
him  on  his  great  expedition  against  Mobile. 
After  participating  in  the  capture  of  Span- 
ish Fort  and  Fort  Blakely.  ^Lv.  Fursvth 
was  transferred  to  Canby's  headquarters  as 
a  guard,  where  he  remained  until  August, 
1865,  and  then  joined  his  regiment  at  I\Iont- 
gomery,  Alabama,  where  he  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  first  sergeant.  At  that 
place  he  was  given  charge  of  the  jail.  Again 
receiving  a  thirty  days'  furlough  he  went  to 
Davenport  and  from  there  to  his  home, 
where  he  remained  until  he  received  a  letter 
to  rejoin  his  regiment  at  Tuskegee,  Ala- 
bama, and  from  that  point  was  sent  to  Sel- 
ma,  there  remaining  until  1866.  At  Selma 
he  was  given  charge  of  the  government  sta- 
bles, and  at  that  place  he  was  mustered  out 
of  senice  on  the  20th  of  April,  186G,  with 
the  i-ank  of  sergeant  and  with  a  record  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


nine  hard-fought  battles,  tlhrty-two  days 
under  hre  at  Vicksburg  and  thirteen  days 
under  fire  at  Jackson,  ^lississippi.  During 
his  Ci.tire  military  career  he  was  never 
wounded. 

After  hostilities  had  ceased  'Mr.  For- 
syth returned  to  his  home  at  Vintcn,  Iowa, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits until  1878,  and  in  that  year,  in  com- 
pany with  his  wife  and  six  children,  he  made 
the  journey  with  a  team  and  wagon  to  Kan- 
sas, locating  in  Sumner  county.  He  spent 
seventeen  years  in  that  locality,  during 
which  time  he  followed  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  was  several  times  honored  with 
positions  of  public  trust  and  responsibility, 
having  for  two  years  served  as  deputy  sher- 
iff, one  year  as  city  marshal  and  two  years 
as  constable.  While  there  residing,  on  the 
7th  of  May,  1894,  he  was  called  upon  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  and  in  tlie  fol- 
lowing year  he  removed  to  Kansas  City, 
where  he  followed  his  trade  for  one  year. 
In  Lawrence,  Kansas,  he  was  a  second  time 
married,  choosing  for  his  wife  Carrie  L. 
Larry,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  and  was  S 
dress-maker  by  trade.  Soon  after  his  mai- 
riage  Mr.  Forsyth  removed  to  Hutchinson, 
where  his  wife  owned  the  property  in  which 
they  now  reside,  and  he  sold  his  property  in 
Wellington.  They  have  a  commodious  and 
attractive  residence  here,  surrounded  by 
beautiful  and  well  kept  grounds. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has 
been  blessed  with  six  children,  as  follows : 
Olive,  wife  of  T.  T.  Robinson,  of  Kansas 
City ;  Christina,  wife  of  Frank  E.  Phelps,  a 
prominent  farmer  of  \\'ewoka,  Indian  Ter- 
ritory ;  Grace,  wife  of  E.  R.  Deyo,  a  plum- 
ber of  Wellington,  Kansas;  Marion  E.,  a 
cigar  manufacturer  of  Newton,  this  state; 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  W.  H.  Hart,  a  machinist 
of  Ottawa ;  and  Nellie,  wife  of  Henry  Fehr. 
a  miner  of  Leadville,  Colorado.  Mr.  For- 
syth is  a  life-long  Republican,  and  in  his 
social  relations  is  a  member  of  Joe  Hooker 
Post,  No.  17,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which  he  served 
for  one  year  as  chaplain.  He  is  one  of  the 
leading  and  substantial  business  men  of 
Hutchinson,  and  many  of  its  finest  public 
buildings  stand  as  monuments  to  his  thrift 


and  ability,  including  the  new  opera-house. 
A  man  of  reliability,  lie  is  held  in  the  highest 
confidence  and  esteem  by  his  fellow  citizens. 


INSLEY  L.  DAYHOFF. 

Few  public  officials  in  the  state  of  Kan- 
sas have  displayed  more  enthusiasm,  com- 
bined with  energy,  than  has  Insley  L.  Day- 
hoff,  the  popular  and  efficient  superintendent 
of  the  Reno  county  schools.  Although  young 
in  years  he  is  a  man  of  erudition,  ambition 
and  business  ability  and  the  educational  in- 
terests of  Reno  county  are  in  competent 
hands. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Dayhoff  occurred  near 
Worthington,  Greene  county,  Indiana,  on 
October  17,  1867.  The  family  is  an  old  and 
numerous  one,  eleven  brothers  having  emi- 
grated to  America  from  the  province  of 
Hofif,  Germany,  but  are  now  scattered  over 
the  United  States,  many  of  its  members  fill- 
ing positions  of  prominence.  It  has  always 
been  a  family  noted  for  its  longevity  also, 
there  being  no  record  of  any  male  member 
of  it  dying  before  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years,  while  in  occasional  instances  they  have 
reached  and  rounded  out  a  century. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  George 
W.  Dayhoff,  who  was  born  in  Indiana  and 
began  the  study  of  medicine,  his  education, 
however,  being  interrupted  by  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  war.  He  ser\'ed  with  marked 
distinction  during  the  entire  period  of  that 
desperate  struggle,  having  been  in  over  sixty 
battles  and  skirmishes,  often  times  in  the 
thickest  of  the  battle.  After  serving  his 
country  well  he  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge after  the  "Grand  Review"  at  Wash- 
ington. After  returning  home  from  the  war 
he  settled  down  on  the  farmi  near  the  old 
Scaffold  Prairie  homestead,  near  Worthing- 
ton, Indiana.  There  he  lived  until  1S87, 
when  he  moved  to  Kansas.  In  1863  he  was 
married  to  Mary  Amanda  Johnston,  at 
Worthington.  Four  children  were  born  of 
this  union  that  are  now  living:  Insley  L., 
EHa  ]M.,  Tames  Emmett  and  Lenora  M.     In 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


89 


1876  his  first  wife  died,  and  since  that  time 
he  was  remarried  and  is  now  Hving  at 
Hondo,  Texas. 

The  boyhood  and  early, youth  of  our  sub- 
ject were  passed  in  Worthington,  where  he 
graduated  from  the  common  school  course 
into  the  high  school,  and  later  became  a  stu- 
dent in  the  Bloomfield  Normal  school,  in 
Greene  county.  From  there  he  went  to  De 
Pauw  University,  and  still  later  to  the  Kan- 
sas State  Normal  school,  at  Emporia.  While 
this  closed  his  scholastic  career,  it  by  no 
means  completed  his  studies,  for  while  Mr. 
Dayhoff  has  enriched  his  mind  far  beyond 
the  average,  he  is  of  a  class  whose  ambition 
will  continue  to  ever  inspire  him  to  efforts 
for  higher  culture.  Prior  to  removing  from 
Indiana  he  began  what  has  since  become  a 
life  work,  teaching  his  first  school  in  his  na- 
tive state.  On  March  9,  1887,  he  reached 
Hutchinson,  Kansas,  and  immediately 
ranged  himself  with  the  state  educators, 
teaching  tw-o  temis  in  Langdon  and  three  in 
Plevna,  displaying  such  ability  that  in  1896 
he  was  made  county  superintendent,  and  he 
has  had  the  honor  of  a  third  consecutive  elec- 
tion, this  being  an  unusual  occurrence.  With 
characteristic  determination  he  immediately 
began  his  onerous  duties,  which  in  this  coun- 
ty are  exceptionally  hard,  there  being  one 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  districts  and  one 
hundred  and  seventy-four  schools  outside  of 
the  city  schools.  One  hundred  and  seventy- 
tmir  teachers  come  under  his  supervision, 
>ixty-seven  of  these  being  males  and  the 
(jther  sex  numbering  one  hundred  anxl  seven, 
the  salaries  ranging  from  thirty-five  to  sixty 
dollars  a  month,  aggregating  from  sixty-two 
to  sixty-three  thousand  dollars.  With  the 
oth^r  necessary  outlay,  the  county  expends 
on  her  schools  the  sum  of  ninety-five  thou- 
sand dollars. 

To  visit  these  schools,  as  the  law  directs, 
once  every  six  months,  compels  much  driv- 
ing and  in  this  work  alone  the  conscientious 
superintendent  covers  over  four  thousand 
miles,  aside  from  trips  on  the  railroad.  Mr. 
Dayhoff  keeps  one  hundred  and  seventy-four 
reports,  and  the  proper  keeping  of  these  and 
the  selection  of  teachers,  with  its  attendant 


social  and  business  features,  rec[uires  not 
only  a  great  deal  of  physical  but  also  mental 
strain.  When  the  reports  of  the  entire  num- 
ber of  people  connected  with  this  office  are 
taken  into  consideration,  it  will  give  some 
idea  of  the  duties  of  the  office  of  county  su- 
perintendent in  this  state,  as  beside  the  num- 
ber of  teachers,  there  are  four  hundred  and 
eighty  school  offices,  and  all  of  the  justices 
of  the  peace  report  here  as  well.  Since  tak- 
ing charge  of  this  office  hehas  organized  and 
reorganized  almost  every  department,  and 
now  has  all  of  the  schools  properly  graded 
and  has  had  the  satisfaction  of  graduating 
three  hundred  and  fifty-four  pupils.  He  has 
established  the  system  of  association  work 
and  has  advanced  the  standard  of  teachers' 
examinations,  resulting  in  a  higher  grade  of 
work  given  and  required.  Mr.  Dayhoff  has 
had  his  heart  in  this  work  and  has  untir- 
ingly pushed  it  to  its  present  stage,  finding 
reward  in  the  appreciation  of  his  patrons. 

Mr.  Dayhoff  has  always  been  identified 
with  the  Republican  party  and  has  been  one 
of  the  active  workers  fur  its  success.  He  has 
been  one  of  the  delegates  t<>  the  various  con- 
ventions and  as  he  is  gifted  in  oratory  and  is 
always  thoroughly  posted  in  regard  to  all 
issues,  he  is  in  great  demand  as  a  public 
speaker.  In  the  matter  of  his  own  election, 
it  has  been  a  source  of  gratification  to  him 
that  his  elections  have  been  accomplished 
with  increased  majorities,  the  first  resulting 
in  a  majority  of  three  hundred  and  se^■enty- 
six,  the  second  by  five  hundred  and  eighty, 
and  the  third  by  nine  hundred  and  fifty-six. 
The  only  one  in  this  last  election  w'ho  re- 
ceived a  greater  number  of  votes  was  the 
well  known  Judge  Campbell. 

On  February  7,  1890,  Mr.  Dayhoff"  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  A.  M.  Bordeaux, 
a  daughter  of  R.  D.  Bordeaux,  formerly  of 
this  city  but  now  a  resident  of  Wichita,  and 
the  three  children  born  to  this  union  are: 
Lamar,  Don  Richard,  and  Helen  Mossman. 
The  religious  connection  of  the  family  is 
with  the  :Methodist  church.  Socially  'Mr. 
Daylioff'  belongs  to  the  iModern  Woodmen, 
the  Odd  Fellows,  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  the 
Commercial  Club  and  the  Park  .\ssociation. 


•90 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


He  has  also  been  the  president  of  the  Central 
Kansas  State  Teachers'  Association,  and  for 
the  past  fi\'e  years  has  had'  a  place  on  the 
state  association  program.  A  man  of  read- 
ing, travel,  culture  and  high  attainment,  his 
life  is  a  strenuous  one,  given  to  the  advance- 
ment and  prosperity  of  his  adopted  state. 


JOHN  H.  STOCKWELL. 

John  H.  Stockwell,  who  has  passed  the 
seventieth  milestone  on  the  journey  of  life, 
is  now  an  honored  and  respected  resident  of 
Rice  county,  Kansas.  A  native  of  the  Em- 
pire state,  he  was  born  in  Chenango  county, 
August  24,  1830,  a  son  of  Reuben  Stock- 
well,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut.  He  died 
when  our  subject  was  but  sixteen  months 
old,  and  his  wife,  who  waS'  in  her  maiden- 
hood a  Miss  Doran,  was  again  married,  and 
her  death  occurred  in  1844. 

John  H.  Stockwell,  the  subject  of  this 
review,  was  reared  on  his  brother-in-law's 
farm  in  Ohio  from  the  age  of  ten  years. 
In  the  autumn  of  1861,  he  enlisted  for  ser- 
vice in  the  Civil  war,  becoming  a  member  of 
the  Third  Ohio  Infantry,  in  which  he  served 
fcr  three  years,  when  he  was  discharged  on 
account  of  disability.  After  regaining  his 
health  he  re-enlisted  for  service,  in  1865,  en- 
tering the  Eleventh  Michigan  Infantry,  in 
which  he  remained  until  the  close  of  hostili- 
ties. He  was  a  brave  and  gallant  soldier,, 
and  his  war  record  is  one  of  which  he  has 
every  reason  to  be  proud.  In  1853  Mr. 
Stockwell  was  married,  and  later,  in  1864, 
he  located  with  his  family  in  southern  Mich- 
igan. In  1878  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Rush 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  remained  for  live 
years,  and  then  located  in  Rice  county.  After 
spending  a  few  months  in  that  locality  they 
came  to  the  city  of  Sterling,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  Fourteen  years  ago, 
on  the  9th  of  September,  1886,  he  was 
stricken  with  paralysis,  and  this  caused  him 
to  lose  his  hearing  and  his  speech,  but  since 
that  time  he  has  been  free  from  chronic 
diarrhoea,  with  which  he  was  troubled  for 
years.  His  illness  has  been  a  long  and  ter- 
rible affliction  to  him   and  to  his   faithful 


wife,  who  has  been  closely  confined  to  his 
care  for  the  past  fourteen  years.  They  have 
learned  the  mute  language  and  are  now  able 
to  converse  rapidly  and  intelligently.  He  is 
also  unable  to  walk  and  has  to  be  assisted 
from  his  bed  to  a  locomotive  chair,  in  which 
he  wheels  himself  about  the  house  and  on 
the  streets.  He  now  receives  a  pension  of 
seventy-two  dollars  a  month. 

In  Williams  county,  Ohio,  on  the  2d  of 
January,  1853,  Mr.  Stockwell  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Lydia  P.  Palmer,  who 
was  born  in  Jefiferson  county,  New  York. 
By  the  death  of  her  mother  she  was  left  an 
orphan  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  years, 
and  from  that  time  until  her  marriage  she 
was  obliged  to  make  her  own  way  in  the 
world.  She  has  indeed  proved  to  her  hus- 
band a  true  and  loving  companion  for  the 
journey  of  life.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  eleven  children,  eight  of  whom 
grew  to  years  of  maturity  and  are  still  liv- 
ing. They  also  have  twenty-three  grand- 
children and  four  great-grandchildren.  Mr. 
and  ]\Irs.  Stockwell  are  zealous  members  of 
the  United  Brethren  church,  and  socially  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public. His  political  support  is  given  to  the 
Republican  party.  He  has  ever  borne  his 
sufferings  with  Christian  fortitude,  and  his 
life  is  a  beautiful  example  of  patience  and 
perseverance. 


JOSEPH  E.  PARK. 

\\'idely  known  in  Rice  county  and  In 
other  portions  of  central  Kansas,  Joseph 
Ebenezer  Park  well  deserves  mention  among 
the  leading  representatives  of  agricultural 
interests  in  this  portion  of  the  state.  He  was 
born  in  Ford  county.  Illinois,  January  31, 
1863.  His  father,  Thomas  Park,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Jefferson  county,  Indiana,  born  in 
18 19,  and  the  family  is  of  Scotch  descent, 
the  grandfather.  William  Park,  having  come 
from  Scotland  to  America.  By  trade  he 
was  a  stone  mason  and  followed  that  pur- 
suit for  some  time  but  afterward  turned  his 
attention  to  farming.  In  his  native  land  he 
married   Jane   Anderson,    and    in    1821    he 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


crossed  the  Atlantic  bringing  with  him  his 
wife  and  two  children.  They  were  then  in 
moderate  circumstances.  He  l«  Unwed  his 
trade  until  his  sons  were  grown  and  then 
cleared  and  improved  a  farm  in  the  midst  of 
the  dense  forest.  He  had  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  became  well-to-do,  but  his 
children  started'  out  upon  business  careers 
for  themselves  without  his  financial  aid. 
They  had  seven  sons  and  two  daughters  and 
all  married  with  the  exception  of  the  young- 
est son.  Three  of  the  sons  settled  in  Jeffer- 
son county,  Indiana ;  one  daughter  became  a 
resident  of  Atchison  county,  Kansas,  and 
Thomas  also  came  to  Kansas.  One  daugh- 
ter is  now  living  in  Vermilion  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  has  two  sons  and  a  daughter — 
John,  wliO'  is  living  in  Vermilion-  county 
as  is  the  daughter,  while  the  other  son, 
\\'illiam,  is  now  in  Nebraska  or  Idaho.  The 
paternal  grandmother  of  our  subject  died 
about  1867,  in  the  sixtieth  year  of  her  age, 
and  the  grandfather,  surviving  her  about 
nine  years,  passed  away  in  his  seventieth 
year. 

Thomas  Park,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  reared  in  the  Mississippi  valley  and 
after  arriving  at  years  of  maturity  was  mar- 
ried in  Jefferson  county.  Indiana,  Decem- 
ber 28,  1842,  to  Miss  Jane  M.  Mann,  who 
was  born  in  Nova  Scotia  in  1824,  and  was 
then  nineteen  years  of  age.  She  is  still  liv- 
ing, in  her  seventieth  year.  Mr.  Park,  how- 
ever, passed  away  on  his  farm  near  Ster- 
ling, Kansas,  in  1900,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
one  years.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Jabez  and 
Mary  (Jimmerson)  Mann,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Scotland  and  came  to  the 
new  world  in  a  sailing  vessel,  the  former  in 
1822,  the  latter  in  1823.  Mrs.  Mann  was 
six  weeks;  upon  the  ocean.  They  had  five 
sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  three 
daughters  and  two  sons  married.  I\Irs. 
Park,  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth,  is  now 
the  only  siu'vivor.  Her  brother,  Andrew 
Mann,  was  very  wealthy,  making  the  most 
of  his  money  in  farming  in  Jefiferson  county. 
Indiana.  In  1880  he  came  to  Kansas  and 
died  in  Sterling  in  1884,  in  the  sixtieth 
year  of  his  age.  His  wife  had  previmisly 
died  in  Sterling,  and  as  he  had  no  children 


he  left  most  of  his  money  to  his  sister,  Airs. 
Park.  Her  uncle.  Ebenezer  Mann,  was  in 
the  army  for  aboiit  one  year  during  the  war 
of  the  Rebellion  and^  died  of  consumption, 
having  contracted  the  origin  of  the  disease 
while  at  the  front.  Mrs.  Mann,  the  mother 
of  Mrs.  Park,  died  in  Indiana,  about  1875, 
wdren  eighty-two  years  of  age,  and  Mr. 
Mann  passed  away  about  ten  years  later, 
when  eighty-nine  years  of  age. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  ]\lrs. 
Thomas  Park  settled  upon  his  small  farm 
in  Indiana  where  they  lived  for  three  years, 
and  then  removed  to  Laporte,  that  state, 
where  the  father  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits for  eight  years.  In  1853  he  went  with 
his  family  to  Boone  county.  Iowa.  For  two 
years  he  conductedi  a  sawmill  there  and  then 
returned  to  Kankakee  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  was  a  tenant  fanner  for  six  years.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  went  to 
Paxton,  Ford  county,  Illinois,  thence  to 
Vennilion  county,  that  state,  and  afterward 
came  tO'  Kansas,  settling  upon  a  claim  in 
Kingman  county.  Eventually  he  came  to 
Rice  county,  where  he  spent  his  remaining 
days  and  where  his  widow  is  still  residing. 
They  were  among  the  most  highly  respected 
citizens  of  the  community,  their  sterling 
worth  of  character  winning  them  warm 
friendship.  They  had  seven  children.  fi\-e 
sons  and  two  daughters :  James  Andrew, 
the  eldest,  served  in  the  Union  army  during 
the  Civil  war  for  more  than  a  year  and  was 
held  as  a  prisoner  at  Belle  Isle  from  Janu- 
ary until  March.  He  was  then  paroled  but 
died  in  the  hospital  at  Annapolis.  ^Maryland^ 
in  1864,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  his 
remains  being  interred  there.  William,  the 
second  of  the  family,  is  a  farmer  of  Jeffer- 
son cornty.  Indiana,  and  is  married  and  has 
five  children.  Thomas  A.,  who  is  living  in 
Hartshorn  in  the  Indian  Territory,  has  three 
children.  King  A.  died  in  Kankakee  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  at  the  age  of  ten  years ;  Mary  J. 
is  the  wife  of  Henry  Lakey,  of  Kingman 
county.  Kansas,  and  has  three  children.  Mar- 
garet is  the  wife  of  W.  R.  Carter,  of  Ster- 
ling, and  has  four  children.  Joseph,  of  this 
review,  is  the  yormgest  of  the  family. 

During  the  first  nine  vears  of  his  life 


92 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Joseph  Patk  was  a  resident  of  Illinois  and 
then  acco:rpanied  nis  parents  on  their  re-  i 
moval  to  Kingman  county,  Kansas,  in  1872,   ■ 
while  in   1878  he  came  with  them  to  Rice  j 
county.      The   father  .purchased  a  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  a  mile  south'  of  Ster- 
ling and  there  carried  on  general  farming  | 
until  his  death,  our  subject  assisting  him  as  j 
his  age  and  strength  would  permit.     He  re- 
mained at  heme  most  of  the  time  until  his 
marriage,  which  occurred  on  the  22d  of  De- 
cember,  1889,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being 
INIiss    Annie    Schlazer,    who    was    born    in 
Cle\-eland,   Ohio.     Her  parents,  Jacob  and 
Barbara  (Alher)  Schlazer,  now  reside  about  j 
eleven  miles  from  Sterling.  They  emigrated 
from  Germany  to  Ohio,   settling  in  Cuya- 
hoga county,  and  in  1873  tl''cy  came  to  Kan-  1 
sas.     Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.   Park  have  been  | 
born   two  children:      Ralph    Herbert,   born  { 
October    12,    1893,   and  Elsie   Maud,   born 
February  2,  1898.  ■ 

For  two  years  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
Park  resided  upon  the  old  home  farm  and 
then  came  to  his  present  place  of  residence  on 
section  16,  Washington  township,  where  he' 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
1897.  He  carries  on  general  farming,  rais- 
ing the  cereals  best  adapted  to  the  soil  and 
climate.  He  is  also  a  carpenter  and  builder 
and  a  tinner  and  can  construct  a  house  en- 
tire from  the  cellar  to  the  roof.  He  has 
built  several  residences  and  barns  in  this  lo- 
cality which  are  monuments  to  his  enter- 
prise and  business  versatility.  On  his  farm 
he  grows  wheat,  having  about  sixty-five 
acres  planted  to  this  crop,  yielding  about 
twenty  bushels  to  the  acre,  while  the  corn 
yields  abi  -ut  forty  Inishels  to  the  acre.  He 
also  raise-  SMme  cattle  and  is  now  carrj-ing 
on  a  prMiitalilc  business.  His  political  pref- 
erence is  for  Republican  men  and  measures. 
He  has  served  for  two  years  as  justice  of  the 
peace  and  is  now  assessor  of  Washington 
township,  having  been  elected  in  1900.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  sen-ed  as 
trustee  and  in  its  work  are  actively  inter- 
ested. They  have  many  friends,  for  their  | 
characteristics  are  such  as  everywhere  com-  ' 
mand  confidence  and  good  will.  ,; 


JOSEPH  LATSHAW. 

The  unostentatious  routine  of  private 
life,  although  of  vast  importance  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  community,  has  not  figured  to 
any  great  extent  in  the  pages  of  history. 
But  the  names  of  men  who  have  distin- 
guished themselves  by  the  possession  of 
those  qualities  of  character  which  mainly 
contribute  to  the  success  of  private  life  and 
to  the  public  stability,  and  who  have  en- 
joyed the  respect  and  confidence  of  those 
around  them,  should  not  be  permitted  to  per- 
ish. Their  example  is  more  valuable  to  the 
majority  of  readers  than  that  of  heroes, 
statesmen  and  writers,  as  they  furnish  means 
of  subsistence  for  the  multitude  whom  they 
in  their  useful  careers  have  emph  yed.  Such 
are  the  thoughts  that  involuntarily  come  to 
our  minds  when  we  consider  the  life  of  him 
whose  name  initiates  this  sketch.  He  is  en- 
gaged in  dealing  in  grain  and  coal  in  Ells- 
worth, where  an  extensive  business  attests 
his  executive  ability,  his  enterprise  and  his 
determined  purpose. 

Mr.  Latshaw  is  a  native  of  Canada,  his 
birth  having  occurred  near  Paris,  on  Grand 
River.  The  family  is  of  French  lineage  and 
was  founded  in  America  by  Joseph  Latshaw, 
the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  who  took  up 
his  abode  in  Pennsylvania,  where  occurred 
the  birth  of  Samuel  Latshaw,  the  father  of 
Joseph.  The  latter  was  a  lad  of  twelve  sum- 
mers when  with  his  parents  he  removed  to 
Canada,  there  spending  hjs  remaining  days, 
his  time  and  attention  being  devoted  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  held  membership  in 
the  Baptist  church,  took  a  very  active  part 
in  its  work  and  frecjuently  ser\-ed  in  a  church 
office.  He  married  Cynthia  Xellis.  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  six  children :  John, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  grain  busness  in  Dur- 
ance, Kansas;  Joseph,  of  this  review^;  Mary; 
Maria;  Edwin,  who  is  a  box  manufacturer 
at  Winston,  Wisconsin  ;  and  Alexander,  who 
is  living  in  Los  Angeles,  California.  The 
father  died  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years,  but 
the  mother  is  still  living  and  now  makes  her 
home  with  her  son,  Joseph,  in  Wilson. 

In  the  public  schools  Joseph  Latshaw 
pursued  his  education  until  it  became  neces- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


93 


sary  for  him  to  assume  the  management  of 
the  home  farm  upon  his  father's  death.  He 
was  then  only  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  he 
and  his  brother  took  charge  of  the  property 
and  carried  on  the  work  of  the  fields.  He 
remained  with  his  mother  until  iS^S,  when 
he  went  to  Kansas  City  and  with  his  brother 
emlaarked  in  the  dain,-  business.  Later  they 
operated  an  elevator  there,  but  lost  most  of 
their  earnings  througli  fire  in  the  fall  of 
1S73.  ^^1'-  Latshaw  of  this  review  then  em- 
barked in  the  grain  business  in  this  county. 
He  was  first  at  Perryville,  his  brother  at 
that  time  being  connected  with  the  grain 
trade  in  Wilson.  Mr.  Latshaw  remained  at 
Perryville  for  eighteen  months  and'  then 
came  to  Wilson,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
The  brothers  erected  an  elevator  east  of  the 
depot,  but  in  1885  removed  it  to  its  present 
location.  In  1884  Ed  and  Alexander  Lat- 
shaw purchased  the  mill  in  Wilson,  and 
since  that  time  our  subject  has  carried  on 
the  grain  business  alone.  He  has  been  very 
successful  in  the  enterprise,  making  large 
purchases  and  sales.  He  has  shipped  as 
hig"h  as  four  or  five  hundred  car  loads  of 
grain  in  a  year.  His  elevator  has  a  capacity 
of  twelve  thousand  barrels  and  was  built  so 
as  to  handle  large  ciuantities  of  grain  in  a 
short  time.  It  is  well  equiiiped  fur  this  pur- 
pose, having  two  (h"i\-e-ways  and  a  Ijjdwer 
to  blow  the  grain  in  the  cars,  which  sends 
it  to  the  further  end  of  the  cars  witlnjut 
shoveling.  The  engine,  located  in  a  sepa- 
rate engine  room,  is  a  new  one,  of  twenty- 
horse  power.  The  arrangements  are  so 
complete  and  perfect  that  forty-five  hundred 
barrels  of  grain  can  be  handled  dailw  ]\Ir. 
Latshaw  is  tlie  leading  grain  merchant  'in 
this  portion  of  the  county,  and  his  lousiness 
affords  a  market  inv  the  farmers  as  well  as 
proving  a  source  of  re\'eiuie  to  himself.  In 
1900  he  also  began  dealing  in  cual,  handling 
the  product  from  lioth  the  eastern  and  west- 
ern coal  fields.  He  is  likewise  interested  in 
mining  in  Arkansas,  and  is  one  of  ten  men 
who  own  a  tract  of  land  of  nine  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  another  of  eighty  acres  and 
a  third  of  forty  acres.  These  are  underlaid 
with  rich  coal  fields  and  are  promising  prop- 
erties. 


Mr.  Latshaw  exercises  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of 
the  Republican  party  and  is  a  stanch  advo- 
cate of  its  principles.  He  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  has  attained  the 
Thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite 
in  Wichita  Consistory,  No.  2,  S.  P.  R.  S. 
He  is  also  connected  with  the  Eastern  Star 
and  with  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Secur- 
ity. He  aided  in  organizing  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  Wilson  and  attends  its  ser- 
vices. As  a  citizen  he  is  public-spirited  and 
progressive,  witlihi  ilding  his  support  from 
no  measure  that  is  intemled  toi  prove  of  gen- 
eral good.  His  life  record  stands  as  an  ex- 
emplification of  the  opportunities  afforded 
young  men  in  America,  where  ambition  and 
energy  are  not  hampered  by  caste  or  class. 
He  has  worked  his  way  up\\ard,  placing  his 
dependence  upon  the  reliable  qualities  of  la- 
bor when  guided  by  sound  judginent.  and 
his  efforts  have  resulted  in  winning  for  him 
a  place  among  the  substantial  citizens  of  his 
adopted  county. 


JOHN  W.  BARD  WELL. 

The  subject  of  this  review  is  a  well 
known  farmer  of  Kingman  county,  whose 
skill  and*  ability  in  his  chosen  calling  are 
plainly  manifest  in  tlie  well  tilled  fields  and 
neat  and  thrifty  appearance  of  his  place.  He 
was  born  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  April  17, 
1853,  and  is  a  son  of  Seth  and  Talitha 
(Woolen)  Bardwell.  The  father  was  born 
on  the  /th  of  September,  1800,  and  his 
death  occurred  on  the  i6th  of  March,  1876. 
He  was  first  married  November  8,  1821,  to 
Nancy  Jones,  who  was  born  February  25, 
1803,  and  died  on  the  30th  of  June,  1825. 
On  the  5th  of  February.  1831,  the  father 
was  again  married,  Talitha  Woolen  becom- 
ing his  wife.  She  was  born  September  i, 
1812,  and  cHed  April  21,  1899.  She  accom- 
panied our  subject  on  his  removal  to  Kan- 
sas, and  for  twenty  years  she  made  her  home 
with  him  in  this  state. 

Seth  Bardwell.  a  carnenter  and  builder 
by  occupation,  located  in  Indianapolis,   In- 


94 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


diana,  when  it  was  but  a  small  village,  pur- 
chasing the  first  town  lot  ever  sold  there  and 
also  erected  one  of  the  first  hotels  of  the 
town,  known  as  the  Indiana  House,  which 
he  conducted  on  Market  street  for  several 
years.  He  also  erected  the  first  brick  resi- 
dence in  the  town.  In  1857,  however,  he 
left  his  Indiana  home  for  Missouri,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  near  the  city  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  for  a  time  was  there  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising,  but  finally  re- 
turned to  Indianapolis.  After  remaining  at 
his  old  home  but  a  short  time  he  located  in 
Jasper  county,  Indiana,  where  for  ten  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil,  and 
on  the  expiration  of  that  period  located  in 
Clermont,  Indiana,  there  spending  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  was  a  prominent 
factor  in  the  early  history  of  Indianapolis, 
where  he  became  an  extensive  landed  pro- 
prietor. While  residing  in  Missouri  the 
Civil  war  broke  out,  and,  being  an  ardent 
Republican  and  abolitionist,  Mr.  Bardwell 
was  compelled  to  leave  the  state  and  was 
thus  obliged  to  dispose  of  his  property  there 
at  a  great  sacrifice.  Religiouslv  he  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  early  history 
of  the  Christian  church  in  both  Indiana  and 
Missoiu-i,  and  was  ever  an  active  worker  in 
the  cause  of  Christianity.  By  his  first  mar- 
riage he  became  the  father  of  one  son.  Nel- 
son, who  was  born  November  14,  1824.  By 
his  second'  union  he  had  ten  children,  name- 
ly: John  L.,  who  was  born  on  the  6th  of 
July,  1833,  'I'ld  died  September  9,  1834; 
Clarissa,  who  was  born  July  13,  1835,  and 
was  first  married  to  Joseph  Sanborn,  after- 
ward becoming  the  wife  of  James  Bice,  and 
both  are  now  deceased  ;  Thomas  J.,  who  was 
born  August  15,  1837,  and  is  a  painter  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio;  Seth  W.j.born  October  15, 
1840,  and  is  a  resident  of  Eureka  Springs, 
Kansas:  Ellen,  who  was  born  December  18, 
1843,  and  was  first  married  to  Barnum  B. 
Pafif,  afterward  becoming  the  wife  of  D.  C. 
Tavlor,  of  Rensselaer,  Indiana;  Henry  C, 
who  was  born  January  9,  1844,  and  makes 
his  home  in  Kansas  City;  MalvinaC.,  who 
was  born  January  3.  i84r).  and  is  the  wife 
of  H.  Graves,  of  Wichita ;  Azubah,  who 
was  born  on  the  7th  of  September,  1848,  and 


is  the  widow  of  D.  Duval  and  a  resident  of 
Denver,  Colorado;  Emma  H.,  who  was  born 
December  30,  185 1,  and  is  the  wife  of  Nel- 
son Button,  also  of  Colorado;  and  John  W., 
the  subject  of  this  review. 

The  latter  was  only  four  years  of  age 
when  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Alis- 
souri,  and  he  can  vividly  recall  the  troublous 
days  incident  to  the  Civil  war.  In  the  fall 
of  1859,  when  seven  years  of  age,  the  family 
returned  to  Indianapolis,  and  shortly  after- 
ward he  accompanied  them  on  their  removal 
to  Jasper  county,  his  education  having  been 
received  in  the  common  schools  of  the  dif- 
ferent localities  in  wdiich  he  resided.  .  When 
twenty-O'ue  years  of  age  he  became  the  real 
head  of  the  household,  remaining  under  the 
parental  roof  until  April  7,  1880,  wdien  he 
located  in  Kingman  county,  Kansas,  and  im- 
}  mediately  pre-empted  his  present  homestead. 
One  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  land  is 
under  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation  and 
he  also'  farms  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  rented  land  and'  in  his  pastures  may  be 
seen  an  excellent  grade  of  stock.  The  first 
dwelling  which  he  occupied  after  coming  to 
this  state  now  forms  a  part  of  his  present 
residence,  which  is  a  commodious  and  well 
built  structure. 

Mr.  Bardwell  was  married  on  the  25th 
of  May,  1886,  at  Lecompton,  Kansas,  to 
Miss  Jennie  Lawrence.  She  is  a  native 
daughter  of  the  Sunflower  state,  her  birth 
having  occurred  in  Douglas  county,  and  she 
is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  K.  and  Helen  Law- 
rence. She  was  reared  in  the  county  of  her 
nativity  and  received  an  excellent  education 
in  Lane  University,  of  Lecompton.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  six  children, — 
Mabel,  Nelson,  Ira,  Seth,  Lucy  and  Walter. 
In  political  matters  Mr.  Bardwell  gives  an 
unfaltering  support  to  the  Republican  party. 
For  three  terms  he  served  as  clerk  of  his 
township  and  he  assisted  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  school  district  No.  69,  of  which  he 
has  since  served  as  clerk  and  treasurer,  hav- 
ing held  the  latter  office  for  the  past  seven 
years.  He  also  bears  the  distinction  of  hav- 
ing secured  the  establishment  of  the  first 
rural  mail  route  of  Kingman  county,  desig- 
nated as  route  No.  i.     He  circulated  the  pe- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


95 


tition  and  througli  the  assistance  oi  Post- 
master Harlow,  of  Kingman,  the  route  was 
granted,  and  Mr.  Bardwell  was  '  appointed 
carrier,  tlie  first  deUvery  being  made 
on  the  1st  of  August,  1901.  The  route  now 
covers  a  distance  oi  twenty-six  miles,  ex- 
tending into  Reno  county,' and  at  the  pres- 
ent time  contains  sixty-two  boxes.  Mrs. 
Bardwell  is  the  assistant  carrier,  and  much 
of  the  time,  when  the  weather  permits, 
makes  the  delivery,  probably  being  the  only 
lady  carrier  in  the  west.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  United  Brethren  church,  and  has  long 
served  as  superintendent  O'f  the  Sunday- 
school.  In  his  social  relations  Mr.  Bardwell 
is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  of  Kingman. 


WILLIAM  FITZPATRICK. 

The  farming  interests  of  Sterling  town- 
ship, Rice  county,  were  well  represented  by 
William  Fitzpatrick,  who  resided'  on  section 
19,  where  in  1877  he  purchased  a  quarter 
section  of  land  for  fifteen  hundred  dollars. 
This  has  many  times  increased  in  value 
since  he  took  possession  of  it,  for  the  place 
was  then  a  tract  of  raw  prairie,  not  a  fur- 
row having  been  turned  or  an  improvement 
made.  There  were  many  wild  geese  and 
prairie  chickens  in  the  neighborhood  and  the 
successful  hunter  could  thus  supply  his  table 
with  game.  The  work  of  progress  and  im- 
provement was  in  its  incipiency,  but  it  has  j 
been  carried  steadily  forward  by  the  enter- 
prising and  resolute  pioneer  settlers,  among 
which  number  was  ]Mr.  Fitzpatrick. 

Our  subject  was  born  at  Conneautville, 
Crawford  county.  Pennsylvania,  October  16, 
1840.  His  father.  John  Fitzpatrick.  was 
born  prior  to  1800.  a  native  of  Ireland, 
whence  he  came  to  the  new  world  when  a 
young  man.  The  voyage  across  the  Atlantic 
consumed  seven  •\\-eeks  and  he  landed  at 
Halifax,  Nova  Scotia.  He  was  a  laborer 
and  worked  on  the  capitol  grounds  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  for  some  time.  About  1837 
he  was  married,  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania, 
and  he  became  the  father  of  three  children. 


He  died  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  January  21, 
1857.  The  childi-en  were:  John,  who  was 
born  in  Pittsburg,  July  18,  1839,  and  died  in 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  October  27,  1870,  leav- 
ing three  children :  William,  of  this  review  ; 
and  James,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war  and  was  killed  Mav  jS,  \X(^,  at  Dallas, 
Georgia,  while  in  lii^  second  year's  service. 
Our  subject  and  his  brother  buth  enlisted  on 
the  14th  of  August,  1862,  at  Aurora,  Ohio, 
becoming  mienibers  of  Company  D,  One 
Hundred  and  Fourth  Ohio  Infantry.  James 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  corporal  and 
after  serving  for  two  years  vv-as  accidentally 
killed  by  a  ball,  which  struck  him  in  the 
head.  An  Ohio  paper,  the  Portage  City 
Democrat,  had  a  long  article  in  which  it 
paid  him  a  high  and  just  tribute.  It  read : 
"J.  P.  Fitzpatrick  was  a  young  man  who 
possessed  the  qualities  and  qualifications  of 
a  true  soldier  and  those  that  rendered  life 
happy  and  won  friendship.  He  was  manly, 
honest  and  upright,  of  good  habits  and  in- 
dustrious and  with  a  good  share  of  native 
talents,  which  he  cultivated  with  care,  ren- 
dering him  worthy  of  the  best  society,  and 
such  he  always  chose.  Of  Irish  descent,  he 
possessed  warm,  affectionate,  genial  traits 
so  characteristic  of  that  nation  and  people. 
A  typical  soldier,  he  perfomied  his  duties 
most  promptly  and  enthusiastically.  Though 
warmly  attached  to  his  mother  and  his  home 
he  went  forth  to  fight  for  the  nation,  nor 
did  he  ask  for  furloughs  or  accept  any,  but 
he  was  eagerly  anticipating  his  return  in 
honor  to  his  dear  ones,  but  the  day  was  not 
to  come,  and  on  that  fatal  28tli  of  May, 
1864,  he  was  among  the  slain  with  his  no- 
ble Captain  McHorton,  both  shot  through 
the  head  by  sharpshooters.  'What  will  be- 
come of  mother  now'  was  the  burden  of  his 
dying  breath,  but  he  was  not  afraid  to  die, 
and  thus  a  noble  soldier's  career  came  to  an 
end." 

William  Fitzpatrick,  the  subject  of  this 
review,  served  for  nearly  three  years  or  until 
the  1st  of  July,  1865,  and  was  mustered  out 
with  the  rank  of  sergeant.  He  was  spared, 
although  his  comrades  fell  thick  around  him, 
including  his  brother  and  his  captain.  The 
remains  of  his  brother  were  embalmed  and 


96 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


buried  there,  but  they  have  since  been  trans- 
ferred to  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and  now  rest 
by  the  side  of  his  parents.  The  father  be- 
came a  raih'oad  contractor  in  New  York, 
Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  taking  contracts  for 
the  construction  of  from  eight  to  twelve 
miles  at  a  time.  He  was  very  successful  iri 
his  business,  but  he  ultimately  lost  heavily 
through  investment  in  the  Clinton  Air  Line 
Railroad.  His  death  occurred  in  1857  and 
his  wife  sur\ived  him  a  number  of  years, 
passing  away  in  1873. 

At  the  time  of  the  father's  death  Will- 
iam Fitzpatrick  began  to  earn  his  own  live- 
lihood, securing  a  situation  as  a  farm  hand, 
and  for  seventeen  years  he  was  an  overseer 
on  an  estate  of  fourteen  hundred  acres. 
Coming  to  Kansas  in  1877,  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 19,  Sterling  township.  Rice  county,  and 
with  characteristic  energy  beg^n  the  im- 
provement of  a  farm  of  his  own.  He  erec- 
ted all  nf  the  liuildings  upon  the  place,  and 
some  of  them  have  been  built  a  second  time, 
as  the  first  lot  were  destroyed  in  a  wind 
storm.  He  owned  six  hundred  and  fifty 
acres,  divided  in  three  farms,  but  nearly  all 
in  one  body.  He  raised  from  one  to  two 
tlicusand  bushels  of  wheat  each  )-ear  and 
held  over  about  four  thousand  bushels.  He 
kept  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  seventy 
head  of  cattle  and  ten  head  of  horses,  whicli 
were  used  in  working  the  farm.  He  fed 
and  shipped  his  nwn  st(  ^ck  and  was  one  of 
the  few  farmers  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
sheep  in  this  locality,  having  a  fine  flock  of 
Shropshire.  Everything  about  the  place  is 
neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance  and  indicates 
his  careful  supervision.  He  was  widely 
known  as  an  enterprising  and  progressive 
farmer  and  his  own  eft'orts  were  the  secret 
of  his  success. 

In  1883,  in  \\'ooster,  Wayne  county, 
Ohio,  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Kate  Wirt,  a  most  estimable 
lady,  who  has  indeed  proved  to  him  a  faith- 
ful companion  and  helpmate  on  the  journey 
of  life.  She  is  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Luretta  (Dresser)  Wirt, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  In 
his  social  relations  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  was  con- 


nected with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, and  politically  he  was  a  Republican.  He 
was  reared  in  the  Catholic  faith  and  his  wife 
is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He 
was  a  man  of  sterling  worth,  widely  and  fa- 
vorably known,  his  circle  of  friends  being 
almost  co-extensive  with  his  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fitzpatrick 
were  born  three  children:  Carl,  deceased; 
Carl  W'illiam  and  Jay  John. 

Mr.  Fitzpatrick  died  at  his  home  near 
Sterling,  April  7,  1902,  at  4:15  a.  m.,  aged 
sixty-one  years,  five  months  and  twenty-two 
davs. 


EMMETT  HUTTOX. 

Emmett  Hutton,  a  young  man  of  super- 
ior business  ability  and  executive  force, 
whose  labors  are  bringing  to  him  creditable 
and  gratifying  success  in  industrial  circles, 
was  born  in  Bedford  county,  Tennessee.  De- 
cember I,  1866.  His  father,  George  D.  Hut- 
ton,  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  removed 
thence  to  Tennessee,  where  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Whiteside,  a  widow  and 
the  mother  of  Houston  Whiteside,  one  of  the 
representative  citizens  of  central  Kansas. 
Three  children  were  born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Huttnn :  Samuel,  who  is  in  the  office  of  H. 
^\"hitesi(le:  Emmett:  and  Leota,  the  wife  of 
Dr.  J.  L.  Conn,  of  Hutchinson. 

In  the  schools  of  his  native  state  Emmett 
Hutton  pursued  his  education  and  when 
twenty  years  of  age  came  to  Kansas.  For  a 
short  time  he  was  connected  with  the  lumber 
trade  and  for  three  years  he  was  employed 
in  the  postofhce,  after  which  he  became  in- 
terested in  the  laundry  business  and  as  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Hutton  &  Os- 
wald, proprietors  of  the  American  Steam 
Laundry,  he  has  a  wide  acquaintance  and  a 
very  large  business,  whose  profitable  return 
has  placed  him  among  the  substantial  citi- 
zens of  the  county. 

On  the  25th  of  October,  1899,  Mr.  Hut- 
ton was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lottie 
Bay,  a  daughter  of  C.  M.  Bay,  a  resident 
farmer  of  Reno  countv.     He  has  remodeled 


FOUR  GENERATIONS  OF  THE  OSWALD   FAMILY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


97 


their  home,  which  is  situated  at  No.  320 
east  Sherman  street,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
attractive  residences  of  the  city,  one  of  its 
most  delightful  features  being  the  warm- 
hearted hospitality  which  pervades  the 
place.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Hutton  is 
a  Democrat,  but  the  honors  or  emoluments 
of  office  have  no  attraction  for  him  and  he 
desires  to  give  his  entire  attention  to  his 
business  affairs,  which  he  is  managing  so 
successfully.  Socially  he  is  connected  with 
Byron  Lodge,  No.  197,  Jv.  P.;  Hutchinson 
Camp,  No.  506,  M.  W.  A. ;  and  Hutchinson 
Lodge.  No.  433.  B.  P.  O.  E.  He  is  widely 
known  and  popular  in  the  city  where  he  has 
resided  throughout  the  period  of  his  man- 
Imod,  and  his  friends  are  almost  as  manv  as 
his  acquaintances. 


CHARLEY  W.   OS\\'ALD. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  Charley  A\'.  Oswald 
was  born  in  W'ooster,  \\'a}-ne  county,  No- 
vember 3,  1867,  a  son  of  Anthony  and  Ma- 
ria (Ewing)  Oswald.  The  family  was 
founded  in  Pennsylvania  during  the  early 
settlement  of  that  state,  the  ancestors  of  our 
subject  joining  a  colony  that  became  active 
in  the  pioneer  de\'eIopment  there.  In  the 
'30s  William  Oswald,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Ohio  and  became  identified  with  its  pioneer 
interests.  He  has  since  been  a  witness  of  the 
progress  made  by  the  state  and  has  borne  his 
part  in  the  work  of  improvement  in  his  local- 
ity. He  has  never  been  ill  a  day  in  his  life 
and  is  still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-five  years.  For  fifty  years  he  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and 
shoes.  Anthony  Oswald,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  I»rn  in  Wayne  county,  Ohio, 
and  during  much  of  his  life  has  engaged  in 
speculation  and  in  dealing  in  real  estate, 
while  to  some  extent  he  has  followed  farm- 
ing. In  1877  he  came  to  Kansas  and  for 
twenty  years  resided  in  Reno  county,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Texas.  He  is  now  liv- 
ing in  Beaumont,  that  state,  and  is  interested 
in  the  oil  business. 


When  a  lad  of  ten  years  Charley  Oswald 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Kansas  and  here 
entered  the  public  schools,  being  graduated 
in  the  high  school  of  Hutchinson,  in  the 
class  of  1885.  For  two  years  he  engaged  in 
teaching  school  in  this  county,  after  which 
he  entered  the  postoffice  and  was  the  first 
letter  carrier  appointed  to  the  position  in 
Hutchinson.  He  served  in  that  capacity  for 
three  years,  when  a  change  of  administra- 
tion caused  his  removal  from  the  office  and 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  Emmett 
Hutton  as  priipn'etor  of  the  American  Steam 
Laundry,  which  they  have  made  a  very  prof- 
itable investment,  its  business  having 
reached  an  immense  volume. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1896,  was  celebrat- 
ed the  marriage  of  Mr.  Oswald  and  Miss 
Myrtle  Lewis,  a  daughter  of  S.  C.  Lewis, 
and  they  have  two  children :  Anthony  Lewis 
and  Charley  ^^'alIace.  Tbeirs  is  one  of  the 
fine  residences  on  Ninth  avenue  west,  located 
at  No.  301.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr. 
Oswald  has  always  been  an  active  Democrat 
and  for  the  last  ten  years  has  been  actively 
connected  with  the  organization  of  that  party 
in  Reno  county.  For  three  years  he  has 
been  chairman  of  the  Reno  county  central 
committee,  and  he  was  sergeant-at-arms  in 
the  national  Democratic  convention  at  Kan- 
sas City  in  July,  1900.  W'hh  many  fraternal 
and  social  organizations  he  is  alsn  crinnected. 
holding  memberslii]>  in  Reno  Lodge,  No. 
140.  F.  &  A.  ^I.:  Rcnn  Chapter.  No.  34. 
R.  A.  M. :  Hutchinson  Council.  Xo.  iv"^R. 
&  S.  M. ;  Reno  Commandery.  Nn.  26.  K.  T.. 
and  to  the  order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  the  la- 
dies' branch  of  ]Masi:nry.  his  wife  belongs. 
He  also  has  mcniliersiii])  relations  with 
Hutchinson  Lodge.  No.  433,  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  nf  Elks.' and  both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Oswald  attend  the  services  of  the 
Methodist  church.  His  life  reci  rd  is  an  ex- 
cellent example  of  the  opportunities  that  are 
afforded  young  men  in  the  new  world  and  of 
the  success  that  can  be  achieved  by  deter- 
mined purpose  and  unflag'ging  energy — for 
therein  lies  the  secret  of  the  prosperity 
which  has  attended  our  subject  in  his  busi- 
ness career. 


98 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


At  a  family  reunion  of  the  Oswald  fam- 
ily recently  held  in  Wooster  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  events  was  the  taking 
of  a  photograph  of  four  generations. 
In  this  group  each  'one  is  the  eldest 
son  of  each  family,  namely:  Will- 
iam Oswald,  aged  eighty-six  years,  of  Lodi, 
eldest  son  of  the  pioneer,  George  Oswald; 
Anthony  Oswald,  aged  fifty-six  years,  of 
Beaumont,  Texas,  eldest  son  of  William  Os- 
wald; Charley  W.  O'swald,  aged  thirty -five 
years,  of  Hutchinson,  eldest  son  of  An- 
thony Oswald;  and  Anthony  L.  Os- 
wald, aged  three  years,  eld>;st  son  of  Charley 
W.  Oswald.  It  is  a  fine  family  picture, 
from  great-grandfather  to  great-grand- 
son, covering  a  period  of  eighty-six 
years  and  representing  an  old  and  highly  re- 
garded family,  second  to  none  in  the  annals 
of  esteem  and  good  reputation  in  all  respects. 


DR.  JAY  DUNHAM. 

In  the  methods  of  the  treatment  of, dis- 
ease great  progress  has  been  made  in  recent 
years ;  study  and  investigation  have  brought 
forth  new  rules  of  procedure  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  sick  and  science  has  made  rapid 
strides.  Dr.  Dunham  is  among  the  younger 
physicians  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
osteopathy,  being  a  graduate  of  the  School 
of  Osteopathy  at  Kirksville,  Missouri,  in  the 
class  of  1899. 

He  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Missouri, 
near  the  town  of  Edina,  in  October,  1872, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  G.  and  Edwilda 
(Pugh)  Dunham,  "the  latter  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Pugh,  a  prominent  citizen  and  early 
pioneer  settler  of  Knox  county.  She  was 
reared  and  educated  at  Edina,  and  the  Doc- 
tor's parents  are  both  well  and  favorably 
known  in  that  portion  of  the  state.  The 
father  is  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  in  fol- 
lowing that  pursuit  has  provided  a  comfort- 
able living  for  his  family.  His  children  are : 
Jay,  of  this  review;  Joseph;  Catherine,  who 
is  engaged  in  teaching;  Bruce;  Nora;  Ber- 
tha; and  James.  Mr.  Dunham  exercises  his 
right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  Republican  party,  and  both 


he  and  his  wife  are  consistent  Christian  peo- 
ple, holding  membership  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

Dr.  Dunham  was  reared  near  Hurdland, 
Knox  county,  Missouri,  and  after  acquiring 
a  good  literary  education  in  the  public 
schools  he  began  preparation  for  the  medical  • 
profession,  and,  believing  in  the  methods  of 
practice  promulgated  by  the  school  of  osteo- 
pathy, he  entered  the  institution  at  Kirks- 
ville, there  completing  the  course,  being 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1899.  In  his  chosen 
profession  he  has  been  successful,  effecting 
many  cures  among  his  patients,  thus  gain- 
ing a  merited  reputation  for  skill  and  abil- 
ity. He  is  a  close  student  and  his  compre- 
hensive knowledge,  combined  with  sound 
judgment,  has  made  his  efforts  of  great 
avail. 

The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  also  holds  membership  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  unfailing 
courtesy  and  his  genial  and  unassuming 
manner  make  him  popular  in  the  commun- 
ity in  which  he  is  now  located  and  he  has 
many  friends,  both  in  the  county  of  his  na- 
ti\-itv  and  the  county  of  his  adoption. 


AIARK  ^\■ARRELL. 


An  honored  resident  of  the  Sunttower 
state  for  the  past  eighteen  years,  Mark  War- 
rell  is  entitled  to  a  prominent  place  in  the 
annals  of  Kingman  county.  He  was  born 
in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  in  1850,  a  son 
of  John  and  Nancy  (Heaton)  Warrell,  both 
natives  of  Ohio.  The  mother  passed  away 
in  death  when  her  son  Mark  was  but  a  babe, 
leaving  six  children,  only  two  of  whom  are 
now  living,  the  brother  of  our  subject  being- 
Isaac,  a  resident  of  Howard  county,  Ne- 
braska. The  father  died  when  our  subject 
was  thirteen  years  of  age,  in  his  fifty-second 
year.  He  followed  the  tilling  of  the  soil  as 
a  life  occupation,  was  a  Democrat  in  his  po- 
litical views,  and  was  honored  and  respected 
bv  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

]\Iark  Warrell  was  left  an  orphan  at  an 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


99 


early  age,  and  his  youth  and  early  manhood 
were  spent  on  a  farm  in  Ohio,  the  educa- 
tional privileges  which  he  enjoyed  being 
those  afforded  by  the  common  schools  of  his 
locality.  From  a  very  early  age  he  was 
obliged  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world, 
and  the  high  position  which  he  now  occu- 
pies in  tile  business  world  is  due  entirely  to 
his  unremitting  toil,  his  perseverance  and  his 
close  attention  to  duty.  In  1883  ^^^  removed 
from  the  Buckeye  state  to  Kansas,  taking  up 
his  abode  on  a  farm  in  Dale  township,  where 
he  made  his  home  until  1893.  •'■"  ^^^^  J^^^ 
he  came  to  the  farm  which  is  yet  his  home, 
where  he  owns  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  excellent  and  well  improved 
land,  and  here  he  is  extensi\'ely  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising. 

In  1 87 1  Susan  Wilson  became  the  bride 
of  ]\Ir.  Warrell.  She  was  born  near  Ed- 
wardsville,  Madison  county,  Illinois,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Agnes  Wilson, 
both  natives  of  Scotland.  The  father  has 
passed  to  his  final  rest,  but  the  mother  is 
still  living  and  now  makes  her  home  with 
our  subject.  Unto  this  worthy  couple  were 
born  six  children,  four  of  whom  are  living, 
namely :  James,  Susan,  William  and  Peter. 
Eight  children,  five  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, have  been  born  unto  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Warrell, — John  W.,  James  Ed- 
ward, Mrs.  Flora  Ellen  Calhoun,  Isaac  C, 
iNIaggie  Ann,  Edith  Belle,  Frank  and  Albert 
Grover.  The  Democracy  receives  Mr.  War- 
rell's  hearty  support  and  co-operation,  and 
socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


\MLLIAM  VOLKLAND. 

As  a  representative  of  that  class  of  sub- 
stantial builders  i:if  a  great  commonwealth 
who  served  faithfully  and  long  in  the  enter- 
prising west,  we  present  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  who  is  a  pioneer  of  central  Kan- 
sas and  who  has  nobly  done  his  duty  in 
establishing  and  maintaining  the  material 
interests,  legal  status  and  moral  welfare  of 
his  communitv.     Whatever  tends  to  benefit 


his  state  and  promote  the  welfare  of  his 
community  is  sure  to  elicit  his  interest  and 
co-operation,  and  thus  his  name  is  insepar- 
ably interwoven  with  the  history  of  Rice 
county  during  the  past  twenty-three  years. 

Mr.  Volkland  was  born  in  Fond  du  Lac, 
Wisconsin,  September  27,  1864,  a  son  of 
William  Volkland,  who  was  born  in  We'i- 
mar,  Germany,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated.  There  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade  and  for  one  year  he  served  in  the  Ger- 
man army.  In  1848  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  was  here  married  to  Pauline 
Roehr,  who  also  was  a  native  of  Weimar, 
Germany.  For  a  number  of  years  the  father 
engaged  in  contracting  and  building  in 
Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  and  afterward 
came  to  Rice  county,  being  identified  with 
the  agricultural  interests  of  Farmer  town- 
ship until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1888, 
when  he  was  sixty-three  years  of  age.  He 
was  honored  and  respected  for  his  integrity 
and  upright  life  and  to  his  family  he  left 
the  priceless  heritage  of  an  untarnished 
name.  His  widow  still  resides  in  Farmer 
township.  In  his  political  views  he  was  a 
Republican,  unswerving  in  his  advocacv  of 
the  principles  of  the  party,  and  in  religious 
belief  he  was  a  Methodist,  his  wife  being 
also  a  member  of  the  same  church.  Thev 
had  seven  children,  and  those  living  are: 
Mrs.  Ottilia  Stehwien.  of  Bushton ;  Will- 
iam ;  and  Albert,  postmaster  of  Bushton  and 
the  partner  of  William  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness. He  is  one  of  the  well  known  and  lead- 
ing business  men  of  the  tnwu.  He  was  born 
in  Fond  du  Lac,  Wiscun^ni.  I'cliruary  i^, 
1867,  and  acquired  hi-;  educilidii  there  and 
in  Kansas.  He  married  Matilda  Korf,  of 
Bushton,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Frederick  Korf,  deceased.  Her 
mother,  however,  is  still  living.  Unto  Al- 
bert Volkland  and  his  wife  have  been  born 
four  children:  Nettie  A.  P.,  Otto  F.  \\'., 
Oscar  and  Mabel.  In  his  political  views  the 
father  is  a  Republican  and  in  religious  faith 
is  identified  wth  the  IMethodist  church.  His 
prominence  in  business  circles  in  Bushton  is 
widely  acknowledged  and  in  his  life  he  ex- 
emplifies the  enterprising  spirit  of  the  west. 

William   Volkland,   whose  name   intro- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


duces  this  review,  spent  his  youth  in  his  na- 
tive state,  and  by  improving  the  educational 
advantages  afforded  by  the  piiblic  schools 
there  lie  became  a  well  informed  man,  well 
fitted  for  the  practical  and  responsible  du- 
ties of  life.  In  1878  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  central  Kansas  and  here  became 
familiar  with  fami  work  through  actual  ex- 
perience in  the  labors  of  field  and  meadow 
upon  his  father's  farm.  In  1888  he  became 
a  factor  in  the  business  interests  of  Bushton 
by  establishing  a  hardware  store,  which  he 
still  condiicts  in  connection  with  his  brother 
Albert.  They  have  a  fine  store,  occupying 
a  building  twenty-four  by  ninety  feet.  Their 
stock  is  extensi\'e.  cniljracing  a  large  line  of 
heavy  and  shelf  hardware,  and  their  patron- 
age is  continually  increasing,  owing  to  their 
relialile  business  methods,  their  earnest  ef- 
forts to  please  their  patrons  and  the  moder- 
ate prices  which  they  ask  for  their  goods, 
desiring  only  to  make  a  fair  and  legitJmate 
profit. 

Mr.  Volkland  is  also  president  of  the 
Bushton  State  Bank,  one  of  the  solid  finan- 
cial ^n^titutions  of  this  part  of  the  state, 
designated  as  the  county  depository  of  Rice 
county.  A  fine  bank  building  has  recently 
been  erected,  twenty-four  b^r  forty-eight 
feet.  It  is  suitably  and  tastefully  furnished 
and  ever>i:hing  is  in  excellent  condition  for 
carrying  on  the  enterprise.  They  conduct 
a  general  banking  liusiness,  l^uy  and  sell  ex- 
change, pay  interest  on  dep  isits  and,  in  fact, 
conduct  a  banking  Inisiness  which  is  profit- 
able and  worthv  (  f  patmnage.  The  officers 
are  popular  and  relinlile  Inisiness  men,  name- 
ly :  William.  Volkland,  president;  William 
Schmidt,  vice-jjresident :  George  F.  Hauser, 
cashier;  and  Heorge  Cramm,  Frank  Shon- 
yo,  A\"il!iam  Schmidt  and  William  Volkland, 
directors. 

When  twenty-five  years  of  aee  Mr.  \"nlk- 
land  was  married  to  Miss  Sophia  Roehr,  of 
Buslitiai,  a  daughter  of  Fred  Roehr,  de- 
ceased. They  now  ha\e  six  children,  two 
sons  and  four  daughters  ;  Ella  Viola ;  Will- 
iam F.,  Maud  G.,  Florence,  Pauline  Selma 
and  Paul  Albert.  Mr.  Volkland  exercises 
his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party  and 


labors  earnestly  and  eft'ectively  in  its  behalf, 
but  he  is  not  a  politician  in  the  sense  of 
office  seeking.  He  and  his  wife  hold  mem- 
bership in  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church 
and  he  is  filling  the  position  of  trustee  of  the 
church.  For  thirteen  years  he  has  been 
closely  identified  with  the  history  of  Bush- 
ton as  a  representative  of  most  important 
business  interests.  He  Is  a  man  of  keen  dis- 
crimination and  sound  judgment,  and  his 
executive  ability  and  excellent  management 
have  brought  to  the  concerns  with  which  he 
is  connected  a  large  degree  of  success. 


HOX.  TOHN  DAY, 


Since  early  pioneer  days  Jolm  Day  has 
resided  in  Kingman  county,  the  year  of  his 
arrival  being  1878,  and  through  many  years 
has  watched  with  interest  the  progress  and 
advancement  of  this  section  of  the  common- 
wealth. He  has  ever  borne  his  part  in  the 
work  of  improvement  as  a  loyal  citizen  and 
as  one  whose  public  spirit  has  been  manifest 
in  his  active  co-operation  with  many  meas- 
ures that  have  contributed  to  the  public 
good.  He  was  born  near  Bluffton,  in  Wells 
county,  Indiana,  on  the  29th  of  September. 
1849.  The  family  trace  their  ancestry 
through  many  generations  to  Englanrl.  to 
two  brothers  who  came  from  that  country 
to  the  United  States  prior  0  the  Revohuion- 
ary  war.  They  were  silk  merchants  in  their 
native  land.  Wilbur  Day,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  and 
was  there  reared  and  married.  Miss  ]Mar- 
garet  Sale  becomiing  his  wife.  She  was 
also  a  native  of  Xorth  Carolina,  and  both 
she  and  her  husband  were  members  of  prom- 
inent old  southern  families  of  that  state. 
After  their  marriage,  in  1841,  they  located 
near  Bluffton,  in  Wells  county,  Indiana, 
where  they  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers, 
and  there  they  made  their  home  for  the  fol- 
lowing eight  years,  on  the  expiration  of 
which  period,  in  1853,  they  took  up  their 
abode  in  Jasper  county,  that  state.  There 
they  were  also  among  the  earlv  pioneers, 
and  during  their  residence  on  the  western 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


frontier  they  suffered  all  the  privations  and 
hardships  known  only  to  the  settlers  of  a 
new  antl  unsettled  country.  Unto  this 
worthy  couple  were  born  fourteen  children, 
seven  sons  and  seven  daughters,  namely: 
Lewis,  who  died  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in 
1864,  while  serving  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war;  William,  who  was  a  soldier  during  the 
Civil  war,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Indiana; 
Amanda;  John,  the  subject  of  this  review; 
George;  Alartha;  Jesse,  deceased;  Louisa; 
Lizzie,  deceased;  Charles;  and  four  who 
died  wdien  young.  The  father  of  this  family 
passed  away  in  death  in  Jasper  county,  In- 
diana, on  the  4th  of  March,  1892,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two  years.  He  followed  the  till- 
ing of  the  soil  throughout  his  entire  business 
career,  and  in  all  life's  relations  he  was  ever 
found  true  and  faithful  to  duty.  His  wife 
has  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-nine 
years.  She  is  a. member  of  the  Christian 
church,  as  was  also  her  husband. 

John  Day,  of  this  review,  was  reared  to 
manhood  on  an  Indiana  farm,  both  in  Wells 
and  Jasper  counties  and  in  addition  to  at- 
tending the  common  schools  of  his  locality 
he  was  also  a  student  in  the  Battle  Ground 
Academy,  where  he  enjoyed  superior  educa- 
tional advantages.  After  putting  aside  his 
school  books  to  take  up  the  active  duties  of 
life  on  his  own  account  he  chose  as  a  life 
occupation  that  to  which  he  had  been 
reared,  namely,  farming,  which  vocation  he 
follo'wed  in  his  native  state  until  1878.  In 
that  year  he  came  to  Kansas,  Irrst  securing  a 
tract  of  Osage  Indian  land  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  after  coming  to  this  state  the 
family  resided  in  a  sod  house.  As  prosperity 
attended  his  efforts  he  has  added  to  his  land- 
ed possessions  until  he  is  now  the  owner  oi 
eight  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  excellent 
and  well  improved  land,  on  which  he  has 
erected  a  large  and  comfortable  dwelling, 
barns  and  other  outbuildings,  and  has  now 
one  of  the  finest  homesteads  in  this  part  of 
the  county. 

In  Rensselaer.  Jasper  county,  Indiana, 
on  the  4th  of  March,  1873,  '^'^'^s  celebrated 
the  marriage  o-f  Mr.  Day  and  Miss  Mary 
Ann  Burns,  who  was  born  in  Jasper  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  July  30,  1849,  '"id  '^'^'^s  reared 


and  educated  in  the  Hoosier  state.  Her  pa- 
ternal grandparents  were  James  and  Delilah 
(Barnes)  Burns,  and  the  former  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  war  of  1812.  Her  father,  Will- 
iam Burns,  was  born  in  Champaign  county, 
■Ohio,  and  was  there  reared  until  eighteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  removed  to  White 
county,  Indiana.  He  was  there  married  to 
Susanna  Barnes,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Rigor) 
Barnes,  natives  also  of  the  Old'  Dominion. 
The  father  served  as  judge  of  the  courts  in 
Indiana,  and  was  a  very  prominent  man  in 
.his  locality.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Burns 
became  early  pioneers  of  Jasper  county,  In- 
diana, and  at  that  time  only  four  families 
resided  within  the  boundaries  of  the  county 
and  Indians  were  still  very  numerous.  They 
became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  eight  of 
wdiom  grew  to  years  of  maturity,  namely : 
James  I.,  deceased;  Francis  Marion,  who 
served  as  a  soldier  during  the  Civil  war,  and 
who  died  in  a  hospital  at  Nashville,  aged 
twenty-two  years;  John  M.,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years:  Vilena,  also  de- 
ceased; Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  our  subject; 
James  M.,  wlio  resides  on  the  old  home  farm 
in  Indiana;  Margaret,  now  Mrs.  J.  W. 
Groom;  William,  who  resides  with  his 
brother  on  the  Indiana  farm.  The  father  of 
this  family  died  at  the  comparatively  early 
age  of  forty-nine  years,  his  death  resulting 
from  exposure.  He  was  a  Republican  in  his 
political  views,  and  was  a  progressive  and 
public-spirited  citizen.  His  wife  survived 
until  sixty-eight  years  of  age,  when  she 
joined  her  husband  in  the  home  beyond, 
both  dying  in  the  faith  of  the  Christian 
church.  The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife 
has  been  blessed  with  twoi  sons,  the  eldest  of 
whom,  Ernest  F.,  is  a  popular  and  success- 
ful physician  of  Arkansas  City,  Kansas.  He 
is  a  graduate  nf  the  Medical  University  of 
Kansas  City,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1900, 
which  was  the  largest  ever  graduated  from 
that  institution.  The  youngest  son,  E\- 
i  art  C,  is  now  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
i  and  is  a  resident  O'f  Oklalu mia.  He  married 
j  Lettie  Hobson.  of  Kingman  count\-,  and  a 
!  daughter  of  Newton  Hobson.  Mrs.  Day  is 
a  member  of  the  Christian  church.   Mr.  Dav, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


of  this  review,  gives  his  poHtical  support  to 
the  Populist  party,  and  on  its  ticket  he  was 
elected  to  represent  his  district  in  the  legis- 
lature of  1 89 1,  discharging  the  duties  en- 
trusted to  his  care  in  a  manner  highly  satis- 
factory to  all  concerned.  He  has,  however, 
never  sought  or  desired  public  honors,  pre- 
ferring to  give  his  undivided  time  to  his 
business  interests. 


ALEXANDER  M.  SWIT2ER. 

Alexander  M.  Switzer,  a  prominent 
farmer,  stockman  and  fruit-grower  of  Reno 
county,  was  born  in  Tuscarawas  county, 
Ohio.  March  7,  1849,  ^  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Anderson)  Switzer.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  Switzerland  but  when  only 
hve  years  of  age  he  accompanied  his  parents 
on  their  removal  to  the  United  States,  the 
family  locating  in  Ohio,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  engaged  in  the 
tilling  of  the  soil  as  a  life  occupation,  and  as 
a  supporter  of  Republican  principles  he  took 
an  active  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  lo- 
cality, having  served  for  many  years  as  a 
county  commissioner  and  as  a  trustee.  His 
death  occurred  when  he  had  reached  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years.  His  wife  was  a  native 
of  the  Emerald  Isle,  but  she  was'  brought  to 
the  United  States  in  childhood,  also  locat- 
ing in  Ohio.  She  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years.  Unto  this  worthy  couple  were 
born  seven  children,  four  of  whom  grew  to 
years  of  maturity,  and  three  of  the  number, 
Robert,  Eliza  and  Thomas,  remained  in  the 
Buckeye  state.  The  last  named  owns  the 
old  family  homestead  in  that  commonwealtli. 

Alexander  M.  Switzer,  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  review,  was  reared  to  manhood 
in  the  place  of  his  nativity,  and  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  the  neighborhood  he  received 
his  educational  advantages.  In  1864,  when 
but  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  the 
one-hundred-day  service  as  a  substitute  for 
his  father,  becoming  a  member  of  Company 
D,  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-first  Ohio  Na- 


tional Guards.  During  his  military  career 
he  served  four  months  in  the  Shenandoah 
valley,  under  Hunter,  Sigel  and  Sheridan, 
and  on  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlist- 
ment he  re-enlisted  in  Company  A,  One 
Hundred  and  Eighty-fifth  Volunteers.  Go- 
ing with  his  command  to  Kentucky,  he  was 
engaged  in  guarding  Cumberland  Gap  and 
in  suppressing  guerrillas.  During  their  first 
campaign  in  the  Shenandoah  valley  the  regi- 
ment started  out  complete,  but  they  returned 
with  only  about  one  hundred  men.  Mr. 
Switzer  still  has  in  his  possession  a  treas- 
ured memento  of  President  Lincoln  in  the 
form  of  an  autographic  letter  which  was 
presented  to  each  of  the  one  hundred  sur- 
vivors of  his  regiment  as  a  personal  recog- 
nition of  their  gallant  service. 

After  the  close  of  hostilities  Mr.  Switzer 
received  an  honorable  discharge  at  Camp 
Chase,  Columbus,  and  returned  to  his  home 
with  a  most  creditable  military  record.  In 
March,  1866,  in  Ohio,  he  was  married  to 
Jennie  Knee,  and  in  the  following  Septem- 
ber he  removed  to  Champaign  county.  Illi- 
nois, where  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  for  the  following  five  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1872,  with  his  wife  and  two  sons, 
he  came  with  a  team  and  wagon  to  Reno 
county,  Kansas.  Tlie  family  left  their  Illi- 
nois home  in  March,  and  in  the  following- 
April  they  arrived  in  the  Sunflower  state. 
Their  first  residence  here  was  a  combination 
of  a  sod  house  and  a  dug-init,  Iccated  in  a 
rather  low  spot  and  excavated  to  a  depth  of 
about  two  feet.  During  the  first  heavy  rain 
the  house  was  flooded  and  everything  within 
was  set  afloat,  and  they  were  thus  compelled 
to  move  to  higher  ground.  Mr.  Switzer  ac- 
cordingly erected  a  small  box  house,  eight 
by  twelve  feet,  which  was  their  place  of 
abode  during  that  season,  and  although  it 
was  only  partial!)-  enclosed  it  proved  a  com- 
fortable residence  during  the  pleasant  sun-i- 
mer  weather.  In  the  following  fall  a  snug- 
little  box  house,  ten  by  twelve  feet,  was 
erected,  which  at  that  time  was  the  finest 
residence  in  the  neighborhood.  In  that  early 
day  game  was  plentiful  and  buffaloes  could 
be  secured  by  going  only  a  short  distance 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


from  their  home.  There  were  no  clearly 
defined  roads  across  the  prairie  from  one 
town  or  settlement  to  another  at  that  time, 
and  to  mark  the  way  ]\Ir.  Switzer  during  the 
first  year  of  his  residence  here  plowed  a  fur- 
row nine  miles  across  the  prairie  to  Castle- 
ton.  By  arduous  labor  he  soon  succeeded  in  [ 
placing  about  ten  acres  of  the  place  under 
cultivation,  which  he  planted. with  corn,  and  ! 
in  order  to  secure  money  he  was  alsQ  obliged 
to  break  sod  for  his  neighbors.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  in  this  section  of  the  state  to  en- 
gage in  the  fruit  and  nursery  business,  hav- 
ing as  early  as  1876  about  forty  acres  of 
his  farm  devoted  to  that  purpose,  and  for 
some  years  he  made  that  line  of  work  a  spe- 
cialty, raising  all  kinds  of  the  larger  fruits, 
but  during  the  past  few  years  he  has  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  raising  of  small  fruits, 
principally  grapes  and  strawl^erries.  He 
supplies  the  Hutchinson  market  with  the 
choicest  fruits,  and  in  this  enterprise  he  fur- 
nishes employment  to  many  young  people 
during  the  fruit  season. 

There  are  few  men  better  known  in  Reno 
and  adjoining  counties  than  Alexander 
Switzer.  for  during  his  entire  residence  in 
the  Sunflower  state  he  has  been  actively  and 
prominently  identified  with  the  affairs  of  his 
township,  county  and  state.  He  has  served 
in  all  of  the  township  ofiices,  was  the  first 
overseer  of  highways  of  his  township,  and 
from  1879  until  1885  was  an  efficient  county 
commissioner.  Upon  his  retirement  from 
that  position  he  was  presented  with  a  beau- 
tiful gold  watch  by  the  citizens  of  Reno 
county,  as  a  recognition  of  the  efficiency 
with  which  he  had  discharged  the  duties  de- 
volving upon  him  while  in  that  office.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  town  board  when  the 
present  bridge  across  the  Arkansas  river 
was  built  at  this  point,  and  it  was  largely 
through  his  persistent  efforts,  in  the  face  of 
much  opposition  and  adverse  criticism,  that 
it  was  built  at  that  time,  but  those  who  were 
among  the  most  bitter  adversaries  now  ad- 
mit that  the  undertaking  was  a  profitable 
one.  In  1896  he  received  the  Republican 
nomination  for  the  thirty-sixth  senatorial 
district,  but  with  tlft  rest  of  the  ticket  was 


defeated.  No  citizen  of  Reno  county  has 
rendered  more  faithful  or  efficient  ser\-ice  to 
his  party  than  Mr.  Switzer,  and  he  is  widely 
recognized  as  a  Republican  leader  who  has 
labored  earnestly  for  its  success.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  and  for  many  years 
president  of  the  Reno  Cnunty  Horticultural 
Association,  and  was  al-i  >  i;e  >  1  the  prin- 
cipal organizers  and  the  \\\->\  ]ire-ident  of  the 
Farmers"  Institute.  He  holds  memliership 
relations  with  Joe  Hooker  Post,  Xo.  17,  G. 
A.  R.,  with  the  Court  of  Honor  and  with 
the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Justice.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  Reno  Lodge,  No.  140, 
A.  F.  &  A.  ]\I. ;  Reno  Chapter,  No.  34; 
Hutchinson  Council,  Xo.  13  :  and  Reno  Com- 
mantlery,  Xo.  2h.  K.  T.,  and  is  also  a  Scot- 
tish-Rite ]\Iason  and  a  member  of  the  Shrine 
and  Eastern  Star.  He  has  lieen  a  ccjnimand- 
ing  officer  in  all  of  these  bodies  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Scottish  Rite,  and  has  attend- 
ed the  Knights  Templar  conventions  for  the 
past  fifteen  years.  His  religious  preference 
is  indicated  liy  his  membership  in  the 
Alethodist  Episcopal  church.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Elmer  Sunday- 
school  and  for  fifteen  years  was  its  efficient 
superintendent,  while  for  one  year  he  was 
president  of  the  County  Sunday-school  As- 
sociation. 

Mrs.  Switzer  passed  away  in  death  on 
the  1 8th  of  January,  1885,  leaving  two  sons, 
Lawrence  P.,  of  Pueblo,  Colorado;  and 
Percy  E.,  a  resident  of  Oklahoma.  On  the 
30th  of  January,  1886,  our  suljject  married 
Annie  Ingham,  a  daughter  of  "\\'illiam  and 
Sarali  Ingham.  She  was  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts, but  in  childhood  she  came  with 
her  parents  to  Kansas.  She  was  reared  near 
Topeka  and  experienced  all  the  horrors  of 
the  border  trouliles.  Tliis  union  has  been 
blessed  with  two  children,  Gladys  and  Ethel. 
Mr.  Switzer  is  a  man  of  strong  mentality, 
keen  discernment,  great  tact  and  resolute 
purpose,  and  is  therefore  well  fitted  for  the 
political  honors  which  have  been  conferred 
upon  him.  He  is  ever  a  generous  friend  and 
warm  advocate  of  those  who  are  battling 
for  the  right  and  of  principles  and  policies 
for  the  public  good. 


!04 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


HUTTOX  &  OSWALD. 

Tlie  held  of  business  is  limitless  and  op- 
portunity is  only  hampered  by  the  inability 
or  negligence  of  the  individual.  The  man 
who  is  energetic,  determined,  honest  and 
persevering  can  always  win  success  and  it  is 
such  qualities  that  have  placed  the  firm  of 
Hutton  &  Oswald  in  their  present  enviable 
position.  They  are  proprietors  of  a  laundry 
business  which  was  conducted  by  ten  com- 
panies or  individuals  before  they  took  hold 
of  it, — this  being  between  the  years  1886 
and  1 89 1,  but  when  these  gentlemen  assumed 
the  management  there  was  straightway  a 
change  in  the  outlook.  They  determined  to 
succeed,  went  about  getting  patrons  in  a 
business-like  way  that  inspired  confidence 
and  retained  their  trade  through  the  excel- 
lence of  their  workmanship,  their  prompt- 
ness and  reliability.  The  story  seems  simple 
but  in  it  lies  the  secret  of  enviable  success. 

The  proprietors  are  Emmett  Hutton  and 
Charley  W.  Oswald  and  the  enterprise  is 
known  as  the  American  Steam  Laundry  of 
Hutchinson.  They  began  business  here 
April  20,  1 89 1,  in  a  small  building,  twenty- 
five  by  seventy  feet,  and  started  as  successors 
to  ten  dilTerent  parties  who  had  previously 
made  a  failure  of  the  work.  They  combined 
the  plants  of  the  American  Steam  Laundry 
and  the  Hutchinson  Steam  Laundry.  The 
plant  had  been  shut  down  for  three  or  four 
months,  but  Mr.  Hutton  took  a  mortgage  on 
it  and  began  business  in  connection  with 
Willis  Brothers.  Six  months  later  he  and 
Mr.  Oswald  bought  the  plant,  and  from  the 
start  both  gentlemen  gave  their  entire  time 
and  attention  to  the  business.  It  was  not 
long  before  they  needed  more  space  and 
doubled  the  capacity  within  the  first  three 
years,  renting  the  room  on  the  east.  It  was 
about  two  years  later  when  they  took  an  up- 
stairs floor  of  the  same  size,  giving  theni 
three  times'  the  space  they  first  had,  but  still 
their  business  grew,  demanding  more  com- 
modious cjuarters,  until  now  their  plant  occu- 
pies ten  times  the  original  space  in  which 
they  began  business.  In  January,  1898,  they 
purchased  the  building  in  which  they  are  lo- 


cated and  by  building  a  large  addition  in  the 
rear  have  more  than  doubled  their  space. 
They  first  employed  four  hands,  now  they 
have  an  average  force  of  seventy-five  em- 
ployes and  on  rush  occasions  increase  the 
number  by  ten.  They  have  the  reputation 
of  payiilg  the  help  better  salaries  than  are 
elsewhere  given  in  the  same  line  of  business 
and  thus  they  are  enabled  to  retain  their  em- 
ployes, some  of  whom  have  been  with  them 
for  nine  years,  while  the  majority  have  been 
continuously  in  their  service  for  five  years. 
Both  Mr.  Hutton  and  Mr.  Oswald  have 
given  Iheir  entire  attention  to  the  business 
and  their  close  application  has  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  their  prosperity.  They 
have  often  worked  at  midnight  and  some- 
times later,  so  that  their  business  has  ne\er 
got  the  start  of  them  and  they  never  disap- 
point customers  by  not  having  the  work 
ready  at  the  time  promised.  Now  they 
make  it  a  point  to  close  the  laundry  at  six 
o'clock,  employing  a  sufficient  number  to 
make  this  possible  and  the  majority  of  the 
time  the  work  of  the  day  is  over  at  the  time 
designated. 

From  the  first  they  sought  trade  in  the 
surrounding  towns  and  this  has  grown  until 
it  is  now  limited  only  by  express  charges. 
They  are  in  receipt  of  applications  almost 
daily  for  agencies  at  different  points  and 
their  business  reaches  as  far  east  as  Herring- 
ton  and  equal  distances  to  the  north,  south 
and  west.  In  fact  it  extends  into  Oklahoma 
and  Texas  and  they  are  now  doing  business 
in  one  hundred  towns  outside  of  Hutchin- 
son. They  have  gained  their  reputation 
solely  on  the  excellence  of  the  work.  In 
their  building  they  have  a  concrete  floor 
twenty-five  by  one  hundred  and  forty-five 
feet.  The  building  is  also  specially  lighted 
and  ventilated.  Condensed  steam  is  used 
and  no  colored  goods  are  washed  in  anything 
but  distilled  water ;  steam,  water,  light  and 
power  come  from  the  Hutchinson  W'ater, 
Light  &  Power  Compau}^,  and  throughout 
Kansas  there  is  no  more  flourishing  laundry 
business  than  that  conducted  by  the  enter- 
prising firm  of  Hutton  &  Oswald.  To  such 
a  degree  has  success  attended  their  enter- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


105 


prise  that  they  have  not  found  it  necessary 
to  continue  all  of  their  capital  in  the  busi- 
ness, but  have  made  judicious  investments 
in  farm  property,  .which  is  well  improved  and 
now  contributes  not  a  little  to  their  income. 


JACOB  A.  YOUNG. 

The  fine  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  on  sections  14  and  23,  Roscoe 
township,  owned  by  Jacob  A.  Young  is  the 
visible  evidence  of  his  well  spent  and  useful 
life.  His  property  has  all  been  acquired 
through  his  own  efforts :  Industr)-  and  per- 
severance have  fo'fmed  tlio  fnuiidalion  stones 
upon  which  he  has  reared  the  superstructure 
of  his  success.  He  is  a  native  son  of  Penn- 
sylvania, his  birth  having  occurred  in  Mif- 
Hin  count}^,  that  state,  February  4,  1845, 
his  parents  being  John  and  Harriet  (Rudy) 
Young,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  family  removed  from  Penn- 
sylvania to  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  in  1864, 
and  from  Iowa  to  Kingman  county,  Kan- 
sas, being  among  the  early  settlers  there. 
The  father  pre-empted  a  claini  and  through 
his  remaining  days  resided  thereon,  devot- 
ing his  energies  to  the  development  and 
cultivation  of  his  farm.  His  wife  died  on 
the  same  farm  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
nine  years.  In  their  family  were  thirteen 
children,  ten  of  whom  are  living:  Jacob 
A. ;  Daniel  J.,  a  fanner  of  Roscoe  township, 
Reno  county;  Xoali,  of  Oklahoma  Terri- 
tory; Adam,  of  Hutchinson;  John,  a  resi- 
dent of  Lincoln  township,  Reno  county; 
]\Irs.  Amanda  Knight;  James,  of  Okla- 
homa; Ella,  the  wife  of  Grant  Lee;  Mrs.  Ab- 
bie  Brady,  of  Kingman  county;  and  Alli- 
son, a  resident  of  Pretty  Prairie,  Kansas. 
Those  deceased  are:  Lewis  and  Elizabeth, 
who  died  after  reaching  mature  years;  and 
one  who  died  in  infancy. 

In  his  parents'  home  Jacob  A.  Young 
spent  his  boyhood  days,  and  when  only 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  enlisted  as  a  de- 
fender of  the  L'nion,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  I,  Twelfth  Pennsylvania  Reserv^es 
of  McCall's  Division,  which  went  with  Mc- 
Clellan's  command  into  the  Peninsular 
7 


campaign.  After  the  seven  days'  engage- 
ment at  Richmond  the  Union  troops  fell 
back  to  the  James  river,  wdiere  Mr.  Young 
was  taken  sick,  and  cfter  some  time  spent 
in  the  hospitals  at  Fortress  Monroe  and 
HaraptO'n  Roads  he  was  discharged,  in  Xcj- 
vemiber,  1862.  Not  content  to  thus  end  his 
military  service,  he  re-enlisted,  in  February, 
1864,  as  a  member  of  Company  B,  One 
Hundred  and  Forty-seventh  Pennsylvania 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  transferred  to 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  going  to  Bridge- 
port, Alabama,  where  he  joined  Sherman  on 
the  march  to  the  sea.  When  that  was  accom- 
plished, showing  that  the  strength  of  the 
confederacy  had  lieen  darwn  from  the  inte- 
rior to  protect  the  borders,  he  proceeded  with 
his  command  to  Raleigh,  North  Carolina, 
then  on  to  Washington,  wdiere  he  partici- 
pated in  the  grand  review,  the  most  cele- 
brated military  pageant  which  the  continent 
has  witnessed.  In  July,  1865,  be  returned 
to  his  home,  having  received  an  honorable 
discharge. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Young  remained  in 
Pennsylvania  until  February,  1866,  when 
he  joined  the  family  in  Iowa,  where  he 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  for  a  year  and 
then  rented  land  in  order  to  engage  in  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account.  He  resided  in  Iowa 
until  February,  1874,  when  with  his  wife 
and  two  children  he  came  by  team  to  Kan- 
sas, accompanied  by  two  other  families,  that 
of  George  Fisher  and  of  S.  M.  Hegarty,  the 
latter  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Young.  Reaching 
Reno  county  he  stopped  the  first  season  in 
Allii^n  i>i\\i;ship,  where  Alexander  He- 
garty. ,1  c-UMu  uf  S.  M.,  had  settled  in  1873. 
He  raised  one  crop  here  and  in  the  spring 
of  1875  came  to  his  claim,  constituting  his 
present  homestead.  He  secured  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  on  section  23,  Roscoe 
township,  and  a  timber  claim,  constitutiTig 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  14.  He 
lost  all  of  his  crop  of  1874  on  account  of  the 
grashopper  scourage,  and  like  many  of  the 
other  pioneers  in  the  winter  of  1874  and 
1875  he  had  to  resort  to  any  available  means 
of  earning  a  livelihood.  He  joined  what 
was  known  as  the  "horse  brigade,"  engaged 
in    freighting    to    the    distant,    markets    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Hutchinson  and  Wichita.  In  tlie  fall  of 
1874  he  had  gone  to  the  mill  in  Sterling, 
then  called  Peace,  driving  his  team,  and 
during  his  absence  his  stacks  were  struck  by 
lightning,  causing  his  stable  to  burn,  also 
his  cows,  hay  and  grain,  his  team  being  for- 
tunately saved  on  account  of  the  trip  he  was 
making.  He  then  built  a  new  stable,  but 
within  two  weeks  it  was  destroyed  by 
another  fire.  In  the  year  1875  Mr.  Young 
again  made  a  start  and  from  that  time  on 
has  been  more  fortunate.  He  is  now  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
and  keeps  from  fifty  to  seventy  head  oi 
cattle.  He  makes  quite  a  specialty  of  dairy- 
ing, milking  from  fifteen  to  twenty  cows, 
and  this  branch  of  his  business  adds  mate- 
rially to  his  income. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1870,  Mr. 
Young  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Sarah  E.  Hegarty,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  a  daughter  of  S.  K.  and  Rebecca 
(Lanborn)  Hegarty,  who  were  also  born  in 
the  Keystone  state.  Unto  our  subject  anil 
his  wife  have  been  born  nine  children : 
Samuel  E.,  a  farmer  of  Roscoe  township: 
Albert  D.,  an  agriculturist  of  the  same  town- 
ship; Paul  J.,  at  home;  Rebecca  A.,  the  wife 
of  E.  P.  Young,  a  teacher  of  Roscoe  town- 
ship; Rosa,  Delia,  Pearl,  Elizabeth  and 
Helen,  all  yet  with  their  parents.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  famih'  belong  to  the  United  Pres- 
byterian church  and  in  its  work  take  an  act- 
ive part,  while  Albert  D.  is  very  prominent 
in  temperance  work.  In  politics  Mr.  Young 
is  an  ardent  Republican  and  a  member  of  the 
Republican  executive  committee,  while  to 
various  local  and  state  conventions  he  has 
been  sent  as  delegate.  He  has  been  es- 
pecially prominent  in  local  affairs  and  has 
filled  nearly  all  of  the  township  offices,  in- 
cluding those  of  trustee,  treasurer  and  clerk, 
at  the  present  time  acting  as  treasurer.  He 
has  also  been  a  leader  in  the  work  of  secur- 
ing good  schools  and  his  service  on  the 
school  board  has  been  very  effective.  His 
name  is  on  the  membership  roll  of  the  OcTd 
Fellows  lodge  in  Pretty  Prairie  and  his 
brethren  of  the  order  have  honored  him  with 
various  offices.  Both  he  and  his  wife  belong 
to  the  order  of  Rebekahs,  of  which  she  is 


past  grand.  He  is  also  identified  with  Joe 
Hooker  Post,  No.  17,  G.  A.  R.  He  is  a 
good  citizen  and  gives  hearty  co-operation 
to  every  movement  for  the  general  good. 
Christian,  educational,  social  and  material 
interests  have  been  promoted  through  his 
eft'orts,  and  while  the  county  has  benefited 
by  his  labors  he  has  also  won  for  his  family 
a  comfortable  competence  and  well  deserves 
the  proud  American  title  of   "a   self-made 


A.  L.  SPOXSLER. 


The  name  of  this  gentleman  is  one  which 
stands  consjjicuously  forth  on  the  pages  of 
Kansas'  political  history.     He  has  been  an 
active  factor  in  shaping  the  affairs  of  the 
government  in  the  west,  and  is  widely  recog- 
nized as  a   Republican  leader  who  has  la-         J 
bored  earnestly  for  the  success  of  the  party        I 
and  yet  has  ne\'er  placed  partisanship  before         • 
citizenship    or    self-aggrandizement    before 
the  national  good.     Close  study  has  given 
him  a  keen  insight  into  the  important  polit- 
ical problems,  and  his  interest  in  the  issues 
of  the  day  that  affect  the  state  or  national 
weal  or  woe  has  ever  been  of  the  highest. 

The  Sponsler  family  are  of  Pennsyl- 
vania-Dutch extraction,  and  according  to 
well  founded  tradition  the  first  of  the  name 
to  come  to  the  new  world  was  a  captain  in 
the  French  army,  who  came  to  America 
during  the  French  and  Indian  war.  After 
hostilities  had  ceased  he  located  in  Phila- 
delphia, from  which  place  the  Sponsler  fam- 
ily in  America  dates  its  origin,  but  in  after 
years  they  spread  over  the  colonies  as  farm- 
ers, merchants  and  mechanics.  The  pater- 
nal grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Lewis 
Sponsler,  who  resided  in  Perry  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  employed  in  a 
factory,  and  there  his  death  occurred  at  an 
early  age.  Lewis  Sponsler,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  that  county,  October 
3.  1825,  and  was  there  reared  to  manhood 
and  learned  the  wagon-maker's  trade,  which 
he  followed  for  a  number  of  ^-ears  in  Cum- 
berland county.  Pennsylvania.  In  1849  h^ 
was   united   in   marriage   to   ]\Iaria   ^^'olfe, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


who  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  September,  1827,  a  daughter  of 
Christian  and  Sarah  (Stoner)  Wolfe.  On 
both  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides  Mrs. 
Sponsler  was  descended  from  German  an- 
cestry, and  her  grandfather,  Henry  Wolfe, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

In,  1856  Lewis  Sponsler  removed  wirii 
his  wife  and  four  children  to  Keithsburg, 
Mercer  county,  Illinois,  where  for  four  years 
he  was  engaged  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  and 
on  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  seven  miles  east  of  that  city, 
which  he  continued 'to  operate  until  1881. 
In  that  year  he  retired  from  the  active  work 
of  the  farm  and  located  in  Aledo,  Mercer 
county,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  passing  away  in  death  on  the  4th  of 
April,  1893.  Throughout  his  entire  life  he 
never  courted  notoriety  or  sought  the  honors 
of  public  office,  preferring  to  devote  his 
energies  to  his  business,  his  church  and  to 
the  ad\-ancement  of  the  principles  of  Repub- 
licanism. For  many  years  he  was  a  leading 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  was 
ever  active  and  earnest  in  its  support.  Al- 
though his  educational  opportunities  during 
his  youth  were  limited,  in  later  years  he  be- 
came a  great  reader  and  acquired  a  most  re- 
markable knowledge  of  Biblical,  ancient  and 
modern  history.  He  is  still  survived  by  his 
widow,  who  makes  her  home  in  Aledo,  hav- 
ing reached  the  seventy-fourth  milestone  on 
the  journey  of  life.  The  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Spousler  was  blessed  with  seven  chil- 
dren:  William  J.,  who  came  to  Reno  coun- 
ty. Kansas,  in  1S74.  and  is  now  a  prom- 
inent farmer  and  sti-ck-raiser  of  Reno  town- 
ship; Sarah,  the  wife  of  W.  D.  Reynolds, 
of  Morton  Mills,  Iowa,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  the  breeding  of  Angus  cattle ;  George  W., 
who  is  also  a  farmer  and  breeder  of  Angus 
cattle  and  resides  in  Mercer  county,  Illi- 
nois: Alice  M.,  who  makes  her  home  with 
her  mother  in  Aledo,  Illinois  :  A.  L.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  Anna,  the  wife  of  L. 
Mc\Mif  rter,  who  ranks  among  the  foremost 
breeders  of  pure  Angus  cattle  in  the  United 
States,  having  held  the  ofiice  of  president  of 
the  National  Association  of  Angus  Breed- 
ers in  1900,  and  his  home  is  in  Aledo;  and 


John  L.,  who  was  formerly  engaged  with 
his  brother  A.  L.  in  the  newspaper  business 
in  Hutchinson,  but  is  now  a  journalist  of 
Lawton,  Oklahoma. 

A.  L.  Sponsler,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  born  in  Mercer  county, 
Illinois,  April  30,  i860,  and  during  his 
youth  he  was  a  student  in  the  district  schools 
of  his  neighborhood.  Afterward  he  com- 
pleted the  course  in  Knox  Academy,  at 
Galesburg,  Illinois,  after  which  he  entered 
Knox  College,  of  the  same  city,  but  left 
that  institution  after  attaining  the  sopho- 
more year  to  engage  in  the  study  of  law  in 
the  office  of  John  C.  Pepper  of  Aledo,  be- 
ing then  in  his  twenty-third  year.  He  re- 
mained with  his  preceptor  for  two  years, 
and  was  then,  in  Alay,  1885.  admitted  to  the 
bar  by  the  supreme  court  after  a  written 
examination.  This  event,  memorable  to 
him  in  itself  was  made  doubly  so  by  the  fact 
that  it  occurred  the  day  after  John  A.  Logan, 
whose  election  he  was  advocating,  was  elect- 
ed to  the  United  States  senate  for  the  last 
time  and  after  one  of  the  most  memoralile 
contests  of  the  kind  that  has  ever  occurred 
in  the  L^nited  States.  Immediately  after  his 
admission  to  the  bar  Mr.  Sponsler  beg^an  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession  in  Aledo. 
under  the  firm  name  of  Pepper  &  Sponsler. 
which  relationship  was  maintained  until 
1887,  wdren  he  came  to  the  Sunflower  state, 
locating  in  Arlington,  Reno  county,  with 
the  intention  of  practicing  law,  but  with  the 
"Lost  Heads,"  who  were  assembling  in  Kan- 
sas at  that  time  to  pursue  a  real-estate  specu- 
lation, began  booming  Kansas  town  prop- 
erty to  an  extent  never  before  or  since  re- 
corded. To  such  an  extent  did  he  partici- 
pate in  this  business  that  he  found  no  con- 
venient opportunity  for  following  his  chosen 
profession,  and  it  required  two'  or  three 
years  after  its  abandonment  to  settle  tlie 
affairs  of  his  partnership. 

In  1888  Mr.  Sponsler  made  a  remark- 
able race  for  the  position  of  state  senator, 
the  convention  meeting  at  Pratt,  and  after 
balloting  for  three  days  it  adjourned  to  meet 
in  Turon,  Reno  county,  wdiere  it  was  also  in 
session  for  about  three  days,  but  during  this 
time  our  subject  was  called  to   Illinois  by 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTOR] 


the  sickness  of  his  wife,  and  the  convention, 
finding  it  impossible  to  arrive  at  a  conclu- 
sion, adj(_)urned  sine  die.  The  next  con- 
vention met  in  August,  in  Turon,  and  was 
composed  of  one  delegate  from'  each  voting 
precinct  of  the  counties  of  Reno,  Pratt  and 
Kingman.  After  several  hundred  ballots 
had  been  cast,  in  which  Mr.  Sponsler  came 
within  one  vote  several  times  and  at  one  time 
within  a  half  a  vote  of  gaining  the  nomina- 
tion, he  withdrew  his  name  from  further 
C'jnsideration,  believing  then  that  his  nomi- 
natii-in  was  impossible,  and  Hon.  Frank  E. 
Gillett,  of  Kingman,  was  nominated.  In  the 
meantime  Mr.  Sponsler  had  also  become  in- 
terested in  two  newspapers,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1889  he  removed  to  Hutchinson,  where, 
in  company  with  his  brother  John  L.,  he  be- 
gan publishing  the  Hutchinson  Times,  and 
m  the  following  year  the  Times  and  Repub- 
lican were  c^ns. 'lidated.  The  brothers  con- 
tnuied  its  pulilicatii  in  until  1891,  when  they 
purchased  the  Hutchinson  Daily  News,  in- 
cluding the  job  offices  and  book  bindeiy, 
and  thus  they  were  engaged  until  1895, 
when  they  sold  their  interests  to  W.  Y.  Mor- 
gan, a  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  After  retiring  from  journal- 
istic work  the  brothers  engaged  in  the  grain 
business,  buying  and  cribbing  corn  in  vari- 
ous tciwns  in  this  section  of  the  state,  in 
which  the\-  continued  for  three  years,  their 
business  having  been  carried  on  under  the 
firm  name  of  E.  L.  Wolff  &  Company.  They 
were  then  engaged  in  various  other  enter- 
prises until  the  year  1899,  when  our  subject 
purchased  hi^  present  farm  of  four  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  and  engaged  in  the  breeding 
of  registered  short-horn  cattle.  At  the  time 
of  the  purchase  the  farm  was  raw  prairie 
land,  but  he  has  since  placed  his  fields  under 
cultivation,  has  erected  a  good  residence  and 
has  built  substantial  barns  and  fences.  The 
farm  is  devoted  to  the  raising  of  grass  with 
'the  exception  of 'one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres,  and  he  is  now  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  breeders  of  registered  short-horn 
cattle  in  the  locality. 

During  all  these  years  Mr.  Sponsler  has 
been  actively  engaged  in  promoting  a  num- 
ber of  measures  for  the  public  advancement. 


It  was  through  his  efforts  in  1892  that  the 
Republican  state  convention  was  secured  for 
Hutchinson,  which  was  the  first  time  it  had 
ever  been  held  as  far  west.  During  the  pre- 
vious winter  by  his  tireless  activity  he  had 
succeeded  in  organizing  the  Hutchinson 
Commercial  Club,  and  when  the  convention 
was  secured  for  this  city  it  was  found  that 
no  building  in  Hutchison  was  large  enough 
to  meet  its  requirements.  ,  Then  it  was  that 
the  Commercial  Club  and  other  citizens 
erected  the  Auditorium.  When  Chester  I. 
Long  was  nominated  against  Jerry  Simp- 
son for  congress  in  1892  there  was  no  one 
man  who  spent  more  time  and  money  in  the 
support  of  Mr.  Long  than  Mr.  Sponsler.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  Reno  county  delega- 
tion to  the  state  convention  which  met  at 
Topeka  in  1894,  when  the  vote  of  Reno 
county  nominated  Governor  IMorrill,  was 
a  delegate  to  the  National  Editors'  Associa- 
tion at  Asbury  Park,  New  Jersey,  in  1893, 
and  was  a  delegate  to  the  Trans-Mississippi 
Congress  in  1894.  He  has  been  in  every 
session  of  the  Kansas  Legislature  since  1889 
as  an  observer  and  student  of  affairs.  He 
!  was  one  of  the  chief  organizers  of  the  Cen- 
tral Kansas  Fair  Association,  which  was  or- 
ganized in  1 90 1,  and  of  which  he  is  now 
president,  and  was  also  one  of  the  original 
promoters  of  the-  Kansas  Day  Club. 

On  the  27th  of  September,  1887,  at  the 
home  of  the  bride  in  Aledo,  Illinois,  Mr. 
Sponsler  was  united  in  marriage  to  Minnie 
P.  Bentley,  who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of 
that  city  on  the  5th  of  September,  1862,  a 
daughter  of  James  L.  and  Nancy  (Smith) 
Bentley,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the 
latter  of  Aledb,  Illinois.  About  1855,  when 
a  ^-oung  man,  the  father  removed  from  the 
Buckeye  state  to  Mercer  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  the 
public  schools  and  farming,  and  was  very 
successful  in  both  lines  of  labor.  On  both 
the  paternal  and  maternal  sides  Mrs.  Spons- 
ler IS  of  Scotch  and  English  ancestry,  and 
the  family  located  in  America  in  a  very  early 
day.  ]\Irs.  Sponsler  is  active  in  Women's 
Club  affairs  and  served  as  president  of  the 
Women's  Club  of  the  city  of  Hutchinson 
for  the  }'ear  1899  and  1900.     In  his  social 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


relations  ^Ir.  Sponsler  is  eligible  to  member- 
ship in  the  following  orders, — Ancient  Or- 
der of  United  Workmen,  the  Woodmen  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  and  always  has  been  most  liberal  in  sup- 
porting and  promioting  all  measures  for  the 
public  good,  has  always  kept  fully  abreast 
of  the  times,  and  his  large  and  well  selected 
library  contains  only  the  most  substantial 
works,  in  which  history,  both  ancient  and 
modern,  has  a  prominent  place.  He  is  a 
man  of  strong  mentality,  keen  discernment, 
great  tact  and  resolute  purpose.  He  com- 
mands the  respect  of  his  fellow  men  by  his 
sterling  worth,  and  Kansas  numbers  him 
among  her  honored  residents. 


T.  W.  CLARKE. 


J.  W.  Clarke  is  the  county  attorney  of 
Barton  county  and  has  attained  a  distin- 
guished position  in  connection  with  his  pro- 
fession, whicli!  stand!s  as  ):he  conservator  of 
human  rights  and  justice.  His  prominence 
is  based  upon  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
principles  of  jurisprudence  and  of  accuracy 
in  the  application  of  them  to  the  points  in 
litigation.  Earnest  and  discriminating  in 
his  preparation  of  cases,  a  strong  pleader 
before  court  and  jury,  he  has  won  the  favor- 
able con:mendation  of  the  public  and  the 
complete  confidence  and  high  regard  of  his 
pr.fessional  brethren. 

Mr.  Clarke  was  born  in  Liberty.  Tennes- 
see, en  the  22dof  December,  1852.  His  fa- 
ther, Robert  L.  Clarke,  was  also  a  native  of 
that  state  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
learned  and  hks  followed  the  carpenter's 
trade  and  yet  makes  his  home  in  Liberty. 
On  the  old  homestead  farm  there  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review  was  reared  and  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  the  neighborhood  he  acquired 
his  preliminary  education,  which  was  sup- 
plemented by  a  course  in  the  Cumberland 
University.  He  was  graduated  in  the  law 
department  of  that  institution  with  the  class 
of  1879,  ^'"id  thus  prepared  for  his  chosen 
profession  he  at  once  began  practice  in 
Smithville,  where  he  secured  a  good  patron- 
age.    However,  he  became  interested  in  the 


great  west,  and  having  a  desire  to  visit  the 
country  and  see  if  its  opportunities  were 
such  as  represented,  he  came  to  central  Kan- 
sas in  1884  in  company  with  his  two  broth- 
ers-in-law. They  went  on  a  prospecting 
tour  and  visited  all  portions  of  the  state, 
ultimately  deciding  that  Great  Bend  was  to 
have  a  bright  future  lai  accuunt  of  its 
healthful  location  and  natural  beauty  and 
Air.  Clarke  concluded  to  locate  here,  at  once 
opening  an  office.  He  was  alone  in  business 
for  a  time  but  afterward  was  associated  in 
practice  with  F.  V.  Russell  for  six  years. 
He  soon  secured  a  large  and  growing  pat- 
ronage as  he  demonstrated  his  ability  to  han- 
dle the  intricate  problems  of  jurisprudence. 
He  is  a  fluent  and  earnest  speaker  and  his 
oratorical  ability,  combined  with  his  pro- 
found knowledge  of  the  law,  has  gained  him 
enviable  and  well  merited  distinction. 

In  1880  Mr.  Clarke  was  unnited  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Jennie  L.  Yelton,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  P.  Yelton,  of  New  Middleton, 
Tennessee.  She  died,  however,  in  1897,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-seven  years^ — leaving  no 
children.  ^Ir.  Clarke  was  a  second  time 
married,  July  16,  1901,  to  ]\Iiss  Xettie  Ber- 
nis,  of  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado,  He 
is  a  prcminent  and  valued  member  of  the 
Alasonic  fraternity,  has  taken  the  degrees  of 
blue  lodge,  council,  chapter  and  command- 
ery  and  is  a  past  master  of  the  lodge.  He  is 
also  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen 
fraternity.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a 
Democrat  and  takes  a  very  active  part  in 
political  affairs,  being  an  active  factor  in  the 
campaign  work.  In  1900  he  received  the 
nomination  for  county  attorney  and  being 
elected  to  that  officers  now  discharging  his 
duty  in  such  a  manner  as  to  win  the  high 
commendation  of  the  people  for  his  faith- 
fulness and  capability.  • 


JOHN  S.  JUDSOX. 


If  a  society  of  the  sons  of  New  York 
should  be  organized  in  central  Kansas,  sim- 
ilar to  a  club  of  the  same  name  which  exists 
in  Chicago,  it  is  probable  that  John  S.  Jud- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


son,' of  Kanopolis,  would  be  one  of  its  prom- 
inent members.  Mr.  Judson,  who  is  man- 
ager of  the  KanopoHs  Land  Company,  and 
one  of  the  best  known  real-estate  and  insur- 
ance men  in  Ellsworth  county,  was  born  at 
Utica,  New  York,  December  12,  1827,  a 
son  of  Silas  and  Mary  (Lunnon)  Judson. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Co-nnecticut,  and 
his  mother  was  born  at  Savannah,  Georgia. 
Air.  Judson  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  in  vogue  in  his  part  of  his  state  in 
bis  boyhood  and  at  one  of  the  old-time  acad- 
emies once  so  popular  there.  In  1849,  h^ 
went  to  South  and  Central  America,  in  the 
interest  of  his  cousin  George  Curtis,  and 
tilled  a  responsible  position  in  connection 
with  the  building  of  hotels  and  the  establish- 
ment of  transportation  across  the  isthmus 
of  Panama.  After  some  years  spent  in  that 
tropical  and  malarial  region,  he  was  taken 
suddenly  and  seriously  ill  and  lay  for  three 
days  helpless  and  unattended,  and  after  his 
recovery  he  returned  to  the  United  States 
and  located  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  where  he 
remained  a  year  and  a  half.  From  Detroit 
he  went  t(.)  the  Saginaw  valley,  to  the  site  of 
the  now  flourishing  city  of  Bay  City,  to  take 
a  position  as  an  accountant  for  a  lumber  firm 
which,  while  he  was  in  its  employ,  built  two 
new  sawmills.  \\  hile  he  was  at  Bay  City 
the  Bay  City  Salt  Manufacturing  Company 
was  organized,  the  second  salt  company  in 
^Michigan,  and  he  became  one  of  its  stock- 
holders and  its  secretary.  Later,  when  the 
Saginaw  &  Bay  City  Salt  Company  was  or- 
ganized he  became  its  secretar}'  and  remain- 
ed with  the  concern  in  that  capacity  until  it 
went  out  of  existence.  He  then  accepted  the 
position  O'f  secretary  and'  treasurer  of  the 
Saginaw  River  Towing  Association,  which 
owned  a  line  of  tugs  plying  on  Saginaw 
river  and  bay,  a  positioji  which  he  was  event- 
ually compelled  to  resign  because  of  his  ill 
health  and  that  of  some  members  of  his  fam- 
ily. After  living  two  years  at  Tampa,  Flor- 
ida, he  returned  north  and  located  at  Spring- 
field, Ohio,  where  for  several  years  he  was 
in  charge  of  the  accounts  of  dififerent  firms. 
Later  he  was  offered  a  position  with  the 
Kanopolis  Land  Company,  of  Kanopolis,  ^as 
its  accountant,  and  in  April,   1888,  he  was 


sent  to  Kanapolis  to  act  as  general  manager 
for  the  company. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  at  Kancpnlis  Mr. 
Judson  becamie  convincedi  that  there  was  an 
immense  amount  of  salt  underlying  the  whole 
region  round  about  the  town,  and  after  mi- 
nute exaj-ninations  of  boring  made  at  E11-- 
worth,  he  became  convinced  that  salt-min- 
ing there  was  feasible.  At  last,  after  mrch 
correspondence  and  many  earnest  confer- 
ences, he  succeeded  in  interesting  the  di- 
rectors of  the  Kanopolis  Land  Company, 
and  after  a  prospect  well  had  been  sunk  to 
a  depth  of  eight  hundred  and  eiglty-one 
feet,  which  was  accomplished  between  March 
I  and  16,  1889,  active  operations  were  I  s- 
gun.  The  Royal  Salt  Company  was  organ- 
ized February  4,  1890,  in. which  the  stock- 
holders were  m.embers  of  the  Kanopolis 
Land  Company  and  others.  A  diamond 
drill  was  brought  into  requisition  and  a  shaft 
was  sunk,  taking  a  core  out  of  the  earth  to 
the  depth  of  nine  hundred  feet.  Operations 
on  this  shaft  were  begun  May  12,  1890,  and 
the  plant  was  in  operation  February  28, 
1891.  Mr.  Judson  had  charge  of  the  dis- 
bursements of  funds,  etc.,  for  the  sinking 
of  the  shaft  till  1891,  since  which  time  the 
\vork  has  proceeded  under  James  Cowie's 
efficent  management. 

The  Kanopolis  Land  Ccanpany  was  oi-- 
ganized  in  1886,  with  Ross  Mitchell  as  presi- 
dent, J.  S.Crowell  as  secretary,  F.  M.  Brook- 
wait  as  vice-president.  J.  H.  Thomas  as 
treasurer,  and  General  J.  Warren  Keifer, 
as  attorney.  Other  members  of  the  com- 
pany were  F.  Halford.  of  Springfield,  Ohio; 
General  William  Alartindale,  H.  C.  Cross 
and  H.  C.  Whitley,  of  Empora,  Kansas. 
The  company  purchased  about  four  thou- 
sand acres  of  land,  now  in  EllsAvorth,  Empire 
and  Clear  Creek  townships,  Ellsworth  o  am- 
ty.  A  portion  of  this  land,  at  the  Fort  Har- 
ker  reservation,  includes  the  site  and  build- 
ings of  the  post.  \Mien  it  beg'an  operations 
there  the  company  laid  out  the  city  of  Kan- 
opolis. It  erected  the  Kanopolis  hotel,  a 
three-story  brick  structure  containing  fifty 
rooms,  and  also  more  than  a  dozen  dwellings 
and  several  other  buildings.  Since  he  came 
to  Kanopolis  Mr.  Judson    has    had    entire 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


charge  of  the  general  business  of  tlie  com- 
pany, making  sales,  renting  property,  leas- 
ing and  selling  farm  lands,  and  residences 
and  attending  to  other  important  interests. 
Colonel  Snyder  preceded  ^Ir.  Judson  as 
manager  at  Kanopolis.  ! 

Mr.  Judson  believes  that  Kanapolis  | 
would  be  an  excellent  location  for  a  sani- 
tarium and  he  is  doing  what  he  can  to  pro- 
mote a  mo'vement  to  utilize  the  hotel  for  that 
purpose.  He  has  devoted  his.  time  and  en- 
ergies entirely  to  the  interests  of  his  com- 
pany, which  from  time  to  time  has  given 
him  numerous  intimations  that,  his  conscien- 
tious ser\-ice  is  highly  appreciated,  and  Mr. 
Judson  has  received  many  testimonials  from 
former  employers  as  to  his  ability  and  dis- 
cretion. Our  subject  has  one  son,  William 
B.  Judson,  of  Chicago,  founder,  proi>rietor 
and  publisher  of  the  Northwestern  Lumber- 
man, which  was  merged  with  the  American 
Lumberman,  published  at  Chicago,  of  which 
]Mr.  Judson  is  manager.  Mr.  Judson's 
mother  died  June  28,  1890;  she  was  born 
at  Savannah,  Georgia,  December  20,  1783. 
She  married  Silas  JucIisoot  April  19,  1822, 
and  went  with  him  to  Utica,  New  York. 
Mr.  Judson  died  in  1838,  in  Connecticut. 
Mrs.  Judson  remained  at  Utica  until  1865, 
but  passed  her  declining  years  at  Waverly, 
Iowa.  She  was  a  de\'out  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church  and  wasi  highly 
esteemed  for  her  many  Christian  virtues. 

Mr.  Judson  was  received  as  an  entered 
apprentice  in  Bay  City  Lodge,  No.  129,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.,  January  30,  1861,  passed  the 
fellowcraft  degree  February  9,  186 1,  and 
was  raised  to  the  sublime  degree  of  Master 
Mason  Februarv  20,  1861,  and  is  a  past 
master  of  that  lodge.  He  was  past  high 
priest  of  Blanchard  Chapter,  No.  59.  R.  A. 
M.,  at  Bay  City,  in  which  he  took  the  degrees 
of  capitular  Masonry,  and  was  there  exalted 
to  the  august  degrees  of  royal-arch  Mason. 
He  is  past  eminent  commander,  of  Bay  City 
Commandery  of  Knights  Templar.  He  is  a 
member  of  Isis  Temple  nf  the  Ancient  Arabic 
Order  of  the  Nobles  of  the  [Mystic  Shrine,  of 
Salina.  Kansas.  He  is  an  honorary  member 
of  Saint  Aldemar  Commandery,  No.  33, 
Knights   Templar,   of   Ellsworth,   and   is  a 


charter  member  of  Joppa  Lodge,  No.  315, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Bay  City,  Michigan.  He 
is  a  member  of  Kanapolis  Lodge,  No.  321, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is 
one  of  its  past  noble  grands.  He  has  rep- 
resented his  lodge  in  the  grand  lodge  of  the 
state  of  Kansas  and  has  served  three  terms 
in  the  office  of  district  deputy. 


J.  E.  STEWART,  M.  D. 

One  of  the  notable  institutions  of  Hutch- 
inson is  the  Stewart  Hospital,  conducted  by 
the  Stewart  Brothers,  both  distinguished 
and  capable  physicians  and  surgeons  whose 
marked  ability  has  placed  them  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  representatives  of  the  medical 
fraternity  in  this  portion  of  the  state.  Their 
reputation,  however,  is  not  limited  by  the 
confines  of  Kansas,  for  many  of  their  pa- 
trons come  from  other  states  and  the  history 
of  their  successful  treatment  is  continually 
increasing  their  practice.  This  is  a  utilitarian 
age  in  which  man  is  judged  by  bis  useful- 
ness in  the  world.  The  public  lias  no  place 
for  the  misanthrope  or  the  individual  who 
lives  to  himself  alone,  and  public  opinion 
commends  or  condemns  according  as  the  in- 
dividual has  wrought  along  the  lines  of 
greatest  good  to  his  fellow  men  or  other- 
wise. It  is  this  which  has  won  for  the  med- 
ical fraternity  its  high  standing,  and  well 
does  the  honorable,  able  and  conscientious 
physician  deserve  the  gratitude  and  respect 
of  his  fellow  men. 

Dr.  J.  E.  Stewart,  the  senior  member  of 
the  firm,  was  born  in  Bedfoi'd  county,  Vir- 
ginia, March  19,  1857,  a  son  cf  Robert  B. 
and  Angeline  (Arrington)  Stewart,  both  of 
whom  are  representatives  of  prominent  old! 
southern  families.  The  branch  of  Stewarts 
to  which  the  Doctor  belnngs  is  ilesccnded 
from  the  Scottish  clan  nf  that  name.  The 
great-grandfather,  emigrating  to.  America, 
took  up  his  abode  in  Beaufort.  South  Caro- 
lina, where  he  spent  his'  remaining  days. 
His  son,  the  Rev.  James  Stcwnrt,  the  grand- 
father of  the  Dnct'T,  wa-  a  [li.  iicer  minister 
of  the  ?kIethodist   hlpi^La 'pal  chrich  and  for 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


sixty  years  was  a  member  of  the  Baltimore 
conference,  the  scene  of  his  labors  being 
Virginia.  There  he  gave  his  time  and  ener- 
gies to  ministerial  work  until  1868  when  he 
came  to  Kansas,  and  his  death  occurred  in 
Reno  county  when  he  had  attained  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-five  j'-ears.  In  early 
life  he  had  married  Betsey  Bush,  of  Vir- 
ginia. His  last  years  were  spent  in  the  home 
of  his  son  Robert. 

Robert  Stewart  was  the  father  of  the 
well  known  physicians  of  Hutchinson,  wIto 
are  cijnducting  the  Stewart  Hospital.  He 
was  reared  on  the  old  plantation  in  Bedford 
count^■.  Virginia,  and  there  resided  for  inany 
years.  He  owned  extensive  landed  interests 
and  many  slaves  and  in  common  with  other 
property  owners  of  the  southern  states  he 
lost  considerable  during  the  period  of  the 
Civil  war.  In  1881  he  removed  with  his 
family  of  seven  children  to  Rice  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
upon  which  he  vet  resides — an  honored  and 
representative  agriculturist  of  the  commun- 
ity. In  his  political  views  he  is  a  standi 
Democrat  and  like  the  other  members  of  the 
Stewart  family  is  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Methodist  church.  He  has  five  children  who 
are  still  living:  Samuel  W.,  who  operates 
a  part  of  the  homestead  farm  in  Rice  coun- 
ty: Robert  O.,  an  agriculturist  of  the  same 
county;  James  E.,  a  twin  brother  of  Robert 
and  tlie  subject  of  this  review;  R.  A.,  who 
is  in  partnership  with  his  brother  James ;  and 
Olive,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Steimr.etz,  of  Rice 
county. 

On  the  old  Virginia  plantation  Dr. 
James  E.  Stewart  spent  his  early  youth  and 
acquired  his  preliminary  education  in  the 
common  schools.  He  began  the  study  of  med- 
icine under  the  direction  of  Dr.  E.  W".  Sale, 
of  Stewartville,  Virginia,  who  directed  his 
reading  for  two  years.  He  then  entered  the 
Hospital  Medical  College,  of  Louisville, 
Kentucky,- where  he  remained  for  one  term, 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
removal  to  Kansas.  After  a  residence  of 
six  months  in  Rice  county  he  became  a  stu- 
dent in  the  office  of  Dr.  P.  P.  Trueheart.  of 
Sterling,  Kansas,  and  then  returning  to  the 
east  entered  the  Universitv  of  IMarvland,  at 


Baltimore,  where  he  spent  one  term.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  returned  to  the 
Hospital  Medical  College,  of  Louisville, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  the  sprint-  of 
1883.  Six  months  later  he  established  an 
office  in  Alden,  Rice  county,  Kansas,  where 
he  engaged  in  practice  for  eight  years,  re- 
moving then  to  Hutchinson,  where  he  has 
since  remained,  forming  a  partnership  with 
his  brother  in  the  establishment  and  conduct 
of  the  Stewart  Hospital,  which  has  become 
one  of  the  leading  private  hospitals  in  the 
state. 

On  the  7th  of  JNIarch.  1894.  Dr.  J.  E. 
Stewart  married  Miss  Lillian  Young,  a 
daughter  of  John  \\'.  and  A.  E.  ( Furge- 
son)  Young.  They  have  two  children, 
Helen  and  William  Y.  The  family  attend 
the  Methodist  church,  in  which  the  Doctor 
holds  memljership.  He  is  independent  in 
his  pdlitical  views  and  has  never  sought  of- 
fice, his  time  and  attention  being  fully  en- 
grossed by  the  demands  of  his  practice. 

Robert  A.  Stewart,  the  junior  member 
of  the  firm,  was  born  in  Bedford  county, 
Virginia,  January  20,  1868,  and  was  only 
thirteen  years  of  age  when  he  acompanied 
his  parents  to  Rice  county,  Kansas,  where 
he  continued  his  education  which  had  been 
begun  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
state.  Through  the  summer  months  he  as- 
sisted his  father  in  the  operation  of  the 
farm  until  1888.  when  he  matriculated  in 
the  Hospital  Medical  College,  of  Louisville, 
and  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1891. 
Immediately  afterward  he  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  brother,  Dr.  James  E. 
Stewart,  an  association  which  has  since  been 
maintained.  He  was  married  June  12.  1895, 
to  Mary  C,  daughter  of  James  P.  ^McCurdy, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Margaret  and 
John  R.  Tliey  have  an  elegant  residence  at 
No.  801  North  Main  street,  which  was  erec- 
ted by  the  Doctor.  His  political  views  are 
not  bound  by  party  ties,  his  support  being 
given  to  the  men  and  measures  that  he  be- 
lieves will  best  promote  the  general  good. 
His  religious  faith  is  indicated  by  his  mem- 
]>ership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Both  brothers  give  their  undivided  atten- 
tion to  their  professional  duties  and   their 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


work  lias  been  crowned  by  a  high  measure 
of  success.  Since  his  graduation  Dr.  R.  A: 
Stewart  has  taken  two  private  courses  of 
study  under  Professor  Reynolds,  of  Louis- 
ville. Kentucky.  In  March.  1891.  the  hos- 
pital was  established  in  Hutchinson,  with 
modest  pretensions,  in  a  small  building  on 
West  Tenth  street.  They  abandoned  gen- 
eral practice,  making  a  specialty  of  surgery, 
gynecology  and  the  treatment  of  diseases  of 
the  eye.  ear  and  throat.  It  took  time  to 
demonstrate  to  the  public  the  worth  of  the 
institution  and  for  about  four  years  the  finan- 
cial outlook  was  anything  but  promising, 
but  since  that  time  a  constantly  increasing 
patronage  has  rendered  their  business  lucra- 
ti\'e  and  profitable.  Well  do  they  deserve 
success.  They  have  founded  a  hospital  just- 
ly meriting  the  public  support.  In  1897  they 
purchased  their  present  property  at  724 
North  !Main  street,  the  location  being  one  of 
the  most  desirable  in  the  city.  It  is  far 
enough  removed  from  the  business  portion 
to  escape  the  noise  of  traffic.  The  building 
was  originally  a  fine  residence,  and  this  they 
liave  remodeled'  and  added  to,  making  it 
well  adapted  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  is 
now  used.  The  grounds  are  well  kept  and 
of  attractive  appearance  and  the  house  is 
bright  and  cheerful  and  arranged  with  ad- 
mirable taste.  Perfect  sanitary  conditions 
exist  and  the  steam  heating,  electric  lighting 
and  water  systems  are  equally  admirable. 
There  are  more  than  thirty  rooms  in  the 
building,  each  perfectly  ventilated.  The 
clean  white  walls  and  spotless  floors  in  the 
twenty-two  rooms  fitted  up  for  patients  pre- 
clude the  possibility  of  disease  germs  of  any 
nature  finding  a  harboring  place.  The  kitch- 
en is  in  a  separate  building  soi  that  no>  odors 
of  conking  reach  the  rooms  of  the  patients. 
On  the  ^ec(-ind  llonr  is  located  the  laboratory 
containing  apparatus  for  making  all  of  the 
delicate  tests  and  analysis  so  essential  to 
correct  diagnosis  and  subsequent  successful 
treatment  of  disease.  The  institution  is  well 
equipped  with  all  necessary  appliances  and 
instruments  for  the  successful. performance 
of  all  ordinary  surgical  operations  in  the 
operating  room  on  the  first  floor  and  the  past 
four  years  has  demonstrated  the  fact  that  the 


percentage  of  recoveries  here  is  greater  in 
proportion  than  in  many  of  the  larger  insti- 
tutions. Skillful  and  scientific  methods  of 
treatment,  salubrious  climate,  careful  nurs- 
ing and  perfect  sanitary  conditions  and  quiet 
and  pleasant  surroundings,  all  doubtless 
contribute  their  share  in  accomplishing  this 
desirable  result.  In  summing  up  the  value 
of  man's  work  in  the  world  that  of  the  phy- 
sician has  a  prominent  place  and  no  mem- 
bers of  the  profession  are  doing  more  along 
the  line  of  their  chosen  \j;ocation  than  the 
Stewart  Brothers,  whose  professional  skill, 
high  Christian  character  and  individual 
worth  have  gained  them  the  unqualified  re- 
gard of  all  with  whom  they  have  been  asso- 
ciated. 


H.  C.  WARNER. 


H.  C.  \\'arn€r.  president  of  the  Citizens' 
State  Bank,  is  a  leading  and  influential  busi- 
ness man  of  Arlington,  not  alone  ]>ecause  of 
his  connection  with  financial  circles,  but  also 
by  reason  of  his  extensive  farming  and 
stock-raising  interests.  He  owns  a  large 
and  valuable  ranch  on  section  34,  Arlington 
township,  where  he  resides,  dividing  his  at- 
tention between  the  bank  and  the  ranch. 
He  was  born  in  Union  county,  Ohio,  No- 
"vember  6,  1850,  a  son  of  Elijah  and  Lois 
(Burdick)  Warner,  the  former  a'  native  of 
New  York  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  During 
his  boyhood  days  the  father  accompanied 
his  parents  to  the  Buckeye  state,  where  he 
was  reared  to  manhood  and  married.  He 
then  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account 
and  acquired  a  good  property  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  This  he  cleared  of 
heavy  timber,  transformed  it  into  richly 
cultivated  fields  and  made  his  home  thereon 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1870.  His 
widow  still  survives  him  and  yet  resides 
on  the  old  home  place  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years.  In  the  family  were  ten  children 
and  our  subject  is  the  fourth  of  the  surviv- 
ing members,  now  numbering  seven.  One 
son,  Joshua,  came  we,st,  located  in  Gage 
county,  Nebraska,  and  there  died  in  1890. 
The  living  members   are:      Pernintha,   the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


wife  of  I.  H.  Embry,  of  Gage  county,  Ne- 
braska ;  Emma,  the  wife  of  Foster  Graham, 
of  Dundee  county,  Nebraska ;  Hezekiah  C., 
of  this  review ;  Isaac,  who  is  living;  on  the 
old  homestead  in  Ohio ;  and  Nettie  and'  Ada, 
who  reside  with  their  mother  upon  the  same 
farm  together  with  Albert,  who  also  oper- 
ates the  home  place. 

On  his  father's  farm  in  Ohio  H.  C.  War- 
ner spent  the  days  of  his  boylibod  and  youth, 
and  through  the  short  winter  terms  he  pur- 
sued his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
When  he  was  but  twenty  years  of  age  his 
father  died  and  as  he  was  the  eldest  son  the 
work  U'f  the  farm  and'  the  managanent  of  its 
bu^iness  affairs  devolved  largely  upon  him. 
For  twenty-five  years  he  there  remained,  cul- 
tivating the  fields  and  looking  after  the  in- 
terests of  the  family.  In  1875  he  left  the 
old  homestead  and  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing in  Union  county,  Ohio,  in  company  with 
B.  \^'.  Evans,  the  partnership  being  main- 
tained for  fi\-e  years,  when  Mr.  Warner  sold 
his  interest  to  Mr.  Evans,  and  in  1880  went 
to  Gage  county,  Nebraska.  There  he  en- 
gaged in  the  stock  business  until  his  re- 
moval to  Reno  county  in  1881.  Here  he  lo- 
cated first  in  the  town  of  Arlington,  where 
for  a  few  months  he  engaged  in  handling 
and  dealing  in  range  horses.  He  then  took 
ch.arge  of  the  Arlington  Hotel,  which  he, 
conducted  for  about  twO'  years,  and  in  July, 
1883,  in  company  with  J.  E.  Eaton  he  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business  at  Arling- 
ton, buying  and  selling  property  for  five 
years.  During  this  time,  in  company  with 
Charles  Ford  and  A.  B.  Crebbs,  he  founded 
the  Arlington  State  Bank,  of  which  he  be- 
came a  director.  This  was  the  first  bank  in 
the  town.  Later  the  Citizens'  State  Bank 
was  organized  and  the  Arlington  State  Bank 
sold  out  to  them,  for  there  was  not  enough 
business  tO'  enable  two-  banfe  to  profitably 
continue  here.  Subsequently  Mr.  Warner 
and  other  prominent  business  men  purchased 
the  Citizens'  Bank,  in  May,  1896,  and  he 
was  made  its  president,  in  which  office  he 
has  since  served,  capably  controlling  the  af- 
fairs of  the  institution  and'  making  it  one 
of  the  most  substantial  financial  concerns 
of  the  county. 


While  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business 
Mr.  Warner  embraced  the  opportunity  he 
had!  of  making  judicious  investments  in 
farming  land  and  thus  became  the  owner  of 
considerable  property.  When  he  arrived  in 
Reno  county  in  the  fall  of  1881.  he  pre- 
empted the  southwest  quarter  of  section  35, 
Arlington  township,  which  he  improved, 
gaining  the  title  thereto  from  the  govern- 
ment. He  still  owns  this,  it  constituting  a 
part  of  his  present  extensive  ranch.  In  1884 
he  took  up  his  residence  on  the  place,  which 
was  then  a  tract  of  raw  prairie,  but  he  has 
transformed  it  into  one  of  the  best  stock 
ranches  of  the  county.  Within  its  boundar- 
ies are  comprised  fourteen  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  of  whidi  six  hundred  acres  is 
under  cultivation.  The  entire  amount  is 
under  fence  and  substantial  buildings  pro- 
vide shelter  for  grain  and  stock,  while  the 
home  is  a  very  pleasant  and  commodious 
residence.  Mr.  Warner  keeps  on  hand  three 
hundred  or  more  cattle,  feeding  from  one 
to  two  hundred  head  each  year.  While  he 
raises  a  great  deal  of  feed  on  his  place  he 
annually  buys  from  one  to  ten  thousand 
bushels  of  corn,  which  he  purchases  from  his 
neighbors.  His  affairs  are  capably  mjnn- 
aged  and'  his  thorough  understanding  of  the 
best  method's  of  caring  for  stock  and  of 
raising  crops  has  made  him  a  very  successful 
farmer  of  Reno  county. 

On  the  15th  of  June,  1884,  ^Mr.  \'\'arner 
was  united  in  marriage  tO'  Miss  Rose  D. 
Crane,  whose  father  gave  his  life  to  his  coun- 
tr\-,  falling  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  ]\Irs. 
AVarner  is  a  nati\'e  of  Kentucky  and  rqjre- 
sents  an  old  and  distinguished  family  of  the 
south.  Unto  our  subject  and  his  wife  have 
been  born  four  children:  Harold,  Chester, 
Don  and  Raymoiid.  In  public  matters  Mr. 
\\'arner  takes  an  intelligent,  interested  and 
active  part,  but  is  not  an  aspirant  for  office 
as  his  varied  personal  interests  occupy  his 
attention  completely.  He  has,  however, 
done  effective  work  in  the  interests  of  the 
Republican  party,  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Republican  county  central  committee  and  a 
delegate  to>  the  county  and  congressional 
conventions.  He  is  a  charter  memberof  Ar- 
lington Camp,  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ica,  and  is  a  progressive,  public-spirited  man 
whose  worth  makes  him  a  valuable  acquisi- 
tion to  the  citizenship  of  Reno  county.  His 
business  record  is:  without  a  blemish  and 
through  his  unaided  efforts  he  has  advanced 
steadily  to  the  goal  of  success. 


JOHN  E.  HOLMES. 

John  E.  Holmes,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Hutchinson,  was  born  in  Bradford,  York- 
shire, England,  March  3,  1847.  His  father, 
Edward  Holmes,  was  born  in  Northumber- 
land, England,  in  1813,  and  was  a  miller 
by  trade.  The  latter  came  toi  America  with 
his  family  when  our  subject  was  nine  years 
of  age,  the  voyage  being  made  on  the  sail- 
ing vessel,  Frances  P.  Sage,  and  during  the 
trip  severe  storms  and  coiUrary  winds  were 
encountered  and  they  were  beaten  back  sev- 
eral hundred  miles.  At  one  time,  when  the 
storm  was  at  its  height,  the  passengers  were 
locked  in  the  hold  and  immense  waves  swept 
over  the  deck.  After  six  weeks  spent  upon 
the  ocean  the  passengers  were  finally  land- 
(-1I  at  Castle  Garden,  and  from  that  place 
.Mr.  Holmes  made  his  way  to  Macoupin 
cijinity,  Illinois,  where  he  secured  einploy- 
ment  with  N.  Howard,  a  prominent  miller 
of  that  place,  with  whom  he  remained  for 
two  or  three  years.  He  then  removed'  about 
five  miles  into  the  country,  purchasing  what 
was  known  as  the  Boggis  grist  and  saw 
mill,  together  with  about  five  acres  of  land, 
on  which  his  family  resided  while  he  en- 
gaged in  the  operation  of  the  mill.  After 
about  two  years  thus  spent  he  soki  his  prop- 
erty there  and  removed  to  Alton,  Illinois, 
where  for  the  following  two  or  three  years 
he  was  employed  as  a  miller  by  the  Schuy- 
ler Distillery  Company,  going  thence  to 
Jersey  county,  Illinois,  where  for  three  or 
four  years  he  worked  in  the  Haycroft  & 
Herdman  mill  at  Eidelity.  Mr.  Holmes' 
next  location  was  at  Jerseyville,  in  Jersey 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  was  employed  in 
a  large  mill  until  1865,  when  he  removed  to 
Greene  county,  that  state,  and'  purchased  a 
mill  on   ;\Iacoupin  creek,   which   was  oper- 


ated by  water  power.  There  ]Mr.  Holmes 
spenfthe  remainder  of  his  life,  passing  away 
in  the  fall  of  1865.  I"  P"litical  matters  he 
gave  his  support  to-  the  Democratic  party. 

In  England,  his  native  country,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mary  A.  Fox,  who 
was  born  near  Leeds,  England.  Ilcr  father, 
who  was  also  a  miller  bv  >  iccupatii  m,  met  his 
death  while  oiling  niachincr}-,  his  necker- 
chief having  caught  in  the  machinery  and  he 
was  drawn  into  the  wheels  and  crushed  to 
death.  After  lii>  death  his  widnw  came  to 
America,  .'uhl  hor  (k\-ith  dccurrcd  in  Jersey 
county,  IlliiK'i-,  in  1^53.  The  ni' ither  of  our 
subject  is  still  li\ing,  and  now  makes  her 
home  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  having  reached 
the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two  years.  Unto 
this  worthy  couple  were  born  nine  children, 
namely:  Jane,  the  wife  of  Matthew  Wil- 
kinson, a  retired  miller  of  Alton,  Illinois ; 
Alfred,  a  prominent  farmer  oi  RenO'  coun- 
ty, Kansas;  Susanna,  the  wife  of  Manning 
F,  Price,  a  carpenter  of  Springfield,  Illinois; 
Edward  and  a  sister,  lji>tli  'if  win  mi  died  in 
England  in  childhDod;  Jdlni  E.,  the  subject 
of  this  rcA-iew  ;  William  H.,  a  retired  fanner 
oi  Hutchinsiin,  Kansas:  I'lKcbe,  wife  of 
George  Parker,  a  saw  \er  of  Alton,  Illinois; 
and  Mary,  widijw  nf  Ralph  Smith,  and  a 
resident  of  Sterling.  Kansas. 

John  E.  Holmes  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  and 
after  coming  tO'  this  coimtry  he  attended 
school  at  Fidelity  and  Alton,  Illinois,  When 
only  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  however, 
he  laid  aside  his  text-books  in  order  to  as- 
sist his  fatlKr  in  the  mill  and  on  the  farm, 
and  he  alsi>  dr^  i\-e  a  coal  and  flour  wagon. 
At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  our  subject  was 
but  seventeen  years  of  age,  but  he  valiantly 
ofifered  his  service  in  the  protection  of  the 
stars  and  stripes,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1865  was  sent  to  Fort  Rosecrans, 
located'  on  the  battlefield  of  Stone  River, 
wdiere  he  did  garrison  duty  until  the  follow- 
ing July  or  August.  Between  Louisville 
and  Nashville,  while  on  his  way  tO'  the  front 
and  while  traveling  on  a  freight  car,  he  was 
shot  frQm  ambush,  the  ball  grazing  his  lip. 


ii6 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


He  would  have  fallen  between  the  cars  and 
probably  have  been  killed  but  for  the  brave 
act  of  his  comrade,  John  McGee,  who  saved 
him  from  the  fall.  He  was  sent  to  Tulla- 
homa,  Tennessee,  thence  to  Nashville,  and 
at  the  last  named  place  he  was  taken  sick 
and  was  confined  in  the  hospital  for  several 
weeks.  He  has  never  fully  recovered  from 
the  exposure  and  hardships  endured  during 
his  army  career,  and  has  ever  since  been  dis- 
qualified from  performing  active  work.  Re- 
ceiving his  discharge  at  Nashville,  Tennes- 
see, in  the  fall  of  1865,  he  was  mustered  out 
of  service  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Greene  coimty,  that 
state,  near  CarroUton,  but  his  home-coming 
was  attended  by  a  sad  event,  as  his  father 
passed  away  in  death  only  two  weeks  after 
his  arrival.  In  the  folloaving  spring  our 
subject,  in  company  with  his  mother,  sisters 
and  two  brothers,  removed  to  Alton,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  secured  employment  in  the 
roundhouse  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Rail- 
road, but  after  a  short  time  thus  spent  he 
began  work  on  the  road  as  a  fireman.  After 
his  father's  death  he  became  the  head  of  the 
fainily,  and  nobly  did  he  perform  his  duty 
toward  his  mother  and  sisters,  although  he 
received  able  assistance  from  bis:  younger 
brother  William.  After  about  six  months 
spent  upon  the  road  INIr.  Holmes  removed 
to  ]\Iacoupin  county,  Illinois,  where  for  the 
following  year  he  was  employed  as  an  agri- 
culturist, and  at  the  end'  of  that  time,  in 
company  with  his  younger  brother,  he  leased 
a  farm  for  a  term  of  five  years,  receiving  all 
the  crops  raised  in  return  for  caring  for  the 
place  and  clearing  off  a  portion  of  timber. 
After  his  term  had  expired  he  and  his  broth- 
er purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  also  rent- 
ing a  tract  adjoining,  but  after  a  time  the 
brother  married  and  our  subject  then  began 
farming  by  himself,  on  the  eighty-acre  tract. 
After  a  time,  hcwever,  he  sold  that  land  and 
went  to  Litchfield,  Illinois,  where  he  rented 
a  farm  for  one  year,  paying  five  dollars  per 
acre  cash  rent;  but  becoming  dissatisfied 
w'ith  this  exorbitant  rate  he  decided  toi  come 
to  the  Sunflower  state,  arriving  in  Reno 
coimty  in  the  fall  of  1881.  where  he  home- 
steaded  one  hundred  and  sixtv  acres  of  land 


in  Huntsville  township,  on  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  28.  Mr.  Holmes  made 
the  journey  from  Illinois  to  Kansas  with 
three  horses  and  a  few  household  goods,  and 
on  his  arrival  here  he  had  just  ten  cents  in 
money,  but  he  soon  began  work  in  earnest, 
erecting  a  sod  house,  and  in  a  short  time  he 
had  eighteen  acres  planted  with  wheat.  At 
the  close  of  his  third  year  he  had  prospered 
to  the  extent  that  he  was  able  to  purchase 
an  adjoining  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
from  the  railroad  on  the  northeast  quarter 
of  section  33.  Several  years  later  he  extend- 
ed his  landed  possessions  by  purchasing  one 
hundred  and  t\\enty  acres  in  Plevna  town- 
ship, eighty  acfes  on  section  9  and  forty 
on  section  16,  adjoining  the  town  of  Plev- 
na, and  on  the  forty-acre  tract  he  erected  a 
magnificent  residence,  twenty-eight  by 
thirty-six  feet,  and  containing  nine  rooms, 
and  this  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  finest 
dwellings  in  the  township.  On  his  original 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  he  has  also 
made  many  valuable  improvements,  erect- 
ing a  good  residence,  barns,  granaries  and 
all  other  necessary  outbuildings,  while  a 
beautiful  orchard  and  a  grove  of  mulberry 
and  Cottonwood  trees  further  add  to  the 
value  and  attractive  appearance  of  the  place. 
He  has  principally  devoted  his  attention  to 
grain  farming,  making  a  specialty  of  wheat 
and  corn,  and  in  his  operations  he  has  been 
remarkably  successful  and  is  now  the  owner 
of  a  comfortable  competence.  In  1886  he 
traded  his  forty  acres  in  Plevna  for  his 
present  commodious  and  beautiful  residence 
in  Hutchinson,  and  in  this  city  he  also'  owns 
lots  on  Sixth  avenue,  and  has  a  house  and 
two  lots  in  Nickerson.  He  still  retains  pos- 
session of  his  four  hundred  acres  of  farm- 
ing land,  which  is  operated  by  tenants,  but 
from'  his  city  residence  in  Hutchinson  he 
keeps  a  general  oversight  over  his  entire 
possessions. 

Mr.  Holmes  was  married  in  Montgom- 
ery county,  Illinois,  near  the  town  of  Ray- 
mond, in  1883,  to  Jennie  Anderson,  a  na- 
tive of  that  county  and  a  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Elizabeth  Anderson,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Scotland.  Unto  this  union 
were  born  four  children. — Elizabeth.  Mar- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


garet,  Murray  and  John  Logan,  all  of  whom 
are  attending  the  Fourth  Avenue  school  in 
Hutchinson.  In  1892,  while  residing  at 
their  beautiful  residence  in  Plevna  township, 
the  wife  and  mother  passed  away  in  death, 
and  on  the  19th  of  December,  1893,  at 
Springfield,  Illinois,  our  subject  married 
Carrie  M.  Robbins,  who  was  born  in  Chau- 
tauqua county.  New  York,  near  Jamestown, 
a  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Phoebe 
(Sweet)  Robbins,  the  father  a  native  of 
Scotland  and  the  mother  of  Germany.  Mrs. 
Holmes  was  employed  as  a  dress-maker  be- 
fore her  marriage.  For  many  years  Mr. 
Holmes  has  been  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  while  residing  in  Hunts- 
ville  township  he  served  for  two  terms  each 
as  road  overseer  and  school  clerk,  and  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Plevna  township  he  was 
the  efficient  township  treasurer  for  one  term, 
ever  discharging  his  public  duties  with  fidel- 
ity and  honor.  In  his  social  relations  he  is 
a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  Joe  Hooker  Post, 
No.  17,  and  previous  to  his  connection  there- 
with he  was  connected  with  Sylvia  Post,  No. 
386,  in  which  he  held  every  office  up  to  and 
including  that  of  senior  vice  commander. 
He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  fraternity.  His  religious  prefer- 
ence is  indicated  by  his  membership  m 
the  First  Methodist  church  of  Hutchinson, 
of  which  denomination  his  wife  is  also  a 
valued  member.  The  business  career  of  Mr. 
Holmes  is  one  that  should  encourage  others 
to  press  on,  for  when  he  came  to  Kansasi  he 
was  without  money  and  without  influential 
or  wealthy  friends  to  aid  him,  but  he  set  to 
work  to  overcome  all  difficulties  that  might 
lay  in  his  path  to  success.  Earnest  labor, 
unabating  perseverance,  good  management 
and  a  laudable  ambition, — these  are  the  ele- 
ments which  brought  him  prosperity  and 
have  made  him  one  of  the  influential  citizens 
of  the  locality.  His  career  has  ever  been 
such  as  to  warrant  the  trust  and  confidence 
of  the  business  world,  for  he  has  ever  con- 
ducted all  transactions  on  the  strictest  prin- 
ciples of  honor  and  integrity,  while  his  de- 
votion to  the  public  good  is  unquestioned 
and  arises  from  a  sincere  interest  in  his  fel- 
low men. 


LEW  BAKER. 

Upon  section  21,  Wilson  township.  Rice 
county,  resides  Lew  Baker,  who  follows  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  and  is  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  stock.  He  is  well  known  as  an 
enterprising  citizen  and  has  made  his  home 
in  Rice  county  since  1880.  He  was  born 
in  Norwalk,  Huron  county,  Ohio,  October 
4,  1863,  and  is  a  son  of  Ansel  Baker,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  the  Empire  state  in  1818. 
When  :a  young  man  the  father  emigrated 
westward  to  Ohio,  and  in  that  state  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  Foster, 
who  was  born  in  Vermont.  She  was  greatly 
beloved  for  her  kindness  of  heart  and  mind. 
Her  death,  which  occurred  when  she  was 
fifty-five  years  O'f  age,  was  mourned  by  all 
who  knew  her.  Mr.  Baker,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  1818,  and  died  April 
14,  1890,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years, 
after  devoting  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits  as  a  life  work.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Republican  and  in  religious  belief  was  a 
Methodist,  holding  membership  in  the 
church  of  that  denomination  in  his  boyhood. 
His  children  are:  Mrs.  Frances  Robbins, 
of  Huron  county,  Ohio;  M.  F.,  one  of  the 
prominent  early  settlers  of  Wilson  town- 
ship. Rice  county ;  Norman,  who  is  also  liv- 
ing in  Ohio;  Charles,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Chicago,  Illinois ;  Lew,  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  review ;  and  Thomas,  who  is 
likewise  a  resident  of  the  Buckeye  state. 

The  boyhood  days  of  Lew  Baker  were 
quietly  passed.  He  worked  upon  the  home 
farm  during  the  summer  months  and  was 
trained  to  habits  of  industry  and  economy. 
In  the  winter  season  he  pursued  his  studies 
in  the  public  schools  and  by  business  experi- 
ence has  also  added  to-  his  knowledge.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  made  his  way  west- 
ward to  Kansas,  locating  in  Rice  county, 
where  his  brother,  M.  F.,  resides.  Here  he 
engaged  at  farm  work,  and  by  industry  and 
economy  he  secured  a  capital  sufficient  to 
purchase  a  small  tract  of  land  and  thus 
g-ained  a  start.  As  time  has  passed  he  has 
added  to  his  property  until  he  now  owns  a 
valuable  tract  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,   upon   which   are   splendid  buildings. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


and  his  excellent  pasturage  affords  golden 
opportunities  for  stock-raising.  There  is  an 
orchard  upon  the  place  and  he  has  every  fa- 
cility for  raising  and  feeding  cattle.  Besides 
being  a  splendid  judge  of  cattle,  he  is  a  good 
manager,  and  in  his  business  efforts  he  has 
wi;in  creditable  success. 

In  the  year  1893  Mr.  Baker  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Lulu  Black,  a  lady  of 
intelligence  and  culture,  who  has  spent  her 
entire  life  west  of  the  Mississippi  river.  She 
was  born  in  Lee  county,  Iowa,  near  Fort 
Madison,  where  she  was  reared  and  educat- 
ed. She  is  a  daughter  of  A.  and  Frances 
Black.  Her  father  is  now  a  resident  of 
\\'ilson  township,  but  her  mother  departed 
this  life  in  Lyons,  in  1901.  The  marriage 
of  our  subject  and  his  wife  has  been  blessed 
with  two  children.  Foster  M.,  whose  birth 
occurred  December  23,  1897,  and  Everett 
Lewis,  born  April  2,  1902.  Mr.  Baker  is  a 
man  of  strong  mentality,  of  splenchd'  busi- 
ness ability  and  is  frank  and  genial  in  man- 
ner. His  business  associates  find'  him  relia- 
ble and  trustworthy  and  he  is  an  enterpris- 
ing and  successful  farmer. 


WILLIAM  J.  HARRISON. 

Among  the  citizens  that  Illinois  has  fur- 
nished' to  the  Sunflower  state  is  William  J. 
Harrison,  who  resides  in  Sterling  township. 
He  was  born  in  Lagrange,  Cook  county,  Illi- 
nois, October  3,  1851.  His  father,  John 
Harrison,  was  a  native  of  England,  born 
near  Carlysle,  in  1818,  and  there  he  was 
reared  to  farm  life.  In  1845  he  married 
]\Iiss  Jane  Burrow,  who  was  born  in  June, 
1824,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  all 
born  in  America  with  the  exception  of  three. 
One  born  in  England  died  ere  the  emigra- 
tion to  the  new  world.  In  June,  1851,  Mr. 
Harrison  with  his  family  sailed  for  the  Uni- 
ted States,  and  after  thirteen  weeks  spent 
on  the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic  reached  the 
American  harbor.  He  arrived  in  Chicago 
with  only  eighty-four  cents  in  his  .pocket. 
He  went  into  the  countrv  and  worked  as  a 


fann  hand  for  a  dollar  a  day  and  thus  gained 
a  start,  after  which  he  purchased  a  farm  on 
credit.  His  indefatigable  labor  and  econ- 
omy, however,  enabled  him  to  soon  dis- 
charge his  indebtedness  and  not  long  after- 
ward he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy  acres,  where  he  prospered,  owing  to 
his  marked  diligence  and  the  increase  in 
realty  values.  His  farm'  was  at  length  sold 
for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre. 
On  it  was  located  a  valuable  stone  quarry. 
His  wife  died  December  24,  1889,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-five  years,  and  his  death  occurred 
in  1892. 

William  J.  Harrison,  whose  name  begins 
this  record,  received  but  meager  educational 
privileges.  He  attended  the  district  schools 
during  the  winter  months  and  in  the  sum- 
mer, from  the  time  he  was  seven  years  of 
age,  he  worked  in  the  fields.  When  a  youth 
of  fourteen  he  did  a  man's  work,  for  he  was 
strong  and  rugged.  At  twenty-two  years 
of  age  he  left  home  to  make- his  own  way  in 
the  world,  and,  as  usual  with  young  (men' 
starting  out  for  themselves,  he  sought  a  com- 
panion and  helpmate  for  the  journey  of  life. 
On  the  30th  of  October,  1883,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Harriet  Selfridge,  of  Ran- 
dolph county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  J.  S. 
and  Susan  Jane  (Woodside)  Selfridge.  the 
former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of 
Kentucky.  The  father  was  born  in  August, 
1825,  and  their  marriage  was  celebrated  in 
Illinois,  in  1844.  He  was  a  carpenter  and 
builder  by  trade,  following  that  pursuit  in 
order  to  provide  for  the  support  of  his  fam- 
ily, which  as  the  years  wart  by  grew  in 
numbers  until  he  was  the  father  of  five  sons 
and  four  daughters.  One  daughter.  ]\Iary 
Ellen,  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  The 
sons  were  reared  to  assist  in  the  work  of 
carpentering  and  farming,  and  eight  chil- 
dren are  now  living.  The  parents  also  sur- 
vire  and  are  now  residents  of  Sterling,  where 
they  located  in  1876.  The  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Harrison  was  celebrated  at  the 
home  of  the  bride,  after  yhich  they  took  up 
their  abode  six  miles  northwest  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Sterling,  where  Mr.  Harrison  pur- 
chased a  half  section  of  improved  land.  He 
afterward  made  other  purchases,  paying  six- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


teen  hundred  dollars  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  and  twenty-seven  hundred  and 
thirty  dollars  for  two  hundred  acres.  He 
has  a  tenant  upon  the  last  mentioned  farm. 
In  the  sijring  of  1899  he  took  up  his  abodte 
at  his  present  home,  where  he  has  twoi  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  and  he  also  owns  a 
forty-acre  farm  near  Sterling.  He  has  three 
valuable  tracts  of  land,  supplied  with  gKx>d 
buildings,  and  he  is  extensively  and  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  raising  of  cattle,  horses 
and  hogs.  He  breeds  polled  Durham  cattle 
— registered  stock — the  most  of  them  being 
one-half  or  three- fourths  Durham.  For 
eight  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  stock 
business  and  is  now  breeding  Norman 
horses.  He  grows  from  three  to  five  thou- 
sand bushels  of  wheat  and  from  two  to  four 
thousand  bushels  of  corn  annually. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harrison  have  been 
born  four  children :  Mabel,  who  is  now 
sixteen  years  of  age;  John  Logan,  fifteen 
years  old;  Benjamin,  a  lad  of  ten  summers; 
and  Lorenzo,  who  is  eight  years  of  age.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Harrison  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  has  served  on  the  school  board, 
but  has  never  sought  or  desired  office,  pre- 
ferring to  give  his  time  and  energies  to  his 
business  affairs,  in  which  he  is  meeting  with 
signal  success.  He  belongs  to  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  holding  member- 
ship in  both  the  subordinate  lodge  and  en- 
campment. He  is  also  identified  with  the 
Congregational  church  and  his  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
church.  The  secret  of  his  success  is  not 
difficult  to  ascertain,  for  in  the  legitimate 
lines  of  busines  he  has  met  with  prosperity, 
placing  his  dependence  upon  the  sulistantial 
■cjualities  of  energy  and  resolution. 


JOHN  \\-.  DOTSOX. 

Among  the  worthy  citizens  that  Ken- 
tucky has  furnished  to  the  Sunflower  state 
is  John  W.  Dotson,  who  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  on  section  25, 
Raymond  township,  Rice  county.  The  year 
■of  his  arrival  here  \\-as   1879.   and  he  has 


since  been  one  of  the  county's  most  substan- 
tial and  reliable  citizens.  He  was  born  No- 
vember 21,  1836,  and  is  a  son  of  George 
Dotson,  a  native  of  Virginia  and  a  repre- 
sentative of  a  prominent  family  of  that  state. 
When  a  young  man  the  latter  remo\-ed  to 
Kentucky.  In  Mason  county,  that  state,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ellen  White, 
who  was  l)orn  in  North  Carolina,  and. they 
became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  name- 
ly: Elizabeth;  John  W. ;  Mary;  Al>salom, 
who  was  a  loyal  soldier  in  the  Cnnfederate 
service;  Saphronia:  George,  who  aided  in 
the  defense  of  the  L'nion  in  the  Ci\'il  war : 
and  James.  Tlie  father  of  this  family  was  a 
blacksmith  by  occupation  and  in  his  political 
views  was  a  Democrat.  His  death  occurred 
in  Fleming  county,  Kentucky,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-one  years.  His  wife  died  at  the  age 
of  fifty-four  years,  and  both  were  faithful 
members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

John  W.  Dotson,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review,  was  reared  to  farm  life 
in  the  state  of  his  nativity,  and  there  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools.  In 
1861,  at  the  outbreak  df  the  Civil  war,  he 
enlisted  for  ser\'ice  in  tlic  I'nidn  army,  join- 
ing the  Sixteenth  Kentucky  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  became  a  member  of  Company 
A,  and  was  a  loyal  defender  of  the  Union 
for  three  years  and  eleven  months.  He  par- 
ticipated in  seventeen  battles  and  many 
skinnishes,  including  the  engagements  at 
Franklin,  Nashville,  Toivn  Creek,  I\'}- 
Mountain,  Kingston,  Resaca,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Mossy  Creek,  King's  Hill,  Pine 
Mountain,  Atlanta,  Lost  Mountain,  Kene- 
saw  Mountain,  Jonesboro,  Columbia,  Fort 
Anderson.  W'ilmington  and  many  others. 
During  his  service  he  was  sick  in  a  hospital 
for  eight  or  ten  months,  but  was  ne\-er 
wounded.  He  was  honorably  dischar.ged  in 
July,  1865,  returning  to  his  home  with  an 
honorable  military  record. 

In  the  year  1867  Mr.  Dotson  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Seever,  a  lacty  of 
intelligence  and  culture,  who  has  proved  to 
her  husband  a  faithful  companion  for  the 
journey  of  life.  She  was  born  in  Fleming 
county.  Kentucky.  July  13.  1849,  ^^rid  is  a 
daughter    of    Helms    and    Eliza    (Choate) 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


Seever,  also  natives  of  Kentucky,  but  both 
are  now  deceased,  the  mother  dying  in  mid- 
dle life  and  the  father  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  still  survive :  Charlotte, 
Elizabeth,  Henry,  George,  Peter  and  Mary. 
The  sons  were  all  members  of  the  Confed- 
erate army  during  the  Civil  war.  The  chil- 
dren who'have  passed  away  are  Edward  and 
Hannah.  There  is  also  a  half  brother, 
Tames  Seever.  The  father  of  this  family  fol- 
io'wed  the  occupation  of  farming  and  af^Ii- 
ated  with  the  Democratic  party.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  The  union  of  our  subject 
and  his  wife  has  been  blessed  w'ith  seven 
children,  as  follows :  ]Mrs.  Ellen  Boes,  a 
resident  of  Oklahoma;  Henry  and  George 
Casper,  also  O'f  Oklahoma:  Elizabeth; 
Vaughn  McCanlass,  of  Raymond,  Kansas; 
Bessie;  and  Absalom. 

Mr.  Dotson  located  on  his  present  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  1879,  and 
here  he  is  now  engaged  in  general  farming. 
He  .  has  made  many  substantial  improve- 
ments upon  his  place,  including  the  erection 
of  buildings  and  the  planting  of  an  orchard 
and  grove.  His  fields  are  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  evers'thing  about  the  place 
is  neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance.  Mr,  Dot- 
son  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  Democratic  prin- 
ciples. In  all  relations  of  life  he  has  been 
upright  and  honorable,  and  he  gives  his 
hearty  support  and  co-operation  to  every 
movement  and  measure  for  the  public  good. 


JOHN  W.  TiOSE. 

This  is  an  age  of  specialization,  for  busi- 
ness interests  have  become  so  complex  that 
it  is  almost  impossible  for  one  man  to  be 
thoroughly  proficient  in  every  department  of 
a  profession,  and,  therefore,  gaining  a  gen- 
eral knowledge  of  the  fundamental  princi- 
ples he  devotes  his  energies  to  some  special 
line,  thereby  advancing  to  a  prominent  posi- 
tion as  a  representative  of  his  chosen  field  of 
labor,  which  he  could  nut  do  if  his  efforts 


were  disseminated  over  a  broader  field.  Such 
a  course  has  John  W.  Rose  pursued  and  to- 
day his  reputation  as  a  corporation  and  coni- 
mercial  lawyer  is  not  limited  by  the  confines 
of  this  state,  but  extends  widely  throughout 
the  country.  He  maintains  an  office  in  the 
First  National  Bank  building  of  Hutchin- 
son, from  which  points'fie  controls  the  prac- 
tice which  conies  to  him  from  an  extensive 
clientele,  including  many  of  the  most  import- 
ant corporations  in  this  city  and  throughout 
the  state. 

Mr.  Rose  was  born  near  Valparaiso,  In- 
diana, May  13,  1857,  his  parents  being  X, 
B.  and  Esther  A,  (Price)  Rose,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Ohio.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  N.  B.  Rose,  Sr.,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and,  emigrating  westward, 
took  up  his  abode  in  the  Buckeye  state.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His  son  and 
namesake  became  a  pioneer  preacher  of  the 
Christian  church.  In  the  early  '40s  he  lo- 
cated in  Indiana  and  when  gold  was  discov- 
ered in  California  he  was  among  the  first  to 
make  his  way  to  the  Eldorado  of  the  west. 
There  he  engaged  in  mining  with  some  suc- 
cess but  eventually  returned  to  Indiana  and 
devoted  his  attention  chiefly  thereafter  to 
the  work  of  the  church.  In  addition  to  his 
ministerial  labors,  however,  he  managed  his 
investments,  being  an  extensive  owner  of 
farm  lands.  He  spent  his  later  years  near 
Henderson,  Kentucky.  In  his  political  views 
he  was  first  a  Whig  and  on  the  dissolution  of 
that  party  became  a  Republican.  In  his  fam- 
ily were  seven  children,  of  whom  only  two 
are  now  living:  John  W.,  of  this  review; 
and  A.  B.,  a  well  known  and  successful  dry 
goods  merchant  of  Abilene,  Kansas. 

John  \y.  Rose  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm  within  eight  miles  of  Valparaiso,  In- 
diana, and  when  a  lad  of  three  years  accom- 
I  panied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  that 
I  city.  There  he  was  reared  to  manhood  and 
its  educational  system  provided  him  with  the 
knowledge  that  prepared  him  for  the  practi- 
cal duties  of  life.  Desiring  to  engage  in  the 
practice  of  law,  when  nineteen  years  of  age 
he  became  a  student  in  the  law  office  of  X. 
J.  Bozarth,  of  Wilparaiso,  who  directed  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


reading  for  two  years,  and  on  the  20th  of 
^lay,  1878,  he  was  admitted  to  the  Indiana 
bar.  Prior  to  this  time,  in  the  intervals  of 
study,  he  had.  engaged  in  teaching  school 
and  thus  provided  the  means  necessary  to 
the  prosecution  of  his  course  of  reading. 

Mr.  Rose  at  once  opened  an  office  in  Val- 
paraiso and  after  being  alone  in  business  for 
a  year  entered  into  partnership  with  his 
former  preceptor,  ISIr.  Bozarth,  with  whom 
he  was  associated  for  a  year.  He  then  be- 
came a  partner  of  J.  H.  Skinner  and  estab- 
lished the  law  firm'  of  Rose  &  Skinner,  his 
partner  being  a  son  of  J.  N.  Skinner,  a  prom- 
inent resident  and  mayor  of  the  city.  That 
firm  maintained  an  uninterrupted  existence 
until  1883,  when  Mr.  Rose  entered  into  part- 
nership with  the  Hon.  ]\lark  L.  De^L>tte,  a 
member  of  congress,  under  the  firm  style  of 
De]^Iotte  &  Rose.  In  September,  1884,  this 
connection  was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent 
and  Mr.  Rose  came  to  the  west,  locating  first 
at  St.  John,  Kansas,  where  he  was  alone  in 
practice  until  1886.  He  then  entered  into 
partnership  relations  with  T.  W.  Moseley, 
and  after  practicing  thus  for  several  years 
;\Ir.  Dixon  was  taken  into  the  firm,  under 
the  style  of  Rose,  Moseley  &  Dixon.  In 
1889  Mr.  Rose  withdrew,  for  in  August  of 
that  year  he  was  induced  to  accept  the  Re- 
publican nominatiim  for  judge  of  the  twen- 
tienth  judicial  district,  including  Rice,  Bur- 
ton and  Stafford  counties,  and  entered  upon 
the  canvas's.  His  personal  popularity  and 
the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  those  who 
knew  him  best  is  indicated  bv  the  fact  that  he 
receixed  almost  the  entire  vote  of  his  own 
ciiy.  Init  in  the  general  Populistic  landslide 
of  that  year  he  was  defeated.  From  1890 
until  1893  li^  then  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law  alone. 

In  the  latter  year  'Sir.  Rose  came  to 
Hutcliinson.  where  he  opened  an  oflice.  and 
in  March,  1894,  formed  a  partnership  with 
John  \V.  Roberts  under  the  firm  name  of 
Rose  &  Roberts,  a  relation  that  was  main- 
tained for  three  j-ears.  when,  in  Octuber. 
1897,  lie  became  associated  with  \\'illiam 
^^'itelaw,  the  firm  of  Witelaw  &  Rose  con- 
tinuing until  April,  1899,  when  it  was  dis- 


solved. Mr.  Rose  was  then  alone  in  business 
until  the  ist  of  June,  1901,  when  Howard 
Lewis,  city  attorney  of  Hutchinson,  became 
his  partner  and  the  firm  of  Rose  &  Lewis 
now  exists.  In  1885-6,  while  residing  in 
St.  John,  Mr.  Rose  served  as  deputy  attor- 
ney of  Stafli'ord  county  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  district  work  devolved  upon  him.  His 
practice  is  and  has  been  of  a  very  important 
character.  He  was  assistant  general  attor- 
ney for  the  Hutchinson  &  Southern  Railroad 
Company  for  two  years  prior  to  its  consoli- 
dation with  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  system 
and  is  at  present  general  attorney  for  the 
Texas  &  Southern  Railroad  Company,  hav- 
ing occupied  the  position  since  March,  1901. 
He  is  also  general  attorney  for  the  Delaware 
Construction  Company,  engaged  in  the 
building  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of 
railroad  in  Oklahoma.  Mr.  Rose  has  given 
his  attention  almost  entirely  to  corporation 
and  commercial  law  in  recent  years  and  in 
this  department  of  the  profession  has  be- 
come widely  known  and  has  built  up  an  ex- 
!  tensive  and  important  practice,  his  reputation 
being  not  confined  to  Kansas,  especially  in 
the  department  of  banking  law  and  the  trial 
of  banking  cases.  He  has  one  of  the  most 
complete  law  libraries  in  the  city,  including 
over  fifteen  hundred  volumes  on  law.  His 
clientage  includes  some  of  the  most  import- 
ant corporations  and  business  firms  in  the 
city  and  vicinity,  among  these  being  the 
Sentney  Wholesale  Grocery  Company,  the 
St.  John  Trust  Company,  the  Monarch  Mills 
Company,  the  L.  J.  "\Vhite  Lumber  Company 
and  ten  different  banking  houses.  He  yet 
retains  all  of  his  Stafford  county  business  of 
that  class  and  is  attorney  for  the  National 
Bank  of  Commerce,  of  Kansas  City,  while 
for  the  Phoenix  Insurance  Company,  of 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  he  is  attornev  for 
Kansas.  The  character  of  his  business  and 
the  important  concerns  which  he  represents 
is  a  guarantee  of  his  superior  abilitv,  his 
c<  luprehensive  knowledge  and  of  the  care 
with  which  he  handles  the  intricate  problems 
which  arise  in  connection  with  corporation 
and  conmiercial  law. 

On  the  20th  of  September,    1881,   was 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Rose  and 
Wiss  Winifred  Fnrness,  the  wedding  taking 
place  in  Furnessville,  Indiana.  The  lady  is 
a  daughter  of  the  Hon.  E.  L.  Furness,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Indiana,  living  at  Fur- 
nessville. He  is  extensively  interested  in 
agricultural  pursuits  and  is  regarded  as 
authority  on  such  matters.  Three  sons  have 
been  born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rose :  Arthur 
B.,  Fred  F.  and  Dwight,  and  the  eldest  two 
are  students  in  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege of  Kansas.  The  family  occupy  a  prom- 
inent place  in  the  social  life  of  Hutchinson 
and  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  is  freely 
extended  to  them.  Since  coming  here  Mr. 
Rose  has  purchased  an  elegant  residence, 
containing  ten  rooms  and  supplied  with  all 
modern  conveniences.  It  is  located  at  No. 
802  Avenue  A,  east.  In  his  political  views 
Mr.  Rose  has  always  been  an  inflexible  ad- 
herent of  the  Republican  party,  has  attended 
many  of  its  conventions  and  his  opinions 
carry  weight  in  its  councils.  Socially  he  is 
identified  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  with  the  Masonic  fraternity. 
In  a  profession  where  advancement  depends 
upon  individual  merit  he  has  attained  to  a 
position  of  distinction.  He  is  a  man  of  schol- 
arly attainments,  of  liberal  culture,  broad 
minded  and  public  spirited,  and  Kansas  ac- 
counts him  among  her  representati\-e  men. 


H.  C.  HODGSOX. 


One  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  and 
horticulturists  of  Rice  county  is  H.  C.  Hodg- 
son. Indefatigable  energy  has  been  the  key 
which  has  unlocked  for  him:  the  portals  of 
success  and  from  its  storehouses  he  has  gar- 
nered rich  fruits.  He  came  to  the  county 
in  the  epoch  of  its  primitive  development  and 
as  the  years  have  passed  he  has  not  only 
added  to  his  individual  prosperity  but  has 
alsri  largely  promoted  th&  v/elfare  and  prog- 
ress I  if  the  community,  co-operating  in  all 
measures  and  movements  which  tend  to  con- 
tribute to  the  general  good.  Classed  among 
the  representative  citizens  of  the  commun- 


ity he  well  deserves  mention  in  this  volume 
and  with  pleasure  we  present  his  record  to 
our  readers. 

He  belongs  to  a  Virginian  family  honor- 
able and  prominent.  His  birth  occurred  in 
Frederick  county,  Virginia,  November  4, 
1843,  and  his  yotmger  days  were  spent  on 
his  father's  plantation  and  -in  the  school 
room.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca 
(Beam)  Hodgson,  both  r.epresentatives  of 
prominent  families  of  the  Old  Dominion. 
The  father  was  a  son  of  Abner  and  Rebecca 
(Johnson)  Hodgson,  also  of  Virginia,  the 
fomier  a  leading  and  influential  farmer  who 
died  in  his  native  state.  During  the  war 
of  1 812  he  sent  a  substitute  to  the  army. 
He  had  three  children,  Elizabeth,  Mary  and 
Samuel. 

The  last  named  was  born,  reared  and 
spent  his  entire  life  in  Virginia,  where  he 
was  a  well  known  and  successful  farmer  and 
slave  owner.  He  was  identified  \\ith  the 
farming  interests  of  Frederick  county  and 
his  work  netted  him  a  good  financial  return. 
During  the  war  of  the  rebellion  he  was  loyal 
to  the  Union,  although  he  knew  that  the 
success  of  northern  arms  meant  the  loss  of 
his  slaves.  His  home  was  in  the  path  of 
the  contending  armies,  but  his  house  was 
searched  by  neither,  although  he  suffered 
heavy  losses  in  his  farm  products  and  stoCk. 
He,  however,  was  never  harmed,  for  he  was 
widely  and  favorabh-  known  and  command- 
ed the  respect  of  all.  Politically  he  was  a 
Whig  and  later  a  Republican.  He  lived  the 
life  of  an  honest,  unostentatious  planter  and 
never  aspired  to  political  preferment.  His 
wife  yet  survives  him  and  is  li\-ing  at  the 
old  homestead  in  Virginia,  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years.  Her  father,  James  Beam,  was 
an  extensive  farmer  of  the  Old  Dominion, 
in  which  he  spent  his  entire  life.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Nathan,  who  died  in  McPher- 
son  county,  Kansas;  Uriah,  who  departed 
this  life  in  Missouri ;  Eliza.  Judith,  and  Re- 
becca. Unto  Samuel  Hodgson  and  his  wife 
were  born  eight  children :  Abner.  who  died 
in  Virginia ;  James,  who  died  in  Iowa;  John 
R.,  who  passed  away  in  West  Virginia ;  H. 
C.  of  this  review ;  Ann  E.,  the  wife  of  A.  J. 
Howard ;  George,  a  leading  farmer  of  Rice 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


county,  Kansas;  Mary  R.,  who  is  with  her 
mother;  and  Mrs.  Florence  Willis.  The 
mother  is  a  consistent  and  worthy  member- 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  into  the 
minds  of  her  children  she  instilled  the  prin- 
ciples of  right  living. 

H.  C.  Hodgson  was  reared  in  the  Old 
Dominion  and  remained  at  home  until  twen- 
ty-five years  of  age.  During  the  rebellion 
he  was  enrolled  in  the  militia  and  was  thus 
forced  into  the  Rebel  service,  but  after  nine 
days  succeeded  in  obtaining  his  release  and 
like  the  others  of  the  family  remained  loyal 
to  the  Union  cause.  In  1869  he  married 
Miss  Hannah  Wright,  a  lady  of  intelligence 
and,  culture,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1845,  a  daughter  of  Amos  and  Rachel  (Lup- 
ton )  Wright,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Virginia.  They  were  prominent  people  and 
members  of  the  Friends  society.  Her  father 
would  take  no  part  in  the  Civil  war  and  the 
secessionists  therefore  put  him  in  prison,  but 
after  a  short  time  he  was.  released.  He  was 
opposed  to  the  w^ar  and'  therefore  woiild 
take  no  part  in  the  fighting.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Virginia,  after  which  his  wife 
found  a  good  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Hodgson,  in  Kansas,  where  she  died.  They 
had  four  children.  Rebecca,  whoi  gave  Gen- 
eral Sheridan  the  information  concerning 
the  situation  at  \\'inclie>ter  before  the  fight, 
was  rewarded  for  that  service  by  an  ap- 
pointment to  a  position  in  the  treasury  de- 
partment at  Washington,  where  she  has  re- 
mained for  thirty-three  years.  She  is  now 
the  wife  of  W.  C.  Bonsai,  and  resides  in 
\\'ashington,  D.  C.  George,  the  second  of  the 
family,  was  killed  while  serving  in  the  Rebel 
army:  Hannah,  now  Mrs.  Hodgson,  is  the 
next  of  the  family ;  and  John  T.  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Ohio.  All  are  members  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hodg- 
son have  been  born  five  children  :  Jo^hn  W., 
at  home;  Edward  H.,  who  is  attending 
school  in  Manhattan,  Kansas;  Frederick  E., 
also  at  ^Manhattan;  Mary  B.  and  Henry  C., 
at  home. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Hodgson  en- 
gaged in  farming  the  old  homestead  until 
1871,  when  he  came  to  Kansas,  locating  in 
Rice   countv,    where   he   filed   a    hom.estead 


claim  in  the  valley  of  Little  River.  His 
first  work  was  to  build  a  dugcnt,  in  which 
he  settled  his  family  and  then  began  the 
improvem'ent  of  his  land.  Like  most  of  the 
pioneers  he  had  limited  capital  and  had  to 
endure  many  trials  and  dif^culties.  He 
bought  a  team  and  when  winter  was  over 
his  mioney  was  gone  and  terd  work  lay 
before  him,  but  he  soon  began  the  develop 
men  of  his  fields  and  from  that  time  his 
fami  has  been  self-sui)porting.  Li  1874  he 
sufferedi  the  loss  of  his  corn  crop  and  \-ege- 
tables  by  the  grasshoppers,  but  he  had  wheat 
and  other  supplies  and  did  not  suffer  as 
many  of  his  neighbors  did.  He  worked  hard 
and  prosperity  followed  his  indefatigable 
labors.  He  early  began  setting  out  fruit  and 
shade  trees  and  finding  that  the  fruit  would 
grow  and  mature  he  kept  extending  his  or- 
chards until  he  is  now  one  of  tlie  leading 
horticulturists  of  the  state.  Li  .1886  he 
planted  a  large  orchard  and  now  has  about 
five  thousand  bearing  apple  trees  and  aliout 
two  thousand  peach  trees  besides  other 
smaller  fruits.  He  has  the  largest  and  finest 
orchard  in  Rice  county,  if  not  in  central 
Kansas.  He  was  reared  in  a  good  fruit 
country,  always  took  an  interest  in  horticul- 
tural pursuits  and  determining  to  make  the 
venture  in  Kansas  he  found  that  he  could 
succeed  here  as  a  fruit  grower,  and  this 
branch  of  his  business  has  proved  quite  suc- 
cessful. He  has  had  some  short  crniis,  Init 
many  years  his  trees  have  yielded  lunnti- 
fully  and  his  fruit  sales  have  t'uis  materially 
increased  his  income.  He  also  manufactures 
pure  cider  vinegar  quite  extensively  and 
finds  a  ready  market  for  all  the  products 
which  his  farm  yields.  His  farm  and  or- 
chards are  fenced  with  hedges  and  he  has 
planted  many  forest  trees,  having  fine  groves 
for  windbreaks.  As  his  financial  resources 
have  increased  he  has  added  to  his  home- 
stead and  now  owms  eight  hundred'  acres  of 
valuable  land  without  any  incumbrance.  His 
land  is  undfer  a  high- state  of  cultivation  and 
he  raises  and  handles  stock  bes'des  carrying 
on  general  farming.  In  1888  he  erected  a 
large  barn  and  in  1899  he  built  a  commodi- 
ous two-story  frame  residence,  supplied  with 
all  modern  conveniences  and  situated  upon 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


a  natural  building  site  and  in  the  midst  ot 
beautiful  groves  of  evergreen,  fruit  and  for- 
est trees,  miaking  liis'  place  one  of  the  best 
improA-ed  farms  in  the  state.  He  started 
with  his  dugout  and,  sod  house,  two  years 
later  erected  a  small  frame  d^velling  and 
now  has  a  most  beautiful  residence.  These 
homes  indicate  his  steady  progress  on  the 
highroad  to  success.  He  is  ever  reliable  and 
straightforward  in  business,  commanding 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom 
he  is  associated  and  winning  the  high  re- 
gard of  manv  friends. 


\\'ILLIA^I  H.  CARHART. 

^^'illiam  H.  Carhart,  deputy  county 
treasurer,  is  a  native  of  Ellsworth  county, 
born  April  ii,  1875,  near  Wilson.  His  par- 
ents, A\'illiam  H.  and  Hettie  Carhart,  came 
to  Kansas  from  Iowa,  in  1872,  and  here  the 
father  engaged  in  farming  for  a  time,  but 
afterward  became  connected  with  mercan- 
tile interestsi  in  Wilson,  where  he  is  now  re- 
siding. The  son  pursued  his  education-  in 
the  public  schools  of  Wilson  and  in  the 
Kansas  Wesleyan  University,  at  Salina, 
where  he  was  a  student  for  four  years.  He 
also  spent  one  year  in  the  University  Medi- 
cal College,  at  Kansas  City,  intending  to 
make  the  practice  of  medicine  his  life  work, 
but  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  with 
Spain  he  enlisted  in  his  country's  service 
and  was  made  sergeant  of  Company  I, 
Twenty-first  Kansas  Infantry,  and  the  regi- 
ment was  sent  to-  Chickamauga  and  then  to 
Kentucky.  He  is  still  interested  iu  military 
affairs  and  is  now  first  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany H  of  the  Second  Regiment  of  the  Kan- 
sas National  Guard. 

When  his  brother-in-law,  G.  L.  Banner, 
was  elected  county  treasurer  he  chose  IMr. 
Carhart  as  his  deputy,  and  -as  ]\Ir.  Banner, 
on  account  of  his  extensive  bus'ness  inter- 
ests in  Wilson,  finds  it  impossible  to  locate 
at  the  county  seat,  the  managerial  part  of  the 
duties  of  the  office  devolves  upon  our  subject, 
who  is  now  capably  serving  and  winning 
high  commendation  bv  his  faithfulness  and 


ability.  He  has  filled  the  office  since  Au- 
gust, 1899,  during  which  time  the  detail 
work  has  de\'ol\'ed  upon  him.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican  and  takes  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  success  of  the  party. 

In  November,  1900,  Mr.  Carhart  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Minnie,  daughter ' 
of  Rev.  Br.  J.  H.  Lockwood,  presiding  elder 
of  Beloit  district.  He  has  since  made  Ells- 
worth his  home  and  has  purchased  an  at- 
tractive residence  here,  the  large  house  be- 
ing surrounded  by  beautiful  shade  trees  and 
the  well  kept  lawn.  The  young  couple  are 
popular  in  social  circles  and  enjoy  the  hos- 
pitality of  many  friends.  Mr.  Carhart  is 
identified  with  the  lodge  of  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  at  Wilson,  and  is  treas- 
urer of  the  Ellsworth  Club,  in  which  he 
takes  great  pride. 


CHARLES  N.  WOOBBELL. 

Charles  N.  Wooddell,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  dealers  in  coal,  grain  and  feed 
in  Nickerson,  Kansas,  is  a  native  of  Ohio, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Highland 
county,  June  8,  1861.  His  father,  J.  M. 
Wooddell,  was  born  in  Virginia  about 
sixty-five  years  ago.  He  married  Miss 
Catherine  Ellen  Stout,  a  native  of  High- 
land county,  Ohio,  and  the  daughter  of  John 
Stout  and  a  jMiss  Nailor,  who  died  aljout 
the  time  Catherine  was  born.  Her  parents 
were  married  in  Higliland  county,  Ohio. 
She  and  her  husband  had  nine  children, 
seven  of  whom  grew  to  years  of  maturity. 

Charles  N.  Wooddell,  the  subject  of  this 
review,  is  the  third  child  and  second  son 
of  his  parents.  He  was  reared  in  his  native 
village  and  attended  the  district  schools  un- 
til sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  left  home 
and  the  following  year  he  went  to  Urbana, 
Ohio,  as  an  employe  of  the  United  States 
Rolling  Stock  Company,  engaged  in  car 
manufacture,  and  remained  with  them  two 
years.  He  then  accepted  a  position  with  the 
Lim'a  Car  Works,  of  Lima.  Ohio,  and  later 
with  the  Chicago  &  Atlantic  road,  now  the 
Chicago  &  Erie,    at    Huntington,  Indiana, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


and  for  one  sumlmer  worked  for  the  Pull- 
man Company,  at  Pullman,  Illinois.  In 
1884  he  went  to  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  where 
he  worked  on  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  other  buildings,  and  made  his 
home  there  several  years  with  his  uncle, 
I.  N.  Wooddell,  now  in  Garden  City,  Kan- 
sas. For  one  year  he  worked  for  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  Company,  and  then  with  the 
St.  John  &  Marsh  Company,  of  Great  Bend, 
Kansas,  from  the  fall  of  1885  until  1889, 
when  he  went  tO'  Nickerson  and  was  with 
the  same  fimi  in  the  lumber  yard  there.  On 
Ma}'  28,  1890,  he  went  to  work  in  the  round 
house  there,  being  thus  engaged  two  years. 
He  was  then  made  a  locomotive  fireman, 
and,  being  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Loco- 
motive Firemen,  he  went  out  in  the  Ameri- 
can Railway  Union  strike  in  1894.  He  then 
located  in  Nickerson  and  bought  out  the 
lumber,  coal  and  grain  business  of  S.  M. 
Cooper,  which  he  has  conducted  since  Sep- 
tember, 1894,  though  in  1899  ^^^  discon- 
tinued the  sale  of  lumber. 

Mr.  ^Vooddell  was  married  at  Topeka, 
Kansas,  on  the  15th  of  September,  1886, 
to  i\Iiss  Georgetta  AlcCoy,  of  Highland 
county,  Ohio,  and  their  union  has  been 
Ijlessed  with  three  children :  Dorothy,  who 
died  of  diphtheria  when  four  years  of  age; 
Earl,  a  bright  boy  of  fourteen  years;  and 
Helen,  now  four  years  of  age.  The  parents 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  in  which  he  is  serving  as  an  officer. 
His  father  was  an  invalid  in  his  later  years 
and  our  subject  gave  his  earnings  to  the 
family  from  the  time  he  was  seventeen  years 
of  age  until  he  was  twenty-five,  but  he  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  business  and  he 
now  owns  his  own  home  and  place  of  busi- 
ness. He  buys  grain  at  Wherry,  Lorraine 
and  at  Fruit  Valley,  and  is  doing  the  lead- 
ing business  in  Nickerson. 

Mr.  Wooddell  is  a  great  admirer  of 
horses,  has  shipped  many  and  has  a  \'aluable 
Wilkes  stallion,  Alashtar,  register  number 
25>598,  a  ver)^  fine  animal  of  high  breeding. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Wooddell  is  a  Mason,  an 
Odd  Fellow  and  also  a  member  of  the  Re- 
bekah  Degree,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 


Workmen.  In  his  political  affiliations  he  is 
a  stanch  Republican,  does  everything  in  his 
power  to  promote  the  growth  and  secure  the 
success  of  his  party,  and  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  two  years  in  a  most  acceptable  man- 
ner to  his  constituents,  and  by  his  consci- 
entious and  faithful  performance  of  his 
official  duties  he  did  much  for  the  substan- 
tial upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  city, 
thus  well  deserving  the  confidence  and  higli 
esteem  which  is  uni\-ersally  accorded  him  by 
his   fellow   citizens. 


PETER  B.  POTTER. 

The  people  of  Norwich,  Kingman  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  and  vicinity  have  come  to  con- 
sider the  store  of  Peter  B.  Potter,  of  that 
town,  as  headquarters  for  dry  goods,  cloth- 
ing, furnishing  goods,  hats  and  caps,  boots 
and  shoes,  notions,  millinery,  groceries  and 
queensware.  Mr.  Potter  is  a  native  of 
Dodge  county,  Wisconsin,  born  December 
12,  1856.  His  parents  were  Peter  and 
Sophronia  (Coles)  Potter.  His  father  was 
born  in  the  state  of  New  Y(jrk,  his  mother 
in  Ohio.  The  former  settled  in  Dudge 
county,  Wisconsin,  before  their  marriage 
and  took  up  a  timber  farm,  on  which  he 
made  some  improvements  and  on  which  he 
died  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
about  one  year  old.  After  his  death  the 
farm  was  sold  and  the  family  broken  up. 

Peter  B.  Potter,  the  youngest  of  the  five 
children  of  his  parents,  literally  made  his 
own  way  in  the  udrld  after  he  was  ten  years 
old.  He  found  emplnynient  at  farm  work, 
for  a  time  recei\ing  fur  his  services  only  his 
board  and  clothes.  When  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  old  he  hired  out  to  work  in  a  saw- 
mill, and  a  year  later  became  clerk  in  a  store 
at  Merrillan,  Jackson  county,  Wisconsin, 
where  during  six  years'  continuous  service 
he  obtained  quite  a  practical  knowledge  of 
mercantile  life  and  affairs.  In  October, 
1885,  he  went  to  Cowley  county,  Kansas, 
and  opened  a  general  store  at  New  Salem 
in    a    building    which    he    erected    at    that 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


point.  A  year  later  he  traded  his  store 
building  for  land  and  removed  his  stock  of 
goods  to  Norwich,  which  town  was  then 
only  one  year  old.  For  a  year  he  was  a 
tenant  in  the  building  which  he  now  occu- 
pies and  which  he  bought  at  the  expiration 
of  that  time.  From  the  first  he  has  kept  a 
stock  of  goods  fresh  and  up-to-date  and 
from  time  to  time  he  has  enlarged  it  until 
he  has  brought  it  to  its  present  goodly  pro- 
portions, and  throughout  all  the  territory 
tributary  to  Norwich  he  has  an  enviable 
reputation  for  honesty  and  fair  dealing. 

Mr.  Potter  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
public  affairs,  and  as  a  Republican  has  been 
elected  mayor  of  Norwich  and  has  served 
three  terms  as  a  member  of  the  common 
council  and  four  years  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education  of  that  city.  He  has  been 
an  active  worker  in  his  church,  in  which  he 
has  filled  the  office  of  Sunday-school  superin- 
tendent for  many  years;  has  passed  the 
chairs  in  the  local  branch  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  orders  of  Royal  Neighbors 
and   ]\Iodern  Woodmen  of  America. 

December  19,  1881,  Mr.  Potter  married 
at  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin,  Miss  Ella  B. 
Nash,  daughter  of  Edmund  and  Catharine 
(\\'ilkenson)  Nash,  the  former  of  English, 
the  latter  of  Scotch  extraction.  Mrs.  Pot- 
ter, who  was  born  at  Delafield,  \\'aukesha 
county,  Wisconsin,  has  borne  her  husband 
children  as  follows :  Nina  F.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  eight  years  and  eight  months; 
Inez  C,  who  is  a  student  at  Winfield  Col- 
lege, Kansas ;  Harrison  E.,  Grace  E. ;  and 
Donald  C. 

Rufus  Coles,  Mr.  Potter's  grandfather 
in  the  maternal  line,  was  a  practicing  physi- 
cian in  Ohio  and  a  pioneer  physician  in 
\\'isconsin,  and  Captain  Coles,  of  the 
United  States  army,  is  a  cousin  of  Mr.  Pot- 
ter's mother.  Peter  Potter,  Sr.,  the  father 
of  our  subject,  v/as  active  in  the  political 
life  of  Dodge  county,  and  in  1855  he  was 
elected  by  the  Democratic  party  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  senate,  but  he  died  during 
his  ,term  of  service.  Mrs.  Potter  is  one  of 
nine  children  of  her  parents,  seven  of  whom 
survive.     Her  brother,  John  Nash,  who  is 


an  architect,  carpenter  and  builder,  lives  in 
the  state  of  Washington.  Richard  Nash  is 
a  farmer  and  mechanic  and  lives  on  the  old 
family  homestead  at  Camp  Douglas,  Wis- 
consin. Henry  Nash  is  a  citizen  of  ]\lil- 
waukee,  Wisconsin.  Edward  Nash  is  as- 
sociated in  business  with  his  brother  in 
Washington.  Ralph  Nash  lives  in  New 
York  city.  Dennis  Nash  lives  on  the  Nash 
homestead  in  Wisconsin.  Anna  Nash  died 
at  the  age  of  eight  years.  Michael  Nash, 
who  was  a  railroad  man  in  the  service  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway  Com- 
pany, was  killed  by  a  railroad  accident  at 
the  age  of  twenty-four  years.  Edwin  Nash, 
the  father  of  Mjrs.  Potter,  was  born  in  York- 
shire, England.  His  father  died  when  he 
was  a  child,  and  when  he  was  sixteen  years 
old  he  came  to  America  with  his  mother  and 
her  four  youngest  children.  They  remained 
for  a  time  in  New  York  city,  whence  they 
moved  to  Waukesha  county,  Wisconsin. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Nash  worked  at  the 
cooper's  trade  and  improved  a  farm  which 
he  sold  in  order  to  remove  to  Juneau  coun- 
ty, Wisconsin,  where  he  bought  a  large 
farm,  on  which  he  died  in  1891,  aged  fifty- 
eight  )-ears,  and  on  which  his  widow  is  liv- 
ing at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  He  was 
active  in  public  affairs  and  for  fifteen  years 
held  the  office  of  assessor  of  his  township, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal church. 

Mr.  Potter  has  recently  remodeled  his 
family  residence  at  Norwich,  and  it  is  one 
of  the  pleasantest  and  most  hospitable  ones 
in  that  city.  He  is  not  only  a  progressive 
merchant  but  a  progressive  citizen,  who 
takes  a  helpful  interest  in  all  movements 
for  the  public  good  and  whose  public  spirit 
may  be  safely  depended  upon  in  any  emer- 
gency. 


CALEB  R.   DAVIS. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  widely 
known  as  a  pioneer  in  central  Kansas,  and 
he  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in  Rice  coun- 
ty. When  he  came  to  the  locality  the  land 
was  in  the  possession  of  Indians  and  buft'a- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


loes  and  no  counties  had  been  organized, 
and  there  were  no  settlers  within  forty  miles 
of  the  place  in  Ellsworth  county,  where  he 
and  two  other  families  located.  Through 
all  the  growth  and  de\-elopnient  of  Ells- 
worth and  Rice  counties  he  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  their  interests. 

Caleb  R.  Davis,  who  is  an  honored  resi- 
dent of  Little  River,  Rice  county,  KanSas, 
was  born  in  W'arren  count}',  Indiana,  De- 
cember 23,  1835,  a  son  of  Andrew  and  Zella 
(^  Grant)  Davis.  His  father  was  born  in 
Massachusetts  and  reared  in  Xew  Jersey, 
and  he  was  married  in  Ohio.  Joseph  Davis 
came  from  Wales  to  America  when  a  small 
boy  and  was  brought  up  in  Massachusetts 
and  bravely  served  the  cause  of  the  colonies 
during  the  entire  period  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  during  a  portion  of  which  he  was 
one  of  Washington's  most  trusted  personal 
attendants,  looking  after  his  wardrobe  and 
baggage  and  attending  to  many  important 
matters  under  his  direct  supervision.  He 
returned  to  Massachusetts  after  the  war  and 
later  removed  to  Xew  Jersey,  where  he  lived 
out  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  was  a 
prominent  farmer  and  an  influential  citi- 
zen. His  children  were  named  Andrew, 
Joseph,  Asher,  Elijah,  Amelia  and  Pris- 
cilla.  Andrew  grew  to  manhood  in  New 
Jersey,  where  he  entered  the  army  and 
ser\-ed  through  the  war  of  18 12,  doing  gar- 
rison duty  much  of  the  time  at  Sandy 
Hook.  After  the  war  he  lived  for  a  time 
at  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  whence  he  re- 
moved to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  then  an  unim- 
portant village,  where  for  a  time  he  worked 
at  the  carpenter's  trade.  Subsequently  he 
located  in  Montgomery  county,  Ohio,  not 
far  from  Dayton,  where  he  farmed  and 
worked  at  his  trade  to  obtain  money  with 
which  to  secure  his  homestead.  He  was 
married  there  and  remained  until  1833. 
From  1833  until  1867  he  lived  in  Warren 
county.  Indiana,  where  he  developed  a  good 
fanu,  which  he  sold  in  order  to  remove  to 
Kansas.  He  bought  a  small  tract  of  land 
near  Manhattan,  Kansas,  and  built  on  it  a 
good  residence  and  improved  it  into  a  good 
farm,  which  he  sold  in  order  to  remove  to 
his  life.     He  was  a  broad-minded  and  intelli- 


gent man,  of  great  charity  and  public  spirit 
and  of  unswerving  integrit}-,  who  was  most 
worthily  successful  in  life  and  acquired  a 
good  property.  His  wife  was  the  daughter 
of  James  Grant,  who  was  a  distant  relative 
of  General  U.  S.  Grant,  and  who  became  a 
well-to-do  farmer  in  Ohio,  where  he  died. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grant  had  children  as  fol- 
lows: Susan,  Zella  (Mrs.  Davis),  Charity, 
Alice  and  John.  The  following  facts  con- 
cerning the  children  of  Andrew  and  Zella 
(Grant)  Davis  will  be  of  interest  in  this  con- 
nection: Elizabeth  married  George  Little. 
J\Iary  married  N.  Farden.  James  died  in 
Illinois.  Joseph  was  captain  of  a  c(3mpany 
in  the  Fifty-third  Regiment,  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  was  later  promoted  to 
the  command  of  his  regiment,  with  the  rank 
of  colonel.  He  was  made  a  prisoner  of  war 
at  Jackson,  Mississippi,  and  was  soon  after- 
ward paroled.  Some  time  after  the  close 
of  the  war  he  went  to  California,  where  he 
died.  William  is  living  in  Missouri  and 
Thomas  in  California.  Evaline  married 
John  Curran.  Andrew  lives  in  Oregon. 
Amelia  is  the  wife  of  R.  Stone.  Caleb  R. 
is  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch. 
John  fought  in  the  Union  army  three  years 
during  the  rebellion  and  lives  in  southern 
Kansas. 

Caleb  R.  Davis  passed  his  childhood  and 
youth  in  Warren  ctumty.  Indiana,  and  after 
he  had  attained  to  his  majority  went  to  Illi- 
nois, where  he  worked  on  a  rented  farm  for 
two  years,  meantime  returning  to  Indiana 
to  be  married.  After  that  he  rented  a  farm 
in  Newton  county,  Indiana,  for  six  years, 
and  in  1865  removed  to  Kansas.  He  passed 
the  winter  of  1865  and  1866  at  Manhattan, 
and  in  tlie  spring  of  1866  he  and  his  wife 
and  twO'  other  families  located  within  the 
present  borders  of  Ellsworth  county,  on 
Thompson's  creek,  squatting  on  land  which 
they  afterward  pre-empted  and  held,  thus 
effecting  the  first  settlement  in  that  portion 
of  Kansas.  There  was  no  other  settlement 
nearer  than  forty  miles,  but  Camp  Ells- 
worth, the  site  of  Fort  Harker,  was  twelve 
miles  distant  and  Mr.  Davis  could  buy  sup- 
plies from  the  army  settler  at  the  military 
post  there,  and  he  remembers  that  on  one 


i?.S 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


occasion  he  paid  fifteen  dollars  per  hundred 
weig'ht  for  floiu".  There  was  no  market 
nearer  than  the  Missouri  river  and  no  grist 
mill  was  available.  Game  was  plenty  and 
]Mr.  Davis  killed  many  buffaloes  and  some 
antelopes.  There  were  many  Indians  in  the 
country,  but  they  were  not  at  that  time 
dangerous.  He  built  a  small  dugout  house, 
broke  some  land,  and  as  soon  as  possible  got 
to  farming  in  a  small  way.  It  was  not  long 
before  he  was  well  embarked  in  the  cattle 
business,  in  which  he  has  continued  to  the 
present  time.  After  the  little  band  of  pio- 
neers had  become  established  in  Ellsworth 
county  the  Indians  began  stealing  their 
stock  and  such  depredations  became  so  fre- 
cpient  that  at  times  the  settlers  would  band 
together  for  mutual  protection  against  their 
raids.  More  than  thirty  men,  women  and 
children  passed  one  winter  under  the  pro- 
tection of  a  fort,  but  no  member  of  their 
colony  was  killed  by  the  savages.  About 
1866  emigration  set  into  that  quarter  of  the 
state  and  in  1867  ™ost  of  the  creek  land 
was  claimed  and  within  a  few  years  about 
all  the  prairie  land  had  been  taken  up  and 
the  development  and  improvement  of  cen- 
tral Kansas  had  begun  in  earnest.  Mr.  Da- 
vis improved  a  good  farm  there,  which  he 
sold  in  1875,  when  the  filed  homestead  and 
timber  claims  in  the  Little  River  valley,  on 
the  Rice  side  of  the  county  line.  Later  he 
gave  the  timber  claim  to  his  daughter  and 
in  1893  he  sold  the  homestead  claim  and 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
in  Rice  county,  where  he  now  lives  and  to 
which  he  has  added  by  subsequent  purchase 
until  he  owns  eight  hundred  acres,  mostly 
in  Little  River  valley,  all  well  improved  and 
under  profitable  cultivation.  He  has  been 
successful  as  a  general  farmer  and  cattle- 
raiser  and  is  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers 
of  the  county.  Few  improvements  had  been 
made  on  his  home  farm  when  he  bought  it, 
but  he  has  built  an  expensive  and  attractive 
residence  on  a  natural  elevation  that  over- 
looks the  valley  and  a  wide  stretch  of  sur- 
rounding country.  This  beautiful  home, 
three  miles  northwest  of  Little  River,  is 
provided  with  ample  outbuildings,  barns  and 
appliances  for  successful  farming. 


]\Ir.  Davis  is  an  influential  Republican 
and  is  regarded  as  a  citizen  of  public  spirit, 
who  may  always  be  depended  upon  to  fa- 
vor to  the  extent  of  his  ability  any  move- 
ment promising  to  benefit  the  general  pub- 
lic. He  was  married  January  20,  1858,  to 
Miss  Catherine  Byard,  of  ^\'arren  county, 
Indiana,  who  was  born  in  Benton  county, 
same  state,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Smith)  Byard,  natives  of  Ohio.  John  By- 
ard was  the  son  of  John  Byard,  Sr.,  of 
Ohio,  who  was  a  prominent  farmer  and  who 
had  children  named  David.  Mary  and  John, 
Jr.  Mary  married  Mr.  Collins  and  John, 
Jr.,  was  the  father  of  Mrs.  Davis.  John 
Byard.  Jr.,  was  reared  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Ohio,  and  married  Mar- 
garet Smith,  a  daughter  of  James  Smith, 
who  removed  from  Ohio  to  Indiana  and 
unproved  a  farm  in  Benton  county,  became 
prominent  there  as  a  citizen  and  died  there. 
His  children  were  Margaret  ([Mrs.  Byard), 
James,  Thomas  and  Henry.  John  Byard, 
Jr.,  and  his  wife,  Margaret  Smith,  who 
were  earnest  Christians  of  the  Baptist  faith, 
had  children  as  follows  :  James ;  Thomas  ; 
Henry;  Catherine,  who  married  the  subject 
of  this  sketch:  and  Margaret,  who  died 
young.  Caleb  R.  and  Catherine  (Byard) 
Davis  have  a  daughter,  Margaret,  who  is 
the  wife  of  John  L.  Smith,  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Rice  county,  Kansas.  Mrs.  Da- 
vis is  a  worthy  and  helpful  member  of  the 
Christian  church. 


ANDREW  B.   -MARTIX. 

For  many  years  Andrew  Black  !\Iartin 
was  one  of  tlie  intelligent  and  popular  citi- 
zens and  reliable  business  men  of  Rice  coun- 
t}-.  and  his  loss  to  the  community  was  widelv 
felt.  He  was  a  representative  of  that  class 
of  American  citizens  who  while  advancing 
their  individual  interests  also  promote  the 
general  good.  While  carrying  on  business 
for  himself  he  contributed  to  commercial 
activity,  whereon  depends  the  growth  and 
development  of  every  community.  His  name 
was  always  an  active  factor  in  cluuxli  circles. 


? 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


129 


and  wherever  he  was  known  he  was  highly 
esteemed,  for  he  possessed  those  quaHties 
which  in  every  land  and  in  every  clime 
command  respect  and  admiration. 

Air.  Alartin  was  licrn  in  Kirkwood, 
Warren  connty,  Illincis,  June  3,  1853,  '^'''cl 
is  a  son  of  James  P.  Martin,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  the  east  and  he  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  lineage.  The  members  of  the  family 
perhaps  were  never  distinguished  for  prom- 
inence in  political  or  military  life,  but  they 
belonged  to  that  sturdy  class  of  citizens 
whose  reliability  and  devotion  to  the  public 
good  formed  the  bulwark  and  strength  of 
the  nation.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
Miss  Alaxey  Talcott.  She  had  received  a 
good  education  and  was  a  lady  of  intelli- 
gence, whose  innate  culture  was  manifest 
in  her  home  and  in  her  influence  over  her 
children.  She  died  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
and  Mr.  Alartin,  the  father,  passed  away  in 
\\'arren  county,  Illinois. 

In  the  state  of  his  nativity  Andrew 
Black  Alartin  spent  his  youth,  and  his  pre- 
liminary education  acquired  in  the  common 
schniils  was  supplemented  by  collegiate 
training  in  Alonmouth  College,  of  Mon- 
mouth, Illinois,  an  institution  under  the 
auspices  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 
In  connection  with  his  brother,  John  Mar- 
tin, he  afterward  established  the  Galesburg 
Business  College,  which  became  one  of  the 
best  knijwn  and  popular  schools  for  business 
training  in  the  state.  This^they  conducted 
successfully  for  some  time,  but  at  length 
our  subject  abandoned  educational  work 
and  turned  his  attention  to  commercial  pur- 
suits. In  the  enterprise  he  was  connected 
also  with  the  firm  of  S.  K.  Martin  &  Com- 
pany, lumber  dealers  of  Chicago,  where 
they  carried  on  operations  until  1883,  when 
Mr.  Martin  became  identified  with  the  in- 
terests of  Rice  county,  establishing  his 
home  in  Lyons.  Here  he  opened  a  lumber 
yard  and  was  soon  in  command  of  a  good 
trade,  for  he  carried  a  complete  line  of  all 
kinds  of  lumber,  and  in  his  business  dealings 
he  was  so  reliable  and  straightforward  that  ' 
those  who  once  became  his  customers  re-  j 
mained  as  his  regular  patrons.     He  possess-  ' 


ed  excellent  and  executive  ability,  keen  dis- 
cernment and  strong  sagacity,  and  these 
qualities  rendered  him  well  worthy  of  the 
splendid  success  which  crowned  his  efi^orts. 
On  the  17th  of  January,  1882.  Air. 
Martin  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Aliss 
Mary  Newman,  who  was  born  in  Burling- 
ton, Iowa,  but  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Galesburg,  Illinois  ,  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Salina  ( Patrick)  Newman.  Her  fa- 
ther was  a  representative  of  a  prominent 
southern  family  and  her  mother  was  born 
in  IMichigan,  her  ancestors  having  removed 
from  New  York  to  the  Wolverine  state. 
Unto  Mr .  and  Mrs.  Martin  were  born 
three  children:  A.  Newman,  now  a  young 
man  of  eighteen  years;  A.  B.,  a  lad  of  ten 
summers;  and  Ruth  Maxim,  a  bright  little 
girl  of  five  years.  After  the  father's 
death  Mrs.  Martin  removed  with  her  chil- 
dren to  a  farm  three  miles  southwest  of 
Lyons,  where  they  ha^•e  a  fine  modern  resi- 
dence, tastefully  furnished  in  a  manner  that 
indicates  the  refinement  and  culture  >  if  the 
inmates.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  held 
membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  of 
which  he  was  a  very  active  and  earnest 
worker.  He  served  as  leader  of  the  choir 
and  was  also  Sunday-school  superintendent. 
His  love  of  children  was  one  of  his  most 
marked  characteristics,  and  his  superior 
manhood  was  indicated  by  the  free  confi- 
dence given  Inm  liy  the  little  ones.  There 
is  an  intuiti.in  which  seems  to  teach  a  child 
where  its  confidence  can  be  placed,  and  this 
quality  is  more  reliable  than  the  judgment 
of  our  mature  years.  It  was  the  most  easy 
matter  for  Air.  Martin  to  win  the  love  of 
children  on  account  of  the  deepi  love  which 
he  bore  for  them  and  the  interest  which  he 
took  in  their  welfare.  He  was  a  man  of 
strong  temperance  principles,  and  by  pre- 
cept and  example  promoted  the  cause.  So- 
cially he  was  identified  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  his  po- 
litical \-iews  he-  was  a  Republican.  He 
found  his  greatest  happiness  in  the  midst 
of  his  family  and  counted  no  sacrifice  too 
great  that  wmild  promote  the  welfare  of  his 
wife  and  children.     In  business  life  he  sus- 


130 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


tained  an  unassailable  reputation,  and  in  so- 
cial and  home  relations  he  was  the  soul  of 
honor,  so  that  he  left  to  his  family  not  only 
a  handsome  competence,  the  rich  reward  of 
his  labors  through  many  years  but  also  the 
priceless  heritage  of  an  untarnished  name. 
His  death  occurred  February  13,  1900. 


COXRAD  H.   PIEPER. 

Conrad  Pieper,  a  farmer,  thresher  and 
liveryman  of  Nickerson,  Kansas,  was  born 
in  Lippe,  Germany,  December  7,  1841,  and 
when  three  years  of  age  accompanied  his 
parents,  Antone  and  Dora  (Hillkirk)  Pie- 
per, to  America  in  a  sailing  vessel.  They 
landed  at  New  Orleans  and  then  came  by 
river  to  Evansville,  Indiana.  The  father 
was  a  cabinet  maker  by  trade  but  after  com- 
ing to  America  was  mostly  engaged  in 
farming.  He  came  to  this  country  with 
scant  means  and  borrowed  money  to  begin 
life  here.  He  proved  up  on  a  small  claim  of 
thirty-six  acres  and  made  several  additional 
purchases  until  he  owned  one  hundred  and 
eighty  acres,  improved  a  good  farm  and 
stocked  it  with  horses,  cattle,  sheep  and 
hogs.  Unto  this  worthy  couple  were  born 
seven  children,  six  sons  and  one  daughter, 
and  four  of  the  number  were  born  in  Ger- 
many. The  daughter  and  one  son  died  in 
childhood  and  the  other  five  sons  are: 
Fred,  a  farmer  living  in  Bicknell,  Indiana ; 
Conrad,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Her- 
man, who  is  living  in  Pratt  county,  Kan- 
sas, and  has  three  sons ;  Tlieodore,  a  farmer 
living  in  Indiana,  who  has  a  family  of  sons 
and  daughters ;  and  Charles,  who  died  in 
Indiana  in  December,  1900,  leaving  a  wife 
and  four  children.  The  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily died  in  Indiana  in  1872,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-six  years,  her  birth  having  occurred  in 
18 1 6.  and  the  father  died  in  1896,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-seven  years. 

Conrad  H.  Pieper.  whose  name  forms 
the  caption  oi  this  sketch,  was  reared  to 
farm  life  and  labored  at  grubbing  the  land 
■  when  a  lad  of  ten  years,  and  he  and  two 
of  his  brothers  drew  rails  and  wood  bv  hand 


on  the  little  truck  wagon,  made  by  their  fa- 
ther, before  they  had  their  first  team  of 
steers,  which  they  raised.  His  educational 
privileges  were  very  meager.  He  went  to 
the  little  log  school-house,  with  puncheon 
floor,  seats  and  desks,  the  windows  being 
single  panes  of  glass  rudely  placed  in  space 
where  a  part  of  two  logs  had  been  cut  out. 
The  books  were  very  few,  reading,  writing 
and  arithmetic  being  the  principal  studies 
taught,  and  the  methods  of  teaching  were 
the  most  primitive  and  simple.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  August,  1862,  when 
he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Eightieth  Indi- 
ana Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  three 
years  or  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
wounded  in  the  left  side  at  Perryville.  Ken- 
tucky, and  was  in  the  hospital  seven  weeks. 
At  the  battle  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  he  was 
taken  prisoner  while  he  was  with  Sherman 
and  was  held  fifty-six  days  in  the  Ander- 
sonville  pen  in  1864,  being  captured  on  the 
22d  of  August  and  not  paroled  until  Oc- 
tober, when  he  joined  his  company  at  once. 
When  the  war  closed  he  returned  from 
Mosely  Hall,  North  Carolina,  to  the  old 
homestead  farm  near  Bicknell,  which  is  now 
owned  by  his  brother  Theodore.  Mr.  Pie- 
per has  been  a  thresher  since  his  youth, 
when  the  power  and  the  separator  had  to  be 
loaded  and  unloaded  by  hand,  but  now  he 
owns  two  steam  threshers  in  -complete  ruii- 
ning  order.  He  purchased  his  first  land, 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in  Linn  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  in  April,  1866,  paying  four 
hundred  and  sixty  dollars  for  it.  and  he  later 
sold  it  for  one  thousand  dollars.  That  in- 
vestment proved  so  profitable  to  him  that 
eighteen  months  later  he  bought  a  quarter 
section  in  the  same  county,  for  four  hundred 
dollars,  which  he  sold  in  1880  for  fifteen 
hundred  dollars,  which  amount  he  was 
offered  for  it  within  one  year  after 
purchasing  it.  His  next  venture  was 
in  Sedg-wick  county,  Kansas,  where 
he  purchased  a  quarter  section  for 
seven  hundred  dollars,  which  he  sold  in  less 
than  a  year  for  eleven  hundred  dollars.  He 
then  went  to  the  western  part  of  Reno 
county  and  bought  a  claim  of  a  half  section 
for  four  hundred  dollars,  and  proved  up  on 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


131 


one  quarter  at  a,  dollar  and  a  quarter  per 
acre  and  sold  the  claim  to  the  other  quarter 
for  four  hundred  dollars.  In  1888  he  pur- 
chased a  quarter  section  for  sixteen  hun- 
dred dollars,  in  1890  another  quarter  ad- 
joining for  sixteen  hundred,  and  in  1S93 
eighty  acres  for  eight  hundred  dollars,  and 
in  1 90 1  bought  one  hundred  and  six^-  acres 
more,  so  that  he  now  owns  seven  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  four  farms,  all  improved 
with  guod  buildings  and  the  fields  are  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation  through  the  en- 
ergetic efforts  and  good  management  of  tlie 
owner  and  his  two  sons. 

On  the  4th  of  December,  1858,  in  Linn 
county,  -Kansas,  Mr.  Pieper  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Sproul,  wdio 
was  born  in  Iowa  in  1849  ^"d  is  a  daughter 
of  Thomas  Sproul,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who 
went  to  Ohio,  thence  to  Iowa  and  then  to 
Kansas  in  1856,  becoming  one  of  the  first 
settlers,  driving  over  the  country  in  a  wagon 
with  two  yoke  of  cattle,  and  was  one  of  the 
best  farmers  in  Linn  county.  His  wife  died 
in  1863,  leaving  five  children,  two  daugh- 
ters and  three  sons,  all  living  but  one  daugh- 
ter. He  died  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pieper  lost  one 
daughter  when  she  was  seventeen  years  of 
age,  and  they  have  six  living  children, 
namely :  Byron  E.,  a  dealer  in  groceries, 
farm  implements  and  grain  in  Kingman 
CL'Unt}',  Kansas,  in  which  business  he  is 
making  mnney ;  Theressa,  the  wife  of 
Charles  \\'ells,  wlio  is  now  living  in  King- 
man county  and  has  three  children;  Thomas 
A.,  a  farmer  of  Reno  county,  who'  was  mar- 
ried in  March,  1901 ;  Laura  E.,  who  mar- 
ried John  Woodson,  by  whom  she  has  three 
children,  and  they  are  living  in  Kingman 
county ;  William  Theodore,  whoi  is  on  the 
home  farm;  and  Leonard  S.,  also  on  the 
home  farm. 

Mr.  Pieper  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  his 
political  views  and  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  He  has  never 
sought  or  desired  political  office,  but  his  fel- 
low townsmen,  realizing  his  fitness  for  lead- 
ership and  positions  of  trust,  have  elected 
him  at  different  times  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
road  overseer  and  a  member  of  the  school 


board,  all  of  which  positions  he  has  filled 
with  entire  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 
He  began  the  livery  business  in  Nickerson 
in  December,  1900,  has  since  taken  his  son 
intO'  partnership,  under  the  style  of  Pieper 
&  Son,  and  they  are  doing  a  fine  business, 
keeping  many  rigs  and  boarding  horses. 


SAMUEL  KAUFFMAN. 

Samuel  Kauffman,  one  of  the  well- 
known  citizens  of  Rice  county,  who  is  de- 
voting his  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits 
and  whose  efforts  in  that  direction  result  in 
making  him  one  of  the  substantial  citizens 
O'f  the  community,  came  to  this  locality  in 
1878,  and  here  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
He  was  born  in  Lehigh  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  2,  1842,  a  son  of  Samuel 
Kauffman,  Sr.  The  latter's  father,  Abra- 
ham Kauft'man,  was  likewise  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  and  was  of  German  descent. 
He  married  Miss  Sarah  Shantz,  a  native  of 
the  Keystone  state,  and  both  died  on  the  old 
home  farm  in  Lehigh  county.  Samuel 
Kauffman,  Sr.,  was  reared  and  educated  in 
the  state  of  his  nativity,  and  was  there  mar- 
ried to  Esther  Musselman,  who  was  born  in 
Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania.  Their  union 
was  blessed  with  seven  children,  namely : 
Mrs.  Sarah  Gehman;  Mrs.  Susanna  \\'3.x- 
ner ;  Elizabeth ;  Abraham,  who*  was  a  min- 
ister of  the  Mennonite  church  and  is  novv^ 
deceased ;  Samuel ;  Milton ;  and  Mrs.  I\Iary 
Ann  Moore.  The  father  of  this  family  fol- 
lowed farming  as  a  life  occupation,  and  was 
honored  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 
He  was  an  elder  in  the  Mennonite  church, 
and  in  his  life  exemplified  his  Christian 
faith.  Politically  he  was  an  advocate  of 
Republican  principles.  He  was  called  from 
this  earth  in  1853,  ^''"^  '''is  widow  sundved 
until  1894,  when  she.  too,  was  called  to  the 
home  beyond,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine 
years. 

Samuel  Kauffman,  whose  name  forms 
the  caption  of  this  review,  was  reared  on  a 
farm  in  Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  earlv  taught  lessons  of  in- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


dustry,  perseverance  and  economy.  The 
public  schools  afforded  him  his  educational 
privileges,  but  he  has  largely  supplemented 
this  training  by  practical  experience,  read- 
ing and  observation.  The  year  1878  wit- 
nessed his  arrival  in  Rice  county,  Kansas, 
whither  he  came  from  Michigan.  He  lo- 
cated on  a  tract  of  unimproved  land,  but  his 
farm  is  now  one  of  the  finest  and  best  im- 
proved places  in  the  county,  coiiiprising 
seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  rich  and 
productive  land.  Here  he  not  only  folloAvs 
general  farming  but  is  also  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  cattle,  horses  and 
hogs,  and  in  both  branches  of  his  business 
he  is  meeting  with  a  well-merited  success. 
As  time  has  passed  he  has  secured  all  oi  the 
improvements  and  accessories  of  a  model 
farm,  erecting  a  good  residence,  large  barn 
and  all  necessary  outbuildings,  and  the 
school-house  also  is  located  on  a  portion  of 
his  place. 

In  the  year  1866  ^Ir.  Kauffman  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Caroline  Godshalk, 
who  was  born  in  NoTthampton  county, 
Pennsylvania,  a  sister  of  the  Hon.  A.  J. 
Godshalk.  of  Alden,  Rice  county,  Kansas. 
On  the  1 8th  of  October,  1874,  in  St.  Joseph 
county,  Michigan,  Mrs.  Kauffman  was 
called  to  the  home  beyond,  and  her  loss  was 
deeply  mourned,  for  she  was  loved  and  re- 
spected by  all  who'  knew  her.  In  1878,  in 
St.  Joseph  county,  Michigan,  Mr.  Kauff- 
man wedded  Savilla,  a  daughter  of  John 
W.  and  Mary  (Hile)  Kline.  The  father, 
a  native  of  Snyder  county,  Pennsylvania, 
is  a  well-known  and  honored  citizen  of  Cen- 
ter township.  Rice  county.  The  mother 
died  at  her  home  in  Center  township.  June 
19,  1900.  She  was  an  affectionate  wife  and 
mother  and  was  loved  by  all  for  her  kind- 
ness of  heart  and  mind.  At  her  death  she 
left  six  children,  namely:  Charles.  Mrs. 
Savilla  Kauffman,  Mrs.  Jilla  Coonfer,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Rathbun,  Mrs.  Catherine  Miller 
and  Albert  W.  Mrs.  Kline  was  a  worthy 
member  of  the  Evangelical  church,  in  which 
her  husliand  also  hiMds  membership.  Unto 
j\Ir.  and  ]vlrs.  Kauffman  have  been  born 
three  cliildren. — Eva  Grace,    Rov    L.    and 


Floyd  Earl.    The  family  are  members  of  the 
Evangelical  church. 

On  the  5th  of  April,  1882,  their  resi- 
dence was  completely  destro)-ed  by  a  cy- 
clone, and  although  the  family  were  in  the 
house  at  the  time,  none  of  the  members  were 
injured.  Mr.  Kauffman  casts  his  ballot  in 
favor  ^of  Republicanism,  stanchly  advo- 
cating the  principles  set  forth  by  the  party. 
His  fellow  townsmen  ha\-e  recognized  his 
worth  and  ability  and  have  called  him  to 
the  office  of  trea^irer  of  the  school  district 
in  which  he  resides,  and  in  this  position  he 
has  served  with  credit  and  ability.  He  is 
a  warm  advocate  of  education,  temperance 
and  religion,  and  in  all  relations  of  life  he 
has  been  true  to  principle  and  to  duty. 


BYRON  L.  CHURCH. 

Among  the  leading  and  substantial  citi- 
zens of  Holyrood,  Ellsworth  county,  Kan- 
sas, is  Byron  L.  Church,  farmer  and  stock- 
man, and  also  president  of  the  Holyrood 
Bank.  Mr.  Church  was  born  in  Jackson 
county,  Michigan,  on  January  26.  1854, 
being  a  son  of  Munson  Church,  who  \\as 
born  in  New  York,  in  1825,  and  Charity 
(Glark)  Church,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  in 
1827,  and  died  in  1862. 

Thomas  Church,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  a  pioneer  of  Jackson  county, 
Michigan,  and  was  active  in  its  early  or- 
ganization, spending  his  whole  life  there. 
He  married  Mary  Warner,  and  the  five  sur- 
viving members  of  his  family  are  these : 
Munson.  the  father  of  our  subject;  Eli.  a 
farmer  in  California ;  Alonzo,  a  farmer  in 
Michigan ;  Bolona.  the  widow  of  Leonard 
Cutler,  of  Eulton,  Illinois ;  and  Sarah,  the 
widow  of  Alonzo  Cutler,  of  Laporte,  In- 
diana. 

While  still  a  child  INIunson  Church,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  I\Iichigan  and  there  grew  to  man- 
hood and  married.  He  was  there  engaged 
in  farming  until  1858,  when  he  moved  to 
Fulton  countv.  Illinois.     Here  also  he  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


133 


engaged  in  farming  for  about  six  years  and 
then  returned  to  Michigan,  locating  in  Cal- 
houn county,  where  he  remained  until  1879 
and  then  foIloAved  our  subject  to  Ellsworth 
county,  Kansas.  Mr.  Church  located  on 
section  33-16-9,  in  Lincoln  township,  buy- 
ing one-half  section  of  land,  and  here  he 
carried  on  agriculture  until  1884,  moving  at 
that  date  to  the  city  of  Ellsworth.  Five 
years  later  he  removed  to  a  farm  belongmg 
to  our  subject,  in  Genesee,  where  he  now 
resides.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Mrs. 
Amelia  Eldred.  Through  life  Mr.  Church 
has  been  one  of  the  active  members  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  is  a  much-respected 
citizen.  Five  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  Church,  and  our  subject  was  the  sec- 
ond in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as 
follows :  Lydia,  the  wife  of  C.  G.  Thomas, 
of  Kalamazoo,  Michigan;  Mary,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Chase; -Edward,  of  Ithaca,  Michi- 
gan ;  Emma,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years ;  and  Richard,  a  stock  dealer  of  Holy- 
rood. 

Byron  L.  Church,  who  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  about  five  years  oi  age 
when  he  came  to  Illinois  with  his  parents, 
and  he  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  that  state 
until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  when 
he  went  to  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  where 
he  found  employment  in  a  stove  foundry, 
and  remained  there  until  he  was  twenty-one 
years  old.  Mr.  Church  was  too  ambitious 
and  energetic  to  settle  down  to  this  life 
when  adventure  and  land  were  awaiting 
courageous  men  in  Kansas,  and  in  1876, 
with  about  one  hundred  dollars  which  he 
liad  been  able  to  save,  he  bade  his  friends 
farewell  and  started  out  in  the  world  to 
make  a  career  for  himself.  His  reading 
and  investigation  had  given  him  a  pretty 
fair  idea  of  the  part  of  the  state  in  which 
he  wished  to  locate,  and  upon  reaching  Ells- 
worth county  he  took  up  homestead  and 
timber  claims,  the  west  one-half  section  of 
32-16-9,  and  settled  right  down  to  hard 
work.  This  was  in  April,  and  during  the 
first  year  he  succeeded  in  breaking  fifty 
acres,  thirty  of  which  was  ready  in  time  to 
put  in  wheat  that  same  year. 

For  a  home  Mr.  Church  constructed  a 


dug-out  of  dimensions  ten  feet  by  sixteen, 
and  in  this  place  he  kept  what  was  termed 
"bachelor's  hall"  for  about  three  years, 
working  with  all  the  energy  and  industry  of 
which  he  was  capable.  He  was  fortunate 
in  raising  a  good'  crop  of  wheat  the  first 
year,  and  in  the  second  year  was  able  to 
utilize  the  whole  fifty  acres  for  wheat,  this 
also  proving  productive,  and  this  encour- 
aged him  tO'  continue  for  seven  years  rais- 
ing wheat.  It  was  some  five  years  after  lo- 
cating in  the  county  before  he  had  saved 
enough  to  buy  another  one-half  section  of 
land,  and  since  that  time  he  has  done  con- 
siderable land  buying  and  selling,  his  ex- 
cellent judgment  being  rarely  at  fault  in  the 
matter.  Mr.  Church  still  retains  five  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  the  home  farm  and 
owns  eight  hundred  acres  in  other  parts  o{ 
Ellsworth   and   Rice  and  Barton   counties. 

In  1885,  in  company  with  his  brother, 
our  subject  entered  into  the  cattle  business, 
in  Ness  county,  where  they  fenced  five  thou- 
sand acres  of  good  land,  upon  which  they 
conducted  an  extensive  business  for  six 
years,  or  until  the  law  requiring  the  removal 
of  fences  from  large  grazing  tracts  made  it 
impracticable.  Mr.  Church  then  continued  in 
the  cattle  business  to  a  large  extent  on  the 
home  farm,  keeping  some  two  hundred 
head,  but  during  late  years  has  nidre  closely 
confined  his  attention  tn  his  farming  inter- 
ests, mainly  wheat,  raising  this  cereal  en 
four  hundred  acres,  and  renting  out  the  re- 
mainder of  his  land. 

Mr.  Church  is  a  man  of  large  ideas  and 
progressive  spirit,  and  in  1888  he  purchased 
a  controlling  interest  in  the  Holyrood  Bank, 
which  institution  was  founded  by  H.  S. 
Westfall,  and  since  that  time  our  subject 
has  served  as  president,  his  policy  placing 
it  among  the  safe,  reliable  and  conservative 
institutions  of  the  county.  The  capital  of 
the  Bank  of  Holyrood  is  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  its  officers  are  as  follows : 
B.  L.  Church,  president ;  H.  C.  Trevert,  vice- 
president  ;  F.  W.  Thomas,  cashier,  and 
Philip  Church  as  assistant  cashier,  and  there 
is  probably  no  business  concern  in  this  coun- 
ty doing  a  more  satisfactory  business.  Lo- 
cated as  it  is  in  the  heart  of  one  of  the  best 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


wheat  producing  sections  of  the  state,  and 
at  a  distance  from  other  banks,  it  is  not 
only  a  convenience  but  a  necessity  to  the 
farmers,  stockmen  and  business  citizens. 
During  the  shipping  season,  when  thousands 
of  bushels  of  wheat  are  handled  daily,  the 
business  amounts  to  an  almost  incredible 
sum.  Then  it  is  that  an  honest,  reliable  and 
conservative  concern  like  the  Bank  of  Holy- 
rood   is  appreciated. 

In  public  affairs  Mr.  Church  has  always- 
taken  an  active  part  in  promoting  all  en- 
terprises for  the  improvement  and  advance- 
ment of  the  county  and  has  been  identified 
with  ever}^  progressive  movement.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican,  but  a  desire  for  ofifice 
has  never  disturbed  the  even  tenor  of  his 
way,  and  he  has  accepted  only  that  of  town- 
ship trustee,  for  three  consecutive  terms, 
and  has  acted  as  treasurer  of  the  school 
board.  His  interest  in  educational  matters 
has  been  sincere  and  he  has  ever  done  his 
duty  in  promoting  every  measure  looking 
toward  any  improvement. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Church  is  a  Knight 
Templar  Mason,  belonging  to  chapter,  con- 
sistory and  council  in  Ellsworth,  and  is  a 
charter  member  of  Wichita  Consistory,  No. 
2,  and  Ho'lyrood  Lodge,  No.  362. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Church  was  on 
December  29,  1879,  to  Miss  Mary  Durr, 
who  v/as  a  daughter  of  John  P.  and  Catji- 
erine  Durr,  and  she  was  born  in  Sheboygan 
county,  Wisconsin.  Seven  children  have 
been  born  to  our  subject  and  wife,  namelv : 
Ray,  who  was  assistant  cashier  of  the  Bank 
of  Holyrood  and  now  carries  on  the  work 
on  the  farm ;  Philip,  assistant  cashier ;  Max ; 
Levi :  Mimson ;  James ;  and  Donald. 

The  home  of  the  Church  family  is  lo- 
cated five  miles  northeast  of  the  town  of 
Holyrood  and  attracts  attention  on  account 
of  the  fine  improvements  and  excellent  cul- 
tivation. 

Mr.  Church  is  in  a  great  measure  a  self- 
made  man.  He  came  when  but  a  boy  to 
this  state  and  by  the  application  of  energy 
and  industry  founded  his  own  fortune.  He 
is  held  in  high  esteem  in  Ellsworth  county 
and  is  justly  regared  as  a  thoroughly  repre- 
sentative citizen  of  Ellsworth  county. 


JOHN   SCHARDEIX. 

A  work  purporting  to  give  an  account 
of  the  leading  citizens  of  Reno  county,  Kan- 
sas, could  not  well  omit  adequate  mention 
of  John  Shardein,  a  prominent  farmer  who 
lives  on  section  20,  Salt  Q-eek  township, 
not  far  from  Nickerson.  He  is  a  native  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  was  born  August  24, 
1837.  Bernard  Schardein,  his  father,  was 
a  native  of  Alsace  or  Lorraine,  Germany, 
who  some  time  after  1820  came  from  his 
native  land  to  New  York  city,  making  the 
voyage  in  one  of  the  old-fashioned  sailing 
vessels.  He  had  then  just  been  married, 
and  he  and  his  young  bride  went  west  as 
far  as  Ohio.  He  was  a  weaver  by  trade, 
but  went  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  1837 
or  1838  and  became  a  groceryman  there. 
Later  he  went  to  Clarke  county,  Indiana, 
and  became  a  farmer  there  and  prospered. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schardein  reared  five  sons  and 
two  daughters,  all  of  whom  grew  to  ma- 
turity and  with  exception  of  one  son  and 
one  daughter  all  had  children.  Three  of 
the  sons  fought  for  the  Federal  cause  in"  the 
Civil  war.  Philip  died  of  disease  at  Savan- 
nah, Tennessee,  and  is  buried  at  Shiloh. 
Adam  was  wounded  in  the  Shenandoah  val- 
ley and  died  at  Williamsport,  Maryland. 
John,  who  is  the  immediate  subject  of  this 
sketch,  volunteered  August  31,  1861,  in  the 
-Eleventh  Indiana  Infantry,  and  served  three 
years  or  until  he  was  mustered  out,  August 
31,  1864,  at  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia. 
During  the  three  years  he  was  in  the  hos- 
pital at  New  Orleans,  a  sufferer  from  oph- 
thalmia. Though  often  urged  to  apply  for 
a  pension,  he  has  never  done  so.  He  is  an 
ardent  Populist  and  is  now  the  treasurer  of 
his  township  and  has  served  his  fellow  citi- 
zens as  township  trustee.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Christian  church,  in 
which  he  is  an  elder. 

Mr.  Schardein  was  married  in  Clarke 
county,  Indiana,  April  20,  1857,  to  Miss 
Nancy  McKinley,  who  died  in  the  fall  of 
1862,  while  Mr.  Schardein  was  in  the  army, 
and  left  a  daughter  named  Luella,  whO'  mar- 
ried James  Miller  and  lives  in  Floyd  count}-, 
Indiana.     In   1865   Mr.   Schardein  married 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


135 


^liss  Eliza  J.  Grady,  who  has  borne  him 
eight  cliildren,  se\-en  of  whom  are  living. 
Their  son,  John  A.  Schardein,  is  a  merchant 
in  Orange  county,  Indiana,  and  has  one 
daughter.  Their  daughter,  Emma  Ade- 
laide, who  married  Frank  Green,  of  Salt 
Creek  township,  has  two  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter. Their  son  Charles  B.  is  a  farmer  in 
Salt  Creek  township  and  has  two  sons. 
Their  daughter  Clara  L.  married  George 
Gillock.  of  Salt  Creek  township,  and  has 
two  daughters.  Their  son  William  E. 
Schardein,  of  Nickerson,  has  three  sons. 
Their  daughter  Hettie  M.  is  the  wife  of 
Frank  Johnson,  of  Medford  township,  Reno 
county,  Kansas.  Their  son  Fred  G.,  a 
youth  of  sixteen,  is  a  member  of  his  parents' 
household. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Schardein  went  to 
Macoupin  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was  a 
tenant  farmer  for  thirteen  years.  In  1878 
he  went  to  Sterling,  Rice  county,  Kansas, 
by  rail  and  arrived  there  August  31.  He 
brought  Avith  him  stock  and  a  cash  capital 
of  five  hundred  dollars  and  his  belongings 
were  conveyed  in  a  cliartered  car.  He 
bought  a  claim  to  a  quarter  sccticn  of  land 
and  proved  up  a  soldier's  claim  on  it,  mak- 
ing a  cash  payment  of  one  thousand  dollars. 
The  place  was  in  a  state  of  nature  and  his 
first  honse  was  a  shanty,  twelve  by  fourteen 
feet  in  size.  The  man  who  had  lived  on  the 
claim  before  he  had  bought  it  had  occupied 
a  leaky  shed  of  the  same  dimensions.  For 
some  time  his  style  of  living  was  primitive, 
l)ut  better  things'  were  in  store  for  him  and 
his  family.  His  present  residence  is  a  sub- 
stantial and  attractive  farm  cottage,  built 
in  tlie  midst  of  a  group  of  shade  trees  and 
an  orchard  of  fruit  trees.  This  sightly  and 
rural  home,  with  the  large  barn  and  other 
commodious  buildings  near  by,  stands  some 
distance  from  the  dusty  street  and  alto- 
gether presents  a  very  inviting  appearance. 
]\Ir.  Schardein  takes  pride  in  breeding  good 
stock  and  he  ?lways  has  fine  horses  and 
good  cattle.  In  every  sense  he  is  a  pro- 
gressive and  up-to-date  farmer,  who  farms 
in  a  thoroughly  business-like  way  and  reaps 
a  substantial  and  satisfactory  reward.  He 
has  a  wide  acquaintance  among  the  leading 


business  men  of  the  county  and  while  quiet 
and  unassuming  is  influential  in  public 
matters  and  helpful  to  all  worthy  local  in- 
terests. 


HEXRY  OBERMOWE. 

Emerson  has  written:  "Knowest  thou 
what  argument  thy  life  to  thy  neighbor's 
creed  has  lent?"  The  influence  of  a  man 
is  immeasurable  by  any  of  the  known  stand- 
ards of  the  world,  but  its  potency  is  no  less 
marked,  and  the  New  England  poet,  writing 
along  the  same  line,  has  said  again  that 
every  individual  in  greater  or  less  degree, 
but  always  to  some  degree,  leaves  an  im- 
press upon  the  lives  of  those  whom  he 
meets.  If  this  be  true,  and  the  great  minds 
of  all  ages  acknowledge  it  to  be  so,  then  the 
question  propounded  in  old  Judea,  "Am  I 
my  brother's  keeper?"  is  answered.  It  is 
this  everlasting  truth  of  the  brotherhood  of 
man  and  the  fatherhood  of  God  that  has  led 
to  the  religious  work  of  the  world.  A  most 
potent  factor  in  church  circles  in  Ellsworth 
coimty  is  the  Rev.  Henry.  Obermowe,  now 
pastor  of  St.  Paul's  church,  in  Sherman 
township.  His  labors  have  been  attended 
with  excellent  results  and  a  visible  evidence 
of  his  work  is  found  in  the  splendid  house  of 
worship  which  has  been  erected  under  his 
direction  and  as  the  result  of  his  untiring 
efiforts. 

Mr.  Obermowe  was  born  in  Westphalia, 
Germany,  October  2,  1857,  a  son  of  Chris- 
topher and  Christine  Obermowe.  He  pur- 
sued his  education  in  the  state  schools  and 
then  took  up  a  course  in  theology  that  he 
might  fit  himself  either  for  teaching  or  the 
ministry.  He  was  connected  with  educa- 
tional work  for  a  short  time  in  Germany 
and  in  1883  he  came  to  America,  making 
his  way  to  Spring-field,  Illinois,  where  he  be- 
came a  student  in  the  German  Lutheran  Col- 
lege, studying  in  both  English  and  German. 
He  there  pursued  a  four  years'  conrse  and 
was  graduated  in  1887.  Soon  afterward  he 
came  to  Kansas,  and  the  same  year  was  or- 
dained, in  ]\ritchell  county,  as  a  minister  of 
the  German  Lutheran  church.    For  one  vear 


36 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


and  seven  months  he  served  as  pastor  of  a 
congregation  there,  and  on  the  ist  of  No- 
vember, 1888,  he  received  and  accepted  a 
call  to  come  to  Ellsworth  county  and  take 
charge  of  St.  Paul's  church,  in  Sherman 
township.  At  that  time  there  was  a  mem- 
bership of  forty  families,  but  the  number 
has  since  been  increased  to  sixty.  Mr.  Ober- 
mowe  placed  the  church  on  a  good  working 
foundation,  and  soon  marked  advancement 
was  seen  along  its  various  lines  of  labor. 
Deciding  that  a  new  edifice  was  needed  here, 
and  after  considerable  solicitation,  and  en- 
treaty, he  let  the  contracts  for  the  building 
and  saw  it  actively  under  way  in  June, 
1898.  In  six  months  it  was  completed.  It 
is  a  fine  stone  edifice,  forty  by  seventy-eight 
feet,  with  a  side  wall  eighteen  feet  high  and 
a  spire  one  hundred  and  eight  feet.  The 
foundations  are  four  feet  wide  at  the  bot- 
tom and  five  feet  high  and  the  wall  of  the 
church  is  two  feet  thick.  It  has  fine  win- 
dows of  cathedral  glass  and  has  other  mod- 
ern equipments  and  adornments.  The 
church  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  eight  thou- 
sand dollars  and  has  a  seating  capacity  of 
six  hundred.  The  old  church  was  used  as 
a  school-house  until  1900,  when  the  pastor 
secured  the  erection  of  a  more  moderii 
school  building,  twenty-four  by  forty  feet. 
The  students  come  from  a  radius  of  over 
seven  miles.  The  term  covers  nine  months 
during  the  year  and  the  attendance  is  be- 
tween sixty-five  and  seventy,  ■  instruction 
being  given  in  both  German  and  English. 
The  church  building  is  a  very  handsome 
one,  being  one  of  the  finest  in  central  Kan- 
sas, and  the  congregation  is  connected  with 
the  Missouri  synod. 

On  the  28th  of  October,  1887,  Mr. 
Obermowe  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Lake 
county,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Louise  Knigge,  and 
they  now  have  five  children. — Christina, 
Lena,  Amelia,  Mary  and  Alfred.  Their 
home  life  is  extremely  pleasant  and  Mrs. 
Obermowe  heartily  co-operates  with  her 
husband  in  his  work  for  the  uplifting  of 
their  fellow  men.  Their  home  is  celebrated 
for  its  gracious  hospitality,  which  is  freely 
extended  to  all.  In  his  political  views  ]\Ir. 
Obermowe  is  a  Republican,  believing  firmlv 


in  the  principles  of  the  party,  although  he 
takes  no  active  part  in  political  work.  In 
the  pulpit  he  is  forceful,  earnest  and  con- 
vincing, using  arguments  deduced  from  the 
word  of  God,  and  firmly  impressing  his 
points  upon  the  minds  of  his  audience.  His 
language  is  well  chosen,  showing  his  mas- 
tery of  the  art  of  rhetoric,  and  underneath 
all  is  a  substratum  of  thought,  feeling  and 
truth  which  never  fails  to  arouse  the  atten- 
tion and  thus  awaken  conviction  in  the 
minds  oi  those  who  sit  under  his  teachings. 


PRESTON  B.  GILLETT. 

A  well  known  jurist  of  Illinois  said,  'Tn 
the  American  state  the  great  and  good  law- 
yer must  always  be  prominent,  for  he  is  one 
of  the  forces  that  move  and  control  society." 
Public  confidence  has  generally  been  repos- 
ed in  the  legal  profession.  It  has  ever  been 
the  defender  of  popular  rights,  the  cham- 
pion of  freedom  regulated  by  law,  the  firm 
support  of  good  government.  In  the  times 
of  danger  it  has  stood  like  a  rock  and  breast- 
ed the  mad  passions  of  the  hour  and  firmly 
resisted  tumult  and  faction.  No  political 
preferment,  no  mere  place,  can  add  to  the 
power  or  increase  the  honor  which  belongs 
to  the  pure  and  educated  lawyer.  Judge 
Preston  B.  Gillett,  of  Kingman,  is  one  who 
has  been  honored  by  and  is  an  honor  to  the 
legal  fraternity  of  central  Kansas.  He 
stands  to-day  prominent  among  the  leading 
members  of  the  bar  of  his  district — a  posi- 
tion to  which  he  has  attained  througli  mark- 
ed ability,  and  as  jndge  of  the  twenty-fourth 
judicial  district  he  has  made  a  most  credit- 
able record. 

Judge  Gillett  was  born  in  Saybrook, 
Ohio,  July  9,  i860,  but  has  spent  almost  his 
entire  life  in  the  Sunfllower  state.  'On  the  pa- 
ternal side  his  ancestry  can  be  traced  back 
to  Jonathan  Gillett,  who  was  one  of  the 
hundred  and  forty  Puritans  who  formed  a 
company  in  Dorsetshire,  England,  and 
started'  on  the  i\Iary  and  John  for  this  coun- 
try, :\Iarch  30.  1630,  landing  at  Nantucket, 
on   the   30th   of   :\Iay,    exactly  two  months 


PRESTON  B.   GILLETT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


137 


after  setting  sail.  In  163(3  he  remc\-ed  to 
Connecticut  and  numerous  branches  of  the 
family  which  he  there  founded  are  still  liv- 
ing in  that  state.  Many  representatives  of 
the  name  became  prominent  in  professional 
life  and  in  the  Revolutionary  war  the  Gil- 
letts  were  enrolled  among  the  private  sol- 
diers and  the  officers  of  the  American  Army. 

Asa  Gillett,  the  father  of  the  Judge,  was 
born  in  Connecticut,  but  during  his  early 
boyhood  his  parents  removed  to  Ohio,  where 
he  was  reared.  After  attaining  to  man's 
estate  he  followed  merchandising  there.  In 
Ohio  he  married  Miss  Cornelia  Fisk,  whose 
ancestry  can  be  traced  to  Sergeant  James 
Fisk.  who  was  born  in  England  and  crossed 
the  briny  deep  to  the  new  world  in  1637.  He 
too  took  up  his  home  in  Connecticut,  and 
records  show  that  he  joined  the  Salem 
church  in  1642.  He  was  descended  in  di- 
rect line  from  Lord  S_\auond  Fisk,  of  the 
county  of  Suffolk,  England,  who  was  born 
in  1399.  The  Fisk  family  has  also  been 
well  represented  in  the  professions,  the 
name  figuring  conspicuously  in  connection 
with  the  church,  law  and  medicine,  while 
in  every  war  into  which  the  country  has 
been  engaged  the  Fisks  have  stood  as  loyal 
defenders  of  this  land,  fighting  on  hotly 
contested  battlefields  as  officers  or  privates, 
but  always  with  the  same  determined  and 
patriotic  spirit. 

Some  years  after  his  marriage  Asa  Gil- 
lett removed  with  his  family  to  Kansas,  and 
in  1861  secured  a  homestead  at  Emporia, 
as  scon  as  it  was  decided  whether  Kansas 
should  be  a  free  state  or  a  slave 
state.  Emporia  was  laid  out  shortly 
before,  and  his  claim  lay  adjoining 
the  corporation  limits,  which  part  he 
improved  and  engaged  in  business  at 
the  same  time,  becoming  a  leading  resi- 
dent of  that  locality.  He  was  a  warm  per- 
sonal friend  of  Senator  Preston  B.  Plumb, 
who  was  visiting  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Gillett 
at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  the  Judge,  who 
was  named  in  his  honor.  Mr.  Gillett  was 
a  most  ardent  Abolitionist  and  when  the 
new  Republican  party  was  formed  to  prevent 
the  further  extension  of  slavery  he  joined 


its  ranks  and  remained  one  of  its  stalwart 
supporters  until  his  death.  He  was  alsO' 
a  devoiit  Methodist  and  aided  in  organiz- 
ing the  church  of  that  denomination  in  Em- 
poria. He  served  as  one  of  its  officers,  con- 
tributed generously  tO'  its  support  and  did 
all  in  his  power  to  advance  its  interests.  He 
died  of  pneumonia  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven 
years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  June  15, 
1865,  after  which  Mr.  Gillett  was  again 
married,  his  second  union  being  with  Bar- 
bara Campbell.  By  the  first  marriage  he 
had  five  children.  Frank  E..  the  eldest,  is 
now  a  prominent  attorney  of  Oklahoma,  and 
for  many  years  he  was  nuniliered  among 
the  distinguished  lawyers  and  statesmen  of 
Kansas.  He  was  educaterl  in  llie  State  Nor- 
mal School  at  Empdria,  and  after  prepar- 
ing for  the  bar  practiced  law  in  Hutchinson 
and  later  with  our  subject  in  Kingman.  He 
was  elected  and  served  for  six  years  in  the 
state  'legislature  and  for  four  years  in  the 
state  senate  and  was  a  most  influential  and 
active  member  of  the  general  assembly.  He 
studied  closely  the  questions  which  arose 
for  the  settlement  in  the  law  making  body 
of  the  commonwealth  and  his  broad  judicial 
and  his  practical  mind  made  him  a  very 
valued  member  of  both  divisions  of  the 
house.  Charles  E.  Gillett.  the  second  mem- 
ber of  the  family  died  in  1874.  Nellie  G. 
is  now  the  wife  of  ^^'.  C.  Fullem,  of  Em- 
poria. The  Judge  is  the  next  younger, 
while  Guy  R.,  the  fifth  memfier  of  the  fam- 
ily, is  living  in  Hennessey.  Oklahoma.  By 
the  father's  second  marriage  there  was  one 
son,  Don  A.  , 

Judge  Gillett  was  reared  on  the  home 
farm  adjoining  Emporia  and  pursued  his 
early  education  in  the  schools  of  that  city, 
later  continuing  his  studies  in  Cottonwood 
Falls  and  in  the  State  University,  at  Law- 
rence, Kansas,  where  he  remained  as  a  stu- 
dent for  three  years,  his  studies  being  large- 
ly directed  toward  preparation  for  the  bar. 
Upon  his  return  home  he  read  law  in  the 
office  of  his  brother,  Frank  E.  Gillett  and 
subsequently  went  to  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  entered  the  Cclumbia  Law  College 
and  was  graduated  in  Tune.  188^.     Return- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ing  to  Kansas  he  located  in  Kingman  and  en- 
tered into  general  law  practice  with  his 
brother,  continuing  an  active  and  leading 
member  of  the  bar  until  November,  1898, 
when  he  was  elected  district  'judge  of  the 
twenty-fourth  judicial  district,  comprising 
Kingman.  Harper.  Barber  and  Pratt  coun- 
ties. While  the  district  had  a  nominal  Dem- 
ocratic majority  of  several  hundred,  his  per- 
sonal popularity  and  the  confidence  of  the 
public  in  his  legal  ability  enabled  him  to 
overcome  this  and  win  the  election  by  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  votes.  Before  his 
elevation  to  the  bench  his  law  practice  was 
large  and  remunerative  and  connected  him 
with  most  of  the  important  litigation  heard 
in  his  county.  He  won  for  himself  very 
favorable  criticism  for  the  careful  and  sys- 
tematic methods  which  he  followed.  He 
has  remarkable  powers  of  concentration  and 
application,  and  his  retentive  mind  ha§  often 
excited  the  surprise  of  his  professional  col- 
leagues. As  an  orator  he  stands  high,  es- 
pecially in  the  discussion  of  legal  matters  be- 
fore the  court,  where  his  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  the  law  is  manifest  and  his 
application  of  legal  principles  demonstrates 
the  wide  range  of  his  professional  acquire- 
ments. On  the  bench  his  course  has  fully 
justified  the  confidence  manifested  in  him 
by  the  large  vote  given  him.  His  decisions 
are  models  of  judicial  soundness,  and  he  is 
largely  without  that  personal  bias  or  mental 
prejudice  which  ofttimes  rather  darkens  a 
judicial  career. 

The  Judge  has  always  been  an  active 
member  of  the  Republican  party  since  at-' 
taining  his  majority,  but  is  not  a  politician 
in  the  sense  of  office  seeking  and  has  never 
sought  preferment  outside  the  strict  path  of 
his  profession,  save  where  his  fellow  towns- 
men have  conferred  upon  him  local  ofifice. 
He  has  served  on  the  city  council  and  on  the 
school  board  and  is  ever  alert  to  the  best  in- 
terests and  progressive  measures  of  King- 
man. 

On  the  19th  of  August,  1887,  Judge  Gil- 
lett  married  ^liss  Etta  A.  Goodson.  the  wed- 
ding taking  place  at  Deansboro,  New  York. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Caleb  Goodson.  a  farm- 


er of  the  Empire  state.  They  now  have 
two  children,  Wilber  G.  and  Josepliine. 
Mrs.  Gillett  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  the  Judge  attends  its  services. 
He. is  past  chancellor,  and  representative  to 
the  grand  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
fraternity,  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  and  to  the  ]\'Iodern  Wood- 
men of  America.  As  his  financial  resources 
have  increased  he  has  made  judicious  in- 
vestment in  country  and  city  property,  but 
has  disposed  of  the  former  although  he  yet 
owns  much  valuable  real  estate.  He  has 
witnessed'  almost  the  entire  development  of 
Kansas  from  a  border  country  to  its  present 
proud  position  in  the  Union  and  has  been  an 
active  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  Kingman 
and  the  countv. 


ISAAC  BEERS. 


Reno  county,  Kansas,  and  the  city  of 
Hutchinson  have  been  fortunate  in  the  char- 
acter of  their  progressive,  yet  conservative, 
business  men  whO'  in  shaping  successful 
careers  for  themselves  have  had  much  to  do 
with  insuring  the  success  of  the  community 
with  which  they  have  been  identified.  Isaac 
Beers,  a  retired  farmer  and  merchant,  who 
lives  at  No.  514  East  Fourth  avenue.  Hutch- 
inson, is  a  worthy  representative  of  the  class 
of  substantial  men  of  affairs  referred  to. 

Isaac  Beers  was  born  in  Cayuga  count}-. 
New  York,  March  11,  1826,  a  son  of  Lewis 
Beers,  who  was  born  in  Redding,  Fairfield 
county,  Connecticut,  March  20,  1798.  Isaac 
Beers,  father  of  Lewis  Beers  and  grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
in  Connecticut  about  1765  and  served  dur- 
ing the  last  four  years  of  the  Revolutionary 
war  as  a  soldier  in  the  American  army,  and 
his  grandson  has  an  iron  ramrod  with 
which  his  grandfather  loaded  his  gun  dur- 
ing that  period.  When  Lewis  Beers  was  eight 
years  old.  about  1806,  his  parents  moved  to 
Cayuga  county.  New  York,  where  his  father 
had  bought  a  piece  of  land  in  a  densely  tim- 
bered region  in  the  town  of  Aurelius.  \\hich 
he  improved  until  it  was  as  good  a  farm  as 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


any  in  the  vicinity.  Lewis  Beers  was  a 
member  of  his  father's  household  until  he 
attained  to  the  age  of  twenty-four  years  and 
after  that  he  farmed  on  his  own  account  un- 
til 1826.  He  was  married  in  Caj'uga  coun- 
ty, New  York,  in  1824,  to  Eliza  C.  Lane, 
who  was  born  in  Coos  county.  New  Hamp- 
shire, in  1804,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and 
Lois  (  Currier)  Lane,  both  of  whom  were 
hern  in  Xew  Hampshire.  This  family  of 
Lanes  has  in  all  generations  been  one  of  un- 
usual ability  and  has  given  to  our  country 
se\-eral  statesmen  and  scholars,  one  of 
whom  became  the  incumbent  of  the  high 
office  of  governor,  and  Homer  Lane,  a  lirst 
cousin  of  Mr.  Beers''. mother,  gained  a  na- 
tional reputation  as  a  mathematician  and 
-Mine  time  before. 1850  entered  the  employ 
"f  the  United  States  government  in  connec- 
tion with  coast  surveys.  Few  men  have 
more  reason  to  be  proud  of  their  family  cnn- 
nection  than  has  the  subject  of  this  re\-iew. 
When  the  latter  was  three  months  old, 
in  1826,  the  father  removed  from  Cayuga 
county,  A^ew  York,  to  Livingston  county, 
that  state,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  acres,  on  wdiich  some  little  im- 
jir.  vement  had  been  made.  He  built  a  fine 
1  ^  -idence  and  improved  the  place  until  it 
was  known  as  the  best  farm  in  the  county 
and  doubled  its  area  by  the  purchase  of 
mere  land.  There  he  farmed  until  poor 
health  compelled  him  to  retire  from  active 
life.  Politically  he  was  a  ^^  hig.  and  while 
he  took  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs 
iie  was  not  in  the  ordinar\-  sense  a  politician 
ami  neither  sought  n^r  accepted  office.  An 
'  ■  i-school  Presbyterian,  he  was  one  of  the 
-lees  of  his  church  and  was  thoroughly 
ted  to  all  its  interests,  never  failing  to 
i  l.t  his  place  in  his  pew  promptly  at  any 
-iittd  service  and  giving  to  the  church  lib- 
Li-.-lly  of  his  means.  His  wife  died  July  13, 
i.^,;-,  and  in  course  of  time  he  married 
I  i:iiinah  Thorp,  a  native  of  Cayuga  county, 
\\\v  York.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had 
:u-  children,  as  follows :  Isaac,  who  is  the 
ipediate  subject  of  this  sketch;  Lois,  who 
i>  living  unmarried  at  Fort  Collins,  Col- 
orado: Emily  C,  who  married  John  Rich- 
ardson,  of  Ohio,   a   farmer  and   dealer  in 


wood  and  grain;  and  Jane,  who  died  in 
Kalamazoo,  Michigan.  By  his  second  mar- 
riage he  had  three  children :  Hannah,  who 
is  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  George,  a  farmer  at 
M'.junt  Morris,  Livingston  county.  New 
York;  William  L.,  who  was  a  member  of  a 
Xew  York  volunteer  regiment  in  the  Civil 
war  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  An- 
tietani;  and  Charles  L.,  who  died  in  child- 
hood. Lewis  Beers  died  at  his  homie  in 
Livingston  county.  New  York,  September 
18,   1845. 

Isaac  Beers  was  a  member  of  his  father's 
household  until  he  attained  the  age  of 
twenty  years,  receiving  a  meagre  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  was  brought 
up  to  farm  work.  He  was  possessed  of  a 
consuming  desire  for  knowledge.  He  made- 
many  plans  by  which  he  hoped  to  secure  a 
liberal  education,  but  they  were  thwarted 
one  after  another  by  circumstances  over 
which  he  had  iiO'  control,  such  as  sickness 
in  the  family  and  financial  losses.  So  well 
known  was  his  hope  to  the  whole  comimun- 
ity  that  all  who  knew  him  sympathized  with 
him  deeply  and  mourned  with  him  when  it 
became  evident  that  it  was  never  to  be 
realized;  but  he  was  a  great  reader  and 
trained  himself  to  close  and  exhaustive 
study  at  home  and  for  fifteen  years  after  he 
left  school  to  read  and  studied  patiently 
and  systematically  and  in  time  became 
really  belter  posted  than  many  men  who  had 
enjoyed  superior  educational  advantages. 
At  the  present  time  he  takes  sixteen  news- 
papers and  periodicals  and  has  gathered  to- 
gether the  nucleus  of  what  he  hopes  will 
be  a  fine  library,  it  being  one  of  the  ambi- 
tions of  his  life  to  leave  a  library  to  his 
children.  He  buys  well-selected  books  from 
time  to  time,  gives  all  his  spare  time  to  read- 
ing, and,  possessing  a  retentive  memory  and 
a  logical  mind,  he  is  a  man  of  thorough  and 
varied  infonnation. 

In  1846  Mr.  Beers  began  active  life  for 
him/self  as  a  teacher  of  district  schools  in 
Livingston  county.  New  York.  He  taught 
there  in  1846  and  1847  and  then  went  to 
Michigan  and  engaged  in  farming  on  new 
land.  When  not  bus)'  with  his  home  work 
he  found  emplojiiient  in  season  with  cthei' 


[40 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


farmers  and  taught  schoul  during  the  whi- 
ter months.  He  was  married  in  Michigan, 
March  ii,  1849,  to  Aliss  PolHe  H.  Blanch- 
ard,  a  native  of  Cayuga  county,  New  York, 
born  July  9,  1828,  a  daughter  of  Adonijah 
and  Pollie  (^Leberteaux)  Blanchard.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Blanchard  were  both  natives  of 
New  York  state  and  Mrs.  Blanchard  was  of 
French  descent.  In  1852  Mr.  Beers  gave 
up  farming  and  located  at  Marshall,  Michi- 
gan, where  he  entered  the  service  of  Charles 
Dickey,  a  manufacturer  of  fanning  mills, 
by  whom  lie  was  employed  for  three  years, 
until  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  hardware  store, 
which  he  bought  four  years  afterward  and 
conducted  until  1866,  and  after  that  he  re- 
mained in  Michigan,  engaged  in  a  variety 
of  pursuits,  until  1873,  when  he  removed  to 
Iowa.  There  he  was  engaged  at  farming 
until  1886,  when  he  went  to  Hutchinson, 
Kansas,  as  bookkeeper  for  the  firm  of  Beers 
&  Lee,  dealers  in  horses  and  mules,  in  wdiich 
his  son  was  a  partner.  He  was  thus  em- 
ployed for  two  years  and  since  then  he  has 
been  practically  retired  from  business. 

Mr.  Beers"  first  wife  died  at  ^Marshall, 
Michigan,  October  2.  1S65.  He  married 
Amanda  G.  Olin,  of  that  town,  January  7, 
1866.  Miss  Olin  was  born  in  Calhoun 
county,  Alichigan,  a  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Scynthia.  (Hopkins)  Olin,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Rhode  Island.  She  was 
educated  in  a  female  college  at  Albion, 
[Michigan,  and  after  her  graduation,  in 
i860,  she  taught  school  until  her  marriage. 
By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Beers  had  four 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  with  the 
exception  of  the  oldest,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. By  his  second  marriage  ^Ir.  Beers 
has  one  son.  Herbert  Eugene  Isaac, 
who  is  now  twenty-one  years  of  age 
and  is  a  member  cf  his  father's  family. 
His  son  Herm.an  M.  was  born  at  Marshall, 
Michigan,  July  8.  1853,  and  was  educated 
in  the  high  school  at  Marshall.  He  went  to 
Reno  county,  Kansas,  in  1879,  and  began 
dealing  in  mules  and  horses  and  he  soon 
took  in  a  partner  and  the  firm  was  known 
as  Beers  &  Lee.  In  1890  the  firm  of  Wal- 
cctt.  Beers  &  Company  was  organized  and 
did  a  good  business    at    Hutchinson  until 


1897,  when  the  business  was  removed  to 
Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  associated  with 
two  other  firms,  those  of  Erwin  Grant  & 
Company  and  Hendrick  &  Ryan,  and  jointly 
the  three  firms  practically  controlled  the 
horse  and  mule  market  of  Kansas  City, 
handling  as  many  as  fifty  thousand  head  a 
year.  In  the  great  sales,  which  occur  every 
two  weeks  and  last  several  days,  an  average 
of  one  head  of  stock  per  minute  is  sold. 
Herman  M.  Beers  married,  in  1883,  Frances 
Tibbetts,  of  Reno  county,  Kansas,  but  a  na- 
tive of  Michigan,  and  they  have  two  daugh- 
ters, Frances  and  Louise.  He  is  now  worth, 
fully  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  is 
adding  to  his  wealth  rapidly.  ]\Ir.  Beers' 
daughter,  Louise  A.,  was  educated  at  Mar- 
shall, Michigan,  and-  Corning,  Iowa.  She 
has  been  a  teacher  for  twenty-five  years, 
having  taught  twelve  years  in  Iowa  and 
thirteen  years  in  the  public  sciiools  of  Hutch- 
inson, during  the  last  ten  years  in  the  sev- 
enth grade.  Mr.  Beers'  third  son,  Licester 
M.,  remained  with  his  father  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old,  then  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  in  speculation.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Reno  county,  Kansas,  to  Mary 
Libby,  and  has  two  children,  Florence  an'J 
Maud.  He  holds  the  pi.>sitiun  of  shipping 
clerk  and  foreman  in  a  wholesale  produce 
iiouse  at  Wichita,  Kansas. 

Mr.  Beers  was  formerly  a  Republican, 
but  is  now  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  church.     He  was  received  as 

j  an  entered  apprentice,  passed  the  fellow 
craft  degree  and  was  raised  to  the  sublime 

I  degree  of  Master  Mason  in  St.  Albans 
Lodge,  No.  20,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  Michi- 
gan; also  took  the  Mark  Master's  degree, 
the  Past  Master's  degree  and  the  JNIost  Ex- 
cellent Master's  degree  of  capitular  Mason- 
ry and  was  exalted  to  the  august  degree  of 
Royal  Arch  ]\Iason  in  Lafayette  Chapter, 
No'.  4,  R.  A.  :\I.,  in  [Michigan,  and  has  filled 
all  the  chairs  in  his  blue  lodge  and  all  in  his 
chapter  except  that  of  high  priest.  Mr. 
Beers  had  never  known  that  he  possessed 
much  mechanical  ability,  especially  such  as 

j  w-ould  ena1>le  him  to  do  creditable  carpen- 

j  ter  work,  until  the  fall  of  1900.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  that  vear  he  bought  his  present  home. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


which  consists  of  four  lots,  on  which  was 
a  fine  residence.  There  being  no  barn  on 
the  place,  he  determined  to  build  -one  by 
himself.  He  laid  out  a  building  eighteen 
by  twenty-eight  feet  in  area,  and  fourteen 
feet  to  the  ea\'es  and  began  its  construction. 
He  had  about  completed  his  task  in  a  work- 
manlike manner  when  he  was  so  seriously 
injured  by  a  vicious  horse  that  he  was  com- 
pelled to  forego  any  active  work  for  many 
nionlhs.  Xow  almost  recovered,  he  declares 
that  he  will  complete  the  barn,  and  those 
who'  know  him  best  believe  that  though  he 
is  seventy-six  years  old  he  will  yet  complete 
his  task.  His  hair  is  scarcely  beginning  to 
lose  its  color,  he  is  quick  and  agile  in  his 
movements,  possesses  a  remarkable  mind 
and  memory  and  is  in  many  ways  a  man  of 
nil  re  than  ordinarv  note. 


JOHN  FRANK  LESLIE. 

Missouri,  a  sister  state  of  Kansas,  has 
given  to  Kansas  a  considerable  percentage 
of  its  leading  citizens  in  different  walks  of 
life.  Prominent  among-  its  farmers  of  Mis- 
Sdurian  nativity  in  Rice  county  is  John 
Frank  Leslie,  who  lives  on  section  7,  Wal- 
nut township,  and  whose  postoffice  address 
is  Thurber. 

John  Frank  Leslie  was  born  in  Clark 
county,  Missouri,  August  28,  i860,  a  son 
of  Alexander  Leslie,  wlm  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  Xcw  ^'urk.  December  ig, 
1804,  and  died  in  ^Valnut  township.  Rice 
county,  Kansas,  July  2,  1878.  Alexander 
Leslie  settled  on  one-half  of  section  30, 
township  22,  range  9,  in  the  mu.nicipal 
township  mentioned,  February  16,  1876. 
His  father,  Daniel  Leslie  came  tO'  America 
with  his  brother,  Benjamin  Leslie,  when  a 
young  man.  He  married  and  was  left  a 
widower  with  four  children.  He  afterward 
married  Elizabeth  (Carmen)  Butts,  widow 
of  Edmund  Butts,  who  had  two  daughters 
by  her  first  marriage.  Mr.  Butts  was  born 
October  20.  1807,  and  died  September  19, 
1843.  Mrs.  Leslie,  who  was  born  in  Hardin 
county.  Kentucky,  Julv  29,  1824,  is  now  \\\- 


ing,  aged  seventy-seven  years.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Alartha  (Duncan J 
Carmen.  Joseph  Carmen  was  born  in  the 
year  1800,  and  died  in  his  seventy-ninth 
year.  His  wife  was  born  in  1806,  and  died 
in  her  fiftieth  year.  Joseph  Carmen  was  a 
native  of  France.-  Of  their  eleven  children 
he  and  his  wife  reared  nine.  Their  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Leslie,  reared  ten  of  eleven  chil- 
dren and  has  four  sons  and  -four  daughters, 
thirty-one  grandchildren  and  nine  greal- 
grandchildren,  and  one  of  her  great-grand- 
sons and  one  of  her  great-granddaughters 
are  grown  to  manhood  and  womanhood. 

John  Frank  Leslie  \yas  the  oldest  son  of 
his  parents,  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Car- 
men) (Butts)  Leslie,  who  had  eight  chil- 
dren, and  he  was  reared  to  farm  life  and 
was  given  a  meagre  schooling.  He  lived 
on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  twent}- 
years  old.  May  14,  1882,  he  married  Mary 
A.  Geist,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a 
daughter  of  William  Geist,  deceased,  and 
they  have  five  children :  Pearl,  wdio  is 
eighteen  years  old,  is  a  student  at  Cooper 
College ;  Frank  Leslie  is  fifteen  years  old : 
Ethel  is  nine  years  old ;  Vernie  is  six  years 
old;  and  Eston  is  two  }-ears  old.  In  Mr. 
Leslie's  home  farm  there  are  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  and  he  leases  five  and  half 
sections.  Giving  attention  principally  to 
stock  farming,  he  feeds  and  ships  annually 
one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle  and 
usually  from  fifty  to  sixty  head  of  horses 
and  mules.  He  gi\cs  liis  attention  largely 
to  Hereford  cattle,  with  special  reference 
to  registered  stock.  At  this  time  he  owns 
one  hundred  and  seventeen  head  of  grown 
stock  and  owns  altogether  six  hundred  head 
of  cattle.  His  manner  of  stock  farming  has 
in  certain  respects  commended  itself  to  the 
emiulation  of  neig'hlioring  farmers  and  his 
influence  upon  the  develnpnient  of  the  in- 
terest in  his  locality  has  nut  been  inconsid- 
erable. Realizing  the  fact  that  it  costs  no 
more  to  feed  fine  stock  than  ordinary  stock 
and  that  fine  stock  is  much  more  profitable 
than  ordinary  stock,  his  aim  has  been  con- 
stantly to  improve  the  standard  of  his  cat- 
tle, and  other  farmers  desiring  to  sell  as 
advantageously  as  Mr.  Leslie  and  farmers 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORj 


of  his  school  have  been  Hkewise  iDrogress- 
ive.  He  is  pubHc-spirited  and  enterprising 
and  exerts  a  recognized  influence  in  local 
affairs.  He  is  an  independent  voter  and  has 
never  yet  been  prevailed  upon  to  accept  any 
public  office.  He  is  a  Knight  Templar  Ma- 
son and'  is  fa\-orably  known  to  a  wide  circle 
of  acquaintances.  Airs.  Leslie  and  their 
children  are  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  church. 


HENRY  G.  ANDREWS. 

For  twenty-eighf  years  Henry-  G.  An- 
drews has  been  a  resident  of  Ellsworth  coun- 
ty and  is  now  a  \\-cll  known  representative 
of  its  agricultural  interests.  He  successfully 
follows  fanning  on  section  28,  Sherman 
township,  where  he  has  a  valuable  and  high- 
ly productive  tract  of  land.  He  was  born  in 
St.  Lawrence  coimty,  New  York,  in  1836. 
His  father,  Orin  Andrews,  was  a  native  of 
Veniiont,-  born  March  4,  1801,  and  as  he 
was  left  an  orphan  when  only  four  years  of 
age  he  was  reared  by  his  maternal  grandfa- 
ther, early  becoming  familiar  with  the  du- 
ties and  labors  which  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  ag- 
riculturist. Throughout  his  entire  life  he 
followed  farming  as  his  chief  occupation. 
When  a  young  man  he  removed  to  New 
York  and  was  there  married.  In  early  life 
ht  supported  the  men  and  measures  of  the 
Democracy,  but  when  the  abolition  move- 
ment resulted  in  the  formation  of  a  party  to 
oppose  slavery  he  joined  its  ranks  and  was 
one  of  its  well  known  advocates,  becoming 
one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  voting  for  its  candidates  until  the  close 
of  his  life.  In  early  days  he  was  connected 
with  the  close-communion  Baptist  church 
and  at  all  times  he  lived  a  consistent  Chris- 
tian life,  commanding  the  respect  of  all  by 
his  fidelity  to  principle.  He  attained  the  very- 
advanced  age  of  eighty-five  years  and  then 
his  eyes  closed  in  the  eternal  sleep,  but  the 
memorj-  of  his  upright  life  remains  as  a  ben- 
ediction to  all  who  knew  him.  He  married 
Miss  Sallie  Remington  and  they  became  the 


parents  of  two  sons  and  six  daughters,  but 
the  youngest,  one  of  twins,  died  in  infancy. 
Henry  G.  Andrews  is  the  only  member 
of  the  family  now  living  in  Kansas.  He  pur- 
sued his  education  in  the  district  schools  and 
i  as  soon  as  able  began  work  upon  the  home 
j  farm,  following  the  plow  when  scarcely 
large  enough  to  manage  the  heavy  farm  im- 
:  plement.  When  about  eighteen  years  of 
age  he  went  to  Boston  and  became  connected 
with  seafaring  life  on  a  merchant  vessel,  re- 
maining on  the  briny  deep  for  two  years. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  made  a 
trip  to  the  west  and  after  a  few  months  spent 
in  Michigan  removed  to  Illinois,  where  he 
w-as  engaged  in  farming  for  several  years. 
But  when  the  tocsin  of  war  soimded  he  put 
aside  all  personal  considerations  in  order  to 
respond  to  his  country's  call  for  aid,  and  on 
the  15th  of  September,  1861,  he  enlisted  as 
a  member  of  Coanpany  H,  Fifty-seventh  Illi- 
nois Infantry.'  He  learned  of  the  realities 
of  war  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson  and 
also  participated  in  the  engagement  of  Shi- 
loh  and  in  the  siege  of  Corinth,  and  was 
present  at  the  capture  of  the  city.  There  he 
was  stationed  until  the  fall,  guarding  trains 
and  keeping  the  lines  of  communication  open 
until  Generals  Price  and  Van  Dorn,  the  Con- 
federate commanders,  attempted  to.recap- 
j  ture  the  place,  in  October.  From  Corinth 
I\Ir.  Andrews  proceeded  with  the  regiment 
j  to  Chattanooga  and  afterward  participated 
;  in  the  entire  Atlanta  campaign,  being  with 
Sherman's  advance  troops.  He  was  sta- 
tioned at  Rome,  to  guard  the  road  from 
Kingston, and  partof  his  regiment  was  in  the 
se\-ere  battle  of  Allatoona  Pass,  where  an 
effort  was  made  by  the  Confederates  to  break 
the  line  and  capture  or  destroy  a  large  load 
of  supplies  that  belonged  to  Shemian's  army. 
Having  the  advantage  of  position  and  being 
aided  by  the  veil  of  the  mountains  they  with- 
stood the  charge  of  a  body  of  rebel  trops 
numbering  about  seven  or  eight  to  their  one, 
yet  the  carnage  was  so  great  that  ]Mr.  An- 
drews says  that  after  the  battle  he  could 
have  walked  half  a  mile  without  putting  foot 
on  the  ground.  With  his  command  he  after- 
ward proceeded  from  that  point  to  Savan- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


143 


nah,  where  he  was  mustered  out  on  Christ- 
mas day  of  1864,  having  served  his  country 
in  a  most  loyal  manner  for  almost  three  and 
a  half  years. 

After  winning  an  honorable  discharge 
;\Ir.  Andrews  returned  to  Illinois  and 
through  the  succeeding  three  years  was  Upon 
the  road  as  a  traveling  salesman.  He  then 
went  to  Iowa  and  was  engaged  in  fanning  in 
the  northern  part  of  the  state,  where  his  fa- 
ther was  living.  His  parents  were  then  weH 
advanced  in  years  and  ]\Ir.  Andrews  assisted 
them  in  placing  the  fann  in  good  shape.  In 
the  spring  of  1873  he  came  to  Kansas  to 
make  a  start  in  life,  and  homesteaded  the 
southeastern  quarter  of  section  28,  Sherman 
township,  Ellsworth  county.  The  shanty 
which  he  first  erected  is  still  standing  and  is 
now  used  as  a  granary.  His  present  resi- 
dence was  erected  in  1884  and  is  an  attrac- 
tive home.  Mr.  Andrews  is  engaged  princi- 
pally in  the  raising  of  wheat,  and  the  ricih 
land  enables  him  to  annually  harvest  large 
crops,  the  sales  of  which  bring  to  him  a  good 
income.  He  is  enterprising  and  progressive 
and  his  diligence  has  won  for  him  a  com- 
fortable competence.  In  the  winter  of  1900 
Henry  G.  Andrews  erected  a  new  barn  .upon 
his  farm  with  stanchions  for  ninexows.  The 
floor  is  boarded  and  drained  and  the  barn 
affords  ample  shelter  for  the  stock.  He  also 
keeps  seven  head  of  horses  and  has  some 
pure-blooded  Poland-China  'hogs. 

On  the  iSth  of  June,  1875,  was  celebrat- 
ed the  marriage  of  'Mr.  Andrews  and  ]\Iiss 
Susan  Schock,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
jMagdaline  Shock.  Unto  them  were  born 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  but  the  old- 
est son  died  at  the  age  of  two  years.  The 
others  are:  Charles  H.,  who  enlisted  for 
ser\-ice  in  the  Spanish-American  war  as  a 
member  of  Company  I,  Twenty-first  Kansas 
Infantry :  Laura  ;  Minnie,  Florence  Gertrude 
and  Frank,  who  are  still  under  the  parental 
roof.  In  his  politics  Mr.  AndreAvs  has  al- 
ways been  a  Republican,  and,  like  every  true 
American  citizen  should  do,  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  work  of  his  party.  He  is  a 
recognized  leader  in  the  ranks  in  that  local- 
ity and  has  frequently  served  as  a  delegate 
to  cijuntv.  congressional,  senatorial  and  state 


conventions,  being  a  member  of  the  state 
convention  which  first  nominated  Governor 
Stanley.  He  has  seiwed  on  the  township 
board,  but  his  party  service  has  never  been 
perfonned  with  the  hope  of  receiving  the 
rewards  of  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
school  board  and  is  now  seiwing  as  its  clerk 
for  the  third  term.  He  has  also  sensed  as 
treasurer  and  has  long  been  connected  with 
the  board,  which  has  charge  of  the  educa- 
tional interests  of  this  locality.  Socially  he 
is  identified  with  Ellsworth  Post.  G.  A.  R. 
Mr.  Andrews  is  not  only  an  enterprising 
farmer  and  valued  citizen  of  the  community 
but  is  also  an  honored  pioneer.  When  he 
came  to  the  county  there  were  only  two  set- 
tlements between  his  home  and  Ellsworth, 
and  none  to  the  north  until  Lincoln  county 
was  reached.  He  has  therefore  witnessed 
much  of  the  growth  and  de\-eloi5ment  of 
this  portion  of  the  state  and  can  relate  many 
interesting  incidents  of  the  early  daj^.  He 
is  a  hospitable,  genial  man  and  his  many  ex- 
cellent qualities  render  him  a  favorite  with 
a  large  circle  of  friends. 


BENJAMIN   SHOCK. 

Benjamin  Shock,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising  on  section  4,  Ells- 
worth township,  has  been  a  resident  of  Ells- 
worth county  for  almost  thirty  years,  the 
time  of  his  arrival  here  being  in  1872.  He 
was  born  in  Canton,  Ohio,  February  5.  1854. 
His  father,  Henry  Shock,  was  a  native  of 
the  same  place,  and  his  grandfather,  Lucas 
Shock,  was  born  in  New  Bavaria  and  came 
to  America  when  about  eighteen  years  of 
age.  He  located  in  the  northern  part  of 
Maryland,  near  Hagerstown,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming,  and  there  he  resided  until 
about  181 6,  when  he  removed  to  Ohio. 
There  he  cleared  some  land  in  the  midst  of 
the  forest,  and  upon  his  farm  reared  his 
children,  seven  in  number,  Henry  being  the 
youngest.  His  childhood  and  youth  were 
soent  in  the  homestead  in  this  state  and  his 
education  was  here  acquired.  He  followed 
farming  until    i860,  when   he  removed  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


the  town  and  was  engaged  in  the  mannfac- 
turing  business  in  Canton  for  four  years. 
He  also  spent  nearly  three  years  in  Bucyrus. 
During  the  succeeding  five  years  he  was  at 
Ottumwa,  Iowa,  where  he  operated  a  coal 
mine.  He  then  again  turned  his  attention 
to  manufacturing,  which  he  followed  until 
1872,  when  he  came  to  Kansas  and  pre- 
empted the  land  upon  which  our  subject 
now  resides,  althottgh  Mr.  Shock  of  this  re- 
■^-iew  proA-ed  up  on  it.  The  father  carried  on 
the  place  until  1878.  when,  owing  to  his  suf- 
fering from  rheumatism,  he  retired  from 
active  business  life.  He  was  reared  in  die 
German  Refomied  church,  but  after  coming 
to  Kansas  united  with  the  Presbyterian 
church.  On  the  4th  of  April,  1S44.  in  Can- 
ton, Ohio,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Magdalena  Triem,  a  daughter  of  Peter 
Triem,  who  emigrated  from  Germany  to 
Canton.  Ohio,  in  1831.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shock  became  the  parents  oi  nine  children: 
Suj^an,  the  wife  of  Henry  G.  Andrews; 
Henrv,  who  remained  in  Ohio;  Emma,  de- 
ceased; Marv,  the  wife  of  Olden  Flanders, 
of  Ellsworth;  Benjamin,  of  this  review; 
Louisa  M.,  of  Canton,  Ohio;  Luke,  who  is 
living  in  Ellsworth ;  Ferdinand,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  three  years;  and  Laura  E.,  who 
also  has  passed  a'way.  The  father  of  this 
family  died  August  29,  1890,  but  the  mother 
is  still  living,  making  her  home  with  our 
subject. 

Beniamin  Shock  pursued  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Ohio  and  also  con- 
tinued his  studies  for  tw-o  years  after  the 
(family  removed'  to  Ottumwa,  Jowa.  He 
there  learned  the  blacksmith's'  trade,  but 
worked  at  it  for  only  two  years  before  com- 
ing to  Kansas.  Here  he  turned  his  attention 
to"  farming,  and  thus  when  his  father  was 
obliged  to  abandon  that  pursuit  the  son  took 
charge  of  the  home  place  and  has  since  con- 
ducted it.  Some  stray  buffalo  were  seen  in 
the  county  after  his  arrival  and  he  has  killed 
antelope  and  other  game.  He  broke  about 
half  of  the  land  on  the  home  place  and  has 
kept  e\^erything  about  the  farm  in  good 
shape.  He  raises  wheat  and  corn,  having 
some  good  bottom-land,  for  there  are  two 
creeks  that   cross  his  place.      He  makes   a 


specialty  of  raising  high  grade  Poland-China 
hogs,  having  l^rought  some  good  stock  from 
Illinois.  He  was  one  of  the  firstto  intro- 
duce a  high  grade  of  hoigs  into  this  part  of 
Kansas  and  "has  raised  some  animals  that 
have  weighed  eight  and  nine  hundred 
pounds.  His  business  affairs  are  conducted 
with  diligence,  enterprise  and  perseverance, 
and  his  labors  are  attended  with  gratifying 
success.  There  is  considerable  timber  upon 
the  place  and  he  has  sold  cord-wood  grown 
since  he  came  to  the  count\-.  In  his  polit- 
ical views  Mr.  Shock  is  a  Republican,  vot- 
ing with  the  party,  yet  never  seeking  office. 
He  has  served  as  road  supervisor  but  has 
declined  to  accept  official  preferment,  save 
that  of  school  director,  having  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  for  fifteen  or  sixteen  years. 
He  has  in  his  possession  one  of  the  old 
"grandfathers'  clocks"  that  was  purchased 
by  his  grandfather  in  ^laryland. 


TOHN  F.  WILDIN. 


John  F.  A\'ildin.  the  son  of  George  and 
Caroli-ne  \\'ildin,  was  bcrn  November  13, 
185 1,  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  lived  with  his  parents  until  he  was  seven 
years  of  age,  when  they  ranoved  back  to 
Pike  county,  Ilii;iois.  He  learned  to  till 
the  soil  at  an  early  age,  commencing  to 
plow -when  he  was  but  ten  years  old.  He 
worked  on  the  farm  in  the  summer  and 
went  to  school  in  the  winter  until  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age,  receiving  a  common- 
school  education.  He  remained  with  his 
parents  until  twenty-five  years  of  age,  farm- 
ing partly  for  himself  and  also  helping  his 
father. 

J.  F.  ^^'ildin  was  married  to  IMiss  Electa 
Hoskin  March  11.  1877,  she  being  the 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Mary  Jane  Hoskin, 
wdio  also  resided  in  Pike  county,  Illinois. 
^Irs.  Electa  A\'ildin  was  born  January  7. 
1854,  in  that  county.  After  their  marriage 
they  removed  to  a  tenant  house  on  his  fa- 
ther's place,  farming  his  father's  land  until 
the  fall   of   1880;  but  in  the  meantime  he 


^Aeta     W^/M^ 


Jl    J/  ^^.^l^^/:^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


was  trying  to  purchase  land  of  his  own  for 

the  purpose  of  farming  and  stock-raising. 

Thinking    land    too    high    priced   in   Pike 

county,   he   concluded   to   go  west,   and   in 

August,   1879,  ^'^'itli  liis  father  and  several 

friends    took    a  trip  to  Emporia,   Kansas, 

lucking  over  Lyons  county.     They  not  be- 

r       ing  satisfied  with  the  land  there,  his  father 

[       returned  home  while  he  and  his  cousin  went 

I      on    to    Wichita,    and,    after  looking  over 

Sedgwick  county  and  not  finding  a  suitable 

location,  returned  to  old  Pike. 

Then  the  fall,  following  his  father  took 
a  trip  to  Rush  county,  visiting  some  friends 
there,  and  was  well  pleased  with  the  devel- 
opment of  the  country  for  farming  and 
stock-raising.  His  father  returned  home 
and  reported  to  his  son  that  he  was 
satisfied  he  had  found  the  place  which  they 
had  been  looking  for.  Then  in  the  spring 
of  1880  J.  F.  concluded  to  go  to  Rush  coun- 
ty and  see  for  himself,  his  father  and  cousin 
accompanying  him.  After  looking  over  the 
country  and  seeing  the  cattle  being  win- 
tered on  the  buffalo  grass  without  any  other 
feed,  they  concluded  that  was  certainly  the 
place  to  buy;  so  J.  F.  purchased  a  half  sec- 
tion of  land  on  Walnut  river,  four  miles 
west  of  Rush  Center.  His  father  also  pur- 
chased two  hundred  and  forty  acres  ad- 
joining his  farm.  On  account  of  having  a 
large  crop  of  wheat  sowed  in  Pike  county 
he  decided  not  to  move  to  his  new  farm  un- 
til fall,  and  rented  it  to  his  cousin  for  that 
summer. 

•  In  November,  1880,  J.  F.,  with  his  fam- 
ily, moved  to  his  new  home  in  sunny  Kan- 
sas, where  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raishig.  handling  as  many  as  three  or 
four  hundred  headi  of  cattle  each  year.  Be- 
ing in  need  of  more  pasture  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  more,  making  him 
in  all  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres. 

In  the  spring  of  1889,  renting  out  his 
farm  and  putting  out  his  cattle  on  the 
shares,  which  he  still  continues,  he  conclud- 
ed to  move  to  Reno  county,  Kansas,  resid- 
ing in  Hutchinson  two  years,  being  en- 
gaged in  real-estate  business.  In  the  fall  of 
1889  he  purchased  a  half  section  of  land  in 


Enterprise  township  and  rented  the  same  un- 
til the  spring  of  1891,  when  he  concluded 
to  go  to  farming  again  himself  and  mo\-ed 
to  this  farm. 

The  following  August,  not  being  satis- 
fied for  several  years  with  Kansas,' — always 
liaving  for  a  saying,  he  "wanted  to  ga 
back  where  the  red  clover  grew," — he  sold 
this  farm  and  in  January,  1892,  took  a  trip 
back  to  Pike  county  to  visit  his  parents  and. 
with  a  view  of  buying.  He  looked  at  quite 
a  number  of  farms,  but  he  remained  only  a 
few  days  when  he  made  up  his  mind  that 
sunny  Kansas  was  good  enough  for  him! 
After  visiting  his  parents  and  friends  for 
two  weeks  he  returned  home  and  bought  his 
present  farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-two 
acres  deeded  land  and  one  hundred 
acres  of  river-made  land,  made  by  the 
changing  of  a  channel  in  the  river,  situ- 
ated four  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of 
Hutchinson  on  sections  5  and  6.  He  pur- 
chased this  farm  with  the  intention  of  farm- 
ing, stock-raising  and  fruit-gowing,  in 
which  he  is  engaged  at  the  present  time. 
The  farm  being  run  down  when  he  came 
here,  there  being  only  six  aces  of  orchard 
and  improvements  being  very  poor,  he  built, 
in  the  fall  of  1892.  his  present  residence, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1893  planted  thirty- 
four  acres  of  apple  orchard,  making  in  all 
forty  acres  of  apple  orchard,  alsn  quite  an 
orchard  of  peaches,  pears,  plums,  apricots 
and  cherries  also  a  three-acre  vineyard, 
which  has  proved  to  be  a  profitable  invest- 
ment. 

In  the  fall  of  1896  Mr.  Wildin  built  a 
large  barn  and  in  the  spring  of  1897  con- 
cluded to  rent  out  part  of  his  farm,  there- 
fore erecting  a  tenant  house  on  his  farm. 
In  the  spring  of- 1898  he  concluded  to  en- 
gage in  the  dairy  business  and  erected  a 
dairy  barn  in  connection  with  his  tenant 
house,  found  an  experienced  dairyman  and 
furnished  him  with  cows  and  equipments 
for  running  a  dairy.  After  engaging  in 
this!  business  for  six  months  and  finding 
it  not  a  profitable  business  he  sold  out. 
.Vfterward  he  rebuilt  this  dairy  barn  and 
put  in  a  self-feeder  especially  fr-r  full-feed- 


[46 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ing  cattle,  in  which  he  is  now  engaged,  and 
finds  it  a  profitable  business  in  connection 
with  his  farming  and  fruit-raising.  In  the 
summer  of  1901  J.  F.  purchased  the  old 
homestead  in  Pike  county,  having  it  rented 
out  at  present. 

.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wildin's  family  consisted 
of  seven  children, — five  daughters  and  two 
sons,  namely:  Mary  E.,  Orville  H.,  de- 
ceased. Carrie  E.,  Susie  V.,  Janie  L.,  Electa 
H.  and  John  F.,  Jr. 

On  the  13th  of  January.  1902.  ]\Ir.  and 
Mrs.  Wildin  and  family  united  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  our  sub- 
ject is  a  member  of  the'  board  of  trustees 
of  Poplar  church,  three  miles  south  of  his 
farm,  which  he  w-as  active  in  erecting. 

In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat, 
never  holding  any  office  except  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board  for  the  last  twenty 
years.  His  life  has  been  characterized  by 
unflagging  industry  and  strong  purpose, 
and,  overcoming  all  difficulties  and  ob- 
stacles in  his  path,  he  has  worked  his  way 
upward  to  prosperity. 


LEWIS  LA  VERT  Y. 

Lewis  Laverty  is  one  of  tire  representa- 
tive merchants  of  Kingman,  where  he  is 
successfully  conducting  a  carriage  and  im- 
plement business.  His  btisiness  qualifica- 
tions have  won  him  a  place  among  the  lead- 
ing representatives  of  the  niercantile  inter- 
ests of  this  city,  and  his  honorable  career  has 
gained  him  uniform  confidence  and  regard. 

Mr.  Laverty  is  a  native  of  the  Hoosier 
state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Wabash 
county,  Indiana,  on  the  27th  of  June,  1861. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  James  Laverty, 
was  the  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  Amer- 
ica., and  after  his  arrival  in  this  country  he 
located'  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
became  well  known  as  a  weaver.  He  subse- 
quently moved  to  South  Carolina,  there  re- 
maining until  some  time  in  the  '30s,  when 
he  journeyed  to  Tennessee.  From  the  latter 
state  he  went  to  Indiana  in  1850.     His  son 


and  the  father  of  our  subject,  George  S. 
Laverty,  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
in  1809.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
assisted  in  the  work  of  preparing  the  ne- 
groes for  emancipation,  visiting  many  of  the 
southern  states  while  engaged  in  that  work 
and  encountering  many  exciting  experiences. 
He  was  arrested  at  Island  No.  10,  in  Mis- 
sissippi, but  made  good  his  escape  to  the 
north,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  in 
Indiana  for  a  time.  In  1871  he  came  to 
Kansas,  securing  a  claim  in  Reno  county  on 
which  the  Reformatory  is  now  located,  and 
there  began  the  arduous  task  of  improving 
new  land  with  ox  teams.  He  passed  through 
all  the  trying  experiences  which  fall  to  the 
lot  of  the  frontiersman,  but  he  bravely  sur- 
mounted the  obstacles  W'hich  lay  in  his  path- 
way and  eventually  his  efforts  were  crowned 
w-ith  a  high  and  well  merited  degree  of  suc- 
cess. During  the  winter  months  he  engaged 
in  hunting,  often  making  trips  as  far  as 
Texas,  and  he  always  found  a  read}'  sale  for 
his  game.  In  1878  he  sold  his  land  in  Reno 
county  and  came  to  Kingman  county,  his 
sons  having  preceded  him  tO'  this  locality 
and  taken  up  claims  on  sections  25  and  36, 
Hoosier  township.  Here  Mr.  Laverty  again 
underwent  the  trying  ordeal  of  improving 
new  land,  but  eventually  his  fields  were 
placed  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation  and 
all  the  improvements  of  a  well  regulated 
fanB  added,  his  becoming  one  of  the  fine 
country  seats  of  the  locality.  There  he 
made  his  home  for  six  years,  on  the  expira- 
tion of  which  period  he  removed  to  the  city 
of  Kingman,  where  the  remainder  of  his 
days  were  passed  in  quiet  retirement,  bis 
Hfe's  labors  being  ended  in  death  in  1896, 
at  the  age  of  eig'hty-seven  years. 

Mr.  Laverty  was  twice  married,  his  first 
union  being  with  Polly  Collier,  and  they 
had  three  children,  all  now  deceased.  His 
second  marriage  occurred  in  Indiana.  Eliza- 
beth Dorsey  becoming  his  wife,  and  that 
union  was  blessed  with  five  children,  only 
two  of  whom.  Lewis  and  George,  attained 
to  years  of  maturity,  and  the  former  is  the 
only  one  now  living.  The  mother  of  these 
children  passed  away  in  death  on  the  26th 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


of  January,  1896,  and  April  10  of  the  same 
year  her  husband  joined  her  in  the  spirit 
world.  He  was  an  active  worker  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Republican  party.  The  cause 
of  education  also'  found  in  himi  a  strong 
sympathizer  and  willing  worker,  and  while 
in  Reno  county  he  took  an  active  interest 
in  the  establishment  oi  schools.  Of  the 
Christian  church  he  was  a  worthy  and  con- 
sistent member. 

Lewis  Laverty,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  but  ten  years  of  age  when 
he  removed  with  his  paretits  to  Reno  county, 
and  at  that  time  there  were  but  six  families 
residing  within  its  borders, — Captain  Bell, 
Robert  Ekll,  John  Shahan,  James  Freese  and 
his  two  sisters,  Hannah  and  Mary.  Our 
subject  and  a  sister  of  Henry  P.  Miller,  who 
now  resides  in  Hutchinson,  were  the  first 
to  attend  school  in  the  county.  After  com- 
pleting his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  that  locality  Mr.  Laverty  followed  farm- 
ing in  that  county  until  his  removal  to  King- 
man county,  which  occurred  in  1877,  and 
with  his  brother  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Harrison  township.  In  the  following  year, 
hijwevcr,  he  removed  to  Marion  county, 
where  he  learned  the  trade  of  stone  cutting, 
fallowing  that  occupation  there  until  1886, 
when  he  again  came  to  Kingman  county. 
For  a  number  of  years  after  his  return  to 
this  locality  he  found  employment  at  his 
trade,  and  from  1893  until  1898  took  con- 
tracts for  moving  buildings.  In  the  latter 
year  he  became  identified  with  the  grain  and 
implement  business  in  the  city  of  Kingman, 
and  as  the  years  have  passed  success  has 
abundantly  rewarded  his  efforts  and  he  is 
now  known  as  one  of  the  leading  implement 
d.calers  in  Kingman  county.  He  occupies 
two  store  buildings,  twenty-five  by  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet,  and  also  has  a  large  ware- 
h'jrse.  He  handles  the  Canton  and  Pea- 
body  line  of  buggies  and  implanents,  the 
J.  I.  Case  thresher,  has  a  large  and  com- 
plete line  of  harness  and  saddler)-,  and  car- 
ries two  tubular  pump  outfits  and  the  Wood- 
mansee  windmills.  During  the  year  of  1900 
there  was  but  one  engine  and  not  over  four 
separators  brought  into  the  county  which 
were  not  purchased  at  his  store.     He  is  a 


wide-awake,  energetic  and  progressive  busi- 
ness man,  and  the  pro.sperity  that  has  come 
to  him  is  the  result  of  his  own  well  directed 
efforts. 

In  Marion  county,  Kansas,  on  the  25th 
of  March,  1885,  was  celebrated  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Laverty  and  Miss  Tula  McAl- 
lister. The  lady"  was  a  daughter  of  James 
McAllister,  a  prominent  early  settler  of 
Marion  county.  One  daughter,  Olive,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  came  to 
bless  the  union  of  our  subject  and  wife.  On 
the  2d  of  November,  1900,  Mr.  Laverty  was 
a  second  tim-e  marriecl,  Maggie  L.  Castle- 
man  becoming  his  wife.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Rev.  A.  Castleman,  of  Lyons,  Kansas. 
The  Republican  party  receives  Mr.  Laver- 
ty's  active  support  and  co-operation,  and  for 
one  year  he  served  as  marshal  of  the  city  of 
Kingman.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  the  World. 


MAJOR  W.  L.  BROWN. 

There  is  no  resident  in  Kingman  county 
who  has  borne  a  more  important  part  in  re- 
claiming this  section  of  the  state  for  pur- 
poses of  civilization  than  has  Major.  Brown. 
He  has  been  actively  a'ssociated  with  the 
work  of  developing  wild  land,  of  instituting 
horticultural  and  stock-raising  pur.-;uits  and 
has  been  the  promoter  of  many  movements 
for  the  common  good.  He  was  for  a  num- 
ber O'f  years  a  representative  of  its  journal- 
istic interests,  is  prominent  in  social,  fra- 
ternal and  political  circles  and  at  the  present 
time  is  largely  aiding  in  the  settlement  of 
this  portion  of  he  state  as  a  member  of  the 
Kingman  County  Colonization  Compan}-. 
His  residence  in  the  county  covers  a  period 
of  more  than  twenty  years  and  since  settle- 
ment in  the  state  dates  from  1876. 

A  native  of  Steuben  county.  New  York, 
the  Major  was  born  January  28,  1854.  His 
father,  Solomon  Brown,  was  a  native  of  the 
same  state  and  there  followed  agricultural 
pursuits.    The  family  is  of  Scotch  origin  but 


148 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


was  early  planted  on  American  soil  and  has 
furnished  its  loyal  representatives  to  all  the 
wars  in  which  the  United  States  has  been 
engaofed,  including  that  which  brought  in- 
dependence to  the  nation.  One  of  the  num- 
ber served  under  General  Ethan  Allen  and 
was  sergeant  at  the  battle  of  Ticonderoga. 
In  Steuben  county,  New  York,  Solomon 
Brown  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ruth 
E.  Carpenter,  a  daughter  of  James  Carpen- 
ter, who  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
western  New  York.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  three  children  but  with  the  exception 
of  our  subject  the  only  surviving  member 
of  the  family  is  a  sister  of  the  Major,  who 
lives  in  the  Empire  state."  The  father  died 
when  his  son  W.  L.  was  only  twenty  months 
old.  The  latter  has  not  a  single  relative 
west  of  the  Mississippi  river.  The  ancestry 
of  the  Carpenter  family  can  be  traced  back 
to  the  time  of  the  landing  of  the  Mayflower 
when  the  first  of  the  name  in  this  country 
settled  at  Plvmouth  Rock.  One  of  his  de- 
scendants was  a  major  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 

Wlien  quite  young  Major  \V.  L.  Brown 
was  left  an  orphan.  He  enjoyed  but  meager 
educational  advantages,  save  what  his  own 
determination  and  industry  won  for  him. 
Realizing  the  value  of  education  he  resolved 
to  prepare  for  the  responsible  duties  of  life 
hv  acquiring  a  good  knowledge  of  the  Eng- 
lish branches  of  learning  at  least.  He 
worked  his  way  through  schooi,  attending 
Woodhull  Academy,  now  known  as  the 
Western  New  York  College,  in  which  he 
pursued  the  regular  collegiate  course  and 
fitted  himself  for  teaching,  a  profession 
which  followed  for  a  number  of  years.  As 
he  was  only  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he 
won  his  certificate  and  the  laws  of  the  state 
forbade  one  teaching  under  eighteen  years 
of  age,  he  made  his  way  westward  and  for 
three  vears  engaged  in  teaching  in  ]\Iissouri, 
where  his  years  were  no  bar  to  his  work. 
He  then  returned  to  New  York  and  while 
teaching  in  the  Empire  state  hp  also  com- 
pleted his  own  education. 

In  1876  Major  Brown  arrived  in  Kansas 
and  was  for  six  months  engaged  in  hunting 
on  the  buffalo  range  south  of  Dodge  City, 


and  afterward  in  Texas  along  the  Red  river. 
Returning  to  Pawnee  county,  Kansas,  he 
there  took  up  a  claim  and  also  engaged  in 
teaching.  Later  he  removed  to  ]\IcPherson 
county,  where  he  continued  his  educational 
labors  and  resided  for  two  years,  coming  to 
Kingman  in  1881.  In  White  township, 
Kingman  county,  he  secured  a  claim,  which 
was^  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  nearest 
dwelling.  He  at  once  began  to  break  and 
improve  this  tract  of  wild  prairie,  and  while 
thus  engaged  lived  in  a  dugout.  He  also 
taught  a  select  schoo'l,  taking  his  pay  in 
whatever  his  patrons  fotmd'  most  con\'enient 
to  give.  Some  of  his  land  he  left  fur  pas- 
turage purposes  and  gradually  got  this 
stocked  up  with  cattle.  Soon  afterward, 
however,  he  disposed  of  that  property  and 
purchased  his  present  ranch  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  seven  miles  north  of  King- 
man and  just  over  the  line- from  Reno  coun- 
ty. Here  he  again  started  in  with  raw  land 
and  gave  all  his  time  to  getting  this  in  shape. 
He  engaged  both  in  raising  grain  and  stock 
and  also  devoted  some  time  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  fruit.  He  has  spared  no'  expense  or 
effort  to  make  this  one  of  the  finest  ranches 
in  central  Kansas  and  has  succeeded  in  the 
undertaking,  having  his  farm  well  improved 
with  all  modern  accessories,  while  a  fine  or- 
chard of  forty  acres  yields  good  crops  of 
apples,  peaches,  apricots,  plums  and  grapes. 
He  has  a  grove  of  fifty  acres  which  he  plant- 
ed, and  as  there  is  running  water  upon  his 
land  the  place  is  well  adapted  for  stock- 
raising.  He  owns  a  number  of  cattle, 
horses  and  hogs,  and  altogether  has  one  of 
the  best  farmis  in  this  portion  of  the  Sun- 
flower state. 

The  Major  made  his  home  thereon  until 
1890,  when  he  built  his  present  residence  in 
Kingman.  He  purchased  the  Kingman 
Journal  and  started  to  build  up  the  paper, 
which  was  considerably  run  down.  It  had 
been  a  seven-column  folio  but  he  trans- 
formed it  into  a  six-column  quarto  and  soon 
added  materially  to  its  business  and  circu- 
lation. His  entire  attention  was  given  to 
the  paper,  which  soon  became  recognized  as 
one  of  the  leading  fusion  journals  in  the 
state.     This  he  edited  and  published  until 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


149 


Janiia-ry,  1891,  when  he  sold  it  and  has  been 
an  active  factor  in  the  Kingman  County 
Colonization  Company.  For  a  year  and  a 
half  previously  he  had  been  interested  in 
the  real  estate  business,  and  there  is  no  man 
in  the  county  better  qualified  to-  carry  on  the 
work  which  he  is  now-  undertaking,  for  he 
has  a  most  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
realty  values. 

Until  1890  }vIajor  Brown  was  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party,  but  in  that 
}'ear  he  felt  that  he  could  nut  conscienti- 
ously support  its  platform  and  has  since 
acted  with  the  Fusionists.  He  has  taken  a 
\ery  active  part  in  political  work  and  has 
held  a  number  of  state  offices,  but  has  de- 
clined the  nomination  for  state  senator. 
From  1893  until  1895  he  served  as  secre- 
tary of  the  Kansas  state  senate,  and  in  April, 

1897,  was  made  president  of  the  state  board 
(if  charities,  an  office  which  he  resigned  in 

1898,  two  years  before  the  expiration  of  the 
term,  in  order  to  enlist  in  the  army  being 
raised  for  the  Spanish-American  war.  He 
organized  a  regiment  and  was  the  first  inan 
in  the  state  to  be  sworn  into  the  service.  He 
was  first  commissioned  adjutant  and  later 
major.  In  1901  he  was  a  candidate  for  the 
nomination  for  congress,  but  when  within 
two  \'Otes  he  withdrew  his  name.  His 
prominence  in  political  aft'airs  is  equaled 
only  by  his  high  position  in  social  circles. 
He  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  filled  all  the 
chairs  from  the  minor  offices  in  the  subor- 
dinate lodge  to  the  highest  in  the  grand' 
lidge  of  the  state.  He  was  grand  master 
in  1898,  in  1899  was  elected  representative 
til  the  sovereign  grand  lodge  for  two  years 
and  in  ]\lav,  1901,  was  again  chosen  tO'  that 
position,  the  first  time  the  honor  of  a  re-elec- 
tion to  that  office  had  ever  been  conferred 
in  Kansas.  He  is  also  .a  member  of  the' 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and 
of  the  Modern  Woodinem  of  America.  Foir 
three  years  he  was  an  officer  in  the  State  Ed- 
itorial Association  and  for  the  past  eight 
years  has  been  one  of  the  directors  in  the 
State  Historical  Society. 

In  July,  1 88 1,  was  celebrated  the  mar- 
riage of  ^lajor  Brown  and   ]\Iiss  Sadie  J. 


Blake,  a  daughter  of  Madison  Blake,  a 
farmer  of  McPherson  county,  in  which  place 
the  wedding  occurred.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren; Maud,  Wayne  and  Harlow,  and  also 
an  adopted  daughter,  Hallie.  Mrs.  Brown 
is  an  oificer  in  the  Rebekah  State  Assembly 
and  is  one  of  the  charter  members:  of  the 
Shakesperean  Club  of  Kingman.  Like  her 
husband  she  shares  nn  the  high  regard  of 
many  friends.  His  active  life  has  brought 
tO'  him  a  wide  acquaintance,  his  labors  have 
made  him  a  valued  citizen  of  the  community 
and  his  name  is  inseparably  interwoven  with' 
the  history  of  progress  and  improvemient 
along  material,  social,  and  intellectual  lines 
in  Kingman  county. 


SAMUEL  P.  TETER. 

Samuel  P.  Teter,  a  leading  and  influen- 
tial agriculturist  of  Reno  county,  maintains 
his  residence  at  15 17  North  Main  street,  in 
Hutchinson,  and  in  this  city  which  has  for 
so  many  years  been  his  home  he  has  made 
many  friends,  who  esteem  him  highly  for 
many  excellencies  of  cliaracter.  A  native 
of  the  Old  Dominion,  he  was  born  in  Pen- 
dleton county,  on  the  22d  of  February,  1842. 
His  father,  Laban  Teter,  was  a  native  of 
the  same  locality,  born  about  the  year  1810, 
and  he  followed  the  tilling  of  the  soil  as  a 
life  occupation.  The  paternal  grandfather 
of  our  subject  was  a  native  of  the  fatherland, 
and  after  coming  to  this  county  located  ui 
Virginia.  He  was  a  brave  and  loyal  soldier 
during  the  terrible  struggle  for  liberty.  In 
the  Old  Dominion  he  spent  the  remaining 
years  of  his  life,  having  followed  the  trade 
of  a  blacksmith.  Laban  Teter  was  one  of 
a  family  of  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  have 
long  since  passed  to  the  home  beyond.  \Mien 
about  twenty- four  years  of  age  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Sarah  Wayman,  a  native  also 
of  Virginia.  In  1849  Mr.  Teter  emigrated 
with  his  family  to  McLean  county,  Illinois, 
making  the  journej-  with  one  two-horse 
team  and  one  five-horse  team,  and,  having 
started  in  the  fall,  they  encountered  very 
severe  weather  during-  the  trip,  at  times  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


sirnw  ha\-ing  fallen  to  a  great  depth  and  they 
suffered  many  hardships  and  privations.  Be- 
fore starting  on  the  long,  wearisome  jour- 
ney Mr.  Teter  had  sold  his  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred acres  in  Virginia  for  fourteen  hundred 
dollars,  and  a  part  of  this  money  he  invested 
in  a  one  hundred'  and  sixty  acre  tract  in 
McLean  county,  Illinois,  then  raw  prairie 
land.  As  time  passed,  however,  he  im- 
proved his  land  an  J  added  to  his  original 
purchase  until  his  landed  possessions  con- 
sisted of  six  hundred  acres,  on  which  he 
made  many  substantial  improvements,  and 
upon  this  valuable  tract  he  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  earthly  pilgrimage.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  residing  with  his  youngest 
son,  Reuben,  who  had  taken  charge  of  the 
farm.  Mrs.  Teter  had  passed  to  the  home  be- 
yond about  two  years  prior  to  her  husband's 
demise.  He  w'as  a  very  prominent  man  in  his 
community,  having  filled  many  of  the  local 
ofifices,  and  in  political  matters  he  was  identi- 
fied W'ith  the  Republican  party.  He  was  a 
stanch  Union  man,  anil  was  a  prdininent  and 
worthy  member  of  the  Methruilist  church,  in 
which  he  long  served  as  a  deacon.  His 
death  was  occasioned  from  lib  k  id'  poisoning, 
caused  by  having  his  finger  pricked  by  a 
hedge  thorn.  Unto  this  worthy  couple 
were  born  thirteen  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  wasi  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth, 
but  several  of  the  children  died  in  infancy. 
Those  who  reached  mature  years  were : 
]\Ialinda.  who  died  in  McLean  county,  Illi- 
nois;  Jonathan,  also  deceased;  Huldah,  the 
wife  of  Will  .Edmunds,  a  farmer  of  Hutch- 
inson, Kansas;  Laban  C,  deceased;  Samuel 
P..  the  subject  of  this  review;  Sallie  E., 
wife  of  Solomon  Phillips,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war  and  now  a  prominent  farmer  of 
McLean  county,  Illinois;  Reuben  D.,  who  is 
engaged  in  fruit  farming  near  Salem, 
Oreson;  Sina.  wdio  makes  her  home 
with  her  sister  in  McLean  county;  Almeda, 
who  died  in  Haven  township ;  and  Hezekiah 
B.,  also  deceased.  The  second  son,  Jonathan, 
was  a  member  of  Company  F,  Ninety-fourth 
Illinois  Infantn,',  during  the  Civil  war, 
but  after  nine  months'  service  wasi  discharged 
on  account  of  disability.  He  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Prairie  Grove  and  Spring  Hill, 


and  in  the  last  named  engagement  suffered 
the  loss  of  one  of  his  eyes.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  in  1899.  La- 
ban  C.  also  rendered  valuable  service  to  his 
country  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  be- 
coming a  member  of  Company  K,  Twent}-- 
sixth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  his  mili- 
tary career  covering  a  period  of  three  years, 
nine  months  and  twenty-one  days.  He  was 
wonnded  in  a  charge  made  on  a  fort  in  front 
of  Atlanta.  He  was  loved  and  honored 
among  his  fellow  soldiers;  for  his  strict  ad- 
herence to  the  standard  of  Christian  man- 
hood, and  all  who  knew  him  entertained  for 
him  the  highest  respect  and  esteem.  He 
passed  to  .the  home  beyond  about  1885, 
while  residing  near  his  father's  home  in  Mc- 
Lean county. 

Samuel  P.  Teter,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  received  only  meager  educational 
advantages  during  his  youth,  having  attend- 
ed school  but  twenty  days  in  all.  and  that 
having  been  during  his  absence  from  the 
army  on  a  furlough.  \\'hen  only  fifteen 
years  of  age  he  performed  a  man's  work  in 
the  harvest  fields,  and  after  the  close  of  the 
day's  labor  in  the  field  it  wonld  be  his  task 
to  feed  the  horses,  cattle  and  hogs  and  milk 
the  cows,  his  work  extending  until  late  in 
the  evening.  His  father  was  at  that  time 
extensively  engaged  in  the  stock  business, 
owning  about  one  hundred  head  oi  cattle  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  hogs,  while  his  landed 
possessions  consisted  of  six  hundred  acres. 
In  this  manner  our  subject  spent  his  youth 
and  early  manhood.  When  the  trouble  be- 
tween the  north  and  south  culminated  in  cixil 
war  he  nobly  ofifered  his  services  to  the 
Union  cause,  enlisting,  in  1861.  at  Blooming- 
ton,  in  Company  K,  Twenty-sixth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  On  account  of  sick- 
ness, however,  he  was  unable  to  accompany 
his  regiment  on  their  march  to  the  south, 
but  he  joined  it  in  St.  Louis,  and  from  there 
the  regiment  was  sent  to  Madrid,  its  first  en- 
gagement being  at  Island  No.  10.  For 
about  four  months  thereafter  Mr.  Teter  was 
absent  from  duty  on  account  of  sickness, 
caused  by  typhoid  fever,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1862  he  rejoined  the  army  at  Holly  Springs, 
Reaching  La  Grange,  he  was  among  the  one 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


luindred  who  were  left  there  to  hold  the  fort. 
Pie  was  at  that  time  ir.uch  broken  in  health 
and  was  daily  expecting  liis  disdiarge,  but  it 
was  delayed  and  when  it  final!}-  arrived  he 
had  grown  so  strong  and  rugged  that  his 
captain  burned  the  paper  without  telling  him 
of  its  arrival,  nor  was  he  acquainted  of  the 
fact  until  the  war  had  closed.  Mr.  Teter  en- 
tered the  sendee  as  a  fifer,  but  after  regain- 
ing his  health  he  demanded  a  place  in  the 
ranks  as  a  soldier,  and  the  request  was 
granted  him.  From  La  Grange  they  went 
to  Memphis  and  participated  in  tlie  Irikiiii:-  "f 
that  city,  and  was  next  statj'm.d  in  the 
Yazoo  river,  where  they  were  engaged  in 
guarding  the  city  of  Vicksburg.  On  the 
4th  of  July  followimg  the  regiment  started 
for  Jackson,  Mississip]>i,  waded  I'lack  river, 
camped  on  the  opposite  side  during  the  niglit 
and  in  the  morning  proceeded  on  their  way. 
Durin-g  that  engageiuent  the  regiment  of 
which  our  subject  was  a  member  charged 
and  finally  captured  the  deep  ditch,  but  dur- 
ing- the  combat  Mr.  Teter  was  struck  in  the 
back,  probably  by  a  piece  of  shell,  and'  was 
teiuporarily  disabled  for  ser\-ice.  After  the 
capture  cf  Jackson  he  retnrned  with  his  reg- 
iment to  Black  river,  where  lie  was  taken 
sick  with  chills  and  fever,  and  with  many 
other  soldiers  was  sent  to  Vicksburg,  where, 
in  company  with  five  hundred  sick  and 
wounded  comrades,  he  was  placed  on  a  hos- 
pital beat  bound  for  ]\Ie;uphis,  and  a  few 
days  later  his  regiment  jiassed  tint  citv  on 
their  way  to  luka.  Afterremaining  in  the 
hospital  for  two  days  he  and  a  comrade  start- 
etl  to  rejoin  the  regiment,  and  on  reaching 
luka  they  were  infonned  that  in  three  day^ 
the  regiment  would  start  on  a  forcedmarch 
t(i  Chattanooga.  Witli  I'lliers  who  were  too 
weak  to  walk  Mr.  Teter  was  taken  to  that 
city  in  wagons,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
doing  guard  duty  far  one  month,  and  during 
that  time  witnessed  the  taking  of  Lookout 
Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge,  after 
which  the  armv  set  out  to  the  relief  of  Burn- 
side  at  Knoxville,  where  with  n^any  other 
invnhds  he  was  statinr.cd  fm-  a' tin-ie  at 
Whiteside  Station.  There  they  suffered 
severely  for  the  want  of  ]>r>tatoes.  as  gueril- 
las had  infested  the  countrv  and  had  cut  off 


all  suppihes.  For  eleven  days  those  there 
stationed  subsisted  on  a  half  an  ear  of  corn 
each  per  day,  but  they  finally  organized  a 
party  and  set  out  on  a  foraging  expedition, 
their  first  find  having  been  a  half  bushel  of 
flour,  which  the  immediately  converted  into 
flapjacks  and  ate  until  their  appetites  were 
satisfied. 

From  that  point  they  proceeded  to 
Scottsborough,  Alabama,  after  which  IMr. 
Teter  returned  home  on  a  thirty  days'  fur- 
lough, on  the  expiration  of  which  period  he 
rejoined  his  regiment  near  A'tlanta  and  was 
engaged  in  the  battle  on  the  22d  of  July, 
1864,  where  the  beloved  McPherson  fell, 
and  his  death  was  mourned  by  the  entire 
army.  During  Hood's  attack  on  the  Fif- 
teenth Corps,  Mr.  Teter  was  struck  in  the 
face  by  a  spent  ball,  inflicting  a  slight  wound, 
and  on  the  26th  of  August  following,  while 
fitting  within  alxmt  ten  feet  of  the  enemy's 
lines  and  while  waiting  for  his  mail,  he  was 
again  wounded,  a  minie  ball  striking  him  in 
the  left  side  of  the  head,  crushing  tiie  skull 
and  inflicting  a  very  severe  Wdund.  After 
being  treated  for  a  time  in  the  field  hospital 
he  was  put  in  an  ambulance  and  taken  to 
Marietta,  Georgia,  where  he  was  confined 
in  Mother  Beckerdyke's  ward,  there  receiv- 
ing excellent  care.  Although  so  severely 
wounded,  his  recovery  was  rapid,  and  after 
sufficiently  regaining  his  health  he  returned 
home  on  a  thirty  days;'  furlough,  but  his 
absence  from  the  army  extended  over  a 
period  of  two  months.  Rejoining  the  army, 
he  went  first  to  New  York,  thence  to  Hil- 
ton Head  and  next  to  Beaufort,  and  ten  miles 
from  that  city,  on  the  march  to  Raleigh,  he 
once  more  entered  the  ranks.  During  their 
journey  to  that  city' they  were  informed  by 
Logan  that  Lee  had  surrendered,  and  the 
long,  continued  and  deafening  cheers  which 
followed  the  announcement  can  better  be 
imagined  than  described.  .  From  Raleigh 
they  proceeded  to  Goldsboro,  where  Mr. 
Teter,  on  account  of  wounds  and  having  no 
shoes,  was  mounted  and  with  the  regiment 
made  foraging  expeditions.  From  there 
they  proceeded  to  ^\'ashington,  D.  C,  where 
they  participated  in  the  grand  review,  the 
grandest  military  pageant  ever  witnessed  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


this  country.  He  was  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  at  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  received  his  honorable  dis- 
charge. 

Returning  to  McLean  county,  Mr.  Teter 
once  more  took  up  the  quiet  and  peaceful 
duties  of  the  farm,  remaining  with  his  father 
for  one  year.  The  home  farm  was  then  di- 
vided, he  receiving  as  his  share  a  seventy- 
acre  tract,  which  he  farmed  until  1887,  and 
in  that  year  came  to  Hutchinson,  Kansas. 
During  his  first  year's  residence  in  this  lo- 
cality he  was  employed  at  various  occupa- 
tions, but  he  then  purchased  a  team  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  two  and  a  half  miles  north- 
west of  Hutchinson,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years,  and  fox  a  time  thereafter  was  en- 
gaged in  the  dairy  business  in  Newton.  His 
next  place  of  residence  was  in  Oregon,  but 
after  six  months  spent  in  that  state  he  re- 
turned to  Kansas  and  resumed  the  dairy  bus- 
iness. After  a  time  he  again  went  toi  Ore- 
gon, where  he  remained  for  nine  months, 
and  since  that  time  he  has  followed'  farming 
in  Reno^  county,  Kansas,  during  a  portion  of 
which  period  he  also  served  on  the  police 
force. 

Ii:  McLean  county,  Illinois,  Mr.  Teter 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Phcebe  Jane 
Stewart,  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion  and 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Phoebe  Jane  (Hun- 
ter) Stewart.  Ten  children  have  blessed 
this  union,  namely:  Dicey  Albert,  who  is 
engaged  in  farming  five  miles  north  of 
Hutchinson ;  Allie  Estella,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy ;  Ira  J.,  who  is  engaged  in  fanning 
near  the  old  homestead  ;  jNIaggie  G.,  wife  of 
Robert  Reed,  a  stone  mason  of  Hutchinson; 
Jonathan  Edwin,  a  farmer  of  this  county; 
Nancy  I\Iay,  wife  of  O.  Archer,  who  aho 
foHows  agricultural  pursuits  in  this  county; 
Jesse,  Samuel  Carl,  Jennie  Alyrtle  and  Al- 
fred, who  are  still  at  home.  Mr.  Teter 
casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  the  Republican  pnrtv.  and  nn  its 
ticket  has  been  elected  to  niaiiv  puMti.  ns  of 
honor  and  trust,  including  that  of  school 
director.  He  maintains  pleasant  relations 
with  his  old  army  comrades  through  his 
membership  with  joe  Hooker  Post,  No.  17, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  for  efficient  service  which  he 


rendered  his  country  in  her  time  oi  trouble 
he  now  draws  a  pension  of  twenty-four  dol- 
lars a  month.  His  has  been  a  well  spent  life, 
true  to  all  public  and  private  duties,  and  his 
scrupulous  regard  for  the  right  has  gained 
him  the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


E.  C.  FISHER,  M.  D. 

In  an  analyzation  of  the  character  and 
life  work  of  Dr.  Fisher  we  note  many  of 
the  characteristics  which  have  marked  the 
English  nation  for  many  centuries — the 
perseverance,  reliability,  energy  and  imcon- 
rpierable  determination  to  pursue  a  course 
that  has  been  marked  out.  It  is  these  ster- 
ling qualities  which  have  gained  Dr.  Fisher 
success  in  life  and  made  him  one  of  the 
substantial  and  valued  citizens  of  Lyons, 
where  he  is  actively  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession. 

A  native  of  England,  the  Doctor  was 
born  in  New  Castle  on  the  Tyne  April  25, 
1844,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Fisher,  whose 
birth  occurred  at  Newcastle  on  the  T}-ne, 
in  1816.  He  represents  a  well-known  and 
prominent  English  family.  After  coming 
to  America  he  was  for  many  years  engaged 
in  mining  on  the  Ohio  river,  but  now  he 
is  living-  in  retirement,  at  the  age  of  eight}'- 
five  years,  making  his  home  with  his  son, 
the  Doctor.  In  early  manhood  he  wedded 
Ann  Combie,  and  for  many  years  they  trav- 
eled life's  journey  together,  the  labors  of 
one  supplementing  and  rounding  out  the 
work  of  the  other.  Mrs.  Fisher  was  also 
born  and  reared  in  Newcastle  on  the  Tyne, 
and  it  was  after  their  marriage  that  thev 
cr^'-'-ril  llie  briny  deep  tn  the  new  world, 
liccM-niii-^  rrMilciits  of  the  Buckeye  state. 
Her  death  occurred  at  ]\Iiddleport,  in  Meigs 
county,  Ohio,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 
In  his  political  opinions  Mr.  Fisher  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  he  holds  membership,  as  did  his 
wife,  who  was  an  earnest  Christian,  kind- 
hearted,  true  and  loyal.  This  worthy  coui)le 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  nameh- : 
E.  C.  of  this  review:  Joseph,  who  is  living 
in  Braman.  Oklahoma:  }ilrs.    Ann    Ee:'ler. 


&,6.   ^aXiyrlh.^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


53 


of  Buffalo,  Xew  York;  and  John,  who  is 
connected  with  mining  interests  in  Seattle, 
Washington. 

Dr.  Fisher  was  reared  in  the  county  of 
^leigs,  Ohio,  and  completed  his  literary  ed- 
ucation by  a  high  school  course  in  Aliddle- 
port,  Ohio,  but  put  aside  his  text-books  in 
order  to  respond  to  his  country's  call  for 
aid.  He  volunteered  on  the  12th  of  May, 
1862,  as  a  member  of  the  Fifth  Ohio  Cav- 
alry. This  was  a  noted  cavalry  regiment, 
under  CLimniaud  of  Colonel  Judson  Kilpat- 
rick,  and  with  that  organization  he  served 
for  three  years,  being  with  General  Sher- 
man's army.  He  took  part  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign  and  went  with  Sherman  on  the 
celebrated  march  to  the  sea.  All  through 
tlie  war  he  w-as  loyal  to  the  cause  which  he 
espoused,  faithfully  following  the  old  flag 
upon  the  battlefields  and  pro\-ing  his  loyalty 
both  upon  the  picket  and  the  firing  lines. 
When  the  war  was  over  he  returned  to  his 
home  and  resumed  his  studies  in  Athens 
College,  the  oldest  college  in  the  state  of 
Ohio.  Believing  that  he  would  prefer  pro- 
fessiojial  life,  he  took  up  the  study  of  med- 
icine in  the  State  University  of  Michigan, 
at  Ann  jVrbor,  and  on  the  completion  of  the 
prescribed  course  was  graduated  with  the 
class  of  1871. 

Dr.  Fisher  then  returned  to  IMiddleport. 
Ohio,  opened  an  office  and  was  a  represent- 
tive  of  its  medical  fraternity  until  1874, 
when  he  visited  Europe.  While  there  he 
was  married,  in  1876,  to  JMiss  Stella  Reiche- 
nau,  a  lady  of  highly  cultivated  mind  and 
many  natural  graces  of  character  and  dis- 
position. She  was  born  on  the  Rhine,  in 
Germany,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Charles 
Reichenau,  wlm  bt-l' mi^ed  tn  oue  of  the  dis- 
tinguished families  nf  that  country.  She 
obtained  her  education  at  Deitz,  Germany, 
and  was  a  popular  and  successful  teacher 
in  Scotland  at  the  time  when  she  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  the  Doctor.  Return- 
ing with  his  bride  to  his  native  land.  Dr. 
Fisher  became  a  resident  of  Racine,  Ohio, 
in  1876,  but  on  the  solicitation  of  his  par- 
ents he  returned  to  the  old  home  in  Mid- 
dleport.  where  he  remained  until  1884.     In 


that  year  he  came  to  the  Sunflower  state 
and  took  up  his  abode  in  Lyons,  where  he 
has  since  remained.  His  broad  knowledge 
and  his  marked  ability  have  secured  for 
him  a  liberal  patronage,  and  his  name  is  en- 
rolled among  the  representatives  of  the 
medical  fraternity  in  this  portion  of  the 
state. 

The  marriage  of  the  Doctor  and  Mrs. 
Fisher  has  been  blessed  with  six  children, 
namely:  Charles  A.,  who  is  now  a  student 
in  Lawrence  University,  of  Kansas ;  Anna 
Florence,  who  received  a  good  musical  ed- 
ucation in  Cologne,  liermany,  where  she 
was  a  student  for  six  years,  attaining  high 
proficiency  in  that  art ;  Wilhelm  and  Thekia, 
both  of  whom  are  students  in  the  high 
school  of  Lyons;  and  Elsie  Nancy,  who 
completes  the  family.  The  Fisher  house- 
hold is  celebrated  for  its  gracious  Hospi- 
tality, and  the  Doctor  and  his  wnfe  occupy 
a  very  enviable  position  in  social  circles. 
In  his  political  views  and  affiliations  he  is 
a  Republican,  and  is  now  serving  as  presi- 
dent of  the  school  board  of  Lyo^ns,  his. 
labors  proving  of  value  and  benefit  to  the 
cause  of  education  here.  He  has  also  been 
a  member  of  the  city  council  and  takes  a 
deep  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the 
progress  and  material  advancement  of  his 
adopted  county.  A  valued  Mason,  he  has 
passed  all  the  chairs  in  the  blue  lodge,  and 
he  is  likewise  a  member  of  the  Lyons  Post, 
No.  20,  G.  A.  R.  The  familv  attend  the 
services- of  the  Methodi-t  i;]i;-r-|)al  church. 
His  fine  personal  appearance  is  an  indica- 
tion of  his  character.  He  is  easily  approach- 
able and  his  unfailing  courtesy  wins  him 
friends  where\"er  he  goes.  To-day  he  stands 
among  the  valued  and  respected  citizens  of 
central  Kansas  and  is  well  worthy  of  men- 
tion among  the  representative  residents  of 
the  state. 


JAMES  ST.  JOHN. 

The  life  of  James  St.  John — pre-emi- 
nently that  of  a  business  man — has  been 
crowned  with  success  and  shows  the  power 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


of  untiring  energy  and  industry  in  over- 
coming obstacles,  meeting  competition  and 
gradually  advancing  to  the  goal  of  prosper- 
ity. He  is  now  the  president  and  manager 
of  the  Huthinson  Lumber  &  Planing  Mill 
Company,  a  leading  industry  which  contrib- 
utes to  the  commercial  activity  of  the  city 
as  well  as  to  the  individual  success  of  its 
stockholders.  The  company  was  organized 
under  the  present  form  in  1897  and  its  large 
trade  indicates  that  the  business  methods  of 
the  house  commend  it  to  public  patronage. 
James  St.  John  was  boi  n  in  Preble  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  June  5,  1838.  Tradition  says  that 
the  family  is  of  French  lineage  but  the  orig- 
inal American  ancestors  came  to  this  coun- 
try from  England.  The  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  another  James  St.  John  and  was 
born,  in  Dutchess  county,  New  York,  April 
4,  1788,  his  parents  being  John  and  Ann 
(Lockwood)  St.  John.  In  1807  he  married 
Elizabeth  Payne,  a  native  of  Culpeper  coun- 
ty, Virginia,  and  to  provide  for  his  family 
he  followed  agricultural  pursuits.  Remov- 
ing to  Ohio  his  son,  Seth  St.  John,  was  there 
born  and  reared.  He  learned  the  tanner's 
trade,  which  he  followed  in  the  Buckeye 
state  until  1840,  when  he  ranoved  to  Van 
Buren  county,  Iowa,  where  he  established  a 
tannery,  which  he  conducted  for  some  timie. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs  dur- 
in  the  early  history  of  the  county  and  for 
two  terms  served  as  sheriff.  After  his  elec- 
tion to  that  office  he  removed  to  Keosauqua, 
the  county  seat,  where  he  spent  his  remain^ 
ing  days,  his  death  occurring  in  1865.  He 
was  a  man  of  pn  ni'  unccil  character  and' fear- 
less in  defen-o  ■  t"  hi-  Imnest  convictions.  He 
gave  a  stalwart  siip|hirt  to  the  principles  of 
Democracy  and  was  an  active  and'  consistent 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Fraternally  he  was  connected  with  the  Ma- 
sonic lodge  and  Independent  Ordter  of  Odd 
Fellows.  His  wife,  who  was  a  native  o'f 
Peimsylvania,  died  at  the  home  of  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Sarah  Kreigh,  of  Johnson, 
Kansas,  in  February,  1888.  They'  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whomi 
reached  mature  years,  while  five  are  still  liv- 
ing, namely :  Carlisle,  who  is  a  sheet  metal 
worker  in  Des  iMoines,  Iowa;  Jacob  M.,  an 


attorney  of  Des  ]\Ioines :  James  of  this  re- 
view: Sarah  R.,  wife  of  L.  H.  Kreigh,  post- 
master of  Edwin,  Stanton  county,  Kansas; 
John  F.,  who  served  through  the  entire 
Civil  war  as  sergeant  of  Company  K,  Tenth 
Iowa  Volunteer  Infantrv',  and  died  at  the 
Soldiers'  Home  in  Kansas,  in  1891  ;  Mary 
A.,  the  wife  of  M.  C.  Davis,  for  many  years 
special  examiner  in  the  pension  department 
in  Washington,  D.  C. ;  and  Seth,  who  for 
many  years  was  engaged  in  business  in  Os- 
ceola, Iowa,  and  died  in  Texas  in  1891. 

James  St.  John  was  only  two  years  old 
when  his  parents  went  to  Iowa,  where  he 
was  reared  to  manhood  under  the  parental 
roof.  He  attended  the  public  schools  until 
thirteen  years  of  age  and  then  entered  upon 
an  apprenticeship  to  the  tinner's  trade  at 
Keosauqua,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  for 
eight  years,  when,  having  attained  his  major- 
ity, he  -entered  into  partnership  with  his 
father  iathe  establishment  of  a  stove  and 
tinning  business  in  Keosauqua,  Iowa.  He 
was  there  located  for  four  years  and  on  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  into 
the  country  in  that  county,  where  he  im- 
proved a  new  farm  and  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  for  about  two  years.  He 
next  went  to  Bloomfield,  Iowa,  where  he 
conducted  a  lumber  yard  for  about  six  years 
and  in  1877  he  removed  to  Kansas,  locat- 
ing at  Burrton,  Harve}-  county,  where  he 
was  connected  with  the  lumber  trade  for  a 
year.  In  1878  he  arrived  in  Hutchinson  and 
organized  the  Hutchinson  Lumber  Company, 
a  stock  company,  of  which  he  became  pres- 
ident and  manager,  conducting  the  enterprise 
until  1885,  when  the  company  was  merged 
into  the  St.  John  &  IMarsh  Company,  busi- 
ness being  carried  on  under  the  latter  name 
until  1887  when  Mr.  St.  John  disposed  of 
his  interest  to  the  Marshes.  In  1889,  in  con- 
nection with  Mr.  McCandless,  he  purchased 
the  banking  business  of  J.  F.  Redhead  & 
Company-,  and  continued  it  under  the  name 
of  James  St.  John  &  Company  until  1897, 
when  the  bank  was  sold.  Tlie  following 
year  Mr.  St.  John  established  the  Hutchin- 
son Lumber  &  Planing  ]\Iill  Company,  with 
which  he  has  since  been  connected  as  its 
president.     It  was  established  on  nnich  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


same  plan  that  is  now  followed,  but  the  trade 
has  constantly  grown  in  volume  and  impor- 
tance and  the  enterprise  is  now  accounted  one 
ri  the  leading  industrial  concern."-  of  the 
city.  In  addition  toi  the  manufacture  and 
sale  of  lumber  the  company  does  a  large 
building  contract  business,  employing  a 
number  of  competent  mechanics,  as  many 
as  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  during  the 
building  season.  The  office  o<f  the 'company 
is  at  No.  13  Sherman  street,  west,  ancl  the 
plant  on  Avenue  A,  west.  The  present  of- 
ficers are  James  St.  John,  president;  M.  H. 
Wagner,  vice-president:  A.  W.  McCandless, 
secretary  and  treasurer.  The  firm  carries 
a  complete  line  of  lumber  and  building  ma- 
terials of  every  description  and  in  the  plan- 
ing mill  employs  fifteen  operatives.  Every 
branch  of  their  business  is  well  managed  and 
is  profitable.  Tlie  partners  are  men  of  en- 
terprise, practical,  progressive  and  reliable, 
and  the  house  sustains  an  unassailable  repu- 
tation in  trade  circles. 

Mr.  St.  John  is  pre-eminently  a  Ijusi- 
ness  man,  devoting  almost  his  entire  time 
and  attention  to  his  industrial  and  commer- 
cial affairs.  He  has  never  sought  or  desired 
office  and  has  seldom  ever  consented  to 
accept  political  positions.  His  fellow  towns- 
men, however,  elected  him  to  the  ofifice  of 
city  coimcilman  while  he  resided  in  Bloom- 
field  and  much  against  his  desire  he  was 
compelled  to  accept.  In  a  cpiiet  way,  how- 
e\er,  he  aids  largely  in  the  city's  progress 
and  improvement  and  endorses^  every  raeas- 
lu'e  for  the  general  good.  He  votes  inde- 
pendently, supporting  by  his  ballot  the  men 
and  measures  which  he  thinks  will  best  ad- 
vance the  welfare  of  the  city,  state  and  na- 
tion. 

On  the  .25tli  of  December,  1861,  Mr.  St. 
John  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Trebil- 
cock,  a  daughter  of  Frank  and'  Anna  (Dow- 
erick)  Trebilcock,  both  of  whoni  were  na- 
tives of  England,  while  Mrs.  St.  John  was 
born  in  Ohio.  By  her  marriage  she  has  be- 
ciime  the  mother  of  three  children :  Frank 
T.,  who  is  controlling  a  brancji  of  the  lum- 
ber business,  located  at  FredericT<,  Kansas ; 
Agnes,  the  wife  of  A.  W.  ]\IcCandless,  the 
secretarv  and  treasurer  of  the  Hutchinson 


Lumber  &  Planing  Mill  Company ;  and  Mary 
who  died  in  infancy.  The  parents  hold 
membership  in  the  Presbyterian  chur.ch,  con- 
tribute liberally  to  its  support  and  take  an  ac- 
tive part  in  its  work.  Mr.  St.  John  is  one 
of  the  oldest,  best  known  andi  most  highly 
respected  business  men  of  Hutchinson,  hav- 
ing been  an  active  factor  in  the  trade  circles 
of  tliis  city  for  twenty-three  years.  While 
in  lo'wa  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Fort  Madison  Chair  Company,  which  is  still 
in  existence,  and  was  one  of  the  organizers 
and  the  first  president  of  the  Valley  State 
Bank  of  Hutchinson.  Besides;  his  other  in- 
terests in  this  city  he  owns  valuable  fruit 
lands  in  the  stjate  of  California.  He 
is  a  man  of  superior  business  force  and  exec- 
utive power,  t<irnis  l^is  plans  readily  and  is 
determined  in  their  execution.  He  has  keen 
foresight  and  his  judgment  is  rarely,  if  ever, 
at  fault.  His  treatment  of  his  employes  is 
just  and  considerate  and  his  reputation  is 
Oine  over  which  there  falls  no  shadow  of 
wrong.  His  splendid  success  has  been 
worthily  achieved  and  his  career  excites  the 
admiration  and  respect  of  all. 


ALEXANDER  L.  FORSHA. 

One  of  the  most  notable  places  in  Reno 
county  is  the  ranch  and  milling  property 
owned  by  Alexander  L.  Forsha.  a  very 
prominent  business  man  whose  success  is 
the  result  of  his  own  earnest  labors,  directed 
by  sound  business  judgment.  His  life  his- 
tory again  proves  the  truth  of  the  old  adage 
that  "the  achievement  depends  upon  the 
man."  It  is  not  he  who  waits  for  opportu- 
nity to  aid  him,  but  the  individual  who  can 
make  his  opportunity,  wh6  can  make  condi- 
tions serve  his  purpose  that  gains  wealth. 
Such  has  been  the  career  of  Colonel  Forsha, 
who'  now  residtes  at  a  beautiful  home  in 
Hutchinson  and  yet  spends  much  of  his  time 
upon  his  ranch,  his  beautiful  country  seat 
proving  a  most  attractive  feature  of  the  land- 
scape. 

The  Colonel  is  a  native  of  Oxford.  Ohio, 
born  on  the  27th  of  December,  1832.  his  par- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ents'  Iseing  William  and  Elizabeth  (Louis) 
Forsha,  the  latter  a  native  of  Xew  England. 
The  father  was  Ixjrn  and  reared  in  New  York 
and  was  a  ship  carpenter  by  trade.  In  early 
manhood  he  remo^•ed  to  Ohio,  where  he  was 
married  and  soon  afterward,  in  1S36,  went 
to  Scotland  count}-,  Missouri,  casting  in  his 
lot  among  its  early  settlers.  He  became  an 
extensive  land  owner  and  stock  raiser  and  a 
well  known  and  popular  citizen  actively  iden- 
tified with  pubHc  and  ofiicial  affairs  in  Scot- 
land county.  He  spent  the  last  years  of  his 
life  in  retirement  from  business  cares  in 
Monticello,  ^Missouri.  In  his  family  were 
five  children ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  J.  M.  Fish, 
a  wealthy  merchant  of  Eddyville,  Iowa; 
Siles  E.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business  in  Los  Angeles,  California ;  Alex- 
ander L. ;  Lizzie  J.,  wafe  of  William  F. 
Staples,  of  Los  Angeles :  and  William  B., 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 

The  Colonel  was  only  three  years  old 
when  the  family  took  up  their  abode  in  the 
new  home  in  Missouri  and  there  amid  the 
wild  scenes  of  pioneer  life  he  was  reared, 
early  becoming  familiar  with  the  work  of  the 
farm,  while  in  the  common  schools  he  pur- 
sued his  educatioji,  also  attending  St. 
Charles  College.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years  he  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  ac- 
cornt  as  a  merchant  in  EddA-ville,  Iowa, 
where  he  remained  for  six  years,  when  he  re- 
turned to  ^Missouri,  locating  in  Schuyler 
county,  that  state,  where  he  had  large  landed 
interests.  There  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  milling  until  1883.  He  had  previously 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  railroad  land  in 
Reno  county,  and  in  that  year  he  disposed  of 
his  iNIissouri  property  and  removed  to 
Hutchinson  in  order  to  superintend  his 
growing  business  interests  here.  He  had 
first  purchased  ten  sections  of  land  and  here 
he  devoted  his  attention  to  the  real-estate 
business.  A  man  of  resourceful  business 
ability,  he  extended  his  operations  to  other 
lines  and  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Hutchinson  Street  Railway  Company.  In 
December,  1889,  he  began  improA-ements  on 
what  has  become  widelv  known  as  the  For- 
sha Ranch,  then  comprising  sections  7,  17, 
19  and  29  Castleton  township,  to  which  he 


has  added  until  the  place  now  comprises  over 
four  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighty  acres. 
It  is  conducted  as  a  stock  ranch,  where  they 
graze  and  feed  about  one  thousand  head  of 
cattle  and  sell  each  year  from  four  to  five 
hundred  head.  Since  developing-  the  ranch 
Mr.  Forsha  has  given  his  chief  attention  to 
it,  disposing  of  many  of  his  other  business 
interests.  He  has  a  fine  residence  in  Hutch- 
inson, at  No.  317  Sherman  street,  east,  which 
he  considers  his  home,  although  he  spends 
much  of  his  time  on  the  ranch. 

In  his  political  views  ^Ir.  Forsha  is  an 
ardent  Republican  and  keeping  well  inform- 
ed on  the  issues  of  the  day  is  able  to  support 
his  position  by  intelligent  argument.  His 
first  vote  was  cast  for  John  C.  Fremont  and 
in  this  he  did. not  follow  the  example  of  his 
father,  w"ho  was  first  a  Whig  and  then  a 
Democrat,  favoring  the  slavery  position  of 
the  soulth.  In  his  fraternail  relations  the 
Colonel  is  a  Mason,  having  been  made  a 
member  ef  the  craft  many  years  ago. 

On  the  13th  of  February,  1862,  at  Eddy- 
ville, Iowa,  Colonel  Forsha  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Jean  Irvin,  a  daughter  of 
James  M.  and  Louisa  (Castell)  Irvin.  She 
was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and 
during  her  infancy  was  taken  by  her  parents 
to  Nodaway  county,  Missouri.  Later  the 
father  removed  with  his  family  to 
Doniphan  county,  Kansas,  and  took  an  ac- 
tive part  in  the  border  difficulties  attendant 
upon  the  settlement  of  this  state.  When  the 
Civil  war  w^as  inaugurated  he  became  a  colo- 
nel in  the  Union  army  and  was  a  brave  and 
•loyal  officer.  He  served  as  a  member  of  tlie 
first  senate  of  Kansas  and  left  the  impress 
of  his  individuality  upon  the  early  history 
of  the  state.  He  died  March  7,  1900,  at  his 
home  in  Pasadena,  California,  where  for 
several  years  he  had  lived  a  retired  life.  In 
his  family  were  six  children,  of  whom  four 
are  now  living:  Frank,  of  Los  Angeles, 
California;  Mrs.  Forsha;  Flora,  the  wife  of 
E.  E.  W^ard,  a  business  man  of  Chanute. 
Kansas;  and  Emma  L.,  the  widow  of  Jo- 
seph L.  Barbee,  of  Chicago.  One  son,  Wal- 
ter, who  was  connected  with  railroad  service, 
died 'in  West  Virginia  in  1898.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Forsha  have  been  born  two  sons: 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Fred  A.,  who  is  vice  president  of  tlie  Na- 
tional Live  Stock  Company,  of  Kansas  City, 
Chicago  and  Omaha,  and  resides  in  the  first 
mentioned'  place:  and  Sam  \\\.  who  carries 
on  the  Forsha  ranch. 

This  ranch  has  become  a  \-alual)le  and 
remunerative  property  under  the  personal 
supervision  of  Sam.  ^^'.  Forsha,  whoi  since 
its  establishment  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
place.  His  ability  as  a  financier  and  man- 
ager is  amply  demonstrated  by  the  success 
and  profitable  results  of  one  pi  the  largest 
and  most  completely  equipped  and  systemat- 
ically conducted  stock  ranches  in  southern 
or  central  Kansas.  One  thousand  acres  are 
planted  to  alfalfa,  about  three  hundred  and 
fifty  are  cultivated  in  forage  crops  and  the 
remainder  is  pasture  land.  The  first  im- 
provement was  made  on  the  ranch  in  1889, 
a  small  house  being  erected,  in  which  Sam 
\y.  Forsha  slept  for  the  first  time  on  the 
24th  of  December,  althorgh  the  house  was 
not  completed  until  the  2d  of  January,  1890. 
Business  was  first  carried  on  exclusively  as 
a  stock  ranch  and  cribs  were  erected  for  one 
hundred  thousand  bushels  of  corn  which 
would  be  required  for  feeding  purposes.  In 
July,  iSps,  a  new  department  was  added  to 
the  business  by  the  erection  of  a  mill,  which 
was  built  largely  for  their  own  use  in  grind- 
ing feed  for  the  cattle,  but  an  increasing  cus- 
tom trade  induced  them  to  erect  a  modern 
mill  and  in  iNIay  and  June,  1899,  work  on 
the  Forsha  Roller  IMills  was  carried  forward 
to  completion,  the  plant  constituting  a  three- 
story  building,  equipped  with  the  latest  im- 
proved machinery,  and  having  a  capacity  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  barrels  per 
da}-.  ]\Ir.  Forsha  and  his  son  have  demon- 
strated their  abilitv  to  manufacture  as  good 
flnur  as  can  be  pr-  ilrr.  '  '^-  ■'-  ■  "iitry  and 
they  have  a  large  a;i:l  ■  creasirig 

patronage.    Their  prii:>:         •  ,:re  Peer- 

less, Standard  and  Takers'  Delig  t,  and 
these  are  well  known  throughout  central  and 
southern  Kansas  and  in  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory. They  also  ship  largely  for  the  export 
trade,  and  in  addition  to  the  merchant  trade 
they  have  a  large  custom  trade^and  exchange 
covering  an  area  of  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty  miles.    The  mill  is  operated  by  power 


I  furnished  from  a  large  Corliss  engine.  In 
j  connection  with  the  mill  is  a  large  storage 
room  for  mill  products,  fifty  by  seventy-two 
i  feet,  steel  covered.  The  mill  in  all  its  equip- 
I  ments  is  strictly  in  line  with  all  general  im- 
;  prcvements  and  is  in  keeping  with  the  mod- 
ern stock  ranch  on  which  it  is  located.  Since 
it  has  been  remodeled  it  grinds  from  eighty 
to  one  hundred  thousand  barrels  annually. 
They  sell  at  the  door  all  coarse  mill  prod- 
ucts, besides  shipping  frorii  twenty  to  thirty 
car  Irads  each  year.  The  Forsha  mill  and 
ranch  creates  a  good  demand  and  excellent 
local  market  for  both  wheat  and  corn.  The 
feed  lots  and  yards  are  arranged  with  a  vie\v 
to  convenience  and  economizing  time.  There 
are  large  roofed  feed  sheds  and  a  large  dou- 
ble barn  for  winter  feeding,  while  substan- 
tial pens  and  yards  are  arranged  in  the  man- 
ner of  city  stockyards.  \\'ater  is  piped'  from 
an  eighty-foot  standpipe  mounted  on  a  steel 
tower  and  thus  the  feed  lots,  outbuildings, 
mill  and  residence  are  supplied.  There  are 
also  two  fire  plugs  with  hose  attachments, 
furnishing  adequate  fire  protection.  The 
place  is  equipped  with  a  modern  blacksmith 
shop  where  a  competent  mechanic  does  the 
work  in  his  line  for  the  ranch  besides  the 
custom  work  of  the  neighborhood.  In  the 
yards  is  a  dehorning  chute  and  a  sixty  thou- 
sand pound  Fairbanks  stock  scale.  A  well 
drilling  apparatus  is  kept  for  sinking  their 
own  wells,  which  are  located  in  different 
parts  of  the  pasture  lands.  There  are  alto- 
gether ten  wells  and  Avindmills.  which  fur- 
nish abundant  water  supply.  The  feeding  is 
conducted  in  the  most  careful  and  systeni- 
'  atic  manner,  and  account  being  kept  of  all 
feed  consumed,  and  the  cattle  are  weighed 
everv  thirty  days.  The  care  and  precision 
which  is  manifest  in  the  conduct  of  this  large 
ranch  with  its  varied  interests  are  a  credit  to 
I  the  executive  ability  of  Sam  W.  Forsha.  the 
genial  and  hospitable  manager  and  host. 
The  office  and  residence  at  Hutchinson  are 
connected  with  local  and  long-distance 
phones  with  the  ranch,  and  few  conveniences 
i  of  the  modern  city  home  or  office  are  missing 
at  Forsha.  The  elegant  and  comfortable 
residence  is  three  stories  in  height  with  base- 
ment, and  is  furnished  in  a  manner  that  is  a 


5S 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


supervision  and  is  justly  accounted  one  of 
credit  to  the  good  taste  of  the  host.  It  has 
all  modern  conveniences,  including  furnace 
heat,  hot  and  cold  water,  toilet  and  bath  and 
gas  is  furnished  by  their  own  gas  plant.  The 
ranch  presents  an  inviting  prospect  and  the 
Colonel  and  his  wife  spend  much  of  their 
time  there  in  the  summer  months  in  prefer- 
ence to  their  elegant  city  home. 

In  public  affairs  Sam  W.  Forsha  has 
taken  an  active  part  since  locating  upon  the 
ranch.  He  is  identified  with  the  Republican 
party  and  is  a  member  of  the  township  cen- 
tral committee.  He  has  also  been  a  delegate 
to  the  county,  state,  congressional  and  na- 
tional conventions,  and  his  opinions  carry 
weight  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason, 
holding  membership  in  Friendship  Lodge, 
No.  208.  F.  &  A.  M. :  Resjo  Chapter,  R.  A. 
^L:  and  \A'icliita  C. -iisistory.  No.  2,  A.  A. 
S.  R.  He  i>  aL~i'  cimected  with  the  Com- 
mercial Travelers'  Association.  Since  tak- 
ing charge  of  the  ranch,  however,  he  has 
given  his  attention  almost  exclusively  to  its 
the  most  capable  and  reliable  business  men 
in  Reno  co-unty,  possessing  sound  judgment, 
keen  foresight  and  earnest  purpose.  He 
forms  his  plans  reachly  and  yet  not  without 
mature  dmsideratinn.  and  Is  determined  in 
their  exrcntii  11.  The  Fi^rsha  ranch  is  indeed 
a  creditalilc  nii'iuiment  to  the  business  ability 
and  w '  'Tth  ■  'f  lt^  i<  under  and  its  manager. 


JOHN  ^lARCH. 


For  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  John 
Alarch  has  resided  upon  the  farm  which  is 
now  his  home,  having  taken  up'  his  abode 
here  in  1877.  Kansas  tested'  the  bravery, 
endurance  and'  faith  of  her  early  settlers  in 
the  }-ears  of  pioneer  life  here,  but  those  who 
had  the  coura^^e  and  the  resolution  to  meet 
hardships  and  tliniculties  have  ultimately 
been  rewarded.  "Hard  times,"  occasioned 
by  droughts  and  grasshoppers,  are  now  no 
longer  knoavn.  The  advent  of  the  railroad 
has  bought  all  the  comforts  of  civilization 
known  to  the  older  east,  and  moreover  has 


afforded  shipping  facilities  so  that  the  citi- 
zens are  in  direct  contact  with  the  great 
market  centers  of  the  country  to  which  an- 
nually millions  of  bushels  of  grain  and  thou- 
sands of  heads  of  cattle  are  sent.  Mr.  March 
is  one  among  the  brave  pioneers  who-  faced 
the  trials  to  eventually  win  success  and  he 
is  now  in  very  comfortable  circum- 
stances financially.  Moreover,  he  has  won 
the  high  regard  of  his  fellow  townsmen  and 
one  of  the  popular  residents  of  Ellsworth 
county  is  John  March. 

He  was  born  October  29,  1837,  in  Wel- 
lingborough, Northamptonshire.  England,  a 
son  of  John  and  Dinah  ( Chamberlain) 
March.  The  father,  who-  was  connected 
with  the  railroad  service  there,  died  during 
the  early  boyhood  of  our  subject,  and  when 
fourteen  )-ears  of  age  the  latter  came  to 
America  with  his  uncle,  crossing  the  ocean 
on  the  ship  Leviathan,  wdiich  was  forty- 
nine  days  in  making  the  New  York  harbor. 
Mr.  ^larch  went  west  to  Columbus,  Ohio, 
and  remained  with  his  uncle  until  twenity- 
one  years  of  age,  when  he  offered  his  aid  to 
his  adopted  country  for  military  service,  en- 
listing July  22,  1861,  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany E,  Twentieth  Indiana  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, which  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  He  participated  in  the  battles 
of  Hatteras  Inlet,  North  Carolina,  where 
he  served  as  a  sharpshooter  during  the  fight 
between  the  ]\Ierrimac  and  the  ]\Ionitor.  He 
was  also  in  the  battles  of  Fair  Oaks,  \\'hite 
Oak  Swamp,  Malvern  Hill,  JManassas,  the 
second  battle  of  Bull  Run.  Chantilly,  Fred- 
ricksburg,  Chancellorsville  and  many  minor 
engagements  and  skirmishes.  He  was 
wounded  by  a  minie  ball  when  before  Rich- 
mond and  was  confined  in  St.  Elizabeth's 
Hospital,  Washington,  D.  C,  where  his 
thumb  was  amputated.  He  was  also  wound- 
ed at  Fair  Oaks.  He  received  an  honorable 
discharge  at  Camp  Pitcher,  Virginia,  De- 
cember 24,  1862,  on  a  surgeon's  certificate 
of  disability,  and  then  returned  to  Ohio. 

From  there  Mr.  March  went  to  Iowa 
with  the  intention  of  following  farming 
there,  but  finding  that  a  regiment  was  being 
raised,  and  the  war  spirit  being  still  strong 
within  him,  he  re-enlisted  at  Newton,  Iowa, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


159 


for  three  years'  service,  being  mustered  in 
at  Davenport,  November  30,  1863,  as  a 
member  of  Company  L,  Xinth  Regiment  of 
Iowa  Cavah-y.  The  command  was  assigned 
to  the  army  at  the  frontier,  and  be  was 
mostly  on  detached  service  in  Arkansas,  tak- 
ing part  in  a  number  of  engageinents  with 
the  bushwhackers.  They  lost  one  hundred 
and  ninety-four  men  by  death  from  wounds, 
and  disease.  At  Little  Rock.  Arkansas,  on 
the  3d  of  February,  1866,  Mr.  March  re- 
ceived his  final  discharge,  and  with  a  most 
commendable  record  for  faithful  military 
ser\-ice  and  for  bravery  he  returned  to  his 
Ohio  home. 

Renting  a  farm  in  Delaware  countv,  that 
state,  he  continued  its  operation  imtil  1877, 
when  he  came  to  Kansas,  and  bought  out  the 
man  who  had  pre-empted  the  land  upon 
which  Mr.  March  now  resides,  giving  him 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  his  right. 
He  then  purchased  a  yoke  of  cattle  with 
which  he  brcike  the  land,  and  here  he  has  car- 
ried ijii  his  farming-  pursuits  ever  since.  He 
raised  ci  insiderable  corn  at  first,  as  he  had  a 
tract  (if  liottom  land  that  never  entirely 
failed  cjf  yielding  a  crop.  He  has  given  most 
of  his  attention,  however,  to  the  production 
of  wheat.  He  has  added  sixty  acres  to  his 
land  and  with  the  exception  of  seventy-five 
acres  all  is  under  the  plow.  The  other  is 
I  largely  used  for  pasturage,  for  he  raises 
some  cattle. 

On  the  20th  of  September,  1866,  Mr. 
March  led  to  the  marriage  altar  Miss  Mary 
-V.  Dickinson,  a  daughter  of  Edward  \V. 
Dickinson,  a  farmer  of  Ohio.  He  was  born 
in  Northamptonshire.  England,  and  came  to 
America  in  tlie  spring  of  185 1.  spending  ten 
ycai--  ill  ."^aral^  ,L;"a  c>iUntv.  New  ^'nrk,  after 
which  he  renmved  tn  Ohio.  Untn  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  March  have  been  born  seven  children: 
Emma  J.;  John  H. :  Edward  A.,  who  is 
farming  in  Illinois ;  Margaret,  the  wife  of 
Bert  Story,  of  Ellsworth  township.  Ells- 
worth county ;  Samuel  E..  a  resident  farmer 
of  Illinois:  ^lelvina  and  Charles  j\I..  at 
home.  For  eleven  or  twelve  years  after 
coming  to  Kansas  the  family  lived  in  a  small 
house  of  only  two  rooms,  but  additions  were 
made  to  this  and  thev  now  have  a  nice  home. 


while  all  modern  imprc\-ements,  in  the  way 
of  good  buildings,  are  found  uix)n  the  place. 
Mr.  March  continued  the  acti\-e  manage- 
ment of  the  farm  until  1900,  since  which 
time  he  has  lived  practically  retired  in  the 
enjoyment  of  a  well  merited  rest.  In  his 
political  views  he  is  a  Rqjubhcan,  and  for 
twelve  years  he  has  served  as  treasurer  of 
the  school  district.  He  belongs  to  Ellsworth 
Post,  No.  22,  G.  A.  R.,  and  attends  the  ser- 
vices of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
The  years  of  his  life  have  passed  in  activity 
mostly  gi\-en.  to  business,  yet  he  has  never 
neglected  his  duties  of  citizenship  or  the  ob- 
ligation of  private  and  social  life. 


ROBERT  C.  MILLER. 

Among  the  well  known  citizens  of  the 
floiirishing  town  of  Langdon,  Kansas,  is 
Robert  C.  Miller,  a  farmer  and  merchant, 
who  was  born  in  AVasliin-iMn  c<  nntx.  Indi- 
ana, on  June  16,  1844.  n  ^nn  nt  W  illiam  and 
Susan  (Truman)  Miller.  William  Miller, 
the  father  of  Robert  C,  was;  born  in  Ten- 
nessee, in  1819,  and  he  died  in  Georgetown, 
Indiana,  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  He  married  Susan  Truman,  who  was 
born  in  Kentucky  in  1818,  the  marriage  tak- 
ing place  in  Indiana  about  1839.  and  there 
they  have  followed  a  farming  life.  They 
reared  these  children  :  Louise,  who  married 
Thomas  J.  Teaford,  of  Indiana:  Robert  C, 
our  subject;  John  N.,  who  is  a  farmer  in 
KingTnan  county,  Kansas ;  and  Charles  A., 
who  resides  in  Reno  county.  Kansas.  Both 
piarents  had  been  previously  married  and 
each  had  one  son.  William  Bright,  who  lives 
in  Martinsburg.  Indiana,  and  Thomas  Mil- 
ler, who  died  in  \'ermilion  county,  Illinois. 
After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, in  1867.  the  father  again  married. 

Robert  C.  Miller  was  reared  to  farm  life 
and  had  but  few  educational  opportunities. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  left  home 
to  become  a  soldier,  enli-tiiig  for  service  in 
the  Civil  war  in  tlie  l-"ighty-hrst  Indiana  In- 
fantrv,  becoming  a  private  in  Company  C, 
and    remained    faithful    to    dutv    feir    three 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


years,  being  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  did  not  escape  all  of  the  disasters 
of  war,  having  been  captured  by  the  enemy 
at  Lookout  ]\Iountain  and  confined  for  six 
and  one-half  months  at  the  military  prison 
on  Belle  Isle. 

On  April  8,  1875.  Mr.  Miller  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Fannie  E.  Holland,  who  was 
born  in  Sangamon  county,  Illinois,  a  daugh- 
ter of  \\'illiam  T.  and  Julia  A.  (Hurt)  Hol- 
land, the  fomier  born  in  Kentucky  and  the 
latter  in  ^lenard  county,  Illinois.  Mr.  Hol- 
land was  a  carpenter  and  also  a  farmer  and 
lived  to  be  sixty-nine  years  of  age,  dying 
on  December  14,  1899.  They  caane  with 
their  six  children  to  Atchison  county,  Kan- 
sas, in  1873,  and  in  1879  removed  to  Reno 
county,  ]\Irs.  Holland  still  enjoying  vigor- 
ous health. 

;\Ir.  and  ^Irs.  ]\Iiller  began  farming  as 
tenants,  thus  continuing  for  one  year  in 
Atchison  county,  but  in  1874  our  subject 
took  up  a  quarter  section  of  homestead  land 
on  section  29,  in  Langdon  township,  and  in 
1876  he  and  wife  moved  out  to  their  land. 
The  first  house  was  what  is  locally  known 
as  a  "dugout"  and  its  dimensions  were 
twelve  by  twenty  feet,  with  a  dirt  roof  and 
board  floor,  and  here  industry  and  happiness 
made  it  a  most  comfortable  home.  This 
home  was  succeeded  by  a  small  frame  build- 
ing, fourteen  by  twenty-four  feet  in  dimen- 
sions, but  the  contrast  is  great  between  it 
and  his  present  commodious  residence,  a 
story  and  a  half  in  height  with  an  annex  of 
twenty-six  by  sixteen  feet.  One  of  the  feat- 
ures (if  the  place  which  testifies  to  the  pros- 
perity that  reigns  is  the  large  red  barn,  which 
was  erected  in  1882.  As  a  reward  for  his 
persevering  industry  Mr.  Miller  now  owns 
two  hundred  and  fourteen  acres  of  fine,  pro- 
ductive land,  and  here  carries  on  a  general 
line  of  farming.  He  keeps  fifty  head  of  cat- 
tle, milks  nine  or  ten  cows  and'  always  owns 
from  eight  to  ten  horses.  He  uses  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  his  land  for  the  rais- 
ing of  wheat  and  seventy  acres  for  corn.  The 
fine  shade  trees  which  adorn  the  landscane 
and  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  apple  trees  he 
planted  here,  and  has  thus  benefited  the  lo- 
cality l)y  turning  unproductive  land  into  a 


veritable  garden,  pleasant  to  the  eye  of  the 
public  and  remunerative  to  its  owner.  Since 
18S7  he  has  alsoi  been  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  his  establishment  being  the 
first  opened  in  the  village  proper.  Until 
1900  his  brother  was  associated  with  him, 
but  since  that  date  he  has  successfully  con- 
ducted it  alone,  having  a  very  lucrative  trade, 
retaining  the  customers  whom  he  first  served 
fourteen  years  ago. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  had  a  familv  of  nine 
children  born  to  them,  two  dying  while  in- 
fants, the  others  being  as  folloAvs  :  \MlIiam 
T.,  a  railroad  official,  living  at  home:  Lou- 
ise, a  resident  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri :  Frank 
B.,  in  cliarge  of  the  store:  Stella  A. :  Helen 
Gertrude;  .Jessie  B.,  a  little  lady  of  nine 
years  :  and  Howard,  a  lad  of  five.  In  politics 
Mr.  ]\Iiller  has  never  wavered  in  his  alle- 
giance to  the  Republican  party,  and  has  serv- 
ed as  the  efficient  township  trustee  for  two 
terms,  in  1890  was  census  enumerator,  and 
for  twO'  years  has  been  a  justice  of  the  peace.  ? 
Mrs.  Jones,  of  this  village,  is  the  postmistress 
and  Mr.  Miller  is  the  assistant,  the  office  be- 
ing located  in  his  store,  this  being  the  most 
centrally  located  and  appropriate  building 
in  the  town,  and  is  Mr.  Miller's  own  prop- 
erty. Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A. 
R.,  while  the  religious  connection  of  the  fam- 
ilv is  with  the  Christian  church. 


L.   E.   VER^IILLIOX. 

For  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  Dr. 
Vermillion  has  been  a  resident  of  Kansas 
and  to-day  he  ranks  with  the  ablest  physi- 
cians and  surgeons  of  this  portion  of  the 
state.  He  was  born  in  Loudon  county,  Yiv- 
ginia.  A]iril  30,  1850,  his  liirthplace  being- 
near  Euckland.  the  family  residence.  On 
l>oth  the  paternal  and  maternal  sides  he  is 
descended  from  old  and  prominent  families 
of  his  native  state,  his  ancestors  having  lo- 
cated in  the  Old  Dominion  prior  to  the  Re^■- 
olutionary  war.  Jonathan  \^ermillion.  the 
Doctor's  father,  \\as  a  miller  by  trade,  and 
in  his  business  affairs  won  a  high  degree  of 
success.      He  was   born   in    \"irginia.    and 


>>,^^^^-i-<-  y^S). 


BIOGJ^APHICAL   HISTORY 


there  wooed  and  won  Miss  Elizabeth  War- 
ford,  who  was  connected  with  the  Lees  and 
other  prominent  families  of  Virginia.  She 
acquired  her  education  there  and  was  a  lady 
of  culture.  \\h(  iini\-ed  to  her  husband  a 
faithful  ci'iiipaiii"!!  >'\\  tlie  journey  of  life. 
In  his  political  views  Jonathan  A'ermillion 
was  a  stalwart  Democrat,  and  his  religious 
belief  was  indicated  by  his  membership  in 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  was 
active  and- zealous  in  its  work  and  had  much 
influence  among  the  young  people  by  .rea- 
son of  his  genial  ways'  and  hearty  sympathy 
and  the  interest  which  he  took  in  the  boys 
and  girls  through  youth  -as  they  approached 
manho(^d  and  womanhood.  Socially  he  was 
identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He 
died  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  forty- four  years, 
and  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of  fort)-- 
eight,  loved  and  respected  by  all  who-  knew 
her  by  reason  of  her  many  good  qualities 
of  head  and  heart.  This  worthy  couple 
were  the  parents  of  three  children :  Louin 
E.,  of  this  review;  Oscar,  of  Sullivan  coun- 
ty, Indiana ;  and  Mrs.  Annie  Pascoe,  of 
Great  Bend,  Kansas. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Dr. 
Vermillion  we  present  Im  i  hu"  reailers  a  life 
record  which  cann^'t  fail  to  proxx-  "f  interest, 
for  the  subject  is  so  widely  and  favorably- 
known  in  this  portion  of  Kansas.  He  was 
reared  in  \'irginia  and  in  Clark  county, 
Illinois,  near  York,  pursuing  his  educaton 
in  the  common  schools  and  in  the  high 
school  and  academy  near  his  home.  De- 
termining to  make  the  practice  of  medicine 
hi.s"life  work,  he  began  study  under  the  di- 
rection of  Dr.  Beard,  of  Rice  county,  Kan- 
sas, and  further  continued  his  studies  in  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Keo- 
kuk, Iowa,  where  he  was  graduated  with 
honor  in  the  class  of  1890.  In  the  mean- 
time, however,  in  1890,  he  had  begun  prac- 
tice in  Mitchell,  where  he  remained  until 
1892.  when  he  came  to  Lyons  and  opened 
an  office.  From  the  beginning  of  his  prac- 
tice here  he  has  met  with'  a  high  degree  of 
success.  When  called  upon  to  attend  some 
difficult  cases  he  soon  demonstrated  his  abil- 
itv  to  handle  the  intricate  prolilems  that  fall 


to  the  lot  of  the  medical  practitioner  and 
has  since  enjoyed  a  constantly  increasing- 
success.  By  reading  and  study  he  keeps  in 
touch  with  the  advanced  thought  and  prog- 
ress made  by  the  medical  science  as  exem- 
I)lified  in  the  work  of  the  fraternity,  and 
his  labiirs  ha\-e  been  of  great  value  to  the 
Cduimunity  in  which  he  is  located,  as  well 
as  pr(i\-ing  a  source  of  good  income  to  him- 
self. 

In  1871  Dr.  \'ermillion  was  united  in 
marriage  to  ]\Iiss  Amelia  G.  Ball,  who  was 
born  in  York,  Clark  county,  Illinois,  a 
daughter  of  Aaron  and  Susan  (Bennett) 
Ball,  the  former  a  native  of  Xew  Jersey  and 
the  latter  of  Xew  Y'-rk.  Her  fatJier  is  n.  iw 
deceased.  Untn  Dr.  and  :\lr>.  Wrmillion 
were  born  four  childr.en:  Jonathan,  of  Kan- 
sas City,  Missouri ;  Carl,  who  is  living  in 
Lyons;  Mrs.  Mary  Suttle.  of  Rice  county, 
Kansas;  and  Clyde,  who  is  yet  under  the 
parental  roof.  Llrs.  Vermillion  died  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1883.  and  October  5,  1887.  Dr. 
Vermillion  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Ida  Nichcsls,  of  Kingsville,  ]\Iissouri.  To 
this  tmif-jn  ha\-e  been  bo+n  six  children.  \\z. : 
Archie,  Harry  Percival,  Grace,  Charlie, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years,  Louin 
Edgar,  Jr.,  and  Frank.  The  Doctor  exer- 
cises his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Democracy,  and 
socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  exemplifying  in  his  life  the 
beneficent  spirit  of  those  orders,  which 
recognize  the  hrotherhix^d  of  mankind  and 
the  claims  of  humanity  for  fcrbearai-ice, 
charily  and  aid..  He  is  likewise  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Ancient  -order  of  United 
Workn-icii.  Beth  he  and  his  wife  hold  mem- 
bership in  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church, 
of  which  he  i-  'Serving  as  trustee.  The  Doc- 
tor is  now  acting  as  physician  for  the  INIis- 
souri  Pacific  Railroad  Company  and  his 
standing  in  his  profession  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  he  is  chairman  of  the  Rice  County 
Medical  Society.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  per- 
sonal appearance,  being  six  feet  and  two 
inches  in  height  and  weighing  two  hundred 
and  thirty  pounds.    His  manner  is  frank  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


courteous,  and  he  wins  friends  wherever  he 
goes.  As  a  citizen  he  is  public  spirited  and 
progressive.  The  causes  of  education,  of 
temperance  and  of  morality  are  all  dear  to 
his  heart,  and  he  is  a  champion  of  every 
measure  calculated  to  prove  of .  general 
g"Ood. 


CHARLES  P.   DULLER. 

One  of  the  best  known  farmers  of  Ger- 
man birth  in  Renoi  count}',  Kansas,  is  Charles 
P.  Miller,  of  section  _:;,  Ilunts\ille  town- 
ship, whose  post  office  address  is  lluntsville. 
Like  most  American  citizens  of  his  nation- 
ality he  is  a  man  of  enterprise  and  thrift 
who  believes  in  doing  for  the  community  in 
which  he  lives  as  much  as  the  comnumity 
can  possibly  do  for  him. 

Charles  P.  Miller  was  born  in  the  old 
family  home  of  the  ^Millers  on  the  Rhine,  in 
Germany,  July  29,  1835,  a  son  of  John  Mil- 
ler, who  owned  lands  and  mill  property  and 
who  died  in  Germany  in  1837,  leaving  a 
widow  and  five  chilcjfen,  three  of  whom  are 
sons.  Mrs.  Miller  disposed  of  her  property 
in  her  native  land  and  with  some  little  cap- 
ital came  to  America  with  her  children  about 
1S43.  She  located  in  Cuyahoga  county, 
C)hiii,  and  died  at  the  residence  of  her  son, 
George  E.  Miller,  a  successful  farmer  in 
Franklin  county,  Missouri,  in  1872,  aged 
se\-enty-five  years.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  received  a  fair  education  in  Germany 
and  was  reared  on  a  farm  about  five  miles 
from  Cleveland,  Ohio,  which  was  owned  by 
his  mother.  In  1857  she  sold  her  land  in 
Ohio,  and  with  many  othft's  went  to  Mis- 
souri, where  cheap  and  good  land  was  pro- 
curable at  that  time  and-  where  they  bought 
one  hundred  and  eighty  acres'  and  later 
eighty  acres.  This  property  was  purchased 
bv  Charles  P.  Miller  and  his  brother.  George 
F.,  and  is  located  in  Eranklin  county,  Mis- 
souri, fifty-four  miles  west  of  St.  Louis. 

Augaist  16.  i860,  Mr.  Miller  married 
Sophronia  Paulina  Woodland,  who  was 
born  in  Missouri,  in  1835,  a  daughter  of 
James  \\'oodland.  August  23,  1863,  cur 
subject   enlisted   in    Company   D.    Eleventh 


Regiment,  Missouri  \"olunteer  Infantry, 
with  which  he  saw  active  service  until  he 
was  honorably  discharged,  January  15, 
1866.  He  went  into  the  service  as  a  private 
and  came  out  Avith  the  rank  of  a  corporal. 
He  went  to  Stafford  county,  in  western  Kan- 
sas, in  1879,  and  in  1883  removed  to  Hunts- 
ville  township,  Reno  county,  where  he 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  un- 
improved prairie  land,  in  the  following  year, 
for  ten  hundred  and  forty  dollars.  He  had 
previously  sold  his  eighty-acre  farm  in  ]\Iis- 
souri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  -Miller  ha\-e  had  three 
sons  and  three  daughters,  all  but  one  of 
wdiom  are  married.  ,  Their  son,  John  Thom- 
as Miller,  who  is  unmarried,  manages  his 
father's  homestead.  Ferdinand,  born  May 
8,  1861,  is  a  farmer  in  Oklahoma,  and  has 
three  sons.  Eliza  Jane  married  Jacob  Dean 
and  has  two  children.  She  lives  in  Kansas 
City,  Kansas.  Charles  Miller  is  a  farmer  hi 
Oklahoma  territory.  He  is  married  but  has 
no  children.  Amelia  married  John  Speniol, 
of  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  and  has  two 
sons  and  a  daughter.  Emma  married  Oron 
Saxton,  and  lives  in  Hayes  township. 

\\'hen  Mr.  Miller  entered  the  army  as  a 
volunteer  it  was  not  without  a  good  knowd- 
edge  of  the  perils  he  would  be  called  upon 
to  endure,  for  he  had  seen  acti\e  service  in 
the  home  g"uard,  and  his  services  in  behalf 
of  the  flag  were  so  well  appreciated  that  he 
is  the  recipient  of  a  pension  of  seventeen 
dollars  a  month.  Politically  he  is  an  inde- 
pendent voter.  He  is  a  Protestant  and  has 
been  guided  through  life  by  the  Golden 
Rule.  A  man  of  much  public  spirit,  he  has 
given  an  active  and  liberal  support  to  every 
movement  which  in  his  good  judgment  has 
promised  to  benefit  his  township  and  county. 


E.  H.  NORRIS.  • 

Among  the  enterprising  business  men  of 
Gene;eo  is  E.  H.  Norris,  who  is  at  the  head 
of  an  extensive  mercantile  establishment.  He 
was  born  in  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  Jan- 
uary 8,  1856.  a  son  of  S.  M.  Korris,  who 
was  called  to  the  home  beyond  in  1900,  at 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


■63 


the  ripe  okl  age  of  eiglity-five  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  a  prominent  and  influen- 
tial Indiana  family.  His  wife  bore  the  maid- 
en name  of  Rachel  JNIoore,  and  they  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  five  sons  and 
two  daughters.  One  son,  R.  ^l.  Xorris,  is 
now  an  enterprising  business  man  of  Paw- 
nee county,  Kansas. 

F.  H.  Norris  w^as  reared  under  the  pa- 
rental roof  and  received  a  good  common- 
school  educatiijn.  He  came  to  Kansas  in 
1884,  locating  in  Hodgman  county,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  business  for  three  years. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period,  in  1887, 
he  took  up  his  abode  in  Rice  county,  where 
he  has  since  been  identified  with  its  mercan- 
tile interests.  He  is  now  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leading  merchants  of  Geneseo.  His 
large  store  is  located  in  the  bank  block,  and 
there  he  carries  a  large  line  of  dry  goods, 
boots,  shoes,  groceries  and  everything  tO'  be 
found  in  a  first-class  establishment  of  that 
kind. 

When  twenty-four  vears  of  age  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  ]\Iiss  Viola  Brook, 
a  lady  of  intelligence  and  culture,  who  was 
born,  reared  and  educated  in  loiwa.  Her 
father,  ^^'illiam  Brook,  is  now  deceased. 
Three  children  have  come  to  bless  the  home 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norris, — Earl  F.,  Cecil  B. 
and  Fern.  Our  subject  is  a  Mason  and  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  the  cause  of  education  e\'er  finding 
in  him  a  warm  friend.  He  is  a  public-spir- 
ited and  progressive  citizen,  lending  his  aid 
and  co-i  iperation  to  every  movement  for  the 
pulilic  giiud  an  is  a  reliable  business  man 
who  fullv  merits  the  confidence  reposed  in 


HANDSEL  A.  ABBOTT. 

Kansas,  which  before  the  Civil  war  was 
the  theatre  of  dire  sectional  strife,  is  now 
ground  common  to  both  federal  and  confed- 
erate where  they  may  not  only  talk  over  the 
events  of  those  days  of  battle  and  of  death 
from  1 86 1  tO'  1865,  but  where  they  meet  as 


friends  and  live  together  as  brothers.  This 
thought  is  suggested  by  the  fact  that  Kansas 
contains  a  large  percentage  of  citizens  from 
the  south,  and  these  are  among  her  most 
progressive,  successful  and  highly  appre- 
ciated business  men.  Of  the  prominent  citi- 
zens of  Reno  county  of  southern  birth  and 
experience  none  is  known  more  widely  or 
more  favorably  than  the  gentleman  whose 
name  is  above,  and  none  has  better  reasons 
for  remembering  the  Civil  war  and  the  sec- 
tional hate  and  personal  animosity  which 
were  engendered  by  the  causes  which  led  to 
it  and  were  fostered  by  its  strenuous  activ- 
ities. 

Handsel  A.  Abbott,  of  the  firm  of  Abbott 
&  Henshaw,  dealers  in  lumber,  hardware, 
grain  and  coal,  at  Plevna,  Reno  county, 
Kansas,  was  born  on  Lookout  Mountain, 
Franklin  county,  Tennessee,  May  26,  1853, 
and  his  earliest  recollections  are  of  those 
days  and  scenes  which  so  sorely  tried  men's 
souls  in  every  part  of  the  United  States.  His 
father,  Thomas  Henry  Abbott,  was  born 
near  Atlanta.  Georgia,  in  1818.  and  died  at 
East  St.  Louis,  Illinois,  in  June,  1899.  His 
mother  was  Huldah  L.  Simmons,  and  she 
came  of  an  old  Georgia  family.  Thomas 
Henry  and  HuUIah  L.  (  Simmons )  Abbott 
had  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom 
in  order  of  birth  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  the  third  son  and  fourth  child.  All  of 
their  children  except  two  of  the  daughters 
are  living.  Monrr.c,  who  is  a  cattle  rancher 
in  northwest  Texa>.  wa^  thr'iui;h  the  whole 
period^  of  the  Ci\il  war  caplain  >•{  a  mili- 
tary company  in  the  Confederate  service. 
Louisa  Elizabeth  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven,  leaving  one  son.  George  B., 
a  dealer  in  lumber  and  coal  at  East  St. 
Louis,  Illinois,  has  two  daughters.  Handsel 
A.  is  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Lorenzo  Dow,  a  dealer  in  lumber  and  coal 
at  East  St.  Louis.  Illinois,  has  a  daughter. 
Julia  Ann  died  at  about  the  age  of  thirty 
years  and  left  one  daughter.  Lydia  N.  is 
the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Doyle,  of  McPherson 
I  county,  Kansas.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
I  dren  was  born  in  1819  and'  died  at  East  St. 
1  Louis,  Illinois,  in  1896. 

Thomas  Henr^■  Abbott  was  bv  nrofes- 


i64 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


sion  a  dentist  and  was  the  owner  of  a  sec- 
tion of  land  and  of  about  three  slaves,  and 
his  \\ife's  parents  were  planters  and  slave 
owners.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  his 
financial  interests  might  have  appeared  to 
be  jeopardized  by  such  action,  he  enlisted  in 
the  federal  army  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in 
1861.  and  served  much  of  the  time  for  three 
years  as  a  scout  and  as  a  guidfe  to  the  Union 
froces.  He  was  twice  captured,  and  once, 
with  a  rope  around  his  neck,  was  threatened 
with  a  speedy  death,  but  was  saved  through 
recognition  as  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order  by  some  of  the  leaders  of  these  would- 
be  executioners.  Once,  while  he  was)  on  a 
visit  to  his  old  home,  enemies  approached 
and  he  was  obliged  to  flee  and  was  pursued 
by  bloodhounds.  He  managed  to  climb  into 
a  mulberry  tree,  from  which  he  fired  at  the 
dogs  until  they  were  all  dead,  after  which 
he  escaped  to  the  Union  camp  at  Huntsville, 
Alabama.  So  strong  was  the  feeling  against 
Union  men  in  his  vicinity  that  he  found  it 
impossible  to  remain  there  and,  sacrificing 
all  his  property,  including  several  blooded 
horses  and  considerable  other  fine  stock,  he 
escaped  with  his  family,  and  they  made  their 
way  to  Mattoon,  Illinois,  where  he  joined 
them  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Mr.  Abbott 
who  was  a  well  educated  man  of  gentle- 
manly bearing-  and'  was  known  as  a  temper- 
ance advocate,  was  an  outspoken  abolition- 
ist before  the  war  began  and  was  averse  to 
the  war.  Two  attempts  were  made  to  con- 
script him  and  compel  him  to  do  duty  as  a 
Confederate  soldier,  but  those  who  made 
them  were  outwitted  and  as  has  been  stated 
he  did  everything  in  his  power  to  aid  the 
federal  cause. 

Handsel  A.  Abbott  was  married  ]\Iay  26, 
1S82,  to  ]Miss  Ida  Campbell  of  Ple\-na  town- 
ship, Reno  county,  who  was  born  at  Bay 
City,  !^Iichigan,  a  daughter  of  N.  R,  and  Al- 
mira(  Dickson)  Campbell,  natives  of  the  state 
of  New  York,  and  early  settlers  at  Bay  City. 
In.  August,  1S73,  ^Ii'-  Campbell  went  3:0 
Plevna  township  and  secured  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land,  partly  on  a  home- 
stead claim  and  partly  on  a  tree  claim,  and 
his  son.  J.  W.  Campbell,  took  up  one  hun- 
dred and  sixtv  acres  on  a  homestead  claim. 


At  that  time  no  one  lived  where  the  village 
of  Plevna  has.  since  grown  up,  and  the 
Campbells  had  but  one  neighbor  within  four 
miles.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  reared  six 
children,  all  that  were  born  to  them  and  all 
are  living  in  central  Kansas.  ]\Ir.  Campbell 
died  in  January,  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two  and  his  widow  removed  from  their  farm 
to  Plevna,  where  she  is  living,  aged  sixty- 
nine  years. 

Mrs.  Abbott's  mother.  Mrs.  Almira 
(Dickson)  Campbell,  was  born  in  Taberg. 
Oneida  county,  New  York,  June  30,  1832.  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Sarah  (Smart) 
Dickson.  Her  father,  who  was  a  foundry- 
man,  reared  seven  children  to  years  of  ma- 
turity and  five  of  them  married.  At  this 
time  there  are  living  Mrs.  Abbott's  aunt. 
Adelia  (Dickson)  Berry,  in  Lebanon  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  and  her  uncle,  O.  A.  Dick- 
son, of  West  Alton,  Missouri.  N.  R.  Camp- 
bell, Mrs.  Abbott's'  father,  was  born  in  Erie 
county.  New  York,  in  1820,  and  was  mar- 
ried in  Lebanon  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1850,  to  Almira  Dickson,  audi  they  settled 
at  Bay  City,  Michigan,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  lumiber  mills..  N.  R.  and  Almira 
(Dickson)  Campbell  had  six  children,  as 
follows:  J.  W.,  a  farmer  near  Plevna,  and 
has  two  sons;  Ida,  the  wife  of  Handsel  A. 
Abbott;  J.  J.,  of  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  and 
has  four  children ;  Dean,  who  married  John 
W.  Hanon,  who  lives  near  Plevna,  and  they 
have  four  children;  Julia,  who  married  A. 
T.  Dunham,  of  Plevna,  and  has  six  children : 
Georgia,  who  married  \^^illiam  H.  jMitchell, 
and  has  two  children.  Mr.  Campbell  went 
from  Oakland  county,  Michigan,  to  Plevna 
township  in  the  fall  of  1872  and_was  a  suc- 
■cessful  fanner  until  he  was  stricken  by  par- 
alysis, which  for  two  years  before  his  death 
made  him  a  helpless  invalid. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abbott  have  a  daughter  of 
eighteen  years  who  is  now  securing  an  edu- 
cation and  giving  much  attention  to  music, 
being  an  accomplished  musician  on  the 
piano.  She  is  taking  lessons  from  one  of  the 
best  teachers  in.  Hutchinson.  Mr.  Abbott  is 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  of  the  ^Modern  \Voodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  of  the  ffiood  Templars.    He  is  a  man 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


165 


of  much  public  spirit  and  is  well  and  witlely 
known  through  central  Kansas.  He  came 
to  the  state  with  his  parents  in  1870.  locat- 
ed in  Plevna  township  in  1880  and  bought 
a  half  section  of  land  and  engaged  in  stock- 
raising.  He  located  in  Plevna  in  1885  and 
bought  out  the  Knapp,  Stout  &  Company's 
enterprise  for  three  thousand  dollars.  He 
now  does  a  prosperous  business,  aggregat- 
ing about  twenty  thousand  dollars  annually. 
His  lumber  plant  is  a  good  one,  with  a  com- 
modious office  and  ample  sheds  for  dry  lum- 
ber. His  hardware  store  is  one  of  the  best 
in  his  part  of  the  state,  and  besides  selling- 
much  hardware  and  building  material  he 
sells  a  considerable  number  of  buggies  and 
wagons  every  year.  He  built  his  modern 
two-story  residence  in  1886,  and  his  home 
is  one  of  the  pleasantest  in  Plevna.  He  owns 
about  five  acres  of  village  property,  on  which 
he  has  built  several  houses  for  sale  and  lease. 
An  enterprising,  successful  man,  he  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of 
his  county  and  is  highly  respected  by  a  wide 
circle  of  acquaintances. 


JOHN  J.  2^IEASER. 

If  a  special  blessing  awaits  the  one  who 
makes  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  one 
grew  before  how  many  blessings  should  be 
showered  upon  one  who  has  turned  acres  of 
sandy  and  unproductive  land  into  fruitful 
orchards,  delightful  both  to  the  eye  and  to 
the  palate!  This  has  been  accomplished  by 
one  of  the  prominent  and  deser\-edly  suc- 
cessful cy:izens  of  RenO'  township,  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  who  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  state  since  1881; 

John  J.  Measer,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, was  born  in  Tioga  county.  New  York, 
near  Owego,  on  June  16,  1839,  a  son  of 
Peter  and  Dora  (Stauf¥)  Measer,  the  form- 
er of  whom  was  born  in  Germany  but  after 
their  marriage  came  to  America  and  located 
upon  wild  land  in  Tioga  county,  New  York. 
There  he  cleared  a  fine  farm  and  there  the 
parents  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
dving  consistent  members  of  the  Lutheran 


church.  Air.  JNIeaser  was  the  se\enth  and 
youngest  member  of  their  famih'  and  re- 
mained at  home,  in  attendance  at  school  and 
at  work  on  the  farm,  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  During  a  part  of  the  Civil 
war  he  was  connected  with  the  construction 
department,  with  headcjuarters  at  Chatta- 
nooga, Tennessee,  and  assisted  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  bridge  at  Loudon  and  helped  to 
rebuild  all  the  britlges  between  Chattanooga 
and  Atlanta,  Georgia.  He  was  on  his  way 
home  at  the  time  of  the  assassination  of 
President  Lincoln.  After  his  return  from 
the  war  he  remained  at  his  old  home  in  New- 
York  for  one  year,  after  which  for  the  fol- 
lowing three  years  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  and  he  then 
came  to  Kansas,  securing  a  homestead  in 
Pottawatomie  county.  He  had  wisely 
brought  his  team  with  him,  and  he  broke  his 
land  and  engaged  in  grain  sowing  and  in 
planting  nursery  stock,  continuing  in  that 
line  until  he  came  to  Reno  county,  in  1881, 
the  former  county  not  yielding  sufficient  re- 
ward for  his  effort  on  account  of  its  hilly 
and  rocky  character.  After  locating  in  this 
county,  upon  a  quarter  section  of  land  pur- 
chased from'  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  he  be- 
gan in  the  same  industrious  way  which  had 
partially  rewarded  him  at  his  former  home. 
This  was  then  wild  prairie  and  he  under- 
went all  his  former  pioneer  experiences.  At 
first  he  cultivated  grain,  but  his  inclinations 
were  in  the  direction  of  nursery  planting, 
and  with  his  knowledge,  observation  and  ex- 
perience he  believed  he  could  grovw  as  fine 
fruit   on   his   land  as   on   any  other.      His 

i  neighbors  gave  him  much  advice  upon  the 
subject  of  a  very  discouraging  nature,  but 
Mr.  Measer  persisted  and  soon  had  his  sandy 
acres  covered  with  flourishing  peach,  app'le. 
cherry  and  plum  trees,  which  have  never 
failed  to  produce  the  best  and  most  luscious 
fruit  to  be  found  in  the  county.  He  owns 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  and 
raises  corn,  wheat  and  oats,  but  forty  acres 

I  of  his  land  is  covered  with  his  orchard.  The 
only  fruit  he  does  not  attemj)t  to  raise  is 
pears,  as  he  has  found  they  blight  in  tliis 
climate.  !\Ir.  Measer  has  been  quite  a  trav- 
eler, going  from  one  ocean  to  the  1  tlier  and 


!66 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


far  both  north  and  south,  and  has  been  a 
close  observer  in  every  locajity.  In  addition 
to  his  other  industries  lie  has  an  apiary,  con- 
sisting of  seventy  colunies  of  bees,  and  has 
a  local  market  for  all  of  his  honey.  Mr. 
Measer  is  also  a  breeder  of  fine  poultry  and 
owns  some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  geese 
in  the  state,  having  imrported  them  from 
Iowa,  and  they  are  known  as  the  Toulouse 
breed. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Measer  occurred 
in  New  York,  in  1862,  to  Jane  Wiggins,  a 
native  of  that  state  and  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Wiggins.  Seven  children  were  born  of  this 
marriage,  one  of  whom,  Charles,  died  at  the 
age  of  seventeen.  The  others  are:  William, 
who  is  a  farmer  in  this  township;  Mar}-,  the 
wife  of  Carl  Jacobson,  of  Portland,  Oregon ; 
Sadie,  now  Mrs.  Casey,  and  a  resident  of 
Iowa;  Jessie,  the  wife  of  E.  M.  Corrie  and 
resides  on  the  homestead:  Freda,  who  lives 
in  Hutchinson;  and  Millie,  at  home.  In 
1899  "Sir.  Measer  remodeled  "and  rebuilt  his 
residence  and  now  owais  one  of  the  most 
attractive  and  delightful  homes  in  Reno 
county.  His  success  has  been  so  remark- 
able and  his  surroundings  are  so  delightful 
that  the  Orange  Judd  Farmer,  a  large  agri- 
cultural journal,  devoted  its  front  page  in 
its  issue  of  March  2,  1901,  to  a  picture  of 
Mr.  Measer  and  his  beautiful  home.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  in  sympathy  with  the  Republican 
party,  but  has  never  consented  to  accept  of- 
ficial position.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, while  he  has  long  been  a  leading  mem- 
ber and  a  cheerful  and  liberal  supporter  of 
the  Presbvterian  church. 


JOHN  GILCHRIST. 


Among  the  honored  pioneers  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Kingman  county  none 
are  more  highly  respected  than  John  Gil- 
christ, who  now  owns  a  fine  farm  on  sec- 
tions 14  and  15,  Ninnescah  township.  He 
is  a  native  of  the  land  of  hills  and  heather, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  the  county  of 
Argyle,   Scotland,  in  November,    1842,  the 


same  year  in  which  King  Edward  was  born. 
The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Neal  and 
Isabella  (Gillis)  Gilchrist,  also  natives  of 
the  highlands  of  Scotland,  and  they  spoke 
the  Gaelic  language.  The  father  was  acci- 
dentally killed  while  yet  in  the  prime  of  life, 
passing  away  at  the  early  age  of  thirtv-seven 
years.  He  was  honored  and  respected  by  all 
who  had  the  pleasure  of  liis  acquaintance, 
and  at  his  death  he  left  a  widow  and  four 
children, — John,  of  this  review;  Duncan,  of 
Canada  ;  Dugald,  who  was  accidentally  killed 
at  a  barn  raising:  and  Jane  McLean,  of  Can- 
ada. 

John  Gilchrist,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  but  a  lad  of  twelve  years 
when  with  his  parents  he  left  the  land  of  his 
nativity  for  the  new  world,  the  family  locat- 
ing in  St.  Thomas,  County  Elgin,  Canada. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  was  appren- 
ticed to  learn  the  shoemaker's  trade,  and 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  business  career 
he  has  followed  that  occupation.  In  1864 
he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  for  some 
years  thereafter  he  resided  in  different  local- 
ities, traveling  through  Michigan,  Illinois 
and  Indiana,  and  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  he 
was  employed  by  McGraw,  Smith  &  Bald- 
win. The  latter  afterward  became  governor 
of  that  state.  For  a  time  he  also  worked  at 
his  trade  in  Monrovia,  Indiana,  and  was 
there  married.  Mr.  Gilchrist  remained  in 
the  Hoosier  state  from  1867  to  1878,  during 
which  time  he  made  a  \-isit  to  his  old  home 
in  Canada,  and  tlien  came  to  Kansas  in  the 
latter  _\ear,  where  he  secured  a  claim'  and  also 
followed  his  trade  in  Wichita  and  Kingman 
for  a  number  of  years.  In  recent  years, 
however,  he  has  abandoned  the  sltoemaker's 
trade  and  now  devotes  his  entire  time  and 
attention  to  the  farm,  which  consists  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  excellent 
and  well  cultivated  land  on  sections  14  and 
15,  Ninnescah  township,  Kingman  county. 
In  addition  to  the  raising  of  the  cereals  best 
adapted  to  this  soil  and  climate  he  is  also 
engaged  quite  extensively  in  stock-raising, 
and  in  both  branches  of  his  business  he  is 
meeting  with  a  high  and  well  merited  degree  ' 
of  success. 

The  ladv  who  now  bears  the  name  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


167 


Airs.  Gilchrist  was  in  her  maidenhood  Aliss 
Saraii  Brown.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Ann  (Wass)  Brown.  Six  children  have 
blessed  the  union  of  our  subject  and  wife, 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  namely :  Ste- 
phen, of  Gary,  Oklahoma:  Neal,  in  the  res- 
taurant business  in  Alva,  Oklahoma ;  Bruce, 
at  hiinie:  Finley,  who  is  now  twenty-one 
vears  (jf  age:  Lula  J.,  a  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful teacher  of  this  county ;  Laura,  a 
maiden  of  sixteen  years.  Two  of  their  chil- 
dren have  also  passed  away  in  death, — Belle, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years ;  and  Du- 
gakl,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  months. 
Mr.  Gilchrist  gives  his  political  support  to 
the  People's  party,  and  religiously  his  wife 
is  a  member  of  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  holds  to  the  old  Presbyterian 
faith  of  his  fathers. 


HARVEY    WIGGINS. 

The  agriculttiral  interests  of  Rice  couhty 
are  well  represented  by  Harvey  \Viggins, 
who  devotes  his  time  to  farming  and  stock- 
raising  in  Atlanta  township.  For  twenty- 
six  years  he  has  resided  in  this  locality.  He 
was  born  in  Coshocton  count}-,  Ohio,  No- 
venaber  3,  1849,  'i"'!  'S  a  son  of  Benjamin 
^^'iggins,  whose  birth  occurred  on  the  same 
farm,  and  he  is  now  eighty-one  years  of 
age.  The  grandfather,  Edward  Wiggins, 
was  born  in  the  panhandle  of  West  Vir- 
ginia. His  parents,  however,  were  natives 
of  Ireland,  and  when  young  people  left  the 
Emerald  Isle  for  the  new  world.  Remov- 
ing from  his  native  state  Edward  Wiggins 
took  up  his  abode  in  Coshocton  county, 
Ohio,  on  Wills  creek,  a  branch  of  Muskin- 
gum river.  There  he  cleared  a  tract  of  land 
and  developed  a  farm,  upon  which  he  made 
his  home  from  1807  until  his  death.  His 
son,  Benjamin  \\'iggins.  was  there  reared 
amid  the  wild  scenes  of  frontier  life  and 
became  familiar  with  pioneer  experiences 
in  Ohio.  Having  attained  man's  estate  he 
married  Jemima  Magnus,  who  was  born  in 


Coshocton  county,  a  daughter  of  George 
Magnus.  Unto  Mr.  and  Airs.  Wiggins 
were  born  ten  children,  of  whom  si.x  are 
living,  namely :  Edward,  who  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Union  army  and  is  now  living 
in  Coshocton  county;  Samuel,  who  has  a 
similar  record  for  army  service  and  is  also 
a  resident  of  Coshocton  coimty:  John,  who 
wore  the  blue  during  the  Civil  war  and  now 
makes  his  home  in  Rice  coimty,  Kansas; 
Harvey,  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Alary  Will- 
iams, of  Coshocton  county ;  and  Airs.  Aman- 
da ^Vorkman,  who  is  living  in  the  same 
county.  Those  who  have  passed  away  are : 
Seth.  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years; 
Benjamin,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years ; 
and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  The  mother 
reached  the  psalmist's  span  of  three-score 
years  and  ten  and  then  departed  this  life, 
honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  her.. 
The  father,  however,  has  reached  the  age 
of  eightv-one  years  and  is  still  living  on  the 
ancestral  home  in  Coshocton  county,  where 
throughout  his  active  business  career  he 
carried  on  farming  and  stock-raising.  In 
politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican  and 
gave  three  of  his  sons  to  the  Union  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war.  Like  him  they  were  all 
stanch  admirers  of  Lincoln.  Honored  and 
respected  he  has  lived  an  upright  life  and 
enjoyetl  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  young 
and  old,  rich  and  poor,  wherever  he  is 
known. 

Harvey  Wiggins,  the  well  known  resi- 
dent farmer  of  Atlanta  township.  Rice  coun- 
ty, was  reared  on  the  old  homestead,  and 
the  plowing-,  planting  and  harvesting  be- 
came familiar  to  him  in  youth.  His  liter- 
ary training  was  received  in  the  public 
schools  of  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Isabella 
Sturtz,  who  was  born  in  Muskingum  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Jane 
(W'iggins)  Sturtz,  of  that  state.  The  young- 
couple  began  their  domestic  life  in  his  na- 
tive county,  where  they  resided  until  1875, 
when  they  removed  to  Jefiferson  county,  Ne- 
braska, but  after  five  months  there  passed 
came  to  Rice  county,  Kansas.  Here  Air. 
Wiggins  purchased  a  homestead  claim,  upon 
which  he  yet  resides.    He  has  greatly  im- 


[6S 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


nroved  it,  making  it  one  of  the  valuable 
farms  of  the  count)-,  and  his  tract  of  land  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  yields  to 
him  a  good  return.  Its  improvements  are 
modern  and  indicate  his  progressive  spirit. 
A  comfortable  residence,  a  substantial  barn, 
sheds,  an  orchard  and  richly  cultivated  fields 
give  evidence  of  his  thrift  and  care.  He  also 
has  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  fine 
land  in  IMitchell  township.  Rice  county,  and 
is  thus  extensively  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  Stock-raising  has  also  proved  to 
him  a  profitable  source  of  income. 

In  1884  Mr.  Wiggins  was  called  upon 
to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  Sep- 
tember 21.  of  that  year,  in  tlie  faith  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  she 
was  a  consistent  member.  She  was  also  a 
devoted  wife  and  mother  and  a  kind  neigh- 
bor. She  had  three  children :  Ada,  now  the 
wife  of  David  Foreman,  of  Harrington, 
Kansas;  Ella,  wife  of  Daniel  Bru'baker  of 
\\'ashita  county,  Oklahoma;  and  Jesse,  who 
married  Delia  'Monroe  and  resides  in  Mitch- 
ell township.  Rice  county.  On  the  22d  of 
February,  1888,  Mr.  Wiggins  was  joined  in 
wedlock  to  Alary  E.  Brubaker,  an  estimable 
lady,  who  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Ten- 
nessee, her  parents  being  Jonathan  and  Mar- 
garet (Carter)  Brubaker.  Her  father  was 
Ijorn  in  Virginia  and  has  now  passed  away, 
Ijut  her  mother  is  living  in  Rice  county.  He 
devoted  his  energies  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in 
death,  when  he  had  attained  the  age  of  sixty- 
three.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and 
was  an  elder  in  the  German  Baptist  church, 
in  which  his  wife  also  held  membership, 
while  his  children  are  of  the  same  religious 
faith.  In  the  Brubaker  family  were  four 
daughters  and  three  sons,  namely:  Nancv, 
Mary  E.,  ^Margaret,  John,  Benjamin,  Will- 
iam and  Lucy.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wiggins  has  been  blessed  with  four 
children, — John  F.,  Leora  M.,  Blanche  and 
Har*-ey  Stanley.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Wiggins  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  as 
township  treasurer,  while  for  fifteen  years 
he  has  labored  earnestlv  and  effectively  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  His  wife 
belongs  to  the  German  Baptist  church.    His 


landed  possessions  comprise  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  Rice  county,  and  his  property 
is  the  visible  evidence  of  a  life  of  usefulness 
and  activity.  He  is  a  champion  of  educa- 
tion, temperance  and  morality,  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  valued,  progressive  and 
upright  citizens  of  his  adopted  county. 


JUDGE    W.  -B.    CONNER. 

Judge  \\\  B.  Conner  is  an  honored  pio- 
neer settler  of  Rice  county.  He  came  to 
this  portion  of  the  state  many  years  ago 
and  found  the  broad  prairies  unmarked  by 
the  homes  of  settlers,  the  land  being  in  its 
primitive  condition.  \\'ild  prairie  grass, 
waving  in  the  wind,  resembled  a  billowy  sea 
of  green.  Bufifaloes,  antelopes  and  other  wild 
animals  found  here  excellent  pasturage, 
and  the  most  far-sighted  could  not  have 
dreamed  that  within  a  brief  interval  of  time 
a  great  transfomiation  couJd  have  taken 
place,  changing  the  broad  prairies  into  rich- 
1}'  cultivated  farms.  In  the  work  of  im- 
provanent  and  progress  .-Ir.  Conner  has 
borne  his  part,  and  his  name  is  thus  insep- 
arably' interwoven  with  the  history  of  cen- 
tral Kansas,  in  whose  advancement  and  im- 
provement he  feels  just  and  commendable 
pride. 

He  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio, 
April  7,  1825,  and  was  reared  to  the  hon- 
est toil  of  the  farm,  while  in  the  common 
schools  he  pursued  his  education.  His  par- 
ents, James  and  Jane  (Brooks)  Conner, 
were  both  natives  of  Susquehanna  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  were  there  married,  while 
the  grandfather.  Caliph  Conner,  was  born 
on  the  green  isle  of  Erin.  Crossing  the 
Atlantic  to  the  new  world,  he  took  up  his 
abode  in  the  Keystone  state  and  became 
a  prominent  farmer  there,  following  that 
pursuit  until  life's  labors  were  ended  in 
death.    He  had  but  two  children,  the  elder 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


169 


dying-  in  Pennsylvania.  Both  the  grandfa- 
thers were  soldiers  of  the  Revolutionary 
war. 

James  Conner,  the  father  of  onr  subject, 
remained  in  that  state  until  his  marriage 
and  soon  afterward  removed  to  Butler  coun- 
ty. Ohio,  becoming  one  of  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers there.  He  entered  land  from  the  gov- 
ernment, developed  a  farm  and  there  re- 
mained until  1829,  when  he  removed  to 
Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  where  he 
again  purchased  land  and  carried  on  farm- 
ing. On  selling  that  property  he  went  to 
Kankakee  county,  Illinois,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm,  but  after  his  children  were 
married  and  had  left  home  he  broke  up 
housekeeping  and  went  to  live  with  a  daugh- 
ter in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  where  he  died 
in  1863,  at  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-eight 
years.  In  early  life  he  had  learned  the 
trade  of  a  stone  and  brick  mason,  and  also 
weaving,  but  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  business  career  he  carried  on  agricult- 
ural pursuits.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch 
Democrat,  yet  never  aspired  to  office. 
Reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  ihe  always  adhered  to  that  doctrine, 
and  was  a  man  of  stern  disposition  and 
sturdy  integrity.  His  children  were:  James, 
who  died  in  Xess  county,  Kansas ;  Eleanor, 
deceased  wile  of  E.  Richardson:  Agnes, 
who  married  L.  Tender  and  after  his  death 
became  the  wife  of  Rev.  E.  Sargent :  Su- 
sanna, the  wife  of  J.  R.  Frogg;  Elizabeth, 
who  married  A.  R.  Frogg;  ]Mary,  the  wife 
of  J.  Wadkins ;  W.  B.,  of  this  review ;  John, 
who  died  in  Iowa ;  and  iMartha,  who  died  in 
childhood. 

W.  B.  Conner  was  reared  in  Indiana, 
where  his  parents  remained  during  his  early 
childhood.  He  remained  at  home  until  eight- 
een years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Will 
county,  Illinois,  and  secured  a  claim.  Subse- 
quently he  sold  that  property  and  entered 
another  tract  of  land,  on  which  he  made 
improvements.  On  again  selling  out  he  re- 
moved to  Iowa  and  entered  land  in  ^Mahaska 
county,  making  it  his  ho>ne  for  two  years, 
when  he  disposed  of  the  same  and  returned 
to  Will  county,  Illinois.  There  he  purchased 
and   sold  a  farm  and  bought  another  one, 


and  on  the  second  place  he  remained  until 
1872,  when  he  again  disposed  of  his  prop- 
erty and  came  to  Kansas,  locating  in  Rice 
county.  Here  he  secured  three  claims  and 
homesteaded  a  pre-emption  and  a  tree  claim, 
all  of  which  he  proved  up  and  still  owns 
the  land,  yet  residing  on  the  old  homestead 
claim.  At  difTerent  times  he  purchased 
other  property  and  has  sold  four  hundred 
acres,  but  still  owns  a  tract  of  more  than 
four  hundred  acres.  He  was  first  to  lo- 
cate upon  the  farm  which  has  since  been 
his  place  of  abode,  and  it  was  then  five 
miles  distant  to  the  home  of  any  neigh- 
bor. He  hauled  lumber  from  the  town 
of  Ellsworth  in  order  to  build  his 
house.  Game  of  all  kinds  was  plenti- 
ful, and  from  his  own  doorway  he  has 
shot  bufifaloes.  Wild  geese  and  other  kinds 
of  game  were  also  in  the  neighborhood.  !Mr. 
Conner  brought  with  him  horse  teams  and 
soon  began  breaking  his  land,  carrying  on 
stock  farming.  His  home  became  self-sus- 
taining, although  at  times  crops  have  not 
been  very  good,  and  in  1874  the  grasshop- 
pers destroyed  nearly  everything  raised  in 
this  sectioai  of  the  country.  Many  people 
became  dissatisfied  and  left  Kansas,  but  it 
was  a  time  of  merely  temporary  depression, 
as  almost  uniformly  the  fields  yield  good 
crops,  so  that  the  farmers  have  a  splendid 
return  for  the  labor  and  time  which  they 
bestow  in  cultivation.  j\Iany  years  have 
passed  since  Judge  Conner  first  won  a  place 
among  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  county. 
In  addition  to  general  farming  he  has  en- 
gaged in  stock-raising,  and  his  labors  in  this 
direction  have  been  crowned  with  pros- 
perity. 

\\'hile  residing  in  Indiana  the  Judge  was 
united  in  marriage,  in  1846,  to  Miss  Betsy 
A.  Mullen,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  but  was 
reared  in  Indiana,  and  was  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  Mullen,  of  New  Jersey.  Her 
father  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  but  followed 
farming  through  much  of  his  life.  He  died 
in  Indiana.  His  children  were:  Asenath, 
who  became  the  wife  of  P.  Mitchell;  Betsy 
A.,  wife  of  Judge  Conner;  William,  a 
banker,  who  died  in  Winfield,  Kansas;  Al- 
nivra,  who  married  H.  Harlan  and  after  his 


170 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


death  became  the  wife  of  John  Rose,  while 
her  third  husband  was  John  Funk;  and 
Kelsey,  who  completes  the  family.  The 
parents  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  By  his  first  marriage  Judge  Con- 
ner had  five  children:  James,  now  of  Chi- 
cago; John,  who  died  in  Rice  county;  Mrs. 
Matilda  J.  Rife;  ^Mary,  the  wife  of  James 
Pogue;  and  Abraham  L.  The  mother  was 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist 
church  from  the  age  of  eight  years.  She 
was  called  to  the  home  prepared  for  the 
righteous  in  September,  1872.  In  1873  the 
Judge  married  Mrs.  Sabine  Ambrose,  a 
widow,  and  a  daughter  of  Owen  Johns,  of 
Ohio,  who  removed  to  Illinois  and  in  1872 
came  to  Kansas,  locating  in  Rice  county. 
He  built  a  hotel  at  Atlanta,  which  he  car- 
ried on  for  some  time.  He  also  owned  a 
farm,  and  when  Lyons  was  made  the  county 
seat  he  remo\'ed  his  hotel  property  to  that 
place  and  there  resided  until  his  death. 
He  voted  with  the  Democracy.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Owen,  a  resident  of  Wilson 
county,  Kansas;  William;  Mrs.  Jane  Chis- 
on ;  ]\Iattie,  the  wife  of  a  ^Methodist  mis- 
sionary minister;  Sabine;  and  Belle,  the 
wife  of  John  Keys.  The  marriage  of  the 
Judge  and  ]\Irs.  Conner  has  been  blessed 
with  four  children :  Cora,  now  the  wife  of 
E.  Wilson;  ]\Iary,  who  is  attending  college; 
Frank  B.,  at  home:  and  Hugh,  who  is  a 
student  in  \Mnfield  College. 

Judge  Conner  has  ever  been  known  for 
his  marked  loyalty  to  his.  country  and  its 
interests,  and  during  the  war  of  the  rebel- 
lion he  enlisted  as  a  defender  of  the  Union, 
joining  the  army  in  Will  county,  Illinois, 
in  1862,  for  three  years'  service  or  during 
the  war.  He  became  a  member  of  the  One 
Hundredth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  un- 
der command  of  Colonel  Fred  Bartleson, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Cimi- 
berland,  with  the  Fourth  Corps,  Second 
Division,  Third  Brigade.  He  saw  much 
arduous  service,  was  in  many  skirmishes 
and  in  eighteen  hotly  contested  battles, 
went  on  many  long  and  tedious  niarches 
and  was  with  General  Thomas  on  the 
campaign  after  General  Hood.  On  the 
19th  of  September.   1S64,  at  Chickamauga, 


he  was  struck  by  a  minie  ball  in  the  right 
shoulder.  He  acted  as  chief  sergeant  of  his 
company  and  was  detailed  to  serve  as  com- 
mander at  Gallatin  for  four  months.  His 
wound  troubled  him  and  he  ^\■as  granted 
a  forty  days'  furlough,  but  as  he  had  not 
recovered  on  the  expiration  of  that  period 
the  time  was  extended  to  eighty  days.  He 
then  joined  his  command,  with  which  he  re- 
mained until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was 
at  Bull's  Gap  at  the  time  of  General  Lee's 
surrender.  Mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee, he  then  returned  to  Chicago,  where 
he  received  an  honorable  discharge,  after 
which  he  made  his  way  home.  He  had 
been  reared  in  the  Democratic  faith,  but  in 
1856,  when  the  Republican  party  Avas  or- 
ganized, he  voted  for  Fremont  and  contin- 
ued with  the  party  until  Grant's  second 
term,  when  he  joined  the  Greenback  party. 
Later  he  assisted  in  organizing  the  Reform 
or  Populist  party,  attending  its  conventions 
and  doing  everything  in  his  power  for  its 
progress.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  first 
county  Republican  convention  in  Rice  coun- 
ty, but  he  there  bolted  and  had  many  fol- 
lowers and  admirers  who  nominated  him  for 
the  office  of  probate  judge,  to  which  he 
was  elected  by  a  large  majority,  being  the 
second  person  chosen  to  that  office  in  Rice 
j  county.  During  his  term  he  resided  in  .\t- 
1  lanta,  then  the  county  seat.  He  has  always 
;  been  a  leading  factor  in  political  circles,  has 
been  active  in  naming  successful  candi- 
dates and  his  opinions  carry  weight  and  in- 
fluence in  party  councils.  During  his  early 
life  he  studied  law  and  was  the  first  young 
man  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Rice  county,  but 
he  has  never  engaged  in  practice  to  any  ex- 
tent. He  has  filled  many  local  offices  of 
honor  and  trust,  including  that  of  township 
treasurer,  in  which  he  served  for  two  terms. 
He  is  indeed  a  citizen  of  worth,  loyal  and 
faithful  to  every  trust  reposed  in  him.  On 
account  of  advanced  age  he  does  not  take 
an  active  part  in  public  affairs  as  he  for- 
merly did,  but  in  1900  he  attended  the  Pop- 
ulist convention  at  Clay  Center,  where  he 
was  heard  with  interest.  He  is  yet  a  mem- 
ber of  the  county  central  committee  of  his 
party.     His  acquaintance  is  ^-erv  wide  and 


il 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


the  circle  of  his  friends  is  ahnost  co-exten- 
sive therewith.  His  hfe  has  been  an  hon- 
orable and  upright  one,  commending  hiai  to 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  all. 


JAMES  L.  HOPKINS. 

Among  the  representative  citizens  of  the 
county  none  are  more  desendng  of  repre- 
sentation in  this  volume  than  James  L.  Hop- 
kins, who'  has  for  many  years  been  connected 
with  its  agricultural  interests.  For  ovef 
twenty  years  he  has  made  his  home  in  the 
Sunflower  state,  and  throughout  this  long 
period  he  has  ever  borne  his  share  in  the 
work  of  development  and  improvement  nec- 
essary to  produce  the  wonderful  change 
which  has  here  taken  place.  He  has  re- 
mained true  to  its  interests  when  the  dark 
clouds  of  adversitj  have  swept  over  the  state, 
and  as  the  years  have  passed  by  prosperity 
has  abundantly  rewarded  his  efforts,  he  be- 
ing now  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres. 

Mr.  Hopkins  was  born  in  Putnam  coun- 
ty. Missouri,  in  1853,  a  son  of  James  Laban 
Hopkins,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  a  prominent  old  family  of  the  Blue- 
grass  state.  The  mother  of  our  subject  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Emily  Wade,  and  was 
a  daughter  of  Richard  Wade.  She  was  also 
a  member  of  a  prominent  old  southern  fam- 
ily, and  prior  to  the  trouble  between  the 
north  and  the  south  thej-  owned  matiy  slaves, 
but  on  account  of  that  conflict  they  removed 
to  Missouri.  The  father  of  our  subject 
passed  away  in  middle  life,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-one  years,  and  the  mother  reached  the 
psalmist's  span  of  three  score  years  and  ten. 
Ten  children  were  born  unto  this  worthy 
couple,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living,  name- 
ly :  Elijah,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Emporia,  Kan- 
sas :  ]\Iartha  :  Sarah ;  Elizabeth  ;  George ; 
James  L.,  our  subject;  Mary;  John  J.,  a 
resident  of  Unionville,  Missouri ;  Dennis,  of 
Hilgard,  Oregon;  and  Thomas  Fletcher, 
who  received  the  honor  of  being  the  first 
governor  of  Missouri,  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  Billings,  Oklahoma. 


James  L.  Hopkins,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, was  reared  in  the  state  of  his  nativity. 
where  he  was  early  inured  to  the  labors  of 
field  and  meadoiw.  After  attaining  to  vears 
of  maturity  he  chose  as  a  life  occupation  tjie 
vocation  to  which  he  had  been  reared,  and 
he  was  engaged  in  the  tilling  of  tlie  soil  in 
Missouri  until  1879,  the  year  of  his  arrival 
in  Kansas.  Soon  after  coming  to^  this  state 
he  secured  a  claim  of  two  hundred'  and  forty 
acres  in  Evans  township,  Kingman  county, 
where  he  has  ever  since  made  his  home.  As 
time  has  passed  he  has  placed  his  fields  under  , 
a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  has  added  all  the 
improvements  foimd  upon  a  well  regulated 
farm,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
best  and  most  productive  properties  in  his 
adopted  county.  Two  hundred  acres  of  his 
place  is  planted  with  wheat,  which  annually 
yields  handsome  returns. 

Mr.  Hopkins  was  married  at  the  early 
age  O'f  nineteen  years.  Miss  Margaret  C. 
Franklin  becoming  his  wife,  and  during  the 
many  years  in  which  they  have  traveled 
life's  journey  together  she  has  ever  proved 
to  her  husband  a  loving  companion  and 
helpmate.  Ten  children,  four  sons  and  six 
daughters,  have  blessed  their  union,  name- 
ly: Mrs,  Sarah  Emily  Summers,  Jonathan 
Laban,  Mrs.  Lillie  Terry,  Oliver  Tucker, 
Laura,  Ralph,  Albert,  Nettie,  Zena  and  Her- 
bert. Mr.  Hopkins  is  an  active  worker  in 
the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  and  his 
last  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  McKin- 
ley.  The  cause  of  education  also  receives  in 
himi  a  warm  friend,  and  for  seventeen  years 
he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board. 


JOHN   SHIELLS. 

John  Shiells,  one  of  the  extensive  and 
progressive  agriculturists  of  Rice  county, 
has  beeii  a  resident  of  this  section  of  the  Sun- 
flower state  since  1882.  He  is  a  member  of 
a  prominent  Scotch  family,  whoi  trace  their 
ancestry  back  to  the  warlike  days  of  that 
country,  members  of  the  family  having  ta- 
ken an  active  part  in  the  historic  battles  of 
the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries.  Our 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


subject  was  born  in  Newcastle,  on  tlie  Tyne, 
in  Xorthiimberland  county,  England,  on  tlie 
25th  of  March,  185 1.  His  father,  John 
Shiells,  was  a  native  of  East  Lothian,  Scot- 
land, born  on  the  farm  on  which  the  famous 
battle  was  fought  by  Prince  Charles  against 
the  English  crown.  It  w-as  an  old  farm,  and 
was  noted  far  and  near  as  a  historical  bat- 
tlegroiind.  John  Shiells,  Sr.,  grew  to  man- 
hood there,  and  after  reaching  mature  years 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Marian  Flem- 
ing, who  was  also  a  representative  of  an  old 
Scotch  family.  She  was  born  and  reared'  in 
the  same  iu'iL;hl»  'rh(.iijd  as  her  husband.  They 
became  the  parents  uf  four  children, — John, 
the  subject  uf  this  sketch;  Janet,  who  still 
resides  in  England ;  Mary,  \vho  was  former- 
ly a  resident  of  Rice  county,  Kansas,  but  now 
makes  her  home  in  England :  and  Alice,  also 
of  the  old  country.  In  1882  the  family  bade 
adieu  to  home  and  native  land  preparatory 
to  seeking  a  home  in  the  new  world,  and 
after  landing  in  the  United  States  they  took 
up  their  abode  in  Gait  township.  Rice  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  where  the  father  purchased  a 
farm  from  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany, lie  became  the  owner  of  three  hun"- 
dred  ami  twenty  acres,  and  there  his  death 
occurred  m  1893,  passing  away  at  the  age 
•of  sixty-five  years.  He  followed  farming  as 
a  life  occupation,  and  his  political  support 
was  given  to  the  Democratic  party.  His  re- 
ligious preference  was  indicated  by  his 
membership  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
was  a  man  of  fine  physique,  and  at  one  time 
weighed  over  two  hundred  pounds.  The 
mother  survived  her  husband  until  1900, 
when  she,  too,  was  called  to  the  home  be- 
yond, having  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of 
seventy-two  years. 

John  Shiells,  the  subject  of  this  review, 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to 
the  new  world.  He  was  reared  to  the  hon- 
est toil  of  the  farmer  in  his  native  land,  and 
his  education  was  received  in  the  schools  of 
South  Durham,  Eilgland.  At  that  place,  at 
.  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Emeline  Hankey,  who 
was  born,  reared  and  educated  at  South 
Durham.  She  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Caroline    (IMorrisou)    Hankev,  the   former 


a  native  of  South  Durham  antl  the  latter  of 
Gloucestershire,  England.  The  father  was 
called'  to  his  final  rest  at  the  age  of  forty- 
seven  years,  and  his  wife  survived  him  a 
number  of  years,  passing  away  at  the  age  of 
sixty-one  years.  He  was  a  mason  by  trade. 
This  worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of  five 
children, — Thomas,  Emeline,  Harriet,  Car- 
oline and  Jane  Ann.  The  family  were  active 
and  zealous  members  of  the  ^Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  Seven  children  have  graced 
the  union  of  IMr.  and  ]\Irs.  Shiells,  two  sons 
and  five  daughters, — Robert,  Emeline,  ]Mar- 
ian,  Mabel,  Herbert,  Caroline  and  Hilda. 

Mr.  Shiells  now  owns  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  the  best  land  to  be  found  in 
central  Kansas,  and  his  place  is  improved 
with  all  the  improvements  and  accessories 
known  to  the  model  farm.  He  formerly 
volted  with  the  Democracy,  but  in  the  last 
election  cast  his  ballot  in  support  of  McKin- 
ley,  and  in  his  religious  views  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  a  fine 
type  of  the  hardy  Scotchman,  being  six  feet 
in  height  and  weighing  two  hundred  pounds-. 
As  a  man  and  citizen  he  enjoys  the  added 
popularity  which  comes  'to  those  genial 
spirits  who  have  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand 
for  all  those  with  whom-  they  come  in  con- 
tact from  day  to  day,  and  who  seem  to  throw 
around  them  so  much  of  the  sunshine  of 
life. 


LEON  D.  LIBBEY. 

Among  the  successful,  energetic  and 
representative  citizens  of  Hutchinson,  Kan- 
sas, is  Leon  D.  Libbey,  who  is  the  capable 
superintendent  of  the  ]\Iorton  plant  for  the 
Hutchinson,  Kansas,  Salt  Company,  which 
is  one  of  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States.  Leon  D.  Libbey  comes  of  New 
England  parentage,  where  distinguished  an- 
cestors took  prominent  parts  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary and  Colonial  wars  and  filled  offices 
of  trust  and  responsibility.  Jacob  Libbey, 
who  was  the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  New  Hampshire  and  in  his  early 
days  was  a  stage  driver,  later  being  one  of 
the  first  railroad  conductors  in  that  locality. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


^71 


He  became  well  known  in  political  circles, 
•  Avas  a  colonel  of  the  local  militia  and  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  legislature.  His 
marriage  was  to  Harriet  Wadleigh,  who  was 
a  daughter  of  a  Revolutionary  patriot. 

George  A.  Libbey,  the  father  of  Leon 
D..  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Laconia,  New 
Hampshire,  on  November  25,  1836,  and  in 
1855  he  came  west  to  Madison,  Wisconsin, 
residing  there  for  some  five  or  six  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  became  a  skilled  machin- 
ist" Then  he  moved  to  Black  Earth,  Wiscon- 
sin, returning  later  to  Madison,  where  he 
bought  a  printing  office.  From  there  he  re- 
moved to  Palmyra,  Wisconsin,  and  engaged 
for  a  time  in  fanning,  still  later  working  in 
a  factory  in  Farmington.  On  August  25, 
1S64,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E.  First  Wis- 
consin Heavy  Artillery,  and  during  the  re- 
maining years  of  the  Civil  war,  was  sta- 
tioned in  the  neighborhood  of  Washington 
and  Alexandria.  Returning  then  to  Wis- 
consin, he  followed  his  trade  in  Palmyra, 
but  later  moved  to  Janesville,  that  state,  and 
for  twelve  years  was  a  resident  of  that  city. 
In  the  fall  of  1883  he  went  to  Kansas  City, 
where  he  entered  into  the  business  of  con- 
tracting on  a  large  scale,  being  so  occupied 
until  compelled  to  give  it  up  on  account  of 
impaired  health. 

]\Ir.  Libbey  was  united  in  marriage,  in 
Madison,  Wisconsin,  to  Mary  A.  Hadley,  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Abigail  (Seavey) 
Hadley,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  New 
Hampshire,  the  fomier  having  been  a  prom- 
inent man  in  his  locality  and  a  representative 
in  the  legislature.  Isaac  Hadley  was  a  son 
of  Moses  Hadley,  the  family  having  been 
founded  in  America  in  1600.  The  grand- 
mother of  our  subject,  Abigail  Seavey,  jvas 
a  daughter  of  John  Seavey,  who  served  gal- 
lantly in  the  war  of  181 2  and  who  was  a 
I  son  of  a  Revolutionary  father.  The  childreu 
born  to  George  and  Mary  (Hadley)  Libbey 
w^ere:  Leon  D.,  of  this  sketch;  Abbie  H., 
now  ]\Irs.  \\'alter  Helms,  of  Janesville,  Wis- 
consin ;  George  H.,  of  Burlington,  Iowa; 
and  Ella  May,  \\\\o  died  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years. 

Leon  D.  Libbey  was  born  in  Madison, 
Wisconsin,  on  ]\Iarch  15,  1857,  and  acquired 


his  education  in  the  schools  of  Janesville.  He 
resided  with  his  father,  assisting  him  in  his 
various  business ,  enterprises,  until  he  at- 
taned  his  thirty-second  year.  About  this 
time  he  embarked  in  street  contracting  and 
building  in  Duluth,  Minnesota,  and  began 
the  practical  study  of  mechanical  engineer- 
ing. He  was  very  successful  in  this  line,  an 
evidence  of  his  excellent  and  enduring  work 
being-  afforded  by  the  water  works  plant  at 
Madison,  Wisconsin.  Later  he  followed 
contracting  and  building  in  Kansas  City,  but 
in  the  spring  of  1897  he  came  to  Hutchinson, 
Kansas,  to  take  charge  of  the  Hutchinson 
Packing  Company's  plant,  which  was  then 
operated  by  the  Salt  Company.  This  man- 
agement continued  for  three  years,  but  aliout 
one  year  ago  Mr.  Libbey  became  superin- 
tendent of  what  is  known  as  the  Morton 
plant  of  the  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  Salt  Com- 
pany, and  since  then  has  made  many  im- 
pro\"einents  in  machinery  JiKiking  to  greater 
capacity  nf  prdduction.  This  is  the  largest 
plant  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States  and  is 
a  model  one  in  all  respect's.  It  has  ten  evap- 
orating tanks,  one  hundred  and  twenty  liy 
twenty-six  feet  and  seven  feet  in  depth, 
which  are  kept  in  operation^  day  and  night, 
the  output  being  eleven  hundred  barrels 
daily.  About  one  hundred  tons  of  coal  are 
consumed  in  a  day,  there  1>eing  two  batter- 
ies of  boilers,  under  which  the  fires  have 
never  been  banked  for  more  than  eighteen 
months.  Some  eighty  hands  are  employed 
here,  although  the  principal  work  is  d  ;ne  by 
machinery,  all  modern  appliances  Ijein^s'  in 
use.  The  finished  product  is  shipped  in 
sacks,  barrels  and  bricks,  and  over  as  wide 
a  territory  as  the  freight  rates  will  allow, 
principally  through  Kansas,  Xeliraska,  In- 
dian Territory,  Oklahoma,  Cr-]i:ra(lo,  Ari- 
zona, New  Mexico  ami  Texas.  As  an  or- 
ganizer and  manager  Mr.  Libbey  has  dis- 
played wonderful  ability,  good  judgment 
and  thorough  knowledge,  this  business  be- 
ing now  one  of  the  most  imjinrtant  in  the 
industrial  world  of  Hutchinson. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Libbey  occurred 
on  July  5,  1891,  in  Superior,  Wisconsin,  to 
Mis's  Mallei  R.  Burrill,  a  daughter  of  Jobn 
H.  Burrill,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Hawlev, 


174 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Clay  ci^unty,  Alinnesota.  The  birth  of  Mr. 
Burrill  occurred  in  Fitz  WilHam,  New 
Hampshire,  and  he  was  a  pioneer  to  Minne- 
sota in  1871.  He  became' prominent  in  his 
section  and  was  a  county  judge. 

In  politics  Mr.  Libbey  has  always  been 
an  ardent  Republican,  and'  he  has  been  ac-. 
tive  in  the  social  order  of  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  O'f  Elks,  where  he  is  highlv 
valued.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Libbey  are  among 
the  most  esteemed  residents  in  Hutchinson 
and  are  devoted  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church. 


CHARLES  W.  DICKHUT. 

Charles  W.  Dickhut  is  the  owner  of  a 
valuable  farm  on  section  18,  Miami  town- 
ship. Many  years  of  his  life  have  been 
passed  in  Reno  coimty,  and  he  is  therefore 
widely  known  to  its  settlers.  He  was  born 
in  the  far-off  state  Oif  Pennsylvania,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Pittsburg,  on  the 
2d  of  March,  1833.  The  family  is  of  Ger- 
man descent,  and  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  Zachariah  Dickhut,  was  a  wool 
dealer  in  the  fatherland,  where  he  spent  his 
entire  life,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he 
served  in  the  German,  army.  Three  of  his 
sons  came  to  this  country,  namely :  Chris- 
tian, the  father  of  our  subject;  Christopher 
A.,  who  died  leaving  two  sons;  William, 
who  was  a  lumber  dealer  in  Quincy,  Illi- 
nois, and  his  death  occurred  in  189'!  ;  and 
Zachariah,  who  remained  in  Germany. 
Christian  G.  Dickhut  was  born  near  Mei'l- 
housen,  Genuany,  in  1804,  and  in  his  native 
land,  in  1S31,  he  married  Johanna  E.  Smith, 
who  was  born  in  the  fatherland  about  18 14, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
but  their  first  born,  a  son,  died  during  the 
voyage  to  this  country.  The  other  children 
are:  Charles  W.,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view; George,  city  colletetor  in  Quincy,  Ifli- 
nois:  William,  who  was  feorn  in  1837,  and 
died  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  in  1898,  leaving  one 
daughter;  Elizabeth  Webber,  who  also 
passed  away  in  that  city,  leaving  one  daugh- 
ter; Emily  Bentle,  of  California,  and  she  is 
the  mother  of  one  child ;  Christian  G.,  a  drav- 


man  of  Quincy,  Illinois;  Caroline  Bentle 
who  makes  her  home  in  Montana ;  Matilda 
Smith,  of  California;  and  Albert,  who  lost 
his  life  while  on  a  hunting  expedition  in 
California.  The  father  of  this  family  passed 
away  in  death  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  August 
12,  1878,  and  was  survived  by  his  wife  until 
1881,  when  she  joined  him  in  the  home  be- 
yond, dying  in  California,  and  her  remains 
now  He  at  rest  in  the  beautiful  Golden  state. 
Charles  W.  Dickhut,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  received  such  educational 
privileges  as  were  afforded  by  the  public 
schools  of  Quincy,  Illinois,  to  which  place 
his  father  had  removed  in  1836,  but  at  that 
time  it  was  only  a  small  hamlet.  \\'hen  the 
trouble  between  the  north  and  south  resulted 
in  Civil  war,  Mr.  Dickhut  nobly  offered  his 
service  in  defense  of  the.  Union  cause,  join- 
ing the  army  in  February,  1862.  He  be- 
came a  member  of  Company  H,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Eighteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fautry,  serving  in  its  ranks  until  hostilities 
had  ceased  and  the  country  no  longer  needed 
his  services,  having  been  mustered  out  at 
Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana,  in  October,  1865. 
During  his  career  as  a  soldier  he  was  wound- 
ed in  battle.  After  his  discharge  he  returned 
to  his  home  in  Quinc}'.  where  he  remained 
until  his  removal  to  the  Sunflower  state, 
which  has  been  his  home  since  the  9th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1878.  He  made  the  trip  from  Illinois 
to  Kansas  with  two  double  teams  and  cov- 
ered wagons,  seventeen  days  having  been 
spent  upon  the  road,  and  after  his  arrival 
here  he  pre-empted  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  raw  prairie  land.  During  the  erec- 
tion of  his  residence  the  family  lived  in 
tents,  and  their  house,  which  was  completed 
in  the  fall  of  1878,  was  one  of  the  first  in 
the  locality,  their  only  neighbors  between 
their  farm  and  Turon  at  that  time  having 
been  G.  W.  Slatar,  M.  Lamont  and  T.  W. 
Hickmian.  Since  coming  to  this  favored 
section  success  has  abundantly  rewarded  the 
well  directed  eft'orts  of  Mr.  Dickhut,  and-  he 
is  now  the  owner  of  a  valuable  and  highly 
improved  farm.  His  home  is  surrounded  by 
a  beautiful  grove  of  cottonwood,  walnut,  bux 
elder,  Ri>ssian  mulberry  and  coffee  nut 
trees,  and  a  large  and  productive  orchard 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


yields  its  fruit  in  season.  Everj-thing  about 
the  place  indicates  the  supervision  of  a  prac- 
tical and  progressive  owner,  and  in  the  lo- 
cality where  he  has  so  long  made  his  home 
he  is  recognized  as  a  progressive  and  leading 
agriculturist. 

Mr.  Dickhut  was  married  in  Quincy,  Illi- 
nois, on  the  23d  of  March.  1856,  to  Mar- 
^■aret  C.  Stork,  who  was  born  in  southern 
Illinois  November  9,  1837,  a  daughter  of 
John  Stork,  a  native  of  the  fatherland.  Ten 
children  have  blessed  the  union  of  our  sub- 
ject and  wife,  namely:  Oliver  B.,  a  prom- 
inent farmer  of  Miami  township.  Reno  coun- 
ty, and  the  father  of  two  sons ;  Cora,  wife 
of  F.  A.  Lamont,  of  this  county,  by  whom 
she  has  eight  children;  Charles  W.,  who 
makes  his  home  in  Scott  county,  Kansas, 
and  has  three  sons  and  one  daughter ;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  R.  Hafeman,  of  Xew  Jersey, 
by  whom  she  has  six  children;  Clara,  wife 
of  Max  Lamont,  also  of  New  Jersey,  and 
they  have  four  children;  Archibald  Grant, 
who  is  still  at  home,  but  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  himself;  Emma  Thatcher,  who 
makes  her  home  in  Oklahoma,  and  has  three 
children;  Maggie  Hinds,  whose  husband'  is 
engaged  in  farming  in  Miami  township,  and 
they  have  two  children;  Albert  E.,  a  grain 
buyer  and  drayman  of  Turon;  and  Ida,  a 
young  lady  of  twenty  years  who  is  in  Den- 
ver. Colorado.  The  children  have  all  re- 
ceived excellent  educational  advantages,  and 
Albert,  who  was  a  student  for  a  time  in  the 
normal  school  at  Nickerson,  followed  the 
teacher's  profession  for  two  terms.  The  Re- 
publican party  receives  Mr.  Dickhut's"  act- 
ive support  and  co-operation,  and  on  its 
ticket  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  township 
trustee,  in  which  he  served  for  four  years. 
His  social  relations  connect  him  with  Fre- 
mont Post,  No.  403,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Turon, 
which  was  organized  ten  years  ago,  and  for 
two  years  he  served  as  its  commiander,  while 
during  the  remainder  of  the  time  he  has 
held  the  office  of  senior  vice  commander. 
For  the  past  fifty-one  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  !\Iethodist  Episcopal  church, 
joining  that  denomination  when  only  sev- 
enteen years  of  age,  and  has  ever  since  been 
an  active  worker  in  the  cause  of  Christian- 


ity. His  wife  is  also  a  devoted  member  of 
that  church.  His  life  has  been  exemplary 
in  all  respects,  and  he  merits  and  receives  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow  men. 


HERBERT   S.   LY^^IAX. 

Herbert  S.  Lyman,  a  prominent  and 
well  known  agriculturist  of  Reno  county, 
was  born  in  Lewis  county,  New  York,  on 
the  13th  of  January,  1856.  His  father, 
Hamilton  Lyman,  was  also  a  native  of  that 
locality,  his  birth  having  there  occurred  on 
the  28th  of  January,  1832.  The  latter's  fa- 
ther, Samuel  Lyman,  lived  and  died  in  Lewis 
county,  his  death  resulting  from  his  team  of 
oxen  running  away  and  throwing  him  from 
the  wagon.  He  was  of  English  descent  and 
was  related  to  the  celebrated  novelist  Dick- 
ens. He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Amy 
Allen,  a  descendant  of  Ethan  Allen,  and*  her 
death  also  occurred  in  Lewis  county,.  New 
York,  w'hen  she  had  reached  the  age  of 
eighty  years.  She  was  a  second  time  mar- 
ried, becoming  the  wife  of  Jeremiah  Bib- 
bins. 

Hamilton  Lyman  was  reared  to  years  of 
maturity  on  his  father's  farm  in  Lewis  coun- 
ty, and  was  Ijut  seventeen  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  his  father's  death.  On  the  nth 
of  October,  1853,  in  Lewis  county,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Lucinda  Lampher,  a 
native  of  that  county  and  a  daughter  of 
Jonathan  Lampher,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
that  locality,  where  his  widow  by  a  second 
marriage  is  still  living.  In  1861,  when  the 
Civil  war  was  inaugurated,  ]Mr.  Lyman  of- 
fered his  services  to  his  country,  entering 
the  Fifth  New  Y'ork  Volunteers  on  the  9th 
of  August  of  that  year.  During  his  military 
career  of  three  years  he  saw  both  cavaln,-  and 
artillery  service,  and  on  the  26th  of  June, 
1864,  at  Harper's  FeriT,  he  was  honorably 
discharged  with  the  rank  of  sergeant.  Re- 
turning to  his  liome  in  Lewis  county,  he 
there  followed  farming  until  1868,  when  he 
removed  with  his  wife  and  three  children 
to  Fond  du  Lac  county,  Wisconsin,  where 
the  familv  made  their  home  until  the  fall  of 


176 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


1870.  In  that  year  they  removed  to  Atch- 
ison county,  JMissouri,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1 87 1  they  came  to  Kansas,  securing  a  home- 
stead claim  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 20.  Valley  township,  Reno  county, 
u'here  the  father  made  his  home  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  passing  away  in  death 
on  the  26th  of  February,  1873.  The  jour- 
ney from  Wisconsin  to  Missouri  was  made 
with  a  team  and  wagon  as  was  also  the  trip 
from  Missouri  to  Kansas.  On  their  arrival 
here  this  portion  of  the  state  was  an  un- 
broken prairie  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
and  buffaloes,  antelopes  and  other  wild  ani- 
mals roamed  at  will  over  the  vast  plains. 
Their  fir^t  rcMiknce  in  the  Sunflower  state 
was  a  si.'d  hi  u-e,  witli  a  hay  roof,  and  in 
this  primiti\e  abode  the  family  made  their 
home  for  a  number  of  years.  Their  nearest 
neighbor  at  that  time  was  located  seven  miles 
away.  A  little  circumstance  worthy  of  men- 
tion in  this  connection  is  that  C.  C.  Hutchin- 
son, when  starting  on  his  journey  to  locate 
the  city  which  now  bears  his  name,  secured 
a  horse  from  Mr.  Lyman  with  which  to 
make  the  trip.  Mr.  Lyman  gave  his  politi- 
cal support  to  the  Republican  party,  and  for 
a  time  he  served  as  a  clerk  of  his  township. 
His  wife  passed  away  in  Hutchinson,  on  the 
2d  of  :\Lirch,  1894.  in  the  faith  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  of  which  both  she  and  her  hus- 
band were  worthy  and  consistent  members. 
Lmto  this  couple  were  born  three  children, — 
Herbert  S.,  the  subject  of  this  review:  Har- 
low A.,  who  was  born  August  10,  1859,  and 
at  the  present  time  is  living  in  Hutchinson, 
Kansas ;  and  Howard  E..  who  was  born  De- 
cember 27,  1869,  ^nd  is  employed  as  a  clerk 
in  that  city. 

Herbert  S.  Lyman  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Lewis  county.  Xew  York,  during 
his  early  life,  but  he  was  onlv  thirteen  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  remo-\-ed  from  that 
locality.  Four  years  afterward  his  father 
died,  and  he  was  then  obliged  to  take  charge 
of  the  home  farm.  On  the  9th  of  February, 
1879.  lie  was  united  in  marriage  to  IMary  i 
McArthur.  who  was  born  in  Canada,  a  [ 
daughter  of  Dougal  McArthur.  Her  par- 
ents were  both  natives  of  Scotland,  and  after 
coming  to  the  L'nited  States  thev  eventualiv 


took  up  their  abode  in  Reno  cr.unty.  where 
they  resided  on  a  farm,  which  they  after- 
ward sold  and  removed  to  Hutchinson. 
There  the  mother  passed  away  in  death.  The 
father  died  at  Burrton,  Harvey  county,  Kan- 
sas, a  few  years  later.  By  this  marriage 
three  children  were  born :  Grace,  who  is  a 
young  lady  of  twenty-one  years,  and  is  liv- 
ing at  home:  William  M..  who  died  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  months:  and  Eddie  D..  de- 
ceased in  infancy.  Shortly  after  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Lyman  removed  from  the  old 
family  homestead  to  his 'present  farm,  and 
here  his  wife  died  on  the  13th  of  May.  1884. 
For  his  second  wife  he  chose  Addie  Schmidt, 
their  wedding  having  been  celebrated  on  the 
30th  of  June,  1886,  in  Burrton.  She  was 
born  at  Bunker  Hill.  Boston,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Augustus  Theodore  and  Priscilla 
(Blanchard)  Schmidt.  The  father  was 
born  in  Berlin,  Germany,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica aljout  1850.  locating  in  Boston,  where 
he  first  followed  his  trade  of  a  cooper.  After 
a  time,  however,  he  turned  his  attention  to 
the  study  of  chemistry,  and  his  researches 
along  that  line  resulted  in  his  giving  to  the 
world  the  process  of  manufacturing  color- 
less carbon  oil.  while  later  he  also  discov- 
ered the  art  of  making  \-ulcanized  fiber  pa- 
per. Li  1 86 1  he  removed  to  Pittsburg  and 
engaged  in  refining  oil.  remaining  in  that 
city  until  1885,  when  he  came  west  to  Valley 
township.  Reno  county,  Kansas,  purchasing 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  on 
section  16,  and  there  his  death  occurred  on 
the  17th  of  December.  1890.  while  living  a 
retired  life.  Li  his  political  views  he  was  a 
Republican,  and  while  living  in  Pittsburg  lie 
held  the  position  of  assessor  for  a  number  of 
years.  His  religious  ^•iews  connected  him 
with  the  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Schmidt  married  Priscilla  J.  Blanch- 
ard, who  was  born  in  Falmouth.  J^Laine,  June 
23.  1829.  a  daughter  of  Captain  Samuel  and 
Rebecca  ( ^^lerrill)  Blanchard.  The  father 
was  born  in  IMaine,  on  the  28th  of  March. 
1 78 1,  and  was  master  of  a  vessel,  brrt  on 
one  occasion  he  was  shipwrecked  oft'  Cape 
May  and  his  ship  was  lost.  He  then  re- 
tired from  the  active  duties  of  life,  becoming 
the  owner  of  two  farms,  and  he  also  donat- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ed  the  land  on  which  tlie  town  hall  and  the 
Congregati(Mial  church  of  Falmouth  were 
located.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  took  part  in  the  defense  of 
Portland.  On  his  side  the  family  is  of  Pur- 
itan stock,  his  ancestors  ha\'ing  emigrated 
from  England  to  France  during  the  time  of 
^^'illiam  the  Conqueror.  About  the  time  of 
the  arrival  of  the  Mayflower  there  came  to 
this  country  a  family  consisting  of  the  fa- 
ther, surnamed  Joshua,  his  wife  and  five  sons 
and  they  became  the  founders  of  the  Blanch- 
ard  family  in  America.  The  mother  died 
during  the  royage,  but  the  father  and  sons 
located  in  New  England.  On  the  JNIerrill 
side  the  family  is  also^  descended  from  old 
New  England  ancestry.  The  great-grand- 
mother of  Mrs.  Lyman  lived  prior  to  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  she  frequently  rode 
to  church  on  a  pillion  behind  her  husband, 
who,  in  common  with  the  other  settlers  of 
that  day.  carried  his  gun  to  church  to  protect 
them  from  the  Indians.  Their  daughter, 
Mary  Merrill,  was  born,  reared  and  married 
in  Falmouth,  Maine,  Priscilla  Blanchard, 
the  mother  of  T^Irs.  L^tnan,  is  of  the  six 
generation  in  which  a  daughter  of  the  fam- 
ily was  named  Priscilla.  George  Blanchard, 
a  ciiusin  on  her  father's  side,  received  an 
excellent  education  in  Germany  and  for  a 
number  of  years  served  as  an  alderman  of 
Boston. 

Bv  his  second  marriage  Mr.  Lyman,  of 
this  review,  has  become  the  father  of  one 
son,  Raymond  S.,  who  was  born  on  the  i8th 
of  July,  iSSg.  Li  political  matters  our 
subject  gives  his  support  to  the  Republican 
party,  and  on  its  ticket  he  has  been  elected 
to  a  number  of  positions  of  honor  and  trust. 
He  was  first  made  road  overseer,  was  justice 
of  the  peace,  constable,  trustee,  and  has  in 
fact  held  every  township'  position  within  the 
gift  of  the  people.  For  sixteen  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  sdiool  board,  and  the 
cause  of  education  has  ever  found  in  him-  a 
warm  friend  and  active  worker.  Socially 
his  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  and  religimisly  he  is  a 
member  of  and  an  elder  in  the  Prec^byterian 
church.     He  is  indeed  a  manlv  man,  and  the 


honor  and  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  all 
who  have  come  in  contact  with  him  is  but 
a  just  tribute  to  his  worth. 


G.  M.  NICKASON. 

G.  'SI.  Nickason,  who  follows  agri- 
cultural i>ur-uit<  iin  section  eleven.  Black 
W'oU  townsliip,  KlI>worth  county,  has  re- 
sided here  since  1S7S.  He  is  a  native  of  the 
Empire  state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
\\"alden.  Orange  county,  on  the  8th  of  I\Lay, 
1830.  He  was  only  eleven  years  of  age 
when  he  started  out  on  his  own  account,  be- 
coming a  driver  on  the  Erie  canal.  He  was 
thus  employed  for  about  seven  years,  when 
the  New  York  &  Erie  railroad  was  built 
and  he  secured  work  in  preparing  the  road 
bed.  Later  he  worked  on  the  laying  of  the 
track,  serving  as  section  boss  when  he  was 
only  eighteen  years  of  ap-e.  He  had  a  nat- 
ural aptitude  for  mechanics  and  decided  to 
follow  this  line  of  business.  Accordingly, 
in  April.  1849,  ^^  began  learning  the  car- 
penter's trade  and  that  of  a  house  joiner.  In 
those  days  sash,  doors  and  blinds  were  most- 
ly manufactured  by  hand,  and  Mr.  Nicka- 
son entered  the  employ  of  a  firm  engaged  in 
that  business,  remaining  with  them  for 
twenty-five  years.  He  became  the  main  re- 
liance of  the  house,  and  soon  after  he  sev- 
ered his  connection  therewith  their  business 
had  to  be  abandoned. 

In  September,  1861,  Mr.  Nickason  re- 
sponded to  the  country's  call  for  aid,  enlist- 
ing in.  the  Twentieth  New  York  Infantry, 
in  which  he  served  for  fifteen  months.  Fle 
then  joined  the  Fourth  New  York  Heavy 
Artillery.  He  was  unacquainted  with  all  of 
its  members  and  jijined  the  regiment 
as  a  private,  but  was  steadily  pro- 
moted until  he  held  the  office  of 
quartermaster  sergeant  of  the  regi- 
ment, al.-o  serving  on  the  non-commissioned 
staff  of  General  Hancock.  He  participated 
in  many  engagements,  among  which  were 
the  battles  of  Centerville,  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  South  IMountain  and  Antietam, 


178 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


where  General  George  B.  IMcClellan  saved 
the  Union  cause.  He  then  went  on  south 
to  Ream's  station.  ]\'Iuch  of  the  time  he 
was  in  the  commissary  department  and  can 
relate  many  interesting  anecdotes,  concern- 
ing- his  experience  in  foraging.  On  the  3d 
of  September,  1864,  he  was  wounded  at  Pe- 
tersburg and  was  taken  to  Lincoln  Hospital 
on  the  8th  of  October,  there  remaining  until 
the  army  was  discharged,  in  July,  1865. 

Mr.  Nickason  then  returned  to  his  na- 
tive state  and  again  resumed  work  at  his 
trade,  carrying  on  business  with  his  brother. 
They  were  xtry  successful,  owing  to  the  im- 
provements in  machinery  which  our  subject 
was  enabled  to  introduce  as  the  result  of  his 
thorough  knowledge  of  mechanics.  At 
length  he  determined  to  come  to  Kansas  and 
disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  east.  Mak- 
ing his  way  to  this  state  in  1878,  he  pur- 
chased a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Black 
Wolf  township,  where  he  now  resides,  and 
all  the  improvements  on  the  place  are  his 
work  and  stand  as  monuments  to  his  energy. 
In  1900  he  erected  a  handsome  new  resi- 
dence. In  1890  he  built  a  fine  shop  in  FJli- 
worth,  equipped  it  with  the  best  machinery 
and  carried  on  business  along  that  line  for 
a  few  years,  but  ultimately  resumed  farm- 
ing, to  which  he  now  devotes  his  entire  at- 
tention. Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has 
been  a  hard  worker,  although  for  the  past 
thirty-seven  years  he  has  suffered  with  an 
open  wound.  His  diligence  and  energy 
enabled  him  to  triumph  o\-er  an  adverse 
fate,  and  he  is  now  one  of  the  substantial 
citizens  of  his  community. 

Mr.  Nickason  has  been  twice  married. 
In  1855  he  wedded  Ellen  Mance,  and  unto 
them  were  born  two  children :  Marietta,  who 
is  nn\v  in  an  Indian  school,  in  Pahuska  ;  and 
Frederick.  Both  have  been  well  educated. 
The  mother  died  and'  in  August,  1867,  Mr. 
Xickason  was  again  married,  his  second 
union  being  with  JNIargaret  Tice,  by  whom 
he  has  two  children, — Ellen  and  Lemont. 
In  his  home  our  subject  has  a  grand  roller 
organ,  and  in  his  leisure  hours  greatly  en- 
joys plaving  thereon.  His  accomplishment 
in  this  direction  has  also  enabled  him  to  af- 
ford much  pleasure  to  others.     In  politics 


clerk  of  the  township  board  and  as  township 
he  is  independent,  but  has  served  as  clerk 
of  the  township  board  and  as  township  treas- 
urer. His  advancement  in  business  affairs 
has  been  creditable  and  gratifying  since  he 
came  to  Ellsworth  county  and  he  has  never 
had  occasion  to  regret  the  fact  that  he  allied 
his  interests  with  those  of  the  Sunflower 
state. 


CLAUDE  DUVAL. 


Claude  Duval,  who  for  fifteen  years  has 
been  a  resident  of  Hutchinson,  is  widely 
known  throughout  Kansas  as  a  traveling 
salesman,  and  is  no  less  honored  and  dis- 
tinguished in  business  circles  than  he  is  in 
the  ranks  of  the  Democratic  party,  of 
which  he  is  leading  member.  He  was 
born  in  Morganfield,  Kentucky,  May 
19,  1859,  and  not  only  can  he  claim 
descent  from  one  of  the  honored  pio- 
neer families  of  that  state  but  also  from 
those  who  were  among  the  first  permanent 
settlers  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  first  of 
the  Duval  famiily  in  America  were  two 
brothers,  who  came  fniui  France  with  Gen- 
eral La  Fayette.  Both  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  and  one  settled  in  Maryland 
and  the  other  in  Virginia.  It  is  from  the 
latter  that  our  subject  is  descended. 
Through  his  paternal  grandmother,  who 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Jane  E.  Russell, 
the  family  history  can  be  traced  back 
through  several  centuries  to  about  1000  A. 
D.  The  first  of  the  name  in  America  was 
William  Russell.  It  has  always  been  under- 
stood from  tradition  that  he  was  a  member 
of  the  family  of  Russell  in  England,  rep- 
resented by  the  ducal  house  of  Bedford,  but 
of  which  particular  branch  of  the  family  is 
not  known.  However,  it  is  known  that  the 
Russell  family  in  England  is  one  of  great 
antiquity  and  came  originally  from  Nor- 
mandy, where  the  name  was  Du  Rozel. 
\\'ift:n,  in  his  memoir  of  the  house  of  Rus- 
sell, says:  "It  derived  its  distinctive  ap- 
pellation from  one  of  the  fiefs  which  the 
first  chieftain  of  that  name  possessed  an- 
terior to  the  first  conquest  te  England.     In 


^A- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


lower  Xormandy  in  the  ancient  bourey  of 
Briquebec,  in  1066,  they  occupied  the  castle 
and  territory  of  Du  Rozel,  which  was  a 
portion  of  their  appanage,  as  a  younger 
branch  of  the  Bertrands,  barons  of  Brique- 
bec, a  house  the  head  of  which  took  the  title 
of  sire,  being  accounted  second  only  in  rank 
to  the  barons  of  St.  Sauvenr,  who  were 
styled  vicomtes  of  La  Manche.  Hugh  Du 
Rozel,  who  appears  to  liave  been  the  first  of 
the  name,  was  born  about  102 1.  Soon  after 
the  Norman  conquest  the  Du  Rozels  crossed 
the  channel  into  England,  where  land  was 
assigned  to  them  in  Northumberland  and 
\\  here  the  name  was  anglicized  into  Russell. 
In  1 141  Robert  De  Russell  led  his  company 
of  knights  into  the  battle  of  Lincoln  and 
distinguished  himself  in  that  conflict.  The 
earliest  coat  of  arm's  of  the  family  in  Eng-- 
land  bore  a  lion  rampant;  gules  on  a  chief 
sable  :  three  escallops  argent." 

William  Russell,  the  first  representative 
of  tha  family  in  America,  crossed  the 
Atlantic  with  Sir  Alexander  Spotts- 
wood  in  1710,  arriving  within  the  capes 
of  Virginia  on  the  Deptford,  a  man 
of  war,  of  which  Tancred  Robinson 
was  commander,  the  landing  being  ef- 
fected on  the  20th  of  June.  The  following 
day  they  proceeded  up  the  James  river  in 
the  Bedford  galley,  commanded  by  Captain 
Lee.  who  landed  his  beat  at  Jamestown. 
William  Russell  soon  became  a  prominent 
character  in  the  early  history  of  the  col- 
onies. \Mien  he  left  England  for  Virginia 
he  was  a  young  lawyer  from  the  inner  tem- 
ple of  the  court  in  London.  As  he.  was  at 
that  time  twenty-fi\-e  years  of  age,  the  year 
of  his  birth  must  have  been  1685.  Before 
embarking  for  America  he  obtained  a  com- 
mission in  the  British  army.  The  old  ac- 
c<  lunt  says  he  "was  an  officer  in  the  British 
army  of  occupation  and  defense  in  Vir- 
ginia." Tradition  says  that  he  was  one  of 
the  party  of  cavaliers  who  accompanied 
Governor  Spottswood  on  his  expedition 
across  the  Appalachian  mountains,  and  that 
in  consequence  thereof  he  became  one  of  the 
famous  Knights  of  the  Golden  Horse  Shoe. 
The  old  account  savs  that  he  obtained  lare;e 


!  grants  of  land  from  the  British  government 
and  the  records  show  that  in  1735  two 
tracts  of  land  in  Frederick  county,  Virginia, 
one  containing  forty-nine  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  and  the  other  thirty-six  hundred  and 
fifty  acres,  were  patented  to  him  from  the 
King's  office;  also  other  tracts  in  Augusta. 
The  records  of  the  Virginia  land  office  also 
show  that  in  1712  he  purchased  from  Lord 
Fairfax  several  thousand  acres  located  in 
several  counties  of  the  Old  Dominion.  He 
belonged  to  the  church  of  England  and  was 
an  active  member  of  the  old  colonial  church 
known  as  Buck  Run,  in  St.  ]\Iark"s  parish. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Slaughton,  in  his  history  of 
St.  Mark's  parish,  says:  "C/olonel  William 
Green  and  Culoncl  WiUiani  Russell  were 
made  church  wardens  for  the  ensuing  year 
(1756)  ;  also  that  payments  were  made  by 
the  church  to  William  Russell,  Charles  Mor- 
gan, R.  D.  Parks  and  others  for  providing 
for  certain  poor  persons."  In  1730  he  was 
married  to  Man-  Henley,  and  their  children 
were  William,  Henry  and  Catherine.  Will- 
iam Russell  died  after  a  few  days'  illness, 
October  18,  1757,  when  about  seventy-two 
years  of  age.  He  was  buried  in  the  Buck 
Run  church  yard. 

His  son  and  namesake.  General  William 
Russell,  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1735  and 
acquired  a  classical  and  scientific  education 
in  William  and  Mary  College,  at  \\'illiams- 
burg,  Virginia,  the  oldest  seat  of  learning 
in  the  United  States,  with  the  exception  of 
Harvard  University.  He  educated  himself 
for  the  practice  of  law,  but,  owing  to  his 
marriage  shortly  after  leaving  college,  he 
changed  his  plans  and  settled  on  a  planta- 
tion in  Culpeper  county,  Virginia.  He  early 
became  active  in  military  operations  and  the 
greater  portion  of  his  life  was  spent  in  act- 
ive service,  defending  the  colonies  from  In- 
dian attacks.  The  year  1775  found  him 
captain  of  a  company  of  rangers,  serving 
under  General  Braddock.  In  1765  Captain 
Russell  was  sent  by  the  British  authori- 
ties on  some  mission  among  the  Indians  in 
the  section  fi  cnuntrx'  wlierc  Chattanooga, 
i  Tennessee,  i<  now  located.  It  t^  nk  twelve 
■  months  to  execute  the  trust,  during  which 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTOR] 


time  he  endured  great  hardships  among  the 
Creek  Indians.  Captain  Russell  was  soon 
called  into  public  service.  At  the  battle  of 
Point  Pleasant,  October  lo,  1774,  he  led 
his  company;  and  of  this  engagement  Col- 
lins, in  his  History  of  Kentucky,  says:  "It 
was  probabl}'  the  most  se\-erely  contested 
conflict  ever  maintained  with  the  northwest- 
ern Indians.  The  action  continued  from 
sunrise  to  sunset  and  the  ground  for  half 
a  mile  along  the  bank  of  the  Ohio  was  al- 
ternately occupied  by  each  of  the  contend- 
ing parties  in  the  course  of  the  day.  So 
sanguinary  was  the  conflict  that  blood  was 
found  on  each  of  the  trees  behind  which  the 
combatants  were  posted.  The  Indians  un- 
der the  celebrated  chief  Comstock  aban- 
doned the  field  under  cover  of  the  night. 
Their  loss,  according  to  official  report,  ex- 
ceeded that  of  the  Americans,  the  latter 
amounting  to  sixtj'-three  killed  and  eighty 
wounded.  This  report  was  drawn  up  by 
Captain  Russell,  reported  to  be  the  best 
scholar  in  the  camp." 

In  1776  Captain  Russell  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  colonel,  commanding  a  regi- 
ment of  mounted  men.  He  was  constantly 
engaged  in  repelling  the  attacks  of  the  In- 
dians on  the  frontier  of  Virginia  and  Ten- 
nessee. It  was  during  this  year  that  Col- 
onel Russell  lost  his  beloved'  wife,  who  in 
her  maidenhood  was  Tabitha  Adams.  On 
his  return  from  active  service  to  his  family 
he  found  that  the  home  was  left  desolate 
through  the  death  of  the  faithful  wife  and 
mother.  Owing  to  the  Revolutionary  Avar 
Colonel  Russell  was  again  called  into  active 
service.  ^  In  the  section  of  the  country  in 
whicli  Ills  family  of  children  resided  the'  In- 
dians were  carrying  on  the  work  of  devas- 
tation Ijy  fire  and  massacre,  so  he  removed 
his  children  to  a  farm  which  he  purchased, 
adjoining  the  Aspenville  tract,  belonging 
to  Colonel  William  Campbell,  near  the  seven 
mile  ford.  He  placed  his  children  in  charge 
of  an  old  negro  man  and  his  wife,  whom  he 
selected  from  among  his  slaves  because  of 
their  faithfulness  and  devotion  to  his  fam- 
ily, and  after  committing  the  little  ones  to 
their  care  Colonel  Russell  gave  his  service 


to  the  cause  of  liberty.  The  negro  couple 
proved  most  faithful  to  the  trust  reposed 
in  them,  and  though  the  children  were  many 
times  in  danger  of  capture  by  British  raid- 
ers, yet  the  caretakers  managed  to  keep  them 
free  from  harm.  In  the  winter  of  1776-7 
Colonel  Russell  received  the  appointment  of 
colonel  in  the  regular  army  and  took  com- 
mand of  a  Virginia  regiment,  which  he  re- 
tained until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
one  of  the  colonels  in  the  Virginia  line  in 
continental  establishment  and  was  brevetted 
on  that  account.  He  took  an  active  and 
prominent  part  in  the  liattles  of  Brandy- 
wine,  Germantown,  ]\Ionmouth,  and  the 
siege  of  Charleston,  and  when  that  place 
w^as  captured  was  made  prisoner  and  sent  on 
a  British  prison  ship  to  one  of  the  ^^"est 
India  islands.  Subsequently  he  was  released 
on  parole  and  sent  to  Virginia,  where  he 
was  exchanged  and  again  took  the  field. 
In  1777,  1778  and  1779  he  was  in  Wash- 
ington's army.  He  was  also  with  the  army 
at  Yorktown  and  witnessed  the  surrender 
of  Lord  Cornwallis.  October  19,  1781. 
There  is  abundant  evidence  that  he  exhib- 
ited great  bravery  and  military  tact  as  an 
officer  and  retired  from  the  service  with  an 
honorable  record.  Because  of  having 
served  through  the  entire  Revolution  he 
was  brevetted  to  the  rank  of  general  and  re- 
tired on  half  pay  for  life.  For  his  services 
he  was  entitled  to  large  grants  of  land, 
much  of  which  was  located  in  the  Green 
river  section  of  Kentucky.  In  his  honor 
Russell  county,  Virginia,  and  Russellville, 
Kentucky,  were  named,  the  latter  being 
built  upon  land  originally  owned  by  him. 
After  peace  was  restored  giving  integrity  to 
the  republic,  he  returned  lo  ci\il  life  and 
was  soon  elected  to  the  A^irginia  senate,  of 
which  he  was  a  leading  and  influential  mem- 
ber for  many  years.  He  was  a  hig'h  type  of 
the  gentleman  of  the  old  school  "without 
fear  and  without  reproach." 

After  his  return  home  General  Russell 
was  married,  about  1783,  to  ]\Irs.  Elizabeth 
(Henry)  Campbell,  the  widow  of  General 
William  Campbell,  of  Kings  mountain 
fame,   who   died   a    few   weeks   before    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


siege  of  Yorktown,  in  1781.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  John  Henry  and  a  sister  of 
Patricia  Henry,  whose  words  of  burning 
eloquence  probably  did  more  than  any 
other  agency  to  arouse  the  people  to 
resistance  of  the  oppressive  measures  of 
the  mijther  country  at  the  opening  of 
the  war.  It  was  in  1788  that  General 
Russell  became  a  convert  to  the  Meth- 
odist faith,  uniting  with  that  church. 
The  Rev.  T.  Ware,  speaking  of  this,  said: 
"Our  tirst  conference  in  Holston  was  held  j 
in  ^Nlav,  1788.  As  the  road  by  which  Bishop  | 
Asburv  was  to  come  was  infested  w'ith  hos- 
tile savages  so  that  it  could  not  be  traveled 
excejit  bv  considerable  companies  together, 
he  was  detained  for  a  week  after  the  time 
to  commence  it,  but  we  were  not  idle  and 
the  Lord  gave  us  many  souls  in  the  place 
where  we  were  assembled,  among  whom 
were  General  Russell  and  Lady,  the  latter 
a  sister  of  the  illustrious  Patrick  Henry.  I 
mention  this  particularly  because  they  were 
the  first  fruit  of  our  labors  in  this  confer- 
ence." It  appears  from  the  complete  ac- 
count of  Rev.  Ware  that  when  General  Rus- 
sell enlisted'  as  a  soldier  of  the  cross  he  did 
so  with  his  whole  heart  and  soul.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  were  zealous  in  their  faith  and 
consistent  in  their  devotion.  Family  pray- 
ers were  offered  night  and  morning  and 
they  frec]uently  had  preaching  at  their  house. 
Bishop  Asbury  was  a  frec^uent  visitor  and 
he  says  in  his  journal :  "General  Russell's 
home  is  one  of  the  harbors  of  rest  for  the 
weary  JMethodist  preacher." 

Within  a  year  or  two  from  thetime  of 
his  conversion  the  entire  household,  both 
white  and  black,  were  converted  and'  brought 
into  cl  urch.  After  an  active  life  spent  in 
serving  his  country-  as  a  legislator  and  spl- 
dier,  he  passed  away  Monday  morning  at 
four  o'clock,  January  14,  1794.  His  death 
was  caused  by  exposure  on  his  journeying 
to  and  from  Richmond,  where  the  general 
assemblies  were  held  in  the  winter  months. 
In  his  letters  he  expressed  a  dread  of  such 
exposure  and  when  finally  he  contracted  a 
severe  cold  on  going  to  Richmond,  and  the 
next  day  became  worse,  so  that  a  physician 


was  summoned,  he  fel^  that  the  illness 
would  be  his  last.  At  the  close  of  his  hon- 
orable and  useful  life  he  exhorted  his  fam- 
ily and  those  around  him  to  live  according 
to  God's  word  and  frec|uently  prayed  that 
the  grace  of  God  might  rest  on  all. 

His  son,  John  Coats  Russell,  the  great- 
grandfather of  Claude  Euval,  was  born  in 
Culpeper  county,  Virginia,  in  1768,  and  in 
1793  was  mariied  to  ]\liss  Amy  Clay,  of 
Chesterfield  county,  \  ir^inia.  In  1880  he 
removed  with  his  fani;l_\  to  Kentucky  and 
settled  on  a  portion  of  '"Russell's  Green 
river  survey,"  which  he  inherited  from  his 
father.  In  1809  he  was  elected  and  served 
as  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives 
from  jMuhlenberg  county,  Kentucky,  and 
later  he  removed  to  Butler  county,  that  state, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
passing  away  November  17,   1822. 

His  daughter,  Jane  E.  Russell,  was  born 
July  30,  1794,  in  Virginia,  and  died  in 
Union  county,  Kentucky,  January  10,  1861. 
She  became  the  wife  of  Claiborn  Duval, 
one  of  the  pioneer  ministers  of  Kentucky, 
who  was  bcn-n  in  the  Old  Dominion,  but  at 
an  early  date  went  to  the  Blue  Grass  state 
to  preach  the  gospel  among  the  first  settlers 
there. 

H.  C.  Duval,  the  father  of  our  subject 
and  a  son  of  the  Rev.  Claiborn  and  Jane 
(Russell)  Duval,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  a  farmer  by  occupation,  following  agri- 
cultural pursuits  up  to  the  time  of  the  Civil 
war.  He  owned  a  large  number  of  slaves 
and  of  course  lost  all  at  the  time  of  the  hos- 
tilities between  the  north  and  the  south. 
For  two  terms  he  served  his  county  as 
sheriff".  He  was  a  member  of  the  ]\Ieth- 
odist  church  and  was  long  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  prominent  residents  of  the  com- 
munity. He  married  Miss  Mobley,  a  rep- 
resentative of  an  old  southern  family  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
eight  of  whum  are  living,  ime  having  died 
in  infanc}'  and  Claibourn  'SL,  who  was  a 
member  of  Company  K,  Twenty-first  Kan- 
sas Volunteer  Infantry  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  died  at  Phoenix.  Arizona, 
December  13,  1901-.     His  body  -was  brought 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


to  Hutchinson  for  interment.  Our  subject 
is  the  eldest  of  the  family.'  One  brother, 
W.  J.  Duval,  is  grand  chancellor  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  of  the  state 
of  Kansas,  with  headquarters  at  Wichita. 
A  daughter,  ]\Irs.  K.  B.  Ringle,  the  wife  of 
a  well  known  stockman,  is  living  in  Reno 
county.     The  father  died  in  1894. 

Born  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Ken- 
tucky, Claude  Duval,  whose  name  breads  this 
re\-iew,  spent  his  early  youth-  in  his  native 
state  and  for  three  months  in  the  winter 
season  attended  the  public  schools,  while  in 
the  summer  months  he  assisted  his  father 
upon  the  farm.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
entered  college  in  Morganfield,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years,  and  then  putting 
aside  bis  text  books  he  entered  upon  his 
business  career  as  an  employe  in  a  mercan- 
tile bouse,  where  he  remained  until  he  went 
upon  the  road  as  a  traveling  salesman.  For 
the  past  twenty-one  years  he  has  thus  been 
engaged  with  the  exception  of  a  brief  in- 
terval of  two  years.  From  1882  until  1886 
be  was  traveling  representative  for  the  Ohic 
&  IMississippi  Railroad  in  Illinois,  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee  and  at  the  latter  date  he  came 
to  Hutchinson,  where  for  two  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  retail  grocery  business.  He 
was  then  one  of  the  promoters  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Hutchinson  Wholesale 
Grscery  Company,  for  which  he  traveled 
continuously  until  Apriri2,  1900,  largely 
augmenting  its  business  through  his 
introduction  of  its  goods.  At  the  last  date 
he  accepted  his  present  position  with  the 
Springfield  Hat  Company,  which  has  its 
headquarters  in  Springfield,  Missouri,  and 
its  factory  in  Orange,  New  Jersey.  He 
represents  this  company  throughout  the  en- 
tire state  of  Kansas,  and  has  already  se- 
cured a  large  patronage  for  the  house.  In. 
business  affairs  he  is  energetic,  prompt  and 
notably  reliable,  always  courteous  and'  ge- 
nial and  succeeds  not  only  in  winning  cus- 
tomers but  also  in  gaining'their  high  regard. 

Mr.  Duval  has  long  taken  a  deep  and 
active  interest  in  political  questions  and  is 
a  well  known  factor  in  the  councils  of  the 
Democracy.       He  is  an  entertaining,  force- 


ful and  logical  speaker,  endowed  with  supe- 
rior gifts  of  oratory  and  his  campaign  ad- 
dresses are  very  effective.  He  always  takes 
an  active  part  in  selecting  delegates'  for  the 
county,  congressional  and  state  conventions, 
so  that  competent  men  may  be  nominated  for 
office  and  the  principles  of  the  party  firmly 
upheld.  In  1900  he  received  the  party  nom- 
ination as  candidate  for  congress,  and  al- 
though Kansas  gave  a  very  strong  Repub- 
lican majority,  he  made  a  remarkable  race 
for  the  office — acknowledged  so  to  be  by 
even  the  western  Republican  press.  He  was 
defeated,  but  it  was  a  defeat  that  amounted 
almost  to  victory  for  he  ran  fifteen  hundred 
ahead  of  his  ticket,  after  making  a  canvass 
through  thirty-six  counties  covering  one- 
third  of  the  area  of  the  state.  He  assumes 
no  credit  for  this,  but  modestv  says  the  re- 
sult was  due  to  the  effective  "leadership  of 
Hon.  George  T.  Pitts,  of  Wellington,  Kan- 
sas, chainnan  of  the  congressional  commit- 
tee, and  to  the  unswerving  loyaltv  of 
Mr.  Duval's  personal  friends,  regardless 
of  party;  but  his  friends  all  believe  and 
know  that  it  was  the  personal  popularity 
of  the  man  aad  confidence  so  uniformlv  re- 
posed in  him  that  gained  for  him  such  a 
flattering  vote.  He  has  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  many  prominent  men  of 
the  opposition,  for  his  loyaltv  to  Ameri- 
can institutions  and  his  honest  convictions 
are  above  question.  ]\Ir.  Duval  is 
a  valued  member  of  Byron  Lodge,  No.  197, 
K.  P.  and  Hutchinson  Council.  No.  34. 
United  Commercial  Travelers.  He  has  filled 
all  the  offices  of  the  local  U.  C.  T.  Council, 
for  three  terms  was  grand  treasurer  of  the 
state,  has  been  elected  grand  counselor  and 
takes  a  deep  and  helpful  interest  in  the  move- 
ments tending  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
traveling  men.  He  likewise  holds  mem- 
bership with  Reno  Lodge,  No.  140,  F.  &  A. 
M.,  and  with  the  Iowa  Accident  Insurance 
Company.  Fourteen  years  ago  he  joined  the 
First  Presbj-terian  church  of  Hutchinson, 
Kansas,  and  has  ever  since  been  an  active 
working  member,  taking  special  interest  in 
the  Sunday-school  work,  and  is  now  servmg 
his  third  year  as  superintendent  of  the  First 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


183 


Presbyterian  church  Sunday-school.  Under 
his  management  the  school  has  prospered 
and  grown  and  is  to-day  one  of  the  best  and 
most  active  working  schools  in  the  city. 

On  the  26th  of  April,  1882,  in  Kentucky, 
Mr.  Duval  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Cora  White,  a  daughter  of  H.  \V.  White, 
formerly  a  merchant  of  McLeansboro,  Illi- 
nois, and  later  a  traveling  salesman  out  of 
St.  Louis,  Missouri.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Clara,  who  is  giving  considerable 
attention  to  the  study  of  vocal  music,  in 
which  direction  she  manifests  pleasing  tal- 
ent. Their  home  is  noted  for  its  cordial 
hospitality  and  their  friends  throughout  the 
community  ai>e  many.  Reliable  in  busi- 
ness, considerate  in  the  home,  genial  and 
/riendly  in  social  circles,  loyal  in  citizenship, 
and  above  all  without  ostentation  in  manner 
—these  qualities  have  gained  for  Claude 
Duval  the  respect  and  in  many  instances  the 
warm  friendship  of  those  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact. 


MICHAEL  MENG. 

One  of  the  prosperous  and  progressive 
farmers  of  Galesburg  township,  Kingman 
County,  has  so  ably  conducted  his  business  in- 
terests that  success  has  crowned  his  efforts 
and  given  him  a  place  among  the  substantial 
citizens  of  his  community.  He  was  born  in 
Seneca  county,  near  Bellevue,  Ohio,  in 
1850.  His  father,  Martin  Meng,  was  born 
in  Alsace,  on  the  Rhine,  Germany,  in  18 18, 
and  in  his  native  country  he  atten'ded  school 
until  his  fourteenth  year.  He  then  learned 
the  weaver's  trade,  following  that  occupa- 
tion for  four  years.  On  the  expiration  of 
that  period,  being  then  eighteen  years  of  age, 
he  left  his  home  and  native  land" for  the  new 
world,  and  after  his  arrival  in  this  country 
he  located  near  Bellevue,  Ohio.  In  Seneca 
county,  that  state,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Agnes  Fritz,  who  was  born  in  Alsace, 
Gern:any,  but  came  to  America  when  six- 
teen years  of  age,  locating  in  the  Buckeye 
state.  Seven  children  were  born  unto  this 
worthy  couple,  four  sons  and  Soiree  daugh- 


ters, namely :  Michael,  Lena,  Anna,  Mar- 
tin, Philip,  Joseph  and  Mary.  Philip  and 
Joseph  are  twins,  and  the  former  now  resides 
in  Evans  township,  this  state,  and  the  latter 
still  makes  his  home  in  Ohio.  The  parents 
are  also  living  in  that  commonwealth,  the 
father  having  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-three  years,  while  the  mother  died  at 
sixty-three  years  of  age. 

Michael  Meng,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  reared  to  manhood  on  an 
Ohio  farm,  and  in  that  state  he  received  his 
early  educational  privileges.  He  remained 
in  the  state  of  his  nativity  until  1880,  and  in 
that  year  located  near  Decatur,  Adams 
county,  Indiana,  where  for  the  f-'Ih'wiiiL;  -ix 
years  he  was,  engaged  in  agriciiltural  jiur- 
suits.  The  year  1887  witnessed  his  arrival 
in  the  Sunflower  state,  and  in  Kingman 
CL.'unty  he  first  purchased  a  tract  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land,  to  which  he 
later  added  another  tract  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  located  one  mile  south  of  his 
original  purchase,  and  still  later  he  bought 
eighty  acres  on  the  southeast,  being  now  the 
possessor  of  four  hundred  acres  of  excellent 
and  productive  land.  As  the  years  have  pass- 
ed by  and  prosperity  has  rewarded  his  efforts 
he  has  placed  many  substantial  improve- 
ments upon  his  place,  and  this  is  now  one 
of  the  finest  homesteads  of  the  locality.  Mr. 
Meng  is  also  operating  a  threshing  machine. 
which  is  the,  second  one  he  has  owned  and 
operated  in  Kansas. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years  Mr. 
Meng  was  united  in  marriage  to  Philopena 
Gerber,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Barbara 
(Heitz)  Gerber.  The  father  is  still 
liA-ing,  making  his  home  in  Ohio,  but 
the  mother  has  passed  to  her  final  rest. 
They  became  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  are  now  living, 
namely:  Jacob,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Evans  townsihip,  Kingman  county ;  Mary, 
a  resident  of  Ohio;  John,  who  makesi  his 
home  Ih  Galesburg  township,  Kingman 
county;  and  Philopena,  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject. The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meng  has 
been  blessed  with  ten  children,  as  follows : 
Leo,  Christina,  Otto,  Charles,  Emma,  !Mary, 
Minnie,   Lucv,   William  and   Lizzie.        The 


1 84 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


last  named  died  when  twelve  years  of  age. 
The  Democracy  receives  Mr.  Meng"s  active 
support  and  co-operation  and  of  the  Catholic 
church  he  is  a  worthy  and  acceptable  mem- 
ber. He  served  as  a  trustee  of  the  build- 
ing committee  for  the  new  church,  which 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  thirty-live  hundred 
dollars,  and  in  1901  he  took  an  active  part 
in  the  building  of  the  fine  new  edifice  at 
Waterloo.  As  a  citizen  he  is-  public-spirited 
and  progressive,  withholding  his  support 
from  no  measure  or  movement  which  he  be- 
lieves will  prove  of  public  benefit. 


WILLIA^I  POTTER. 

\\"illiam  Potter,  superintendent  of  the 
Reno  county  poor  farm,  has  been  a  resident 
of  the  locality  since  1877,  and  during  that 
period  he  has  so  lived  as  to  gain  for  himself 
by  his  honorable,  straighforward  career  the 
confidence  and  resided   rf  tlie   entire   com- 


munit}-  in  which  he  li\es.  He  was  born  in 
Drake  county,  Ohio,  September  28,  1840. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Daniel  Potter, 
was  one  of  the  very  early  pioneers  of  the 
Buckeye  state,  where  he  cleared  a  farm  from 
the  native  timber.  His  son,  Daniel  Potter. 
Jr.,  also  improved  a  farm  in  that  state,  and 


became  one  of  the  prominent  and  infiuential 
!  early  settlers  of  his  locality.     When  he  was 
1  nine  years   of   age  the  Indians  forced  the 
family  to  take  refuge  in  a  fort  and  every- 
thing was  then  new  and  wild,  while  game  of 
all  kinds  was  so  numerous  that  they  would 
at  times  almost  destroy  the  corn  crops.    The 
i  family  made  their  sugar  and  spun  and  wove 
;  the  material   for  their  clothes,  and  if  they 
j  raised  crops  sufficient  to  pay  taxes  and  pur- 
chase their  salt  they  were  considered  suc- 
cessful.    Mr.     Potter     married     Catherine 
Crumrine,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  our  subject 
is  the  eldest  of  three  living  children.    The 
father  died   at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years, 
i  while  the  mother  was  called  to  the  home  be- 
yond at  the  age  of  forty-three  years. 

\\'illiam  Potter,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 
until  he  had  nearly  reached  mature  years. 
September  i,  1861,  he  enlisted  for  service 
in  the  Civil  war,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  G,  Fortieth  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. In  1862  he  joined  the  army  of  the 
Cumberland,  was  with  Garfield  of  the  Big 
Sandy,  took  part  in  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
and  was  five  times  wounded,  though  never 
seriously.  At  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
he  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  and  in  all 
the  engagements  in  which  the  regiment  took 
part  he  nobly  did  his  duty  as  a  brave  and 
103-al  soldier.  On  the  expiration  of  the  term 
of  enlistment  the  army  was  disbanded,  but 
Mr.  Potter  \-eteranized.  and  before  the  last 
fight  at  Xash\-ille  his  regiment  consolidated 
with  the  Fifty-first  Ohio  and  went  to  Texas, 
remaining  in  the  Lone  Star  state  from  July 
until  the  following  October,  when  they  were 
mustered  out  at  Victoria,  that  state,  and 
were  discharged  at  Columbus,  on  the  fifth 
of  November,  1865.  That  y-ear,  while  in 
Texas  he  was  ill  with  a  fever,  which  finally 
settled  in  his  ankle,  and  from  that  time  to 
the  present  he  has  ne\'er  been  free  from 
pain.  During  his  illness  he  was  cared  for 
at  the  home  of  a  Texan,  who  was  a  southern 
sympathizer.  For  meritorious  service 
during-  his  military  career,  Mr.  Potter  was 
appointed  corporal  of  his  company  and  was 
afterward    made    first    lieutenant.     At    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


185 


battle  of  Resaca  his  only  brother.  John  D., 
who  was  a  member  of  Company  K.  Xinety- 
foLirth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  was  killed. 
Returning  to  his  home  with  an  honor- 
able military  career,  our  subject  again  took 
up  the  quiet  and  peaceful  duties  of  the  farm 
in  Drake  county,  where  he  continued  to  re- 
side until  1S76,  and  in  the  spring  of  that 
year  came  tO'  Kansas,  locating  on  a  home- 
stead quarter  section  of  timber  land  in  Ar- 
lington township  and  also  took  a  home- 
stead claim  in  Lodi  township.  In  the  fol- 
lowing fall,  however,  he  returned  to  Ohio, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1877,  brought  his  fam- 
ily to  his  Kansas  home.  Buftaloes  still 
roamed  over  the  country  at  that  time,  and 
for  three  or  four  years  afterward  antelope 
were  numerous  in  this  section.  Mr.  Potter 
improved  one-half  of  his  three-hunclred-and 
t  s  cnty-acre  tract,  his  principal  crop  being 
wlieat,  and  he  continued  to  cultivate 
the  place  until  1895,  when  h^  sold  his  farm 
and  afterward  assumed  the  duties  of  super- 
intendent of  the  Reno  county  farm,  being 
a  member  of  the  town  board  at  that 
time.  When  he  was  given  charge  of  the 
office  his  only  instructions  were  to  conduct 
the  place  as  he  would  his  own,  and  that  he 
has  do>ne  so^  is  evinced  by  the  fact  that  dur- 
ing each  succeeding  year  he  has  been  re- 
elected. The  number  of  inmates  now  num- 
ber twelve,  but  at  one  time  as  many  as 
thirty-four  made  their  home  upon  the 
farm,  and  two  servants  are  CDiistaiitly  em- 
pliiyed.  The  principal  crops  rai'-u  1  are  wb.cat 
and  corn.  In  1901  the  latter  C(  nimiidity 
a\'eragcd  thirty-se\'en  luishels  to  the  acre, 
while  tlie  1  ats  en -p  yielded  an  average  of 
furty-six  and  a  half  bushels  to  the  acre.  Few 
public  institutions  are  conducted  so  profit- 
ably as  this,  and  for  many  years  the  sale  of 
the  crops  not  consumed  upon  the  place  and 
that  of  the  stock  have  been  sufficient  to  meet 
the  other  expenses.  The  greatest  revenue  of 
the  farm  is  derived  from  the  sale  of  stock. 
About  three  hundred  head  of  hogs  and  from 
ten  to  fifteen  head  of  cattle  are  sold  each 
year,  while  apples  and  grapes  al-^n  are  mar- 
keted. A  fine  grade  of  stock  is  rai-cd  upon 
the  place,  a  beautiful  orchard  yields  its  fruit 
in  season,  and  evervthing  about  the  farm  in- 


dicates the  supervision  of  a  progressive  and 
thrifty  agriculturist.  Since  assuming  the 
duties  of  this  responsible  position  his  salary- 
has  been  increased  from  eight  hundred  to 
twelve  hundretl  dollars,  thus  showing  the 
higii  regard  in  which  he  is  held  by  those  in 
authority. 

In  Ohio,  on  the  12th  oi  April,  1866,  Mr. 
Potter  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  E. 
J.  Ryan,  a  daughter  of  Rudolpk  Ryan,  who 
was  born  in  Germany,  but  when  nine  years 
of  age  was  brought  by  his  parents  to  Amer- 
ica, the  family  locating  in  Virginia.  He 
was  there  married  to  Ellen  Hamilton,  a  na- 
tive of  Maryland.  She  was  married  in  that 
state  and  later  located  in  the  Buckeye  state. 
Rudolph  Ryan  was  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
and  became  an  early  pioneer  of  both  Ohio 
and  Indiana.  He  passed  away  in  death 
when  Mrs.  Potter  was  only  eight  years  of 
age,  but  his  wife  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of 
seventj'-odd  years.  Five  of  their  sons  were 
brave  and  loyal  soldiers  during  the  Civil 
war.  John  Alexander,  \\-ho  was  a  member  of 
the  Ninety-fourth  Ohio, ,  was  wounded  and 
captured  at  the  battle  of  Resaca  and  died  in 
Andersonville  prison:  G.  W.  and  F.  L., 
twins,  the  former  a  member  of  the  Fourth 
United  States  Cavalry,  was  also  wounded  in 
battle,  \A-hile  the  latter  was  a  member  of  the 
Thirty-fourth  Ohio  Zouaves;  Daniel  T.,  was 
a  member  of  the  Ninety-fourtTi  Ohio;  and 
William,  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Flfty-^ccond  Ohio  VcIrnttn->,  died  of  meas- 
les at  (amp  Chase.  Unt. .  Air.  and  Mrs,  Pot- 
ter ha\-e  been  born  seven  children,  namely: 
Catherine  Ellen,  wife  of  D.  C.  Banks,  of 
OklalK.nna :  Alary  Annatta.  wife  of  William 
Banks,  cf  Ledi  township.  Reno  ciauntv: 
Sarah  Olive,  wife  of  Charles  Vaughn,  also 
a  resident  of  Lodi  township:  John  D..  who 
proved  a  claim  in  the  "Strip,"  but  now  re- 
sides' in  this  county,  and  he  married  Mary 
Amanda  Wilburn,  a  daughter  of  John  Will- 
iam Wilburn;  Emma  Jane,  wife  of  M.  A. 
Minor,  Arlington  township,  Reno  co'unty; 
Rosa  Lee,  wife  of  Fred  Vaughn:  and  on 
daughter  who  died  when  a  year  and  a  half 
old.  Mr.  Potter  maintains  pleasant  relati.^ns 
with  his  old  army  comrades  through  his 
membership  with   the  Grand   Armv'cf  the 


i86 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


Republic,  Perryville  Post,  Xo.  222,  at  Ar- 
lington, Kansas,  and  of  the  Christian  church 
he  has  been  a  worthy  and  acceptable  member 
for  a  half  century  and  I\Irs.  Potter  has  been 
a  member  of  same  church  for  thirty-nine 
years.  She  is  now  serving  as  matron  of  the 
county  home  and  is  a  woman  whose  pure  life 
and  most  amiable  manner  admirably  fit  her 
for  the  great  trials  and  increasing  responsi- 
bilities of  the  home,  and  wherever  she  is 
known  she  is  highly  respected  and  loved. 
Mr.  Potter's  political  support  is  given  the 
Republican  party,  and  in  1886  he  was  elected 
to  th.e  office  of  county  commissioner,  which 
he  has  served  for  four  years.  For  twelve 
years  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Lodi 
township,  and  for  twenty-two  years  both  in 
Ohio  and  Kansas,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board.  He  is  widely  and  favorably 
"known,  and  has  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  either 
in  business  or  social  life. 


TOHX  LAFAYETTE  S^IITH. 

Among  the  business  and  professional 
men  of  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  none  are  more 
closely  identified  with  the  growth  and  best 
interests  of  the  Sunflower  state  than  John 
Lafayette  Smith,  familiarly  known  among 
his  friends  as  "Fay,"  having  been  a  resident 
of  Reno  county  since  1872,  locating  south  of 
the  city  of  Hutchinson.  At  that  time  the 
city  could  Ijoast  of  but  one  store  and  very 
few  residences,  and  between  the  farm  of  Mr. 
.Smith  and  the  city  there  were  but  two  resi- 
dences, indicating  the  unsettled  condition 
of  the  country  at  that  time.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  cur  subject,  Alexander 
Smith,  was  a  native  of  the  south,  as  was  also 
his  wife,  who  was  born  in  North  Carolina. 
He  was  of  English-Irish  lineage,  and  she  of 
Dutch.  Two  of  his  sons  were  soldiers  in 
the  Civil  war,  one  fighting  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  union,  and  the  other  taking  up 
arms  in  favor  of  the  Secessionists,  and  in 
the  l_iattle  of  Gettysburg  thev  fought  against 
each  other.      John  Lowrv  Smith,  the  father 


of  our  subject,  although  born  in  North  Car- 
olina, was  reared  in  Tennessee,  and  in  1839 
went  to  Iowa.  The  following  year  he 
brought  his  family  from  White  Oak 
Springs,  Illinois,  to  Iowa,  where  he  took  up 
a  timber  claim  and  partially  improved  it, 
but  later  made  a  home  for  his  family  out  on 
the  prairie.  He  was  an  important  factor 
in  the  organization  of  the  county  in  which 
he  resided,  and  it  being  a  time  of  Indian  out- 
breaks, he  showed  great  courage  in  protect- 
ing the  citizens  of  the  surrounding  country. 
He  took  part  in  the  B^llevue  war,  being  a 
member  of  the  vigilance  committee,  and  the 
old  building  in  which  he  and  a  number  of 
brave  men  helped  to  protect  the  settlement, 
is  still  standing.  His  clothes  were  pierced 
with  seven  bullets,  but  he  escaped  without  a 
wound.  He  aided  in  the  formation  of 
schools  and  churches,  and  gave  his  support 
to  any  movement  tending  toward  the  ad- 
vancement and  development  of  the  commun- 
ity in  which  he  lived.  He  worked  at  Galena, 
Illinois,  and  was  obliged  to  go  there  for  sup- 
plies. In  those  primitive  days  travel  was 
tiresome  and  dangerous  but  lie  made  his 
journeys  with  comparatively  little  trouble. 
Mr.  Smith  luiilt  the  first  frame  house  in  that 
part  of  the  country,  and  deer  and  wild  geese 
were  so  abundant  that  they  were  driven  off 
the  farm  in  order  to  permit  of  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  land.  ^\'hile  in  Illinois.  ]\Ir. 
Smith  was  married  to  ^Nlary  ]\I.  Smith,  a 
second  cousin,  by  whom  he  had  eight  chil- 
dren, four  sons  and  four  daughters,  five  of 
whom  are  now  living,  namely :  Nancy  R.. 
the  wife  of  'M.  N.  Sisler  a  resident  of  Jack- 
son count}-.  Iowa:  Rufus  P.,  a  farmer  of 
Taylor  county,  Iowa;  IMary  I\I.,  the  wife 
of  S.  J.  Matthews,  of  South  Hutchinson: 
John  L.,  the  subject  of  this  review:  and 
Susie,  the  wife  of  John  H.  Kingkade,  of 
Norman,  Oklahoma.  ^Irs.  Smith  was  a 
helpful  companion  to  her  husband  in  these 
early  days,  faithfully  performing  all  the 
duties  of  the  primitive  household.  She 
made  the  cloth,  as  well  as  the  garments,  that 
was  worn  by  her  familv  and  endured  the 
hardships  of  frontier  life  with  courage  and 
fortitude.  The  father  spent  his  remaining 
days  in  his  adopted  state,  and  passed  away 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


187 


at  the  age  of  fifty-nine  years.  He  liad  be- 
come a  successful  grain  and  stock  raiser, 
having  acquired  alx)ut  five  hundred  acres  of 
land.  He  started  with  nothing  in  life  but 
wilhng  hands  and  a  stout  heart,  and  won  all 
through  his  industry  and  perseverance. 

John  Lafayette  Smith,  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  record,  was  born  November 
27.  1852  in  Jackson  county,  Iowa.  He.  re- 
ceived his  preliminary  education  in  a  little 
log  school  house  in  his  native  cuunty,  but 
later,  as  the  country  de\'eloped,  the  schools 
became  more  advanced,  and  after  complet- 
ing the  school  work  here,  he  attended  col- 
lege at  Clinton,  Iowa.  He  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  on  the  farm,  assisting  in  the  work 
in  the  manner  of  the  times.  His  father  was 
the  owner  of  the  first  reaping  machine  in  the 
country,  an  old  fashioned  INIanny,  but  as 
this  did  not  prove  successful,  he  abandoned 
it  for  the  scythe.  His  father  was  also  the 
possessor  of  "the  first  spring  wagon,  and  also 
subscribed  for  the  only  weekly  paper  taken 
for  a  long  time  in  that  part  of  the  count^\^ 
and  this  paper  was  loaned  to  the  neighbors 
until  it  was  worn  out.  When  fourteen  years 
of  age,  the  parents  of  Mr.  Smith  died  and  he 
lived  with  his  brother  until  he  decided  to 
start  out  on  life's  journey  for  himself.  The 
pioneer  spirit  of  his  family  being  strong 
within  him,  he  started  for  the  west.  At 
Independence,  Kansas,  he  purchased  a  yoke 
of  oxen  which  he  drove  over  the  prairie  until 
he  arrived  in  Reno  county,  where  he  decided 
to  locate,  taking  up  a  claim  in  the  southeast 
cpiarter  of  section  eight,  township  twenty- 
four,  range  five.  The  country  was  sparse- 
ly settled,  there  being  no  railroad  nearer  than 
Xewton,  and  the  buffaloes  were  so  abundant 
they  could  always  be  seen  in  droves  on  the 
prairie,  and  their  meat  was  very  plentiful. 
J\Ir.  Smitli  liogan  the  task  of  breaking  the 
open  prairie  w  ith  liis  team  of  oxen  and  plant- 
ed ^-(:me  ciirn,  but  his  main  source  of  revenue 
was  derived  from  buffalo  hides  and  bones. 
In  1874  he  traded  this  claim,  upon  which  he 
had  erected  a  sod  house  and  a  few  outbuild- 
ings, for  a  claim  owned  by  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Robinson,  upon  which  he  located. 
He  greatly  impro\-ed  this  land,  devoting  the 


greater  part  of  his  time  to  the  raising  of  corn 
and  wheat.  In  1874  and  again  in  1876  he 
lost  all  his  crops.  In  1878  he  was  appointed 
deputy  sheriff  and  this  brought  him  to  the 
city  where  he  resided  most  of  the  time,  ha\-- 
ing  rented  his  farm.  He  became  quite  ac- 
tive in  ix)litical  circles  after  his  removal  to 
the  city,  and  in  1885  was  elected  sheriff  and 
served  for  a  term  of  four  years.  In  1897  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  clerk  of  the  dis- 
trict court  and  served  in  that  capacity  for 
four  years.  His  duties  were  discharged  in 
a  most  acceptable  manner,  winning  to  him 
many  friends.  He  was  an  advocate  of  Re- 
publican principles  until  1892,  when  he 
joined  the  Populist  party,  and  his  election 
in  1897  was  largely  owing  to  his  own  fol- 
lowing, who  re-elected  him  in  1899. 

John  Lafayette  Smith  was  joined  in 
marriage  on  the  2d  day  of  June.  1886,  in 
Troy  township,  Reno  county,  Kansas,  to 
Alice  B.  Lewis,  a  daughter  of  S.  C.  Lewis, 
who  resides  in  Hutchinson.  This  union 
was  blessed  with  two  children:  Harry  L., 
and  Susie  Louisa. 

Mr.  Smith  while  attending  tO'  his  official 
duties  has  also  been  engaged  to  a  great  ex- 
tent in  real  estate,  and  has  also  retained  the 
possession  of  his  farm  property,  which  he 
rents.  In  the  organization  of  schools  and 
churches  he  has  been  an  important  factor, 
always  taking  an  active  intere^^t  in  any 
movement  tnward  the  advancement  of  his 
community.  He  is  identified  with  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Worknnen,  and  until 
recently  was  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  was  a 
trustee,  and  was  also  a  charter  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  luit  has  withdrawn  from 
the  two  latter  societies.  While  a  resident  of 
Hutchinscin  he  occupied  the  office  of  con- 
stable. He  is  verv  active  in  the  support  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  which  his 
wife  is  a  member,  and  has  ever  been  a  loyal 
defender  (  f  all  that  is  true  and  holy.  A 
man  of  strong  purpose  and  untiring  energy, 
he  has  won  to  himself  a  place  among  the 
prominent  citizens  of  Reno  county,  and  a 
reputation  of  high  worth  among  those  with 
whom  he  is  associated. 


i8S 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


MYXDERT  VAX   FATTEN. 

Myndert  \'an  Patten  is  a  prominent 
physician  engaged  in  practice  in  Sterling, 
and  in  his  profession  is  meeting  with  a  very 
high  degree  of  success,  owing  to  his  capable 
control  of  business  affairs,  his  comprehen- 
sive knowledge  of  the  underlying  principles 
of  the  science  of  medicine  and  his  deep  and 
abiding  interest  in  humanity  aside  from  his 
profession.  He  was  born  in  Sterling,  Cay- 
uga county.  New  York,  in  1835.  His  fa- 
ther. Christian  Van  Patten,  was  a  native  jof 
Albany  county,  New»  York,  born  May  4, 
1 80 1,  and  the  grandfather,  John  Van  Pat- 
ten, was  born  in  the  Empire  state,  about 
1765.  His  death  occurred  in  1845,  ^vhen  he 
had  attained  the  age  of  eighty  years.  He 
reared  three  sons  and  three  daughters. 
Among  this  number  was  Christian  Van  Pat- 
ten, who  after  attaining  years  of  maturity, 
married  I\Iiss  ]\Iary  Relyea,  who  was  born 
January  20.  1835.  and  gave  her  hand  in  mar- 
riage to  I\Ir.  Van  Patten  when  nineteen 
years  of  age.  She  died  in  Sterling,  Kansas, 
when  almost  ninety-seven  years  of  age.  They 
were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  of 
whom  five  sons  and  seven  daughters  reached 
mature  years,  while  four  sons  and  four 
daughters  are  yet  living,  namely:  David, 
a  farmer  residing  in  Sterling  who  has  one 
son  and  two  daughters;  Herman,  an  agri- 
cultuiist  of  the  same  locality  who  has  one 
son;  Alyndert,  of  this  review;  James,  who 
resides  on  the  old  homestead  where  the 
grandfather  located  more  than  one  hundred 
years  ago;  Nancy,  the  widow  of  Charles 
Lyon,  of  Sterling;  Susan,  wife  of  George 
Blackwell,  of  Kankakee.  Illinois;  Mrs.  Ra- 
chel Marvin,  of  Sterling;  and  ]\Irs.  Isabell 
Duncan,  a  widow,  also  living  at  Sterling. 
The  father  of  this  family  died  in  Sterling, 
in  1893.  ^6  followed  farming  as  his  life 
work  and  thus  provided  a  good  home  for 
his  family,  also  giving  to  his  children  edu- 
cational advantages  that  well  fitted  them  for 
life's  practical  duties.  He  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  public  affairs  and  was  greatly  es- 
teemed for  his  genuine  worth  of  character. 

Dr.  Van  Patten  was  educated  in  \\'ayne 
countv  academy,   and  after  completing  his 


literary  course  he  prepared  for  professional 
life  in  the  Albany  ^Medical  College,  in  which 
he  was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1864. 
He  first  began  practice  in  Hannibal,  New 
York,  in  1865,  and  a  year  later  raiioved  to 
Sterling,  where  he  resided  for  three  years. 
His.  next  place  of  business  was  in  Chats- 
worth,  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
was  associated  with  Dr.  Hunt  in  practice 
and  in  the  drug  business  for  eight  years. 
For  four  years  he  was  a  resident  of  Peoria, 
Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  practice  as  a 
regular.  For  the  past  twenty-twn  years  he 
has  ministered  to  the  needs  if  sut-fcring  Ini- 
manity  as  a  homeopathic  pliy>ician  in  Ster- 
ling. Kansas,  coming  to  this  place  from 
Peoria.  Illinois,  in  1868. 

In  the  meantime  Dr.  Van  Patten  had  en- 
gaged in  military  service.  He  enlisted  at 
Sterling,  New  York,  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany F,  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  New  York 
Infantry,  in  1862,  but  in  February,  1863, 
was  honorably  discharged  on  account  of 
physical  disability.  After  his  return  home 
he  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Hannibal, 
New  York,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Ada  Foot,  who 
died  in  Kansas  about  1874,  leaving  five  of 
her  six  children,  four  daughters  and  one  son, 
namely:  Isabelle  L..  wife  of  Cassius  Elli- 
ott, of  Farmington,  New  ]\Iexico,  by  whom 
she  has  six  children ;  George,  who  is  living 
in  the  same  place;  Mamie,  the  wife  of  Riley 
Peterson,  of  Hodgman  county,  Kansas,  by 
whom  she  has  two  children ;  Fernette  and 
Winnie,  who  are  still  under  the  parental 
roof.  The  Doctor  was  again  married  in 
1887.  his  second  union  being  with  ]Miss  Let- 
tie  M.  Muse,  of  Greenfield.  Ohio,  a  daughter 
of  a  Presbyterian  minister,  and  his  first  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  a  Baptist  preacher.  The 
children  born  to  Dr.  Van  Patten  by  his  sec- 
ond marriage  are :  Myndert,  who  is  now 
thirteen  years  of  age;  Guy,  a  lad  of  nine 
years ;  and  Lowell,  who  is  seven  years  of 
age.  Socially  the  Doctor  is  connected  with 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  is  now 
serving  his  third  year  as  commander  of 
Mead  Post.  No.  14.  a  fact  which  indicates 
his  present  personal  popularity.  fiT  the  of- 
fice is  not  usually  accorded  to  one  man  for 
s.:)  long  a  time.     In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


lican  and  has  senxd  as  school  director  and 
as  mayor  of  Sterling,  exercising  his  official 
prerogatives  in  promoting  the  best  interests 
of  the  city.  In  the  campaign  of  1900  he  was 
chairman  of  the  Republicani  committee  and 
labored  earnestly  in  the  interest  of  McKinley 
and  Roosevelt.  For  twenty-two  years  he 
has  occupied  his  present  residence  in  Ster- 
ling and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
capable  physicians  and  prominent  citizens  of 
the  neighborhood.  His  devotion  to  his  pro- 
fession is  marked  and  arises  not  only  from 
his  love  of  scientific  research,  but  also  from 
his  desire  to  be  a  benefit  to  the  world.  His 
public  and  private  relations  are  alike  above 
reproach  and  as' a  friend  and  physician  he 
has  won  the  high  regard  of  all  and  become 
a  popular  resident  of  his  adopted  county. 


JOHN  W.  XELSOX. 

Though  no  land  is  richer  in  opportuni- 
ties or  offers  greater  advantages  to  its  citi- 
zens than  America,  success  is  not  to  be  ob- 
tained through  desire,  Init  must  be  persist- 
ently sought.  In  America  "labor  is  king," 
and  the  man  who  resolutely  sets  to  work  to 
accomplish  a  purpose  is  certain  of  success  if 
he  has  but  the  qualities  of  perseverance,  un- 
tiring energy  and  practical  common  sense. 
John  \V.  Xelson  is  one  whose  career  ex- 
cites the  admiration  and  gains  the  respect  of 
all.  fur  through  his  diligence  and  persistent 
purpose  he  has  won  a  leading  place  in  the 
business  circles  of  Hutchinson  and  classed 
among  the  most  prosperous  citizens  of  Reno 
county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Nel- 
son Brothers,  dealers  in  hardware,  stoves, 
farm  implements  and  vehicles.  They  also 
engage  in  the  manufacture  of  pumps  and 
pump  fixtures  and  are  the  proprietors  of  the 
Hutchinson  Machine  Shops.  Their  business, 
constantly  growing  in  volume  and  im- 
portance, has  brought  to  them  a  hand- 
some income  and  the  most  envious  can- 
not grudge  tliem  their  prosperity  so  worthily 
has  it  been  won. 

John  \\'.  Xelson  was  born  near  Emhutt, 
Sweden,  ]March  29,  1S61,  a  son  of  John  and 


Xellie  (Benson)  Xelson.  The  father  was 
born  in  southern  Sweden.  July  3,  1835,  and 
was  a  son  of  Nels  Anderson,  for  according 
to  the  custom  of  that  land  the  son's  surname 
is  formed  by  attaching  the  word  son  to  the 
father's  last  name.  The  great-grandfather 
of  our  subject  was  Ander  Hult,  an  officer 
in  the  Swedish  army,  who  served  for  five 
years  in  the  war  with  Germany.  John  X'el- 
son,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  a  farmer 
and  land  owner  in  the  old  country,  but  be- 
lieving America  offered  better  opportunities 
for  advancement  he  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1869.  He  left  his  family  in  Swe- 
den and  came  alone  in  search  of  a  home  for 
his  wife  and  children.  After  landing  on 
the  Atlantic  coast  he  made  his  way  across 
the  country  to  Winnebago  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  employed  as  a  farm  laborer 
for  two  years,  when  he  was  joined  by  his 
family.  In  the  spring  of  187J,  accompanied 
by  his  two  sons,  he  started  for  the  west, 
making  the  journey  bv  wagon.  In  May  of 
that  year  he  reached  Reno  county  and  locat- 
ed a  homestead  in  Lincoln  township,  where 
he  built  a  small  house  of  one  room  and 
broke  a  little  sod.  He  planted  some  corn 
that  first  spring  and  broke  alti.igether  fifteen 
acres  oi  the  land.  After  a  year  he  s.>Id  his 
first  claim  and  purchased  another  two  miles 
west  on  the  southeast  Cjuarter  of  section  28, 
township  24  range  6.  Of  this,  eighty  acres 
had  been  taken  as  a  homestead  and  the  other 
eighty  acres  as  a  timber  claim.  Both  of 
these  he  proved  up  and  placed  under  a  high 
state  of  improvement  and  cultivation.  The 
family  resided  upon  this  farm  until  1S84, 
when  they  removed  to  a  farm  in  Castleton 
township  which  the  father  had  purchased. 
Two  years  later,  however,  he  went  to  his 
present  home  in  South  Reno  township,  just 
outside  the  city  limits  of  Hutchinson.  Here 
he  owns  a  valuable  tract  of  land.  Through 
his  economy,  industry  and  perseverance  and 
the  aid  of  his  faithful  wife  he  has  pros- 
pered, now  occupying  a  place  among  the 
leading  and  successful  agriculturists  of 
Reno  county.  He  endorses  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party  and  supports  its 
candidates  by  his  ballot.  In  religious  faith 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  Lutherans.     Thev 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTOR] 


are  now  living  happy  en  their  excellent 
farm,  Mr.  Nelson  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
years,  while  his  wife  has  attained  the  age  of 
fifty-seven. 

John  W.  Nelson  was  a  lad  of  only  eleven 
years  when  he  came  with  the  family  to  Kan- 
sas. Here  he  soon  became  familiar  with  the 
experiences  incident  to  the  establishment  of 
a  home  ui>on  the  frontier.  He  shared  with 
the  family  in  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  pioneer  life  and  assisted  his  fatlier  in  im- 
proving new  farms  and  in  herding  cattle. 
His  cducaticnal  privileges  were  those  afford- 
ed liv  thr  di-lrict  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood through  the  winter  months.  He  re- 
mained under  the  parental  roof  until  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  when  he  took  charge  of 
one  of  his  father's  farms,  which  he  was  al- 
lowed to  operate  rent  free.  There  he  re- 
mained for  a  year,  after  which  he  went  to 
Kingman  and  entered  a  blacksmith  shop 
with  the  intention  of  ultimately  establishing 
a  machine  shop,  but  after  six  months  he 
abandoned  that  idea. 

In  company  with  his;  brother,  Peter  A. 
Nelson,  who  was  born  January  4,  1863,  and 
with  wli'-ni  he  has  long  been  associated  in 
business,  he  went  to  Finney  county,  Kansas, 
where  each  pre-empted  a  quarter  section  of 
land.  After  breaking  some  sod  and  making 
some  improvements  on  the  place  they  re- 
turned to  Reno  county  but  are  still  owners 
of  their  claims  in  Finney  county.  In  1887 
he  established  a  hardware  business  in  South 
Hutchinson,  which  he  carried  on  for  a  year, 
when  he  admitted  his  son  to  a  partnership, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Nelson  Brothers. 
In  1889  they  removed  across  the  river  to 
Hutchinson  and  began  business  in  what  was 
then  the  Hegner  but  now  the  Rock  Island 
block  and  at  present  occupied  by  the  Parker 
Creamery  Company.  For  a  year  they  re- 
mained at  that  place  and  then  went  to  No. 
4  South  Main  street,  where  they  also  con- 
tinued foi-  a  year,  after  which  they  occupied 
the  Welsh  building  for  four  years  and  then 
returned  to  Main  street.  In  the  fall  of  1899 
they  purchased  their  present  three-story 
brick  building  at  No.  6  Main  street,  the  di- 
mensions of  the  structure  being  twenty-five 
by  one  hundred  and  fiftv  feet.     It  is  a  fine 


modern  business  block,  of  which  they  occu- 
py the  entire  space  except  the  front  part  of 
the  upper  floors,  which  are  arranged  for 
office  purposes.  The>^  also  own  the  build- 
ing at  No.  3  Sherman  street,  east, — a  good 
two- story  structure,  twenty-five  by  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  feet.  They  have  like- 
wise purchased  another  lot,  on  which  they 
will  erect  a  storage  building.  In  1898  they 
estabiisiied  the  Hutchinson  Machine  Shops 
on  lots  14  and  16  Sherman  street,  west,  and 
have  since  conducted  the  enterprise.  Four 
years  before,  in  fact,  they  had  established  a 
shop  on  Sherman  for  the  manufacture  of 
irrigating  pumps.  The  quesfion  of  irriga- 
tion was.  then  receiving  much  attention  in 
Kansas  and  Mr.  Nelson  meant  to  be  ready 
to  supply  the  demand  if  they  should  be  gen- 
erally brought  into  use.  The  sihop  is  now 
used  as  a  general  machine  and  repair  shop, 
in  which  four  workmen  are  employed.  The 
business  of  Nelson  Brothers  has  grown  from 
a  small  beginning  in  1887  to  one  of  the 
most  extensive  concerns  in  this  line  in  Reno 
county,  their  trade  amounting  to  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  per  annum.  Their  reputation 
for  reliability  and  business  integrity  is  sec- 
ond to  none  in  this  part  of  the  state  and  in 
financial  circles  they  are  rated  with  the  best. 
Their  prosperity  seems  almost  phenomenal, 
but  at  the  same  time  it  is  well  cleserved,  be- 
ing the  logical  result  of  straightforward 
business  methods,  directed  by  intelligence 
and  discretion. 

The  brothers  own  a  number  of  fine  resi- 
dence properties  in  the  city,  ha\ing  made  ju- 
dicious investments  in  real  estate.  They  are 
equal  partners  in  all  property  and  business 
operations  and  in  addition  to  their  half  sec- 
tion of  land  in  Finney  county  they  have  an 
equal  amount  of  valualjle  farming  land  in 
Reno  county,  while  in  the  year  1901  they 
had  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  planted  in 
wheat. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  1890,  John  W. 
Nelson  was  married  in  RenO'  county,  to  Miss 
Pearl  M.  Stevenson,  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  (AIcKinney)  Stevenson.  She 
was  born  near  Lawrence.  Kansas,  her  father' 
having  been  one  of  the  honored  pioneer  resi- 
dents of  that  community.     In  public  aft'airs 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


lie  was  quite  prominent.  In  1S73  he  came 
tO'  Reno  county  and  was  therefore  also  iden- 
tified with  its  early  development.  Unto  Mr. 
and  ]Mrs.  Nelson  have  been  born  two  chil- 
dren, Nellie  A.  and  James  B.  Their  home 
is  an  elegant  residence  at  No.  407  East  First 
street.  It  was  purchased  in  1899  by  Air. 
Nelson  and  is  pleasantly  situated  on  one  of 
the  most'  desirable  residence  streets  of  the 
city."  Such  in  brief  is  the  life  history  of 
one  of  the  most  active  and  influential  busi- 
ness men  of  Hutchinson,  and  his  record' 
should  serve  as  a  source  of  encouragement 
and  inspiration  ,tO'  others,  proving  wdiat  it 
is  possible  to  accomplish  through  indefati- 
gable labor  when  guided  by  sound  judg- 
ment. That  "honesty  is  the  best  policy"  is 
demonstrated  in  his  career,  for  his  integrity 
stands  as  an  unquestioned  fact  in  his  life 
work. 


WILLIAM  DAVID  SHULER. 

This  well  known  citizen  and  fruit  grow- 
er of  Reno  county.  William  David  Shuler. 
is  a  nati\'e  of  the  Old  Dominion,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  Page  county,  on  the 
Shenandoah  river,  on  the  23d  of  June,  1833. 
His  father,  George  Shuler,  was  Ijnrn  im  the 
same  farm  December  j;.  1794.  and  his  death 
there  occurred  on  the  28th  of  April,  1873. 
The  grandfather,  John  Shuler,  was  born  in 
Germany,  but  in  early  life,  in  company  with 
his  brother  Alichael,  he  came  to  the  new 
world,  locating  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
married  to  a  Miss  Keyser,  who  was  one  of 
five  daughters,  and  after  Mr.  Shuler's  death 
she  married  a  Mr.  Stepp,  bv  whom  she  had 
three  children.  Her  death  occurred  in  Illi- 
nois, at  the  age  of  ninety-fi\'e  years.  The 
mother  (if  nur  subject,  who  was  former! v 
Tal)itha  Dovel,  was' also  a  native  of  the  Old 
Dominion,  her  birth  occurring  in  1795. 
Their  marriage  was  celebrated  in  1813,  and 
was  blessed  with  eight  children,  five  sons 
and  three  daughters,  namely :  John,  who 
on  the  19th  of  August,  1901.  will  celebrate 
his  eighty-sixth  birthday:  Diana  Dovel,  who 
is  now  a  widow  and  is  eighty-one  years  of 
age;  Noah  ^^'.,  a  resident  of  Rockingham 


county,  A'iroinia;  Elizabeth  Ann,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Aylshire  and  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years ;  George  W., 
who  resides  in  Page  county,  Virginia ;  An- 
drew Jackson,  of  the  same  county;  William 
D.,  the  subject  of  this  review- ;  and  Sarah 
Jane,  who  has  been  tw-ice  married,  her  first 
husband  having  been  her  brother-in-law,  C. 
W.  Aylshire,  who  was  killed  in  the  winter 
of  1862,  during  his  service  in  the  Ci\'il  war. 
Her  second  husband  was  James  E.  Morris, 
and  her  death  occurred  in  Reno  county,  Kan- 
sas, in  1895,  she  being  the  mother  of  six 
children  by  both  marriages.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in 
Virginia,  June  8,  1857,  '^'ifl  the  father  after- 
ward married  the  widow  Kite. 

\\'illiam  David  Shuler  was  reared  on  the 
home  farm  in  \"irginia.  and  when  a  boy  was 
there  engaged  in  gardening.  His  education 
was  received  in  the  subscription  schools,  his 
j  tuiton  therein  amountng  from  one  dollar 
and  a  half  to  two  dollars  a  month,  and  he 
attended'  school  from  five  to  six  months  dur- 
ing the  year.  He  remained'  under  the  par- 
ental roof  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred 
on  the  gth  of  August,  1865,  the  lady  of  his 
choice  being  ]\Iiss  Sarah  A.  Koontz.  On  the 
1st  of  September,  1875,  they  left  the  Old 
Drmiinion  and  journeyed  tO'  Kansas.  In  the 
vear  previous,  however,  Mr.  Shuler  had 
heard  favorable  reports  concerning  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  Sunflower  state,  and  he  came 
here  on  a  prospecting  tr;ur  in  1874.  He 
found  Ijut  r;ne  A'irginian  in  tliis  Incality.  and 
he  remained  in  Hutcliin-iai  i^v  i:ne  numth, 
when  he  purchased  the  north  eighty  acres 
of  his  present  farm,  paying  four  hundred 
dollars  for  the  tract.  Two  years  afterward 
he  bought  the  remaining  eighty  acres,  for 
which  he  paid  three  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars. His  last  purchase  was  enterecl  as  a 
tree  claim,  and  he  has  planted  ten  acres  to 
Cottonwood  and  box  elders.  Since  locating 
in  the  county  ]\Ir.  Shuler  has  purchased  five 
farms,  aggregating  seven  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres,  and  has  given  to  each  of  his  sons 
oue  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  has  one  of 
the  finest  orchards  to  be  found  in  this  lo- 
cality, fifteen  acres  of  which  is  planted  to 
apples  and  small  fruits,  including  two  acres 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


of  grapes  and  two  of  peaches.  His  oldest 
orchard  is  about  twenty-one  years  old,  and 
he  also  has  some  apple  trees  that  are  twenty- 
three  years  old  and  are  still  in  a  good  bear- 
ing condition. 

In  1896  Mr.  Shuler  was  called  upon  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  on  the 
19th  of  October  of  that  year,  aged  nearly 
fifty-eight  years.  She  left  five  sons,  namely : 
Philip  P.,  who  resides  in  Harvey  county, 
Kansas,  and  has  three  sons  and  a  daughter; 
Jacob  O.,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  on 
the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  was 
given  him  'by  his  father,  and  he  has  three 
sons  and  a  daughter;  William'  Lee,  who  is 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  one  mile 
west  of  Hutchinson,  and  has  two  sons  and 
one  daughter;  Alartin  B.,  who  follows  farm- 
ing near  the  old  homestead,  and'  has  one 
son;  and  Walter  A.,  who  was  married  Jan- 
uary 25,  1901,  and  is  engag-ed  in  merchan- 
dising at  Blackwell,  Oklahoma.  On  the 
26th  of  May,  1808.  ^Ir.  Shuler  was  again 
married,  his  secnnd  union  being  with  Mrs. 
Laura  A.  Sours,  ncc  Price,  who  was  born, 
reared  and  married  in  Page  county,  Vir- 
ginia. She  had  been  a  widow  about  s'ix 
years  prior  to  her  marriage  to  our  subject, 
and  was  the  mother  of  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows:  Susan  C,  the  wife  of  Jacob  Foster, 
of  Virginia ;  Anna  Bell,  wife  of  Henry  Koll- 
hoff ,  of  Grant  township,  Reno  county ;  Gro- 
ver  Clevelandi,  a  resident  of  Virginia ;  Lena 
Blanche,  a  twin  of  Grover  Clevdand;  and 
George  W.,  who  is  now  ten  years  of  age. 
Mrs.  Shuler' SI  mother  is  still  living  at  her  old 
home  in  Virginia,  having  reached  the  ripe 
old  age  of  eighty-one  years.  Her  husband, 
Abigail  Price,  died  about  1886,  leaving  her 
with  the  care  of  six  daughters  and  two  sons, 
all  of  whom  are  married  excepting  one. 

Mr.  Shuler  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the 
Democracy,  and  has  voted  for  ten  presi- 
dents, but  James  Buchanan  wast  the  only  one 
of  these  who  was  elected.  In  later  life  he 
has  voted  with  the  Greenback  and  Populist 
parties.  During  the  Civil  w-ar  he  entered 
the  Confederate  service,  serving  nine  months 
as  lieutenant  of  a  militia  company,  under 
Governor  \\'ise.  He  then  hired  a  substitute, 
for  which  he  paid  one  thousand  dollars,  and 


he  was  one  of  twelve  who  voted  against 
secession  in  his  precinct.  After  the  war  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace.  In  A'irginia,  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  Mr.  Shuler  became  a  member  of  the 
United  Brethren  church,  and  after  coming 
to  tljis  state  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  by  letter,  his 
first  wife  having  also  been  a  member  of  that 
denomination.  In  iS~()  he  assisted  in  estab- 
lishing the  first  Sun(!:iv-:;ch'iMl  here,  which 
was  held  in  the  old  sch^  M,lh,lu^e,  and  before 
leaving  the  Old  Dominiun  he  was  superin- 
tendent of  a  Sunday-school  there,  where  he 
built  a  church  of  logs.  The  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity has  ever  found  in  Mr.  Shuler  a  warm 
friend  and  supporter,  and  he  gives  of  his 
time  and  means  to  all  charitable  and  benevo- 
lent purposes. 


CAPTAIN    WILLIA:\I    R.    BENNETT. 

A  valiant  soldier  of  the  Civil  war  and 
now  a  successful  business  man  and  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  Cap- 
tain ^^'illiam  H.  Bennett  is  regarded  as  one 
of  the  representative  residents  of  Reno  coun- 
ty, Kansas.  His  grandfather,  Amos  Ben- 
nett, was  born  in  England,  but  brought  his 
wife  to  this  country  and  located  in  Connecti- 
cut, where  he  engaged  in  farming,  took  part 
in  the  war  of  1812,  and  reared  a  family  of 
eleven  children.  The  parents  of  Captain 
Bennett  of  this  sketch  were  Eli  and  Eliza- 
beth (Crance)  Bennett.  The  former  born 
in  1 80 1,  but  later  moved  to  New^  York  state, 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  and 
later  took  the  contract  for  l^uilding  a  part  of 
the  Delaware  division  of  the  Erie  Railroad. 
in  later  life  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits in  Wurtsboro,  Sullivan  county.  New 
York,  and  became  one  of  the  leading  citizens. 
He  also  bore  the  title  of  captain  in  the  state 
militia,  and  served  in  almost  all  of  the  local 
offices,  declining  to  accept  any  office  which 
prevented  his  remaining  at  home.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Whig  until  the  formation  of 
the  Republican  party,  when  he  identified  him- 
self for  life  with  it  and  ardentlv  supported 


>r^v^6U..^^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


193 


its  men  and  measures.  He  reared  his  fam- 
ily in  the  faith  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  nee  Elizabeth 
Crance,  was  born  in  New  York,  in  i8jo,  and 
by^  her  marriage  with  Captain  Bennett  four 
sons  and  two  daughters  were  horn,  our  sub- 
ject being  the  only  member  of  his  family  in 
Kansas.  The  father  died  at  the  age  of  seven- 
tv-six  vears.  but  the  mother  still  survives 
and  resides  with  her  eldest  son  in  the  old 
homestead. 


the  army.  The  leading  engagements  in 
which  Captain  Bennett  took  part  were  Get- 
tysburg, Lookout  Mountain.  Missionary 
Ridge,  Resaca,  and  all  the  other  battles  on 
down  to  Atlanta.  During  the  fierce  fight 
at  Peach  Tree  Creek  he  displayed  a  courage 
and  bravery  which  well  deser\-es  recording. 
At  this,  place  Captain  Bennett  held  an  import- 
ant position  and  though  thev  were  flanked 
nn  brtli  sides  he  h"d  net  the  least  idea  cf 
retreating.      Both   the   ma'cr  and   adjutant 


William  R.  Pjennelt  cf  this  sketch  was 
reared  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  district 
schools,  his  father  having  purchased  an  es- 
tate near  the  village  where  he  engaged  in 
his  mercantile  business.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  William  started  out  to 
make  a  career  for  himself,  and  for  a  couple 
of  years  was  engaged  in  the  milling  busi- 
ness, and  later  went  to  Xew  York  city  and 
carried  on  a  grocery  business.  In  April, 
1862,  he  entered  the  Union  army  and  was 
engaged  in  building  bridges  with  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  but  in  August  of  that  year 
he  returned  home  and  raised  a  company 
which  later  became  Company  E,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Forty-third  Xew  York,  of  which 
he  was  made  first  lieutenant.  Until  1863  his 
regiment  was  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
and  was  then  sent  with  General  Sherman 
and  opened  up  the  roads  for  the  passage  of 


came  to  h'ni  and  r.rged  Inm  i- .  withdraw 
his  men,  and  while  they 'were  expostulating 
with  him  i  ne  was  shot  down  to  his  right  and 
the  other  t.j  his  left!  He  held  the  pnsitii ;n 
until  reinforcements  came  and  drove  the 
i  enemy  back. 

I         At     Atlanta     Captain     Bennett     served 
gallantly,    and    in    ]March,    1863,    was   pro- 
moted to  be  captain  and  was  honored  by  be- 
ing placed  in  charge  of  the  color  company 
I  of  his  regiment.     From  Atlanta     the  regi- 
\  ment  made  the  march  to  the  sea  and  did 
good  work  in  the  fight  at  Savannah,  where 
I  it  remained  until  in  the  spring  cf  1865,  when 
I  it  started  through  the  Carolinas.  met  Gen- 
I  eral  John^ston  at  Averysfcoro  and  took  part 
in  the  heavy  fight  at  Eentonville,  this  be- 
ing the  last  engagement  befor^  the  surrender 
of  General  Lee.     Captain  Bennett  was  per- 
mitted to  take  part  in  the  grand  triumphal 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


review  in  Wajhingtrn  and  was  lioncu-ably 
discharged  in  Xew  York  city  nn  July  20, 
1865. 

From  the  effects  of  privation  and  ex- 
posure Captain  Bennett  left  tlie  army  in  im- 
paired health,  and  it  was  not  unt  1  the  follow- 
ing year  that  he  felt  able  to  embark  in  busi- 
ness. Then  locating  at  To\yanda.  Pennsyl- 
vania, he  opened  i  p  a  bottling  establishment, 
which  business  he  sold  four  years  later  and 
rem.ived  tn  ^Nleadville.  in  the  same  state,  and 
there  continued  in  the  same  line.  In  1887 
he  sold  this  plant  also  and  came  to  Kansas 
and,  locating  in  this  city,  at  406  North  Main 
street,  opened  up  a  similar  business.  In  the 
following  winter  lie  built  where  h.e  is  now 
li'cated,  liis  estalilishment  being  a  brick 
structure,  twenty-live  by  seventy-tive  feet  in 
dimensions,  with  a  basement.  He  is  a  care- 
ful and  skilled  chemist  and  all  of  his  prepar- 
ations are  made  under  his  own  supervision. 
The  business  has  grown  enormously  and  he 
now  ships  his  products  all  over  western  Kan- 
sas, east  as  far  as  Florence,  and  south  into 
the  Territory  and  as  far  as  Texas,  manufact- 
uring on  an  average  two  hundred  cases  a 
day,  and  his  product  is  of  uniform  excel- 
lence. During  the  summer  seasons  when 
there  is  a  greater  demand  he  manufactures 
on  an  extensive  scale. 

Captain  Bennett  has  long  been  an  active 
and  valued  member  of  the  Repulilican  party, 
has  served  in  the  city  council  and  frequently 
as  a  member  of  conventions,  always  being 
a  delegate.  Being  a  great  sufferer  from 
rheumatism,  as  a  result  of  army  exposure, 
he  is  net  able  to  accept  many  prominent 
official  positions,  but  is  a  member  of  Byron 
L'  d-e.  Xo.  197,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
miL-  Mt  the  charter  members  of  LaRue  divi- 
-ii  n.  Xo.  a.  Uniform  Rank,  and  was  its  first 
captain.  He  has  served  as  delegate  a  num- 
ber of  times  to  higher  orders,  and  for  four 
years  was  colonel  of  the  Fourth  regiment  of 
the  order.  He  was  also  commander  of  the 
Meadville  Post  for  three  years  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Joe  Hooker  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  No. 
19,  of  which  he  has  served  as  adjutant,  and 
is  a  member  also  of  Reno  Lodge  No.  99, 
I.  O.  O.  F. 


In  1S75,  in  Xew  York,  Captain  Bennett 
I  was  married  to  ]\Iary  E.  Brown,  a  daughter 
I  of  James  Brown,  wdio  was  then  a  farmer  of 
I  that  state,  but  now  resides  with  our  sub- 
]  ject,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.     The 
five  children  born  to  this  union  are  as  fol- 
lows :     Adelaide,  who  is  the  widow  of  Craw- 
ford R.  Thoburn,  a  son  of  Bishop  Thoburn, 
I  and  a  resident  of  Oregon;  Charles  G. ;  Eliz- 
abeth; Helen  and  Josephine.     Much  of  the 
management  of  the  business  has  lately  de- 
volved upon  Charles  G.,  as  our  subject  is 
much   incapacitated  at  times  with  rheuma- 
tism, and  he  has  proven  himself  a  very  able 
assistant.       Captain  Bennett  has  lately  re- 
built and  remodeled  his  residence  on  Avenue 
A,  and  he  also  dealt  considerably  in  city  lots 
soon  after  locating  here.     He  was  one  of  the 
company  that  built  the   Penns\-l\-ania   Salt 
Company's  works. 


JOHX  A.  LANG. 


To  a  student  of  biography  there  is  noth- 
ing more  interesting  than  to  examine  the 
life  history  of  a  self-made  man  and  to  detect 
the  elements  of  character  which  have  en- 
abled him  to  pass  on  the  higbwav  of  life 
many  of  the  companions  of  his  youth  who 
at  the  outset  of  their  careers  were  more  ad- 
i  vantageously  ec|uipped  or  endowed.  The 
subject  of  this  review  has  through  his  own 
exertions  attained  an  honorable  position  and 
marked  prestige  among  the  representative 
men  of  the  west,  and  with  signal  consistency 
it  may  be  said  that  he  is  the  architect  of  his 
own  fortunes  and  one  whose  success  amply 
justifies  the  application  of  the  somewhat 
hackneyed  but  most  expressive  title,  "a  self- 
made  man." 

John  A.  Lang  is  one  of  the  jirominent 
and  enterprising  business  men  of  Ellsworth 
county,  and  is  now  vice  president  of  the 
Bank  of  Wilson.  He  also  has  extensive 
grain,  farming  audi  stock-raising-  interests 
and  is  one  of  the  prosperous  men  of  the 
Sunflower  state  where  he  has  made  his  home 
I  since   1879.     He  was  born  near  Appleton, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Missouri,  in  Xoveniber,  1840,  and  is  of  Ger- 
man lineage,  his  father  having  been  a  native 
I  if  W'urtemberg,  whence  he  came  to  America 
in  early  manhood.  He  was  a  graduate  in 
medicine  in  Germany  and  afterward  prac- 
ticed in  Missouri,  where  he  acquired  an  ex- 
cellent reputation  as  a  skillful  physician.  He 
married  ]\Irs.  Dorothy  (Schrumpf)  Bruihl-, 
a  widow,  and  unto  them  were  born  three 
children:  John  A.,  William  E.,  deceased, 
and  Emily,  wife  of  \\'illiam  H.  Bedwell,  of 
Missouri. 

The  father  died  when  the  eldest  son  was 
only  seven  years  of  age  and  as  soon  as  he 
attained  sufficient  strength  and  growth  John 
A.  Lang  was"  forced  to  assume  the  work  of 
the  home  farm.  He  was  thus  engaged  until 
the  inauguration  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he 
responded  to  the  country's  call  for  troops, 
enlisting  as  a  member  of  Company  E, 
Eighth  ^lissouri  Infantry.  For  three  years 
he  was  with  General  Sherman  and  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Donelson,  Shiloh  and 
Pittsburg  Landing  and  in  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg,  in  which  he  was  wounded.  He  was 
then  taken  to  the  Fifth  street  hospital  in  St. 
Louis  and  afterward  sent  to  Jefferson  Bar- 
racks, where  he  remained  for  four  months. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  rejoined 
his  regiment  and  participated  in  the  opera- 
tions around  Chattanooga,  though  his  lack 
of  strength  was  such  as  to  make  it  very  hard 
for  him  to  keep  up  with  his  comrades  on  the 
long  marches.  He  remained  with  the  army 
until  the  close  of  his  term  of  enlistment,  and 
then,  owing  to  his  physical  condition,  did 
not  re-enlist  and  so  returned  to  ]\Iissouri. 
He  had  manifested  his  loyalty  and  fidelity 
to  dutv  on  many  a  southern  battlefield,  and. 
like  the  other  lioys  in  lilue.  deserves  the  meed 
of  gratitude  from  the  country. 

^^"hen  he  had  again  reached  ^Missouri 
I\Ir.  Lang  followed  farming  for  a  short  time, 
but  soon  became  interested  in  merchandis- 
ing and  afterward  operated  a  sawmill.  In 
1879  I's-  was  advised  by  the  doctors  to  leave 
^Missouri,  for  military  sendee  had  un£ler- 
mined  his  health,  and  he  therefore  took  up 
his  abode  in  Kansas.  Securing  a  tract  of 
land  in  Russell  countv  he  began  farming  and 
stock-raising.      He   had    little   capital    when 


he  arrived  there  but  carefully  husbanded  his 
resources  and  made  judicious  investments  in 
other  land  and  was  the  owner  of  a  large 
tract  in  Russell,  Lincoln  and  Ellsworth  coun- 
ties. He  then  began  selling  portions  of  his 
land,  but  now  has  about  four  thousand  acres. 
His  main  ranch  is  a  bodv  of  twenty-four 
hundred  acres  in  Lincoln  county  and  on  this 
he  is  extensively  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
wdieat  and  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  short 
horn  cattle.  He  personally  operates  this 
ranch,  and  in  1881  came  to  \\'ilson  and  pur- 
chased his  present  home.  He  has  made  ad- 
ditions and  improvanents  and  the  house  is 
now"  one  of  the  attractive  residences  of  the 
city.  In  the  business  affairs  of  Wilson  he 
has  taken  a  prominent  part,  his  labors  con- 
tributing in  large  measure  toward  the  pro- 
motion and  successful  conduct  of  many  en- 
terprises. He  was  one  of  the  incorporators 
of  the  State  Bank  of  Wilson,  and  about  a 
year  after-'N'ard  was  elected  vice-president, 
which  position  he  has  since  filled  and  has 
contributed  in  no  small  measure  to  the  suc- 
cess and  growth  of  the  institution.  He  has 
also  been  one  of  the  board  of  directors  from 
the  organization.  He  has  erected  two  mills 
in  the  city  and  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
present  milling  company.  He  is  also  inter- 
ested in  the  grain  business,  handling  the 
farm  products  raised  in  this  portion  of  Kan- 
s'as,  and  for  seventeen  years  he  was  inter- 
ested in  merchandising  in  partnership  with 
E.  D.  Schennerhorn.  and  they  did  a  profit- 
able and  extensive  business. 

Mr.  Lang  has  been  twice  married.  He 
first  wedded  Miss  Caroline  Nussbaum.  in 
1867,  and  their  only  child  died  in  infancy. 
After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Lang  he  was  a.gain 
married,  his  second  union  being  with  Lizzie 
Luker.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Lang  is  a 
Republican  and  in  Ellsworth  county  takes  an 
active  interest  in  the  growth  and  success  of 
the  party.  He  was  the  first  mayor  of  ^\'il- 
son  and  has  occupied  that  position  for  sev- 
eral terms,  exercising  his  official  preroga- 
tives in  support  of  all  measures  for  the  gen- 
eral good.  Socially  he  is  connected  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
with  Wilson  Post,  Xo.  115,  G.  A.  R..  in 
which  he  has  been  commander  and  has  also 


196 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


been  quartermaster  for  fifteen  years.  He  at- 
tends the  services  of  the  Presbyterian  and 
Methodist  churches  and  contributed  largely 
to  the  support  of  both.  Mr.  Lang  is  a  most 
genial  man,  easily  approachable  by  all  who 
may  have  occasion  to  seek  an  audience  with 
him.  He  recognizes  the  value  of  persever- 
ance in  the  business  affairs  of  life  and  be- 
lieves also  that 

"He  who  wishes  strong  enough, 

He  who  works  hard  enough, 

He  who  waits  long  enough, 

Will  get  what  he  wishes. 

Works  and  waits  for." 
His  character  and  position  most  hap- 
pily illustrate  the  fact  that  if  a  young 
man  but  possess  high  attributes  of  mind 
and  heart  he  can  readily  attain  to  a 
point  of  unmistakable  precedence  and  gain 
for  himself  a  place  among  the  leading  busi- 
ness men  of  his  community,  and  it  proves 
that  the  road  to  success  is  0{>en  to  all  young 
men  who  have  the  courage  to  tread  its  path- 
way. His  life  record  should  serve  as  an  in- 
spiratiou'  to  the  young  of  this  and  future 
generations  and  teach  by  incontrovertible 
facts  that  success  is  ambition's  answer. 


EPHRAIM  A.  SMITH. 

More  than  twenty-nine  years  have 
passed  since  this  gentleman:  arrived  in 
Hutchinson  and  he  is  therefore  numbered 
among  her  honored  pioneers  as  well  as  lead- 
ing citizens.  He  has  been  actively  and  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  upbuilding  and 
progress  of  central  Kansas  and  his  name  is 
inseparably  associated  with  many  events  and 
enterprises  which  have  contributed  to  the 
development  of  this  part  of  the  state.  Long 
since  has  he  passed  the  Psalmist's  span  of 
three  score  years  and  ten,  being  now  eighty- 
six  years  of  age,  but  he  is  still  engaged  in 
business  and  his  activity  in  the  affairs  of  life 
should  put  to  shame  many  a  man  of  less 
resolute  spirit,  who  in  the  prime  of  life,  hav- 
ing grown  weary  of  -the  cares  and  struggles 
of  business  life,  would  relegate  to  others  the 
burdens  that  he  should  bear.     Throughout 


a  long,  useful  and  h.onorable  career,  Mr. 
Smith  has  enjoyed  the  high  regard  of  his 
fellow  men,  and  this  work  would  be  incom- 
plete without  the  record  of  his  career. 

Captain  Smith — for  by  that  title  he  is 
uniformly  known — was  bcrn  in  AMiiting- 
ham,  ^^■indham  county,  Vermont,  April  25, 
181 5,  and  represents  a  fam.ily  that  was 
founded  in  America  in  early  colonial  days. 
His  great-grandfather,  Ephraim  Smith, 
came  from  England,  and  on  the  maternal 
side  the  ancestry  of  the  Captain  were  Scotch. 
Ephraim  Smith,  the  grandfather,  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  when  the 
country  became  again  involved  in  war  with 
England,  in  1812,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
oltered  his  services  to  the  government  and 
went  forth  in  defense  of  the  republic.  He 
was  born  in  Danvers,  Massachusetts,  and  in 
the  war  of  1812  served  as  sergeant  of  ma- 
rines. Throughout  his  business  career  he  en- 
gaged in  merchandising.  He  was  married  in 
Salem,  Massachusetts,  in  1812,  to  Martha 
Ireland,  and  subsequently  removed  to  Vev- 
mont,  where  he  remained  until  1835,  when 
he  took  up  his  abode  in  what  is  now  Living- 
ston county,  \ew  York.  Later  he  removed 
to  Indiana  and  erttered  land  from  the  go\-ern- 
ment  in  Whitley  county,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was 
eighty-five  years  of  age.  He  was  a  strong 
anti-slavery  man,  took  an  active  interest  in 
political  affairs,  and  while  residing  in  Ver- 
mont was  elected  to  the  state  legislature. 
In  religious  faith  lie  was  a  Presbyterian  and 
for  many  years  served  as  elder  in  his  church. 

Captain  Smith  is  the  second  child  in  a 
family  of  three  sons  and  three  daughters 
and  was  the  eldest  that  reached  maturity. 
He  acquired  the  greater  part  of  his  educa- 
tion in  Massachusetts  and  was  graduated  in 
an  academy  there  in  1834.  After  leaving 
school  he  engaged  in  merchandising  with 
his  father  until  his  health  failed,  when  he 
turned  his  attention  to  outdoor  pursuits,  be- 
lieving that  he  would  be  benefited  thereby. 
After  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Indiana 
he  lived  upon  the  farm  and  aided  in  clear- 
ing sixty  acres  of  land.  That  was  long 
l>efore  the  Pittsburg  Railroad  w.as  built  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


197 


the  family  huine  was  ia  a  pioneer  settlement. 
Af  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  enUsted, 
but  his  services  were  not  accepted  on  ac- 
count of  his  health.  He  remained  as  one 
of  the  most  active  supporters  of  the  Union 
cause  throughout  the  struggle  and  at  home 
rendered  very  efficient  aid  to  the  govern- 
ment, in  fact  was  so  active  and  energetic  in 
behalf  of  the  Union  that  a  price  was  set 
upon  his  head  by  the  Knights  of  the  Golden 
Circle. 

Owing  to  an  injury  Captain  Smith  was 
tinallv  oljliged  to  abandon  farm  wi:'rk  and 
bcL;an  merchandising  in  Pennville.  Indiana, 
where  he  remained  until  April,  1872,  when 
!ie  sold  his  store  and  came  to  Kansas.  No? 
until  the  following  June  was  the  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  built  through  Hutchinson  and  the 
entire  country  was  in  its  primiti\e  condition, 
giving  little  evidence  of  the  wonderful  trans- 
form.ation  soon  to  be  wrought.  Soon  after 
his  arrival  he  began  work  with  the  county 
•surveyor  and  was  later  elected  to  that  office. 
Sherman  and  Main  streets  were  at  that  time 
laid  out,  but  he  did  the  work  on  most  of  the 
other  thoroughfares  of  Hutchinson  and  in 
the  performance  of  his  duties  visited  every 
section  of  the  county,  thus  becoming 
thoroughly  posted  concerning  land  values. 
His  knowdedge  and  advice  in  such  particii- 
lars  were  greatly  sought  and  he  aided  many 
in  securing  desirable  homes.  For  nine  years 
he  filled  the  office  of  county  surveyor,  and 
going  to  Kingman  county  he  located  the 
ti  'wn  of  Kingman.  Buffaloes  were  so  numer- 
I  us  at  that  time  they  were  frequently  obliged 
t^.  suspend  work  to  get  out  of  the  way  of 
the  animals.  For  many  years  'Mr.  Smith 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance 
business,  and  handled  much  valuable  prop- 
ertv  and  conducted  many  important  real- 
estate  transactions.  He  is  still  engaged  in 
the  fire  insurance  business  to  some  extent, 
although  he  has  largely  laid  as'ide  business 
cares.  Indolence  and  idleness  are  utterly 
foreign  to  his  nature  and  his  life  has  been  a 
busy  and  useful  one  in  which  he  has  acquired 
a  competence. 

During  the  twenty-eight  years  of  his  res- 
idence in  Indiana  Captain  Smith  was  an  ac- 


tive worker  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican 
party  and  after  coming  to  Kansas  he  took 
a  deep  interest  in  its  gr.nvth  and  success  and 
was  honored  with  several  local  offices.  For 
four  years  he  w'as  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil, and  for  nine  years  was  treasurer  of  the 
board  of  education,  wdiile  for  three  years 
he  served  as  deputy  county  treasurer  in  ad- 
dition to  his  long  incumbency  in  the  office 
of  .county  surveyor.  He  is  a  prom- 
inent Mason,  holding  membership  in  RenO' 
Lodge,  No.  140,  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Reno  Chap- 
ter, No.  34,  R.  A.  M.,  in  wdiich  he  served 
as  the  first  high  priest;  Hutchin.son 
Council,  No.  13,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  and  Reno 
Commandery,  No.  26,  K.  T.  He  was 
treasurer  of  all  the  bodies  for  twelve  years. 
In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Universalist. 

A  very  important  event  in  the  life  of 
Mr.  Smith  occurred  on  the  14th  day  of  Oc- 
tober, 1840, — his  marriage  to. Miss  Phoebe 
Root,  wdio  was  born  December  7,  18 ly, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Joseph  H.  Root, 
of  New  York.  Her  father,  however,  was 
a  native  of  Maine  and  for  many  years 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  coasting  his 
lumber  while  he  resided  in  the  Pine  Tree 
state  and  after  removing  to  New  York  oper- 
ated a  sawmill  and  floated  the  logs  down  the 
Genesee  river.  Mr.  and_  Mrs.  Smith  are 
the  parents  of  two  sons  and'  three  daughters  : 
Ephraim,  who  was  a  member  of  Company 
B,  Seventy-fourth  Indiana  Infantry,  died 
during  the  war  at  Gallatin,  Texas ;  Hattie  E. 
who  engaged  in  teaching  the  first  public 
school  in  Reno  county,  married  James  T. 
Norman  and  died  in  February,  1886;  Alida 
is  the  wife  of  William  R.  Underwood,  who 
w^as  city  clerk  for  seven  years  and  who  in 
the  Civil  war  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Seven- 
tv-fifth  Indiana  Infantry,  and  Company  E. 
Seventh  Indiana  Cavalry,  serving  for  three 
years  in  Arkansas,  Louisiana  and  Mississip- 
pi as  a  member  of  the  First  Brigade,  Sixth 
Division,  Sixteenth  Army  Corps;  Alexan- 
der is  in  the  railroad  service  in  Louisiana ; 
and  Caroline  is  the  wife  of  Charles  L.  Chris- 
topher, of  Hutchinson.  The  parents  are  the 
oldest  married  couple  in  Hutchinson  if  not 
in  the  county.     They  are  now  aged  eightx- 


I9S 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


six  and  eighty-two  years  respectively,  and 
for  sixty-one  years  they  have  traveled  life's 
journey  together,  their  mutual  love  and  con- 
tidence  increasing  as  year  by  year  they  have 
together  met  the  joys  and  sorrows,  the  ad- 
versity and  prosperity  which  checker  the 
careers  of  all.  Uniformly  respected  and 
venerated,  amid  a  large  circle  of  friends,  they 
are  now  spending  the  evening  of  life  quietly 
in  their  pleasant  home  in  Hutchinson.     • 


PERRY  A.  EVANS. 

Perry  A.  Evans,  who  is  clerk  of  the  dis- 
trict court  in  Rice  county,  Kansas,  and 
makes  his  home  in  the  city  of  Lyons,  was 
elected  to  the  office  in  November,  1900.  He 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  popular  and  worthy 
residents  of  the  community,  in  which  he  has 
made  his  home  since  1877,  coming  here  in 
his  bov'hood  days.  He  was  born  in  Wayne 
county,  Ohio,  near  the  city  of  Wooster,  Oc- 
tober 12!  1866,  and  traces  his  ancestrv-  back 
to  Revolutionary  stock.  His  great-grand- 
father. Tames  Evans,  was  a  native  of  Wales, 
and  in  colonial  days  sought  a  home  in  the 
new  world.  When  the  attempt  was  made 
to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  British  oppression 
he  joined  the  American  army  and  loyally 
served  in  the  cause  of  independence  under 
General  Washington  and  General  Lafayette. 
James  S.  Evans,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
now  resides  in  Sterling,  Kansas.  He  was 
reared,  however,  in  Ohio,  and  there  made 
his  home  until  1877,  when  he  came  to  Rice 
county.  In  the  Buckeye  state  he  wedded 
Lamenta  Swan,  a  daughter  of  J.  S.  Swan 
and  a  native  of  Ohio.  In  their  family  were 
but  two  children,  the  brother  of  our  sub- 
ject being  D.  G.  Evans,  a  resident  of  Ster- 
ling. 

Perry  A.  Evans  was  a  lad  of  only  eleven 
summers  when  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Kansas.  He  acquired  a  good  education  in 
his  youth  and  for  some  years  was  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  in  Sterling,  where 
he  made  many  friends  and  gained  success 
by  his  honorable  dealing,  his  earnest  desire 
to  please  his  customers,  his  pleasant  manner 


and  Ills  reliability.  In  1900  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  clerk  of  the  district  court 
and  his  business  and  executive  force  well 
qualified  him  for  the  position.  He  is  regard- 
ed as  an  active  factor  in  Republican  ranks, 
keeping  well  informed  011  the  issues  of  the 
day  and  thus  being  able  to  support  his  posi- 
tion by  intelligent  argument.  As  a  politi- 
cal worker  he  is  faithful,  zealous  and  capable 
and  his  labors  in  recent  years  have  contrib- 
uted to  the  success  of  the  public  in  this  por- 
tion of  the  county. 

In  Rice  county,  in  1887,  Mr.  Evans 
wedded  Miss  Bernice  Williams,  of  Brook- 
lyn, Iowa,  and  unto  them  have  been  born 
three  children,  namely:  Glenn,  Lamenta 
and  Lorena.  Mr.  Evans  is  a  representative 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen.  He  is  an  intelligent, 
well  informed  young  man,  who  is  foimd  re- 
liable in  public  and  private  life  and  whose 
many  excellent  characteristics,  manifested 
from  his  boyhood  days  to  the  present  time, 
have  gained  for  him  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  asso- 
ciated. 


ALONZO  McMURPHY. 

Alonzo  McMurphy,  a  prominent  farmer 
on  section  31,  Sterling  township.  Rice  coun- 
ty, claims  Indiana  as  the  state  of  his  nativ- 
ity, his  birth  having  occurred  there  in  Por- 
ter county,  on  the  20th  of  November,  1846. 
His  father,  Moses  McMurphy,  was  born  in 
Vermont,  in  1810,  and  died  in  Kankakee 
county,  Illinois,  in  1858,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
seven  years  and  six  months.  He  wedded 
Ruth  Hulinger,  of  Ohio,  the  wedding  being 
celebrated  in  Norwalk,  that  state,  August 
I,  1833.  His  bride  was  born  in  Perry  coun- 
ty, in  1 81 1,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Sarah  (Stronsnider)  Hulinger,  repre- 
sentatives of  high  Dutch  fanners  of  Penn- 
sylvania. They  were  numbered  among  the 
pioneers  of  the  Buckeye  state,  and  there 
reared  four  of  their  ten  children.  The  moth- 
er of  our  subject  was  first  married  in  1828. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


'99 


to  Jesse  Cain,  who  died  in  1832,  leaving 
two  children,  but  one  passed  away  soon 
afterward.  In  1833  ]\Irs.  Cain  became  the 
wife  I'f  ]Mr.  3,Ic]\Iurp*liy.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1857,  and  in  1862,  in  Lake  county, 
Indiana,  she  was  married  to  David  Weed,  of 
New  York,  who  was  then  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Lake  county,  where  he  had  located 
at  an  early  da}?.  His  death  there  occurred 
in  1875,  when  he  had  reached  the  ripe  old 
age  of  eighty-two  years.  Mrs.  Weed  has 
been  the  mother  of  ten  children  and  with  the 
exception  of  one  all  reached  years  of  matur- 
ity and  were  married.'  Thev  are:  James, 
who  died  in  infancy ;  Eliza,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Robert  Ingram  and  died  at  the  age 
of  twenty-five  years,  leaving  an  infant  son, 
who  soon  afterward  passed  away;  Polly,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Walker  Ross  and  died 
in  November,  1899,  ^^  the  age  of  sixty-five 
years,  after  becoming  the  mother  of  ten 
children ;  Harriet,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Azariah  \\*eed,  a  son  of  David  Weed,  and 
after  his  death  in' the  service  of  the  Union 
army  she  married  Sherman  Drury  andl  is 
now  living  in  Tennessee;  Helen,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  Fred  Westernian,  who  was 
her  second  husband,  and  died  in  Lake  coun- 
ty. Indiana,  leaving  three  children;  jNIelissa, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Robert  Ingram  and 
died  in  1S93,  being  survived  by  three  of  her 
four  children :  Amy,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nine  years ;  Alnnzo,  of  this  review ;  Martha, 
who  died  in  August,  1866,  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen years ;  and  Emma,  who  became  the  wife 
of  j\iorgan  Kelly  and  died  in  Sterling,  in 
1884,  while  their  two  children  have  also 
passed  away.  Mrs.  Weed  has  had  fifty-four 
great-grandchildren  and  has  one  great- 
great-grandson,  Clarke  Hayden.  She  has 
been  three  times  married  and  has  now  been 
a  widow  for  twenty-six  years.  From  Indi- 
ana she  removed  to  Kansas  in  1884  and  re- 
sided in  Sterling  until  1893.  when  she  came 
to  the  home  of  her  son  Alonzo. 

Mr.  ]\Ic^Iurphy  of  this  re\iew  was  an 
only  son  and  his  father  died  when  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age.  He  recei\ed  luit  a  mea- 
ger education,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  provide  for  his  own 
living.     He  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  five 


dollars  a  month  and  in  the  winter  he  re- 
mained with  his  mother,  assisting  her  in  the 
work  of  the  fanii.  In  Julv,  1863,  in  Lake 
county,  Indiana,  he  enlisted  for  three  years' 
service  in  the  Seventh  Indiana  Cavalry,  re- 
maining at  the  front  until  March,  1866, 
when  he  returned  home.  He  was  in  the 
C]uartermaster"s  department  much  of  the  time 
and  was  wagon-master  under  General  Cus- 
ter. He  was  never  wounded,  but  was  large- 
ly broken  down  in  health  when  he  left  the 
army,  and  is  now  a  pensioner,  recei\-ing 
eight  dollars  a  month. 

On  the  nth  of  February,  18G7,  ilr. 
McMurphy  was  united  in  marria.o;e  to  Ruth 
Mitchell,  who  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Asenath  (Mullin)  INIitchell,  the  former  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Ohio. 
His  birth  occurred  in  182 1,  his  wife's  in 
1823,  and  they  were  married  in  Indiana  in 
1846.  Subsequently  they  became  farming 
people  of  Will  county,  Illinois,  and  IMr. 
Mitchell  died  in  Kankakee  county,  that  state, 
April  20,  1886,  leaving  his  widow  and  three 
of  their  five  children  to  survive  him.  Their 
children  were:  Ruth,  now  Mrs.  Mc^NIur- 
phy;  Mary,  who  became  the  wife  of  Loren- 
zo Smith  and  died  in  Illinois,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  years,  leaving  one  child :  Rebec- 
ca, who  became  the  wife  of  John  Reed,  of 
Buchanan  county,  Iowa,  by  whom  she  has 
seven  children;  Samuel,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  se\-en  years ;  and  \\'illiam,  a  farmer  of 
Waterloo,  Iowa,  and  he  has  two  children. 
Unto  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Mc^Iurphv  has  been 
born  but  one  child.  Pearl  Ethel,  now  the 
wife  of  James  J.  Leatherman.  of  Iowa. 

For  one  year  Mr.  JMcINIurphy  engaged  in 
farming  in  Will  county,  Illinois,  on  land  be- 
longing to  his  father-in-law,  and  then  rent- 
ed a  tract  on  Grand  Prairie,  after  which  he 
settled  on  a  f^  .rt\  -acre  farm  in  Kankakee 
county,  Illimis.  making  it  his  home  for  two 
years.  In  1871  he  sold  that  property  and 
took  up  his  alwde  in  the  northern  part  of 
Rice  county,  Kansas,  upon  a  homestead  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he 
cultivated  for  three  years,  after  which  he 
returned  to  the  Mitchell  farm  for  the  winter. 
In  1876  he  again  came  to  Sterling.  Kansas. 


UOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


where  he  engaged  in  the  Hvery  business  as 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  iVIcMurphy  & 
Hughes,  and  they  also  owned  a  stage  route 
from  SterHng  to  Ellsworth.  They  did  a 
larg-e  business  in  staging,  in  renting  teams 
and  vehicles  and  in  shipping  horses  and 
mules  from  Missouri  to  Kansas.  Their  oper- 
ations annually  brought  in-  many  thousand 
dollars,  but  the  business  was  terminated  in 
1881  and  Mr.  McMurphy  became  a  ranch- 
man in  Reno  county,  Kansas,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  In  1883  he  pur- 
chased one  thousand  acres  of  railroad  land 
in  Rice  county,  for  which  he  paid  from  two 
dollars  and  eighty  cents  to  nine  dollars  and 
sixty  cents  per  acre.  Subsequently  he  added 
to  this  and  was  the  owner  of  fourteen  hun- 
dred acres,  but  he  sold  a  portion  to  his  son- 
in-law.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  stock- 
farrners  of  the  township,  keeping  on  his 
ranch  as  high  as  fifteen  hundred  head  of 
cattle  at  a  time  for  himself  and  others.  He 
has  fattened  as  many  as  four  hundred  head 
a  year,  and  as  he  ne\-er  places  his  stock  upon 
the  market  unless  it  is  in  excellent  condition 
he  has  secured  there  fr:  an  a  gc  ud  return  on 
his  investments.  When  he  came  to  his  pres- 
ent farm  it  was  a  tract  of  wild  and  unim- 
proved prairie  and  when  he  located  in  the 
connty  bufi^aloes,  antelopes  and  wild  horses 
were  still  seen,  Indians  also  being  numerous 
in  the  locality.  Upon  his  place  he  has  a 
splendid  farm  residence,  large  barns,  excel- 
lent corn  cribs,  and  cattle  sheds,  all  of  which 
he  has  erected  and  which  are  therefore  a 
monument  to  his  enterprise  and  thrift.  He 
also  has  a  fine  orchard  and  groves  of  shade 
trees,  which  were  planted  by  him.  He  has 
grown  seventeen  thousand  bushels  of  corn 
in  a  single  year  and  his  granaries  will  con- 
tain fifteen  thousand  bushels  of  wheat. 

Mr.  McMurphy  is  a  Chapter  Mason  and 
is  an  exemplary  representative  of  the  craft. 
He  votes  with  the  Republican  party  and  has 
served  as  road  master.  His  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in 
which  Mr.  ]\IcI\Iurphy  has'  served  as  one  of 
the  officers.  Both  his  mother  and  wife  are 
veteran  members  of  the  church.  Mr.  and 
]\Irs.  McMurphy  have  reared  two  adopted 
-;ns, — Luther,  who  came  to  them  when  four 


years  of  age  and  is  now  eighteen,  and  Ed- 
ward Herman,  who  came  to  them  when  ten 
years  of  age.  Our  subject  and  his  wife  are 
people  of  sterling  worth,  of  broad  humait- 
itarian  principles,  of  deep  human  sympathy, 
and  of  genuine  kindness  and  wherever  they 
go  they  win  friends.  Mr.  McMurphy  well 
deserves  the  splendid  prosperity  which  has 
come  to  him,  for  his  life  has  been  one  of 
unfailing  industry  and  in  all  his  dealings  he 
has  been  straightforward  and  honorable,  so 
that  his  record  will  bear  the  closest  investi- 
gation. 


J.  T.  XASH. 

The  safety  of  the  republic  depends  not 
so  much  upon  methods  and  measures  as 
upon  that  manhood  from  wliose  deep  sourc- 
es all  that  is  precious  and  permanent  in  life 
must  at  last  proceed.  Macaulay  has  said 
that  the  history  of  the  nation  is  best  told  in 
the  lives  of  its  individual  citizens  and  it  is 
the  men  of  prominence  in  a  community  by 
which  that  community  is  jud'ged.  Among 
the  representative  and  highly  respected  resi- 
dents of  Rice  county  is  J.  t.  Xash.  who  is 
now  occupying  the  position  of  register  of 
deeds,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  in  No- 
vember, 1897,  on  the  Republican  ticket.  He 
has  served  continuously  in  the  position  since 
that  time  and  his  marked  fidelity  to  duty, 
his  abilitv  and  his  faithfulness  have  won  him 
the  commendation  of  all  concerned.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  county  since  1887  and 
his  identity  with  the  Sunflower  state  dates 
from  i86g. 

Mr.  Nash  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  his 
birth  having  occurred  at  Concord,  on  the 
Ohio  river  in  Lewis  county,  July  5,  1841. 
His  father,  Jesse  Nash,  was  also  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  but  the  family  was  of  German 
lineage  and  was  founded  in  America  by 
James  Nash,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
who  was  born  in  Ccrniany  and  spent  his 
last  days  in  Evansville,  Indiana.  He  was  a 
farmer' by  occupation  and  upon  the  family 
homestead  Jesse  Nash  grew  to  manhood. 
After  arriving  at  years  of  maturity  he  mar- 


'/>f«^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


riLi!  Aliss  Cynthia  A.  Sparks,  who  was  born 
in  Fleming  county,  Kentucky,  and  was  a 
representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  worthy 
families  of  that  state.  The  young  people 
lievan  their  domestic  life  in  Kentucky,  where 
11  ey  remained  until  1866,  when  they  re- 
lieved to  Jasper  county,  Indiana.  For 
ni.iny  years  of  his  active  business  career 
-Mr.  Nash. engaged  in  dealing  in  lumber.  He 
eventually  returned  to  his  native  state, 
where  his  death  occurred  in  1884,  but  his 
\\i;'e  passed  away  in  Franklin  county.  Kan- 
>,i^.  when  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  She  was 
:i  ir.emfcer  of  the  Christian  church,  and  in 
111-  political  views  Mr.  Nash  was  a  Repub- 
lican. Tliey  became  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
li  wing  children:  G.  W.,  Eliza,  Elizabeth, 
jair.es  H.,  John  T.,  Jesse,  Sarah,  Mary  B., 
Adolphus  S.  and  Theophilus.  The  last 
r,:aned  died  in  Sterling,  Kansas,  aged  fifty- 
fix  e  years.  He  had  followed  merchandising 
in  Rice  county,  had  served  as  a  county  offi- 
■• !  and  was  well  known  in  that  portion  of 
.  itate,  being  an  active  factor  in  business 
I  public  affairs. 

J.  T.  Nash,  whose  name  introduces  this 
rd,  was  reared  in  Kentucky  ar.d  ac- 
,  iired  his  education  in  the  subscription 
schouls.  In  his  youth  he  became  connected 
with  the  lumber  business.  At  the  time  of 
tlie  Civil  war  he  offered  his  services  to  the 
.ui'vernment,  enlisting  in  June,  1861,  for 
three  years  as  a  member  of  Company  A, 
'i  bird  Ohio  Infantry.  He  remained  at  the 
fn'ut  for  two  years,  serving  in  West  Vir- 
i.;inia,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  At  Mur- 
freesboro  he  was  wounded,  after  which  he 
received  an  honorable  discharge.  Later  he 
raised  a  company,  which  became  Company 
A,  of  the  Forty-fifth  Mounted  Infantry  of 
Kentucky,  and  was  its  orderly  sergeant. 
Later  he  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant 
'  t  Company  I,  but  refused  tb.e  lieuten- 
ancy, preferring  to  remain  with  his  old  com- 
rades of  Company  A.  With  that  command 
he  participated  in  the  engagement  at  King's 
Salt  Works  against  the  forces  of  General 
Morgan.  He  was  also  in  the  battle  of  Lex-. 
ington  ard  Cynthiana,  Kentucky,  and  in 
other  engagements.     Wherever  ^uty  called 


he  was  found  at  his  post  and  was  always 
faithful  to  the  starry  banner  of  the  nation. 
\\  hen  the  war  was  over  he  received  an  hon- 
orable discharge  and  gladlv  returned  to  his 
home. 

Mr.  Nash  afterward  went  to  Lafayette, 
Indiana,  where  he  resided  from  1865  until 
1869,  his  time  and  attention  being  devoted 
to  carpentering  and  contracting.  In  the  lat- 
ter year  he  emigrated  to  Kansas,  taking  up 
liis  abode  in  Franklin  county.  He  lived  in 
Ottawa  until  1887,  when  he  came  to  Lyons, 
Kansas,  becoming  an  active  factor  in  the 
building  interests  of  the  city.  Here  as  a 
carpenter  and  contractor  he  carried  on  oper- 
ations until  elected  to  public  office,  and  erec- 
ted many  of  the  substantial  structures  cf 
the  city,  which  still  stand  as  monuments  of 
his  thrift  and  enterprise.  He  lived  i;i  '  t 
faithfully  up  to  the  terms  of  his  contracts 
and  the  reputation  which  he  enjoys  in  the 
business  circles  is  anunassailable  one. 

Mr.  Nash  was  united  in  marriage  ii 
Frankrn  county,  Kansas,  in  1872,  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Alford,  of  that  county,  who  was 
born  in  Wocdsfield,  Monroe  county,  Ohio, 
and  was  reared  and  educated,  there.  She 
had  one  brother  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war  and  died  of  wounds  received  in 
battle.  Three  children  grace  their  union: 
Warren ;  Ella,  who  is  assisting  her  fatlier  as 
dteputy  register  of  deeds  in  the  office  at  Ly- 
ons; and  Daniel,  who  is  a  student  in  the  high 
school.  The  family  is  one  widely  and  fa- 
vorably known  in  this  community  and  the 
members  of  the  household  occupy  prominent 
positions  in  social  circles.  Mr.  Nash  is  an 
advocate  of  Republican  principles  and  does 
all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and 
secure  the  success  of  the  party.  His  fitness 
for  office,  his  reliability  and  his  devotfon  to 
the  general  good  led  to  his  selection  for  the 
position  of  register  of  deeds,  in  which  in- 
cumbency he  is  now  serving,  by  re-election 
in  the  fall  of  1899.  He  is  a  member  o-f  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  belongs  to  the 
Masonic  fraternity;  the  Royal  Arch  degree 
of  Sterling  Chapter,  No.  50.  He  is  also 
identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fra- 
ternitv,   and  his  wife   is  a  member  cf  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Methodist  Episcopal  cliurch.  A  man  of  in- 
telligence, straightforward  in  business,  gen- 
ial and  approachable  in  manner,  J.  T.  Nash 
ranks  among  the  popular  and  \-alued  citi- 
zens of  Lyons. 


JOSEPH  GIERTZ. 


The  deserved  reward  of  a  well  spent  life 
is  an  honored  retirement  from  business  in 
which  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  former  toil.  To- 
day, after  a  useful  and  beneficent  career, 
;Mr.  Giertz  is  quietly  living  at  his  beautiful 
home  in  Kingman,  surrounded  by  the  com- 
forts that  earnest  labor  has  brought  to  him. 
He  was  born  in  Mecklenburg,  Prussia,  on 
the  1st  of  January,  1825,  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  (Kippert)  Giertz,  also  natives  of 
Prussia,  where  the  father  had  charge  of 
large  estates.  Joseph  was  early  inured  to 
farm  labor  in  all  its  departments.  When 
twenty  years  of  age  he  entered  the  German 
army,  in  which  he  sei-yed  for  three  years, 
and  during  two  years  of  the  time  he  was 
engaged  in  the  war  with  Denmark.  After 
the  close  of  the  struggle  he  again  resumed 
the  quiet  and  peaceful  duties  of  the  farm, 
continuing  that  occupation  in  his  native 
country  until  i860,  when  he  crossed  the  At- 
lantic to  America,  locating  first  in  Mason 
county,  Illinois,  where  for  the  following  two 
years  he  was  employed  as  a  farm  laborer. 
From  that  time  until  1883  he  rented  land 
in  that  county,  but  in  the  latter  year  he  came 
to  Kansas,  locating  on  land  belonging  to  a 
Mr.  McGleason  in  Kingman  county,  whom 
he  had  known  in  Illinois.  In  the  following 
year  he  went  to  Seward'  county,  Kansas,  and 
secured  a  homestead  in  Liberal  township, 
which  he  improved  and  made  his  home  for 
fourteen  years,  his  first  residence  there  hav- 
ing been  a  one-story  frame  Iniilding  four- 
teen by  sixteen  feet.  He  alsn  secured  timi- 
ber  claims  of  a  lialf  section  of  land,  which 
he  placed  under  cultivation,  and  there  erect- 
ed a  frame  dwelling,  sixteen  by  fourteen 
feet.  In  i8g8  he  sold  his  possessions  there 
for  six  hundred  dollars,  receiving  only  fifty 
dollars  for  his  timber  claim,  although  he  had 
placed  about    two  thousand    dollars'  worth 


of  improvements  on  both  places,  including 
the  erection  of  a  windmill.  In  the  spring  of 
1900  he  purchased  his  present  home,  consist- 
ing of  a  residence  and  one  hundred  acres  of 
land,  the  purchase  price  being  twenty-four 
hundred  dollars.  His  residence  is  now  one 
of  the  good  ones  in  the  city  of  Kinginan, 
substantially  built  upon  a  beautiful  eminence, 
thus  commanding  a  splendid  view  of  the  city 
and  surrounding  country.  The  land  is 
farmed  by  his  eldest  son,  but  the  place  is 
principally  devoted  to  pasturage,  in  which 
they  keep  from  one  hundred  to  three  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  annually. 

Mr.  Giertz  was  married  in  1861,  Miss 
Emma  Studiman  becoming  his  wife.  She  is 
also  a  native  of  Prussia  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  the  Giertz  family.  Thirteen  chil- 
dren have  blessed  their  union,  only  eight 
of  whom  still  survive,  namely :  John,  who 
carries  on  the  work  of  the  home  place:  Em- 
ma, the  wife  of  Charles  Newland,  a  farmer 
of  Ninnescah  township;  Eliza,  the  wife  of 
James  Goddard,  of  Indiana ;  Frank,  a  prom- 
inent farmer  of  Seward  county,  Kansas; 
Minnie,  the  wife  of  Harry  Heath,  also  of 
that  county ;  and  Laura,  \\'ill  and  Sophia,  at ' 
home.  i\Ir.  Giertz  casts  his  ballot  in  favor 
of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Democracy, 
and  he  has  served  as  overseer  of  highways  in 
both  Illinois  and  Seward  county,  Kansas. 
He  is  a  worthy  and  acceptable  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  those  who  know 
him  personally  have  for  him  high  regard. 
A  man  of  great  natural  ability,  his  success 
from  the  beginning  of  his  residence  in  King- 
man county  has  been  uniform  and  rapid.  He 
has  persevered  in  the  pursuit  of  a  definite 
purpose  and  has  gained  a  most  satisfactory' 
reward.  His  life  is  exemplary  in  all  respects 
and  he  has  ever  supported^  those  interests 
which  are  caluculated  to  benefit  and  uplift 
humanity,  while  his  own  high  moral  worth 
is  deserving  of  the  highest  commendation. 


WILLIAM  EBBERT. 

There  are  not  many  sections  of  middle 
Kansas  where  the  name  of  \\'illiam  Ebbert 
is  not   familiar,   for  as  r  ne  of  the  leading 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


cattle  men  of  the  state,  he  is  widely  known. 
The  Ebbert  farm  and  cattle  ranch  is  situated 
on  section  34,  in  Ninnescab  township,  King- 
man county,  Kansas,  and  has  a  reputation 
which  extends  over  all  this  section  of  coun- 
try. 

The  birth  of  William  Ebbert  was  in 
Pennsylvania,  in  York  county,  in  1859,  ^"^ 
he  is  a  son  of  John  and  Susan  (Bowser) 
Ebbert.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  tO'  the  United  States  when 
•a  young  man,  having  been  educated  in  his 
nati\"e  country.  He  was  an  excellent  farmer, 
a  kind  father  and  devoted  husband  and  was 
sincerely  mourned  when  his  death  occurred 
in  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  In  pol- 
itics he  had  been  attracted  to  the  Republican 
party,  and  he  liberally  supported  the  German 
Baptist  church,  in  which  both  he  and  wife 
were  leading  members.  He  married  Susan 
Bowser,  who  was  born  in  Maryland  and  be- 
longed to  a  highly  esteemed  family  of  that 
state.  She  died  also  in  the  state  of  Illinois, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-five,  and  is  still  remem- 
bered with  tender  affection.  She  was  the 
mother  of  eight  children,  and  six  of  these 
still  survive,  namely:  Joseph,  William, 
Samuel,  Lydia,  Rebecca  and  Mary,  and  all 
of  them  were  reared  in  a  home  atmosphere 
which  was  of  a  character  to  make  them  use- 
ful and  honored  members  of  society. 

When  William  Ebbert  was  about  se\'en 
years  old  the  family  removed  to  Schuyler 
county,  Illinois,  where  the  father  settled  on 
a  farm  and  was  assisted  by  his  sons.  Will- 
iam learned  all  of  the  practical  details  of 
farming,  in  the  thorough  way  which  is  the 
custom  of  German  agriculturists,  and  in 
later  life  no  doubt  often  felt  glad  that  his 
father  had  been  so  exacting.  One  branch  of 
the  liusiness,  that  of  the  scientific  and.  tcon- 
omical  management  of  stock,  he  has  devel- 
oped to  the  highest  degree  and  through,  tiiis 
has  become  one  of  the  most  substantial  and 
reliable  cattle  men  of  this  county. 

In  1885  Mr.  Ebbert  came  to  Kingman 
county,  Kansas,  possessing  but  limited 
means,  which  he  used  to  begin  his  business 
in  an  humble  way.  From  the  first  he  had 
faith  in  the  promises  held  out  by  the  appar- 
ent fertilitv  of  the  soil  of  this  section,  and 


he  was  far-sighted  enough  to  see  how  good 
management  could  make  this  the  finest  cattle 
country  in  the  Union.  Accumulating  land, 
he  continued  until  he  was  in  possession  of 
twelve  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  which  he 
stocked  with  fine  cattle,  and  by  careful  man- 
agement and  excellent  judgment  he  has 
built  up  a  business  which  reflectsi  upon  him 
great  credit.  His  elegant  residence  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  eighteen  hundred  dollars 
and  all  his  impro\-ements  are  in  agreement 
with  it,  in  finish  and  completeness.  Mr. 
Ebbert  keeps  from  three  to  four  hundred 
head  of  cattle  and  has  one  of  the  largest 
ranches  in  the  county. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  Mr.  Ebbert 
took  to  himself  a  wife,  who  has  been  a  true 
helpmate  through  all  these  years  and  who 
is  still  spared  to  enjoy  with  him  the  success 
which  she  assisted  him  to  attain.  Her  cheer- 
ful ciinipanidn^hip.  loving  care  and  \\-ise 
housewifery  did  much  tii  encourage  and  help 
him  in  Ins  endeavors.  She  was  Miss  Eliza- 
beth, Schuman,  who  was  born  in  Eulton 
county,  Illinois,  where  she  was  reared  and 
educated.  She  was  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Annie  (  Baer  )  Schuman.  lioth  of  whom 
were  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  the  latter 
being  reared  and  educated  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schuman  moved 
to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  in  1858,  and  the 
father  died  there  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
Mrs.  Schuman  is  still  a  resident  of  that 
place.  Their  children  were  as  follows: 
Leonard,  John,  George,  Michael.  Henry. 
Samuel,  Noah  and  Elizabeth.  The  latter  is 
now  Mrs.  Ebbert.  A  family  of  nine  children 
'was  born  to  Mr.  and  i\Irs.  Elil^ert.  these  be- 
ing: George,  who  assists  his  father:  .\nna, 
who  is  a  student  in  }ilcrhersion  College; 
Amanda,  who  lives  at  home,  and  her  twin 
sister,  Mary,  is  a  student  at  the  above  named 
college;  Ella,  who  is  at  home,  as  are  also  thq 
younger  members, — Inez,  Samuel  S.,  Jessie 
May  and  Goldie  A. 

In  politics  Mr.  Ebbert  has  been  more  or 
less  active,  being  an  ardent  Republican,  and 
exerts  considerable  influence  in  the  county. 
Of  the  German  Baptist  .church  :\Irs.  Ebbert 
is  a  member  and  in  that  faith  her  children 
have  been  reared.     Eew  citizens  have  taken 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


a  deeper  or  more  sincere  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters  in  this  townshipi  than  Mr.  Eb- 
bert,  and  he  has  been  a  patron  of  progressive 
ideas  which  have  been  of  value  to  the  cause 
of  education.  Mr.  Ebbert  is  a  well  read,  in- 
telligent man,  who  by  no  means  devotes  all 
of  his  time  to  his  large  farm  and  stock  busi- 
ness, great  as  they  are,  but  is  an  important 
factor  in  almost  every  enterprise  which 
promises  to  be  of  benefit  to  his  county  and 
state.  In  fact  Mr.  Ebbert  has  faith  ini  the 
great  future  awaiting  Kansas,  and  Kansas 
has  every  reason  to  feel  just  as  much  faith 
in  this,  her  representative  adopted  son. 


JOHN  H.  BROMLEY. 

John  H.  Bromley  is  one  of  the  pioneer 
merchants  of  Kingman  coimty  now  success- 
fully carrying  on  business  in  Waterloo.  He 
became  a  resident  of  Galesburg  township  in 
1877.  but  for  almost  twenty  years  has  been 
identified  with  the  business  interests  of  the 
city,  and  his  industry,  enterprise  and  hon- 
orable dealing  have  secured  to  him  a  liberal 
patronage.  Widely  and  favorably  known, 
the  history  of  his  life  cannot  fail  to  prove  of 
interest  tO'  many  of  our  readers. 

Mr.  Bromley  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
representing  an  old'  and  respected  family  of 
that  state,  living  just  across  the  division  line 
from  Lafayette,  Kentucky.  His  natal  day 
Jas  November  3,  1837.  His  father,  John 
Bromley,  was  born  in  Nashville,  Tennessee, 
while  the  grandfather  .of  our  subject,  John 
Bromley,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the  heroes  of  the 
Revolutionary  war  and  aided'  in  laying  the 
corner  stone  of  the  capitol  of  Tennessee.  His 
son,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  exten- 
sively engaged  in  dealing  in  stock,  handling 
cattle,  horses  and  mules.  He  also  carried 
on  farming  and  was  a  man  of  extensive 
business  ability.  He  married  Rebecca  Mul- 
lin.  who  was  born  in  Tennessee,  but  her 
father  was  of  Irish  lineage  and  her  mother 
was  of  Scotch  descent  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brom- 
ley had  a  family  of  eight  children,  namely : 
Jefferson  ;  Tennie  C. ;  Jessie :  John  H. :  Jack- 
son ;  Jason ;  Thomas ;  and  Laura  E.    Of  this 


number,  Jason  served  in  the  Confederate 
army  for  two  w«eksi,  but  the  service  was 
compulsory,  and  managing  to  make  his  es- 
cape at  the  end  of  that  time  he  journeyed  to 
Hopkinsville,  Kentucky,  where  he  enlisted 
in  the  Union  army,  serving  for  three  years 
as  a  gallant  soldier  in  defense  of  the  stars 
and  stripes.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Mont- 
gomery, Tennessee.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject gave  his  political  support  to  the  Democ- 
racy, but  was  a  strong  Union  man  who  op- 
posed the  secessionist  attitude  of  the  south. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  died  when  seventy-four 
years  oi  age.  They  were  people  of  the  high- 
est respectability  and  were  valued  residents 
of  the  community  in  which  they  made  their 
home. 

John  H.  Bromiley,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  record,  was  reared  in  Tennessee, 
and  early  became  inured  to  the  work  of  the 
farm.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the 
schools  there  and  has  been  largely  supple- 
mented by  reading,  experience  and  observa- 
tion. Leaving  the  farm,  he  learned  the 
trade  of  an  engineer,  spending  three  years 
at  Nashville,  after  which  he  was  employed 
in  that  capacity  on  the  river.  He  later  gave 
his  attention  to  blacksmithing  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  his  work  along  that  line 
brought  to  him  a  fair  degree  of  prosperity. 
In  public  affairs  he  also  took  an  active  inter- 
est and  while  living  in  Henderson  count}-, 
Kentucky,  he  served  as  deputy  sheriff,  mak- 
ing a  competent  and  trustworthy  officer. 

.After  his  removal  to  Illinois  Mr.  Brom- 
ley was  married  at  Shawneetown,  tliiat  state, 
on  the  7th  of  October,  1873,  to  Miss  Sarah 
Warren,  who  was  born  in  Christian  county, 
Kentucky,  and  spent  her  maidenhood  days  in 
th^  state.  Her  parents  were  Booker  and 
Martha  (Ladd)  Warren,  and  both  died  in 
Tennessee. 

In  1877  Mr.  Bromley  and  bis  wife  came 
to  Kingman  county,  settling  in  Galesburg 
township,  where  for  five  years  he  carried  on 
general  farming  and  blacksmithing,  but  for 
the  past  nineteen  years  he  has  been  an  en- 
terprising merchant  of  Waterloo.  He  car- 
ries a  large  and  complete  line  of  general  mer- 
chandise and  his  earnest  desire  to  please  his 
patrons,  his  honorable  dealing,  and  his  un- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


205 


flagging  enterprise,  have  secured  to  him  a 
large  trade,  which  is  constantly  increasing 
and  which  brings  to  him  a  merited  financial 
reward  for  his  labor.  He  has  ever  been  a 
citizen  of  worth,  public-spirited  and  progres- 
sive. When  in  Tennessee,  he  was  connected 
with  military  affairs  as  captain  of  the  Home 
Guards,  and  became  quite  familiar  with  the 
art  of  arms  and  General  Hardee's  manual 
of  drilling.  He  has  a  soldierly  bearing,  in 
manner  is  frank  and  genial,  and  his  cour- 
teous address  and  generous  hospitality  be- 
speak a  true  southern  gentleman.  Waterloo 
numbers  him  among  its  popular  citizens,  and 
he  well  deserves  representation  in  this  vol- 
ume. 


SAMUEL  SPICKARD. 

Samuel  Spickard,  one  of  the  wealthy 
and  honored  residents  of  Hutchinson,  was 
born  in  Harrison  county.  Kentucky,  on  the 
1 2th  of  June,  1864,  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
J.  (M'cClure)  Spickard,  the  latter  of  Scotch 
descent.  The  father,  who  followed  farming 
as  a  life  occupation,  was  accidentally  killed 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war. 

When  the  subject  of  this  review  was 
but  a  lad  of  ten  years  he  was;  bound  put  to 
a  hard  master,  with  whom,  he  reinained  for 
three  years,  and  soon  after\vard  he  went  to 
Lawrence  county,  Indiana,  where  for  the 
following  four  years  he  was  engaged  at  farm 
labor  during  the  summer  months  and  in  the 
winter  seasons  he  attended  the  district 
schools.  In  1884  he  came  with  friends  to 
Remi  ci.iunty,  Kansas,  locating  at  Hutchin- 
son, but  a  short  time  afterward  he  went  into 
the  country  and'  for  six  months  was  engaged 
in  the  tilling  of  the  soil.  In  the  following 
fall  he  removed  to  Edwards  county,  where 
he  secured  employment  on  a  ranch  until  the 
spring  iif  1885.  wlien  he  purchased  a  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  but  after 
residing  on  his  land  for  six  months  he  re- 
linc|uished  it  and'  for  a  time  thereafter  was 
engaged  in  the  livery  business  at  Garfield, 
Pawnee  county.  For  two  years,  from  the 
spring  of  188,7,  ^^  rented  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred acres  in  that  county,  on  the  expiration 


of  which  period  he  went  to  ^Montgomery 
county  and  for  the  following  year  was  em- 
ployed on  a  ranch.  Returning  thence  to 
Reno  county,  for  the  succeeding  two  years 
he  followed  agricultural  pursuits  in  Clay 
township.  Mr.  Spickard  then  formed  a  [lart- 
nership  with  R.  H.  Holton,  a  progressi\-e 
and  enterprising  3-oung  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  and  a  sketch  of  whose  life  will  be 
found  on  another  page  of  this  volume,  and 
together  they  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  8.  Valley  township.  This  rela- 
tionship continued  through  a  period  of  about 
eig'ht  years,  during  which  time  they  were 
engaged  in  both  farniing  and  the  stock  busi- 
ness. In  the  latter  line  they  soon  built  up  a 
large  trade,  which  rapidly  increased  to  such 
enormous  proportions  that  they  began  in- 
vesting the  proceeds  in  farming  lands,  and 
the  rapidity  with  which  they  made  money 
and  added  to  their  landed  possessions  was 
a  miarvel  to  their  friends  and  acquaintances. 
For  a  numlber  of  years  they  did  the  largest 
business  in  buying  and  shipping  cattle  of  any 
firmi  in  Reno  county,  their  shipment  in  one 
season  often  running  as  high  as  four  thou- 
sand head,  while  they  usually  wintered  about 
one  thousand  head,  and  thus  they  fed  about 
five  thousand  bushels  of  grain  annually. 
They  usually  cultivated  from  eight  to  nine 
hundred  acres  and  also  rented  aliout  five 
thousand  acres  of  pasture  land.  During  this 
time  they  made  many  improvements  on  their 
place,  including  the  erection  of  an  excellent 
barn,  sixty  by  forty-eight  feet,  large  cribs 
and  other  outbuildings,  and  they  also  added 
to  their  landed  possessions  until  they  were 
the  owners  of  about  ten  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  fine  farming  land,  located  in  Clay 
and  Valley  tuwnships,  besides  several  hun- 
dred acres  of  grazing  land  in  Sumner  t-wn- 
ship.  In  1901,  however,  Mr,  Sitici;:!!  ^I  ,  •],] 
his  interest  to  his  partner,  wh.  >  cirrie-  '  ^n 
business  under  the  name  of  R.  H.  Holton. 
Since  dispn-ing  of  his  interests  our  subject 
has  made  lii<  Imnie  in  Hiitclfinson,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  buying  .'n^d  ^lii]i]iing  stock. 
On  the-'4ili  ni  X(i\eml.ier,  iSNo,  occurred 
his  m.arriage  to  Maggie  B.  Reger.  who  was 
born  in  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  a  daugh- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ter  of  P.  C.  and  Susan  ( Booth  )Reger.  When 
fourteen  years  of  age  she  left  the  place  of 
her  nativity  and  accompanied'  her  parents  on 
their  removal  to  Bates  county,  Missouri,  and 
from  there  the  family  went  to^  Pawnee  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  where  her  marriage  occurred. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spickard  now  occupy  a  beau- 
tiful residence  at  No.  724  East  Sherman 
street,  Hutchinson,  where  hospitality  reigns 
supreme.  In  matters  of  political  importance 
our  subject  supports  the  Democracy,  but  at 
local  elections  he  casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of 
the  men  whom  he  regards  as  best  qualified 
to  fill  positions  of  honor  and  trust.  He  is 
one  of  the  successful  and  self-made  men  of 
central  Kansas,  but  the  height  which  he  has 
reachedl  in  the  business,  world  is  due  to  his 
own  individual  eiTorts.  In  studying  the  lives 
of  both  'Mr.  Spickard  and  his  former  partner 
it  is  interesting  to  note  tlie  many  points  of 
similarity  in  their  lives.  Both  practically  of 
the  same  age,  thrown  upon  their  own  re- 
so'urces  at  an  early  age.  each  f(jllowing  the 
same  line  of  work  and  residing  in  many  lo- 
calities, shifting  from  state  to  state  until 
both  e\'entually  located  in  Reno  county,  and 
bv  a  happy  chance  these  kindred  spirits  be- 
came united  in  a  partnership  that  made  them 
the  most  famous  stock  men  iii  this  section  of 
the  state  and  secured  for  each  a  handsome 
competence. 


JOHN  GILMORE  MALCOL:^!,  M.  D. 

Prominent  among  the  original  thinkers 
and  progressive  and  scholarly  professional 
men  of  Kansas  was  Dr.  John  Gilmore  j\Ial- 
colni,  who  won  much  more  than  a  local  rep- 
utation. He  was  born  in  Aberdeen,  Scot- 
land, in  1830.  His  father,  Francis  Mal- 
colm, was  also  born  in  Scotland,  where  he 
resided  until  early  in  the  year  1832,  when 
he  came  with  his  family  to  Ontario,  Cana- 
da, locating  in  Oxford  county.  He  was 
a  man  of  education  and  progressive  ideas, 
and  was  instrumental  in  a  large  degree  in 
the  establishment  of  schools  in  his  neighbor- 
hood, and  contributed  liberally  to  the  Bap- 
tist   church,  of  which    he  was    a    member. 


He  was  married  to  a  Scotch  maiden, 
Janet  Mitchell,  and  four  sons  were  born  to 
them,  our  subject's  eldest  brother  being  the 
only  survivor.  The  death  of  the  father  was 
in  1866,  but  the  mother  survived  until  1878, 
and  possessed  almost  the  vigor  of  youth, 
although  she  had  reached  her  ninety-third 
year.  During  her  last  years  she  enjoyed  the 
walk  of  nine  miles  through  the  woods  to 
the  market  at  Woodstock. 

The  educational  advantages  of  our  sub- 
ject were  those  obtainable  in  the  country 
schools  and  the  Normal  school  of  Toronto. 
Undecided  for  a  time  what  vocation  in 
life  to  adopt,  he  at  length  decided  to 
be  a  farmer,  and  it  was  only  the  un- 
warranted advance  in  the  price  of  desirable 
land'  that  prevented  him  from  becoming  a 
tiller  of  the  soil  instead'  of  the  leader  of 
many  lines  of  modern  research,  both  in  and 
out  of  his  profession.  His  first  instruction 
in  the  science  of  medicine  was  under  a  phy- 
sician in  Woodstock,  and  later  in  London, 
Canada.  At  the  latter  point  he  remained 
one  year  and  then  went  to  Ann  Arbor, 
IMichigan,  and  later  to  the  Plomeopathic 
College  of  New  York,  at  whicli  he  graduat- 
ed in  the  spring  of  1866.  Dr.  Malcolm 
first  located  for  practice  in  ]\Iichigan,  and 
continued  practice  there  fc;r  the  succeeding 
eighteen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period 
the  failing  health  of  his  wife  induced  him 
to  trv  the  eft'ects  of  the  climate  of  Kansas. 
This  advantage  caused  the  location  of  our 
j  subject,  in  the  fall  oi  1884.  iii  Hutchinson, 
Kansas,  and  he  remained  in  active  and 
successful  practice  here  until  the  time  of  his 
death. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  ]\Ialcolm  occurred 
in  1861,  to  Miss  Margaret  Mathewson,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  Mathewson.  Her  death 
occurred  in  October.  1892.  her  two  chil- 
dren being:  Oliver  F.,  who  is  a  broker  in 
New  York  city ;  and  Margaret,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Frank  V.  Barton,  of  Hutchinson. 

As  previously  noted.  Dr.  Malcolm  was 
an  original  thinker  as  well  as  a  convincing 
speaker.  While  not  a  follower  in  full  of 
Henry  George,  he  believed,  in  the  truth  of 
manv  of  his  theories.    On  finan'i^l  questions 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


he  held  advanced  ideas,  and  one  of  these  he 
claimed  would  do  away  with  the  incentive 
to  crime  and  the  accumulation  of  riches  by 
the  few  at  the  expense  of  the  many.  He  ad- 
vanced some  excellent  argaiments  in  support 
of  this  theory,  and  did  a  great  deal  of  writing 
along  this  line.  He  was  but  a  hn\  when,  in 
experimenting,  he  proved  the  princiiile  which 
has  been  later  demonstrated  i_:f  u^e  in  w  ire- 
less  telegraphy.  He  was  a  correspundent  f<:)r 
a  number  of  medical  journals  and  issued  a 
number  of  works  which  met  with  marked 
approval  by  the  profession.  In  1895  he 
brought  out  a  work  entitled  "A  Regional 
and  Comparative  ^lateria  Medica,"  which 
has  a  classification  concerning  the  use  of 
medicines  in  use  in  certain  cases,  different 
diseases  and  medical  agents,  and  in  1898  he 
issued  a  supplement,  which  covers  new  ma- 
terial in  tlie  same  line.  Dr.  ^Malcolm's 
death  occurred  December  22,  1901,  and  in 
this  connection  the  Detroit  (Michigan) 
Times,  of  December  28th,  contained  the  fol- 
lowing in  its  telegraphic  news  : 

"  Dr.  ].  G.  Malcolm,  a  former  resident  of  this  city, 
is  dead  at  his  home  in  Hutchinson,  Kansas.  He 
became  prominent  in  Michigan  medical  circles  by 
diagnosing-  the  location  ot  the  bullet  which  was  tired 
into  the  body  of  President  Garfield  and  caused  his 
death.  When  the  post  mortem  was  held  Dr.  Mal- 
colm's statement  as  to  the  location  of  the  leaden  mis- 
sile of  death  was  found  to  be  correct.  He  was  the 
author  of  several  medical  works." 


GEORGE  F.  HAUSER. 

Banking  interests  are  the  heart  of  the 
commercial  body  and  indicate  the  healthful- 
ness  of  trade.  In  times  of  financial  depres- 
sion the  bank  wdiich  continues  business  along 
safe  yet  progressive  lines  di  es  nn  ire  to  estab- 
lish public  confidence  than  anv  otlier  agency, 
and  at  all  times  it  is  a  power  in  tlie  business 
world  whqse  influence  can  scarcely  be  exag- 
gerated. One  of  the  reliable  financial  con- 
cerns of  central  Kansas  is  the  Bushton  State 
Bank,  of  which  George  F.  Hauser  is  cashier, 
and  in  his  official  capacity  he  has  become 
widely  known,  commanding  uniform  con- 
fidence by  his  straightforward  methods.    He 


has  been  a  resident  of  Bushton  since  1887 
and  of  central  Kansas  since  1874. 

Like  many  of  the  leading  citizens  o-f  this 
ponion  of  the  state  Air.  Hauser  is  a  nati\c 
of  Germany,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
the  village  of  Langenau,  Baden,  on  the  22d 
of  November,  1858.  He  is  a  representative 
of  a  good  family  whose  salient  characteris- 
tics are  integrity,  industry  and  morality.  His 
father,  Fritz  Hauser,  was  born  in  Baden, 
July  6,  1822,  ac(iuired  his  education  there 
and  after  arri\ing  at  years  of  maturity  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Obser,  who  was  born  July 
8,  1826,  and  whose  childhood  w'as  also 
passed  in  Baden,  the  place  of  her  nativity. 
Their  son  George  was  a  lad  of  ten  summers 
when  the  family  came  to  the  United  States, 
settling  at  Columbus,  Platte  county,  Ne- 
braska, in  the  spring  of  18(19,  where  they  re- 
mained until  1874,  when  tliev  came  to  cen- 
tral Kansas,  locating  at  Ellinwood,  Barton 
county.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  carried  on  that  pursuit  in  Bartori 
county  until  his  death,  which  occurred  July 
31,  1884,  wdien  he  was  sixty-two  years  of 
age.  His  wife  died  in  Ellinwood,  October 
6,  1900,  W'hen  seventy-four  years  of  age. 
Both  were  honored  and  respected  for  their 
many  good  qualities  and  for  their  fidelity  to 
the  principles  of  right  living.  Fi\'e  children 
sun-ived  the  mother  :  Ernest,  of  Ellinwood ; 
William  F.,  a  resident  of  McMinnville,  Ore- 
gon; George  F.,  of  Bushton;  Ludwig  F.,  a 
resident  of  Nashville,  Kansas ;  and  August 
F.,  of  Bushton.  They  also  lost  one  daugh- 
ter, Elizabeth,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven 
years  and  is  buried  at  Columbus,  Nebraska. 

Leaving  the  fatherland  at  the  age  of  ten 
years.  George  F.  Hauser  was  principally 
reared  in  Nebraska  and  Kansas,  pursuing 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  two  states 
and  gaining  practical  experience  in  farm 
work  by  assisting  his  father  in  the  field.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  began  teaching  school 
in  Barton  county,  Kansas,  and  later  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  postoffice  at  El- 
linwood. He  afterward  went  to  New  Mex- 
ico in  the  service  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company  and  was  also  employed  by  the 
Adams  and  W'ells-Fargo  Express  Compan- 
ies, while  later  he  had  charge  of  the  freight 


208 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


department  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  at  EI- 
linwood.  This  was  followed  by  a  period  de- 
voted to  the  real-estate  business,  and  in  1887 
he  came  to  Bushton.  wliere  he  was  interested 
in  a  hardware  and  implement  store.  On  re- 
tiring, in  1893,  from  that  line  of  trade,  he 
managed  a  private  bank  in  Bushton,  and^  in 
1898  took  up  his  abode  upon  his  farm'  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  adjoining  that 
village.  The  place  is  known  as  Cedarlawn 
Farm  and  is  one  of  the  best  places  in  Farmer 
township,  improved  with  an  attractive  resi- 
dence, large  barns  and  outbuildings  and  all 
modern  improvements.  There  is  a  granary, 
a  windmill,  an  orchard  and  a  beautiful  grove 
of  cedars,  from  which  the  place  takes  its 
name.  EX-erything  is  neat  an  J  thrifty  in 
appearance,  indicating  the  careful  supervi- 
sion of  an  enterprising  owner,  who  in  addi- 
tion to  his  agricultural  interests  fills  the  ofifice 
before  mentioned! — that  of  cashier  of  the 
Bushton  State  Bank.  Also,  he  is  specially 
interested  in  his  orchard  and  select  herd  of 
shorthorn  cattle.  During  the  years  1874-6 
he  herded  cattle  on  the  plains  in  the  sum- 
mer, being  in  the  saddle  day  after  day,  rafn 
or  shine,  and  attended  school  during  the 
winter  months. 

March  28,  1883.  ^vhen  twenty-five  years 
of  age.  Mr.  Hauser  was  united  in  marriage 
to  I\Iiss  Bianca  Volkland,  who  was  born  in 
Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  June  17,  1858.  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Pauline  Volkland. 
She  died  near  Bushton,  August  12,  1887, 
■leaving  two  children:  Willie  E.,  born  in 
Ellinwood,  February  9,  1885;  and  Lola 
Florence,  born  in  the  same  city  Februarv  27, 
1886.  On  the  29th  of  November,  1888,  in 
Bushton,  Mr.  Hauser  was  again  married, 
his  second  union  being  with  Emma  Swartz, 
who  was  born  in  Bettsville,  Sandusky  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  January  9,  1859,  and  she  is  a  lady 
of  intelligence  who  has  made  his  home  very 
pleasant  and  attractive.  She  is  the  second 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  S.  and  Sarah  Swartz, 
the  former  and  honored  pioneer  and  well 
known  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  was  for  many  years  a  leading 
and  influential  citizen  of  this  community, 
but  is  now  living  in  Oklahoma.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hauser  have  been  born  two  sons : 


Ernest  S..  born  June  17.  1897.  and  Theo  R., 
born  July  22,  1901.  In  his  political  opin- 
ions our  subject  is  a  Republican,  and  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  in  which  he  is  serving  as  one 
of  the  trustees.  His  name  is  synonymous 
with  honorable  dealing  in  all  business  af- 
fairs; he  is  uniformly  courteous  and  consid- 
erate, and  wherever  known  is  esteemed  for 
his  genuine  worth  of  character.  He,  how- 
ever, gratefully  acknowledges  that  whatever 
success  he  may  have  attained  in  life  is  largely 
due  to  the  teachings  of  Professor  J.  R.  Bick- 
erdyke,  his  former  preceptor,  whom  he 
holds  in  high  regard  and  gratefully  remem- 
bers as  a  teacher  and  a  proven  friend. 


M.  FINLEY 


M.  Finley  is  a  prominent  and  represent- 
ative farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Rice  coun- 
ty, where  he  located  at  an  early  day,  and 
throug'hout  the  intervenmg  years  he  has 
been  known  as  an  enterprising  business  man 
of  the  community.  He  was  born  in  Ross 
county,  Ohio,  November  30,  1846,  and  was 
reared  to  the  honest  toil  of  the  farm.  His 
parents  were  Isaac  and  Mary  (Henness) 
Finley,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the 
latter  of  Virginia.  The  paternal  grandfather 
was  John  Finley,  a  native  of  the  Green  Isle 
of  Erin,  in  which  country  he  was 'married, 
and  all  of  his  six  children  were  there  born 
with  the  exception  of  the  father  of  otir  sub- 
ject.- By  occupation  John  Finley  was  a 
farmer,  and  in  following  that  pursuit  pro- 
vided for  the  support  of  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren. Tbe  following  is  the  list  of  his  sons 
and  daughters,— John,  Moses,  \\'illiam, 
Mary,  Jane  and  Isaac. 

The  last  named  was  reared  to  manhood 
in  the  Buckeye  state  and  learned  the  car- 
penter and  cooper's  trades,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  many  years.  In  Ohio  he  married 
Miss  Mary  Henness,  and  there  they  spent 
the  residue  of  their  days,  the  father  passing 
away  in  1862.  He  was  a  Whig  in  his  po- 
litical affiliations  in  early  life  and  afterward 
joined   the    ranks    of    the    new    Republican 


y^     ^-^^^^-w^^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


209 


party.  Ho\\-ever.  he  ne\-er  aspired  to  office, 
preferring  that  his  attention  should  be  given 
to  his  business  affairs.  His  wife  survived 
him  only  a  short  time,  passing  away  the 
same  year.  It  was  the  mother  who  practi- 
cal)}- reared  the  children  and  instructed 
them,  for  the  husband  was  away  from  home 
working  at  his  trade  in  order  to  provide  for 
their  support.  She  was-  a  devoted  and  lov- 
ing wife  and  mother,  who^e  gentle  counsel 
and  kind  words  had  marked  influence  over 
the  lives  of  her  children.  She  early  im- 
pressed upon  their  minds  lessons  of  integ- 
rity and  industry,  and  they  have  become  an 
honor  to  her  name.  Of  the  Baptist  church 
she  was  a  consistent  and  honored  member, 
and  her  Christian  faith  permeated  her  entire 
life.  John  Finley,  her  eldest  son,  was 
among  the  first  to  enlist  at  the  call  of  the 
president  for  troops  to  aid  in  crus'hing  out 
the  rebellion.  He  received  a  wound  and 
then  returned  home  on  a  furlough,  but  after 
recuperating  his  health  rejoined  his  com- 
mand and  continued  at  the  frcxnt  until  after 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  then  once  more 
took  up  his  abode  in  Ohio,  w'here  he  after- 
ward died.  William,  the  second  son.  en- 
listed as  a  member  of  the  Twenty-sixth 
Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteers  and  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  James 
also  served  as  a  Union  soldier,  and,  becom- 
ing ill,  was  brought  to  his  home,  where  he 
died  not  long  afterward.  The  next  of  the 
familv  is  he  whose  name  introduces  this 
review,  and  the  younger  members  are  Scott, 
who  also  wore  the  blue  in  the  Civil  war; 
Isaac,  who  is  living  in  Ohio;  Mrs.  Mar- 
garet Guess ;  Nancy,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years;  Airs.  Martha  Wilson,  of 
Ohio;  Mary,  who  died  in  childhood;  and 
Mrs.  Ida  Hurst. 

Mr.  Finley  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the 
elementary  branches  of  English  learning  in 
the  public  schools,  and  by  reading  and  study, 
as  well  as  practical  experience  in  later  life, 
he  has  added  largely  to  his  knowledge  and 
is  now  a  well  informed  man.  He  is  the  only 
memjjer  <  if  his  father's  family  who  left  Ohio. 
His  father  died  when  he  was  quite  young 
and  he  was  then  thrown  upon  his  own  re- 


sources, being  strictly  a  self-made  man. 
Soon  after  the  death  of  his  parents  he  was 
employed  by  the  month  as  a  farm  hand,  and 
continued  to  serve  in  that  capacity  until  his 
marriage,  except  during  the  period  when  he 
aided  in  the  defense  of  the  Union.  He  was 
only  seventeen  years  of  age  when,  in  1S64, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Ohio  militia,  and  after 
serving  there  for  a  short  time  he  joined  the 
United  States  volunteer  serAdce  as  a  mem- 
ber of  .Company  E,  One  Hundred  and  Fcrt)-- 
ninth  Ohio  Infantry.  •  This  regiment  was 
assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  un- 
der the  command  of  General  Thomas,  and 
saw  some  hard  service.  The  troops  were 
sent  on  long  and  difficult  marches  and  were 
almost  daily  engaged  in  skirmishing  with 
the  Confederates.  Mr.  Finley  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Frederick,  Maryland,  where 
the  Union  troops  were  repulsed'  and  made  a 
retreat  of  forty  miles.  After  his  second-  en- 
listment he  was  engaged  in  guardng  the 
White  House  at  Washington,  and  on  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  service  he  received 
an  honorable  discharge,  in  September,  1864. 
After  returning  to  his  home  Mr.  Finley 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed in  connection  with  farming.  In  1868 
he  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  was  employed 
as  a  f.irm  hand,  and  after  his  marriage  he 
rented  a  tract  of  land,  which  he  cultivated 
for  six  years.  With  the  capital  he  had  ac- 
quired in  the  meantime  he  then  purchased  a 
small  farm,  which  he  continued  to  operate 
until  1887.  He  then  sold  that  property  and 
removed  to  the  new  Eldorado,  for  at  diat 
time  the  attenion  of  the  country  was  direct- 
ed toward  Kansas  and  its  possibilities.  He 
settled  in  Rice  county,  where  he  leased  three 
quarter  sections  of  land,  upcn  which  he  yet 
resides.  It  was  then  a  tract  of  raw  prairie 
and  he  has  made  all  of  the  improvements 
upcn  the  place,  including  the  erection  of  a 
commodious  house  and  barn.  He  has  the 
entire  place  under  fence  and  the  land  is  de- 
voted to  the  raising  of  crops  and  to  grazing 
purposes.  In  connection  with  general  farrn- 
ing  he  makes  a  specialty  of  handling  stock, 
keeping  on  hand  only  high  grades^  He  has 
a  herd  of  fine  Hereford  cattle  and  a  large  ' 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


herd  of  cows,  well  graded,  owning  several 
fnll-blooded  animals.  He  has  a  reputation 
for  the  excellent  grade  of  stock  which  he 
places  upon  the  market,  and  he  finds  a  ready 
sale  for  all  of  the  calves  of  which  he  wishes 
to  dispose,  receiving  high  prices.  For  many- 
years  he  has  always  purchased  and  bunched 
cattle  and  he  always  has  a  good  bunch  on 
hand  on  his  farm.  His  business  ability  has 
made  him  widely  recognized  as  a  capable 
financ'er,  and  his  enterprise  and  thrift  have 
won  for  him  a  \ery  desirable  competence. 
He  has  purchased  a  well  improved  farm, 
which  he  rents,  and  he  also  owns  two  resi- 
dence properties  in  Lyons,  the  rental  from 
which  adds  materially  to  his  income. 

Air.  Finley  was  first  married  in  1869,  to 
Aliss  :\Iary  W'ood,  who  was  born  in  San- 
gamon county,  Illinois,  and  was  a  daughter 
of  Solomon  and  Mary  (Preston)  Wood,  the 
former  a  native  of  Vermont  and  the  latter 
of  New  York,  in  which  state  they  were  mar- 
ried. At  an  early  day  they  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, where  her  father  fullowed  the  black- 
smith's trade  until  his  life's  lalxTs  were  end- 
ed in  death,  in  May,  1852.  Only  a  few  days 
elapsed  between  the  deaths  of  the  parents. 
The  mother  was  a  consistent  an]  worthy 
member  of  the  Methodist  church.  Their 
children  were  Harriett,  of  Iowa;  Harvey, 
who  died  in  Illinois  in  1901 ;  Aurilla,  who 
is  the  present  wife  of  Mr.  Finley:  Franklin 
H.,  of  Iowa  :  Alary,  the  first- wife  of  our  sub- 
jeit:  \ii-clia.  now  Mrs.  Connor,  of  Illi- 
ni.^is;  l-.Imira,  of  Iowa;  and  Scott,  who  is 
Hving  in  Lawrence.  Kansas.  By  his  first 
marriage  Mr.  Finley  had  two  children,  Will- 
iam I.  and  Scott,  but  the  latter  died  in  early 
childhood.  The  former  is  still  at  home  and 
assists  his  father  in  the  conduct  of  the  farm 
and  in  his  stock-raising  interests.  He  is  also 
township  clerk.  The  mother,  who  was  a 
loyal  and  devoted  member  of  the  Alethodist 
Episcopal  church,  passed  away  on  the  loth 
of  February,  1876,  and  in  July.  1877,  Mr. 
Finley  was  again  married.  She  was  born 
and  reared  in  Illinois.  Mr.  and'  Mrs.  Finley 
and  their  son  William  are  identified  with  the 
Alethodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  the 
last  named  has  held  membership  since  the 


age  of  ten  years.  i\Ir.  Finley  joinedi  the 
church  at  the  age  of  eighteen  and  has  lived 
a  consistent  Christian  life.  He  has  been  a 
liberal  contributor  to  the  support  of  the 
church,  has  served  as  class  leader  and  has 
filled  all  other  positions  and  does  all  in  his 
pc'wer  to  promote  the  work  of  the  church  and 
Sunday-school.  For  fourteen  years  he  has 
been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  in 
this  district  and  has  done  much  to  promote 
the  cause  of  religious  education  through  this 
channel.  He  has  also  been  president  of  the 
township  Sunday-school  organization  for 
six  years  and  has  given  freely  of  his  means 
toward  the  building  of  many  houses  of  wor- 
ship. In  his  political  views  he  is  a  stalwart 
Republican,  using  his  influence  for  and  fur- 
therance of  the  party's  good.  He  has  at- 
tended township  and  county  conventions, 
has  filled  the  office  of  township  treasurer  and 
has  served  in  many  other  local  positions. 
Socially  he  is  connected  with  Kit  Carson 
Post,  No.  20,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Lyons,  and  in 
political,  social  and  business,  circles  he  is 
widely  and  favorably,  known,  his  salient 
characteristics  being  such  as  command  con- 
fidence and  respect  and  awaken  the  favor- 
able consideration  of  all  with  whoni  he 
comes  in  contact.  To-day  he  occupies  an 
enviable  position  among  the  men  of  prom- 
inence in  his  adopted  county,  and  his  life 
demonstrates  the  advantages  which  Kansas 
offers  to  her  citizens,  for  he  came  here  with 
little  capital  and  all  that  he  now  possesses 
has  been  won  through  his  persistency  of  pur- 
pose and  unflagging  diligence. 


HENRY  C.  O'HARA. 

Since  the  days  of  pioneer  development 
in  Reno  county  the  name  of  Henry  Clay 
O'Hara  has  figured  conspicuously  and  hon- 
orably in  connection  with  progressive  meas- 
ures which  have  contributed  to  the  improve- 
ment and  progress  of  this  portion  of  the 
state.  He  was  for  some  time  identified  with 
agricultural  pursuits  and  is  now  engaged  in 
general  merchandising  in  Partridge,  where 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


he  also  owns  and  conducts  a  livery  stable. 
His  life  record  began  in  Evansville,  Indiana, 
where  he  tirst  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of 
day  on  the  17th  of  February,  1841,  his  par- 
ents being  John  and  Elizabeth  0"Hara.  His 
father  was  engaged  in  steamboating  on  the 
Ohio  and  ^Mississippi  rivers,  devoting  his 
entire  life  tij  that  vocation.  He  died  in  1849, 
when  our  suliject  was  only  eight  years  of 
age.  In  the  family  were  three  children: 
James  E.,  now  deceased;  Henry  C,  and 
Alice  E.,  the  wife  of  Hugh  Hampton,  who 
resides  at  the  old  Hampton  homestead  in 
Memphis,  Tennessee. 

Soon  after  his  father's  death  Mr.  O'Hara 
of  this  review  went  to  Hancock  county,  Illi- 
nois, to  make  his  home,  and  there  grew  to 
manhood.  When  twenty  years  of  age,  in 
response  to  the  first  call  for  Union  men  to 
serve  three  years,  he  enlisted,  becoming  a 
member  of  the  Black  Hawk  Cavalry,  August 
I'.i,  1S61.  The  cjuota  was  full  and  there- 
fore he  went  to  jMissouri  where  he  did  scout- 
ing and  other  service  until  February,  1862, 
when  his  regiment  was  consolidated  with 
the  Seventh  Missouri  Cavalry,  under  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Schofield.  Previous  to  this 
time  he  had  received  nO'  pay  for  his  services. 
After  the  organization  was  etTected  he  did 
service  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  pursuing 
bushwhackers  and  guerrillas.  At  Lone  Jack 
his  command  encountered  Price,  Ouantrell 
and  Coffee  with  their  troops,  arbout  eight 
hundred  Federal  troops  being  surrounded 
by  some  five  thousand  Confederates.  Sev- 
enty of  his.  company  survived  and  some  of 
them  w-ere  wounded.  Other  companies  of 
the  regiment  suffered  as  severely.  This  was 
on  the  i6th  of  August,  1862.  Another  se- 
vere engagement  was  at  Prairie  Grove,  Ar- 
kansas,, December  7,  1862,  when  his  com- 
mand went  on  a  forced  march  to  reinforce 
General  Blunt,  but  before  they  reached  him 
the  enemy  turned  on  them,  inflicting  severe 
loss.  They  succeeded,  however,  in  reaching 
Blunt  and  dispersed  the  TJebels.  In  this  en- 
gagement twenty  of  the  company  to  which- 
I\Ir.  O'Hara  belonged  were  captured.  The 
enemy  retreated  to  Fort  Smith  with  prison- 
ers, where  the  following  day  the  Union 
forces  overtook  tliem  and.  succeeded  in  res- 


cuing all  of  the  captured  Union  troops.  Air. 
O'Hara  had  been  wounded  at  Lone  Jack, 
and  on  account  of  his  injury  he  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Springfield,  Missouri,  February 
23,  1863.  He  enlisted  as  a  corporal  but  was 
made  orderly  sergeant,  and  thus  command- 
ed the  company  a  portion  of  the  time. 

After  leaving  the  service  Mr.  O'Hara  re- 
turned to  Hancock  county  and  for  one  season 
took  charge  of  a  large  farm  owned  by  a  Mr. 
Chandler,  near  Warsaw.  The  following- 
winter  he  became  a  student  in  the  high 
school  of  that  town  with  the  intention  of 
pursuing  his  studies  longer,  but  in  the  spring 
he  entered  a  recruiting  office  wdiere  he  con- 
tinued for  some  time.  He  afterward  lo- 
cated in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  count}-, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  while 
there  residing  he  was  married  to  Durella 
Dilly,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Dilly, 
of  the  Congregational  church.  She  was 
bornj  in  Illinois.  For  a  year  after  their 
marriage  they  resided  upon  her  father's 
farm  and  then  removed  to  Lewis  county, 
Missouri,  where  Mr.  O'Hara  purchased  a 
tract  of  land,  upon  which  he  remained  for  a 
year.  He  then  sold  and  returned  to  Han- 
cock county,  Illinois,  where  he  Imught  forty 
acres  of  land  in  Wythe  t.  i\\  n.-hip.  making 
his  home  thercdu  for  three  }cars.  Again'  he 
disposed  of  his  property  and  this  time  re- 
moved to  Galesburg,  Illinois,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  transfer  business.  He  next  ac- 
cepted a  position  in  the  freight  office  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Ouincy  Railroad,  and 
after  three  years  spent  in  Galesburg  returned 
to  Bowen,  Hancock  county,  where  for  eight 
months  he  conducted  a  grocery  and  meat 
market.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period 
he  sold  his  store  and  went  to  Clay  county, 
Arkansas,  where  he  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  for  three  years  and  in  the  mean- 
time he  became  interested  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  candy  in  Galesburg,  Illinois,  dividing 
his  time  between  the  two  places. 

On  the  20th  of  September,  1873,  Air. 
O'Hara  arri\-ed  in  Reno  county  and  located 
a  homestead  claim  in  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  24.  township  26,  range  7.  This 
he  at  once  began  to  cultivate  and  improve. 
His  first  home  was  a  dugout  in  which  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


lived  for  two  years  wlien  he  built  a  frame 
house,  walhng  the  cellar  with  rock.  _The 
first  year  he  broke  some  sod  and  in  the  spring 
of  1874  planted  thirty  acres  to  corn,  but  the 
grasshoppers  entirely  destroyed  his  crop. 
This  left  him  destitute  and  he  had  to  go 
away  from  home  and  find  work  to  support 
his  family.  That  fall  he  planted  about  sixty 
acres  of  wheat  but  the  grasshoppers  ate  the 
seed  wheat  in  the  ground.  The  following 
spring  he  sowed  a  small  amount  of  spring 
wheat.  He  resided  upon  the  homestead  for 
seven  years  and  in  the  meantime  he  pur- 
chased the  south  half  of  section  16,  township 
24,  range  7.  To  this  place  he  removed  in 
the  spring  of  1880,  building  a  good  house  of 
seven  rooms.  Improving  the  place  he  made 
it  his  home  for  some  time,  but  when  the  rail- 
road was  built  through  the  locality  he  sold 
to  the  company  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  oi  his  land  for  the  town  site  of  Part- 
ridge. In  the  meantime,  in  1880,  in  com- 
pany with  C.  Bussinger  and  others,  he  be- 
came largely  interested  in  the  cattle  business, 
grazing  about  a  thousand  head  or  more  in 
the  Indian  Territory,  with  winter  quarters 
at  Mule  creek,  in  Barber  county,  where  they 
had  land  for  the  purpose.  After  disposing 
of  their  interests  in  the  territory  he  contin- 
ued with  Mr.  Bussinger  in  the  same  line  of 
business  in  Reno  county  for  two  years,  graz- 
ing and  feeding  some  two  hund'red  and  fifty 
head  of  cattle.  After  the  town  was  estab- 
lished on  his  land  in  Center  township,  Mr. 
O'Hara  remained  at  that  place  for  a  number 
Oif  years  and  engaged  there  in  the  real-estate 
and  insurance  business  until  1891  when  he 
took  charge  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  store 
in  Partridge,  which  heiater  purchased.  The 
business  was  at  first  an  exclusive  grocery 
trade,  but  in  1899  he  added  a  general  stock 
of  goods,  including  dry  goods,  men's  fur- 
nishing gooids,  queensware  and  in  fact  every- 
thing found  in  a  first-class  general  store.  He 
still  carries  on  the  real-estate  and  insurance 
business,  representing  the  old  Hartford  In- 
surance Company,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut. 
In  addition  to  his  other  interests  he  is  pro- 
prietor of  a  livery  stable  and  in  the  various 
departments  of  his  business  he  is  meeting 
with  excellent  success. 


Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O'Hara  were  born 
ten  children :  Levi  A.,  a  member  of  the 
Twenty-first  United  States  militia,  now  in 
the  Philippines;  Hugh  S.,  a  resident  farmer 
of  Reno  county;  Henry  P.,  who  owns  the 
old  homestead ;  Asaph,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  five  years;  Alice  G.,_  the  wife  of  W.  M. 
Hemphill,  a  farmer  of  Reno  county;  Ina,  the 
wife  of  Harry  Lusk,  postmaster  of  Part- 
ridge: Elsie;  Don  C. ;  Seth,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  three  years;  and  Veazie.  Mr.  O'Hara 
has  given  his  children  good  educational  priv- 
ileges and  his  daughter  Elsie  is  an  accom- 
plished musician  and  teacher  of  music. 

Mr.  O'Hara  has  always  taken  a  deep  in- 
terest in  public  and  political  affairs  and  al- 
ways gave  his  support  to  the  Republican 
party  until  recently  when  he  has  voted  with 
the  People's  party.  He  has  served  in  nearly 
all  the  township  offices,  was  postmaster  of 
Reno  Center  for  five  years,  and  for  four 
years  has  served  as  postmaster  of  Partridge. 
His  service  on  the  school  board  covers  a 
period  of  sixteen  years,  during  which  time 
he  did  much  to  raise  the  standard  of  educa- 
tion in  his  district.  Fraternally  he  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men. In  Partridge  he  ij  a  most  valued  citi- 
zen and  has  been  identified  with  nearl_v  everv 
movement  that  has  contributed  to  its  up- 
building and  progress.  He  assisted  in  the 
building  of  the  elevator  and  creamery  and 
was  a  mernber  of  the  building  committee  of 
the  school  board  when  the  qew  school  house 
was  erected.  Since  1886  he  has  been  agent 
for  the  Santa  Fe  Town  Company,  transact- 
ing their  business  and  looking  after  their  in- 
terests in  Partridge.  He  has  erected  alto- 
gether eight  residences  and  business  blocks 
in  the  town  and  he  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Congregational  church  here,  both  he 
and  his  wife  becoming  charter  menfbers  in 
the  fall  of  1873.  He  has  since  served  on 
the  official  board  and  has  also  been  active 
in  Sunday-school  work  as  teacher  and  super- 
intendent. In  the  fall  of  1888  he  was  com- 
missioned notary  public  and  for  twelve  years 
served  in  that  capacity ;  he  has  also  been  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  and  thus  in  official,  busi- 
ness, church  and  social  life  he  has  contrib- 
uted in  large  measure  to  the  ad\'ancement 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


and  upbuilding  of  the  town,  deserving  men- 
tion among  its  most  prominent  and  enter- 
prising men. 


THO^IAS  O.  FOX. 


Thomas  O.  Fox,  who  is  carrying  on  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  on  the  southeast  corner 
of    section    twenty-twn.    tnwii^liip    fifteen, 
range    nine,     Ellsworth     ii;\vii>hip,     claims 
Ohio  as  the  state  uf  hi^-  nativity,  for  his  birth 
occurred  there  in  Ashland  county  on  the  8th 
of  March,  1850.     On  the  paternal  side  he  is 
of  Geiman  lineage,  for     his  father,  David 
Fox,  was  a  native  of  that  country.     When  a 
lad  of  fourteen  years  he  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  America,  locating  in  Ohio,  where  he  form- 
Q'\  the  acquaintance  of  Matilda  Watson,  who 
was  reared  in  Ohio.       They  were  married 
and  began  their  domestic  life  in  the  Buck- 
e\e  state.     The  father  was  an  attorney-at- 
1' w,  but  devoted  much  of  his  life  to  farming 
iid  stock-raising,  making  a  specialty  of  the 
eeding  of  fine  stock.     His  death  occurred 
1';  Ohio,  in'  1884,  and  his  wife  passed  away 
m  1898.     He  was  prominent  in  public  and 
Iticial  life,  and  his  opinions  carried  weight 
'Pong   his    fellow    townsmen,    who    recog- 
ized  his  devotion  to  the  public  good. 
Thomas  O.  Fox  was  one  of  five  children, 
Mt    whom    four    are    now    living,    namely: 
James  W.,  a  policeman  in  Wichita,  Kansas; 
Allan  C,  who  is  living  on  the  old'  homestead 
at   Hayesville,   Ohio;   Mrs.   Elizabeth    Far- 
shing,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  and  Thomas  O., 
J        who  was  the  third  of  the  family. 
*  Under  the  parental  roof  at  Hayesville 

\  our  subject  was  reared  and  when  he  was 
i  quite  young  the  care  of  the  farm  devolved 
f  largely  upon  him,  for  his  older  brothers  had 
enlisted  in  the  service  of  their  country  as 
members  of  the  Union  army.  He  pursued 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  iSj.^,  when,  in  the 
month  of  March,  he  started  with  three  com- 
panions for  the  Sunflower  state,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  anniversary  of  his  birth,  the 
Nth  of  March.  He  continued  in  Ellsworth 
c  unty  until  the  following  September,  when, 
in  company  with  his  brother,  J.  W.,  and  a 


Mr.  Zimmerman,  he  engaged  in  the  stock 
business,  going  to  Iowa,  where  he  purchased 
ten  hundred  and  sixty-five  head  of  sheep, 
which  they  drove  across  the  country,  being 
seventy  days  upon  the  road.  Until  1897 
Mr.  Fox  engaged  in  the  conduct  of  his  sheep 
ranch.  In  1875  he  purchased  his  present 
home  property,  comprising  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  to  which  he  added  until  he 
had'  eight  hundred  acres  in  one  body,  and 
upon  this  he  anniially  kept  from  fifteen  to 
thirfy-five  hundred  head  of  sheep.  He  also 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain,  having 
about  three  hundred  acres  of  land  under  cul- 
tivation. In  1897  he  severed  his  connection 
with  the  sheep  industry  and'  has  since  de- 
voted his  attention  to  the  raising  of  cattle, 
keeping  O'U  hand  about  one  hundred  head. 
He  has  also  given  sO'me  attention  to  fine 
stock,  making  a  specialty  of  thoroughbred 
Poland  China  hogs.  On  his  place  is  one  of 
the  finest  buildings  in  the  county,  a  long 
stone  barn  which  was  built  for  defense 
against  the  Indians.  At  one  time  "Wild 
Bill"  made  his  home  on  this  place  for  a  con- 
siderable period.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Fo'.x  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  an  actixe  in- 
terest in  the  growth  and  success  of  his  party, 
which  he  believes  to  contain  the  best  ele- 
ments of  good  government.  Official  prefer- 
ment, however,  has  had  no  attraction  for 
him,  although  he  has  served  on  the  central 
committee  and  was  active  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  school  district  No.  49,  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  since.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  Ellsworth  Lodge,  No. 
146,  F.  &  A.  M. 

Mr.  Fox.  has  been  twice  married,  hav- 
ing in  Ohiii,  in  1872,  wedded  Miss  I\Iary  L. 
Rankin,  who  died  in  June,  1873,  leaving  one 
son,  James  O.,  who  is  a  soldier  in  the  regular 
army,  now  serving  in  the  Philippines  with 
the  Twenty-second  United  States  Infantry. 
In  1S75  Mr.  Fox  was  married,  in  Ellsworth, 
to  Emma  A.  Green,  who  was  born  in  Au- 
gusta, Georgia,  and  is  a  daughter  of  M. 
Green.  Her  death  occurred  in  July,  1889. 
By  the  second  marriage  there  were  four  sons 
and  a  daughter :  Edward,  who  is  in  the  em- 
ploy of   the  Union   Pacific  Railroad   Com- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


pany  ;  \\'illiani  C. ;  Herbert ;  Harry,  who  is 
in  the  emply  of  the  'Frisco  Raih^oad  Com- 
pany at  Joplin,  Missouri ;  and  Nellie,  who  is 
in  school.  Mr.  Fox  is  one  of  the  respected 
pioneer  citizens  of  Ellsworth  county.  For 
almost  thirty  years  he  has  shared  in  the  for- 
tunes and  aided  in  the  development  of  cen- 
tral Kansas.  He  has  thus  manifested  his 
faith  in  the  future,  a  faith  which  time  has 
justified,  for  through  the  labors  of  its  pro- 
gressive citizens  the  counties  of  central  Kan- 
sas have  taken  rank  among"  the  best  in  the 
state. 


W.  D.   STURGIS. 


The  firm  of  Kreider  &  Sturgis  occupies 
an  enviable  position  in  commercial  circles 
in  Kanopolis.  The  junior  member  in  con- 
trol of  this  well  equipped  hardware  and  im- 
plement establishment  is  W.  D.  Sturgis, 
whose  name  heads  this  review  and  who  is 
a  man  of  sterling  worth,  well  deserving  of 
mention  among  the  representative  citizens 
of  central  Kansas.  He  was  born  in  Smith- 
field,  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  February  22, 
i860,  a  son  of  the  Hon.  William  and  Kesiah 
(Beresford)  Sturgis,  both  of  whom  were 
also  natives  of  the  Buckeye  state.  The 
father  was  a  school  teacher  by  profession 
and  resided  upon  a  farm  in  the  east.  He 
took  a  ^•ery  active  part  in  public  affairs  and 
was  honored  with  a  number  of  offices.  In 
1865  he  removed  to  Moniteau  county,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  served  as  superintendent  of 
the  county  schools.  He  is  also  a  recognized 
leader  in  public  thought  and  opinion  and  has 
the  confidence  and  high  regard  of  the  citi- 
zens among  whom  he  lives.  They  have 
manifested  their  confidence  in  his  ability 
and  trustworthiness  by  electing  him  to  the 
office  of  representative  to  the  state  legisla- 
ture in  1900.  Hehas  given  careful  thought 
to  the  questions  which  have  come  up  for  con- 
sideration in  the  general  assembly  and  has 
labored  earnestly  for  the  best  interests  of 
the  commonwealth.  His  wife  is  also  sur- 
viving, and  in  their  family  of  thirteen  chil- 
dren our  subject  is  the  second  in  order  of- 
birth.     The  record  is  as  follows :     J.  T.,  a 


prominent  attorney  of  Newton  county,  ]\Iis- 
souri,  and  a  partner  of  the  Hon.  M.  E.  Bur- 
ton; Horatio  Edward,  who  is  living  at 
Neosho,  Missouri ;  George,  who  is  principal 
of  the  schools  of  Windsor,  Missouri ;  Reed, 
who  makes  his  home  in  Clarksburg,  Mis- 
souri; Stewart,  who  is  engaged  in  teaching 
at  Clarksburg;  Alfred  Elmer;  Ella,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Homer  Henry,  of  Latham,  Mis- 
souri; Irene,  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Seaver,  of 
Springfield,  Missouri;  Corrine,  the  wife  of 
Budd  Osborn,  of  Deepwater,  Missouri: 
Kate,  and  Mary.  Three  of  the  sisters  ha\-e 
l.ieen  successful  teachers. 

\\'.  D.  Sturgis,  whose  name  introduces 
this  record,  remained  at  home  until  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  and  was  a  little  lad  of  five 
summers  when  the  family  removed  to  ]^Iis- 
souri.  He  pursued  his  education  in  the 
public  schools,  and  in  Central  College  of 
Clarksburg.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  re- 
turned to  the  old  home  in  Ohio  and  was  en- 
gaged in  teaching  in  the  district  schools  of 
that  locality  for  three  years.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  went  to  Stanwood,  ^Nlichig'an, 
where  he  accepted  a  position  as  teacher  in 
the  public  schools,  acting  as  principal  for 
two  years.  He  afterward  served  as  prin- 
cipal in  Blufifton,  Indiana,  and  in  1885  he 
came  to  Kansas,  after  visiting  his  family 
in  Missouri.  In  this  state  he  engaged  in 
teaching  in  the  district  schools  for  two  terms 
and  then  accepted  a  position  in  the  city 
schools  of  Kanopolis,  being  thus  identified 
with  the  educational  interests  of  the  city 
until  1888,  when,  in  connection  with  Henry 
Kreider,  he  established  the  firm  of  Kreider 
&  Sturgis  and  bought  the  small  hardware 
business  owned  by  Mr.  Hallenstein.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  connected  with  the 
harware  and  implement  trade.  The  firm  has 
increased  its  stock,  enlarged  its  facilities  and 
is  now  enjoying  a  liberal  patronage."  In 
January,  1886,  Mr.  Sturgis  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mattie  Kreider,  a  daughter 
of  his  partner,  and  they  now  have  six  inter- 
esting children:  Ethel,  Fay,  Kate,  Ruth, 
Alfred  and  Emily.  Mr.  Sturgis  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Kanopolis  Lodge,  No.  324,  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Camp  of 
Modern  ^^'oodmen.  in  which  he  lias  filled  all 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


215 


of  the  offices.  In  1893  1^^  ^^'''^  made  post- 
master of  tlie  town,  under  President  Cleve- 
land, and  served  for  about  five  years.  He 
has  also  been  a  miem-ber  of  the  city  council 
and  of  the  board  of  education  since  his  ar- 
rival in  the  town.  His  worth  as  a  business 
nian  and  citizen  is  widely  acknowledged  and 
he  has  li;id  marked  iiilluonce  upon  public 
prui^rc-s  alnii--  iiuclleciual,  ^Mcial,  moral  and 
material  lines  in  this  place. 


BAXTER  COLE. 


The  stock  interest^  arc  amung  the  lead- 
ing ones  in  many  ]iart^  ^f  the  great  west 
and  are  particularl}  impmtant  in  Reno  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  where  conditions  are  so  favor- 
able for  men  of  ability  and  good  judgment 
to  pursue  this  line  with  the  greatest  success. 
One  of  the  leaders  in  this  locality  is  Baxter 
Cole,  member  of  the  well-known  and  pros- 
perous firm  of  Cole  &  Bigger,  of  Hutchin- 
son, Kansas. 

Mr.  Cole  is  not  a  native  of  this  state,  his 
birtli  having  taken  place,  on  April  11,  1873, 
in  Darke  county,  Ohio.  His  parents  were 
William  and  Clarissa  (Alexander)  Cole,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Darke  county, 
Ohio,  on  March  3,  1849.  His  fa- 
ther was  Samuel  Cole,  a  native  of  New- 
Jersey,  and  he  is  still  residing  on  the  farm 
where  he  settled  as  a  pioneer,  and  when 
the  country  was  still  the  home  of  various 
tril)es  of  Indians.  ,  The  marriage  of  Samuel 
Cole  was  to  Elizabeth  Cox,  also  of  New 
Jersey.  Soon  after  their  marriage  they 
moved  to  the  reputed  ricli  lands  in  Ohio, 
located  on  a  heavilv  timbered  tract  and 
through  hard  work  and  tireless  energy, 
changed  the  wilderness  nf  the  forest  into 
the  smiling  landscape,  which  is  not  only  a 
pleasure  to  the  eye  Init  which  is  the  equiva- 
lent of  an  immense  anmunt  nf  money.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cole  were  ]:]csscd  with  health  and 
strength,  and  the  kind  fatlier  was  able  to 
pro\-ide  each  son  with  a  farm  nf  eighty  acres, 
while  the  }-i:)ungest  has  the  hnme  place,  con- 
sisting of  one  hundred  and  sixt>-  acres.  Ten 
children  were  born  into  this  pioneer  home. 


eight  of  whom  inherited  the  robustness  and 
\dgor  of  their  parents,  two  of  their  sons  also 
rearing  large  families.  The  youngest,  El- 
mer, is  the  only  one  unmarried. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Alexander,  of  Union  City, 
Indiana,  and  there  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
}"ears  she  was  married  to  William  Cole,  who 
at  that  time  had  just  reached  his  majority. 
They  settled  on  a  farm  near  Greenville,  and 
there  Mr.  Cole  still  owns  a  valuable  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  its  selling 
price  being  not  less  than  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars. In  the  spring  of  1886  they  left  their 
Ohio  home  to  make  a  new  one  in  the  state 
of  Kansas,  and  on  IMarcli  ](].  nf  that  vear 
they  reached  the  farm  tlicv  imw  nccupy,  in 
Lodi  township,  near  Ijimespriiigs,  in  Reno 
county.  Here  Mr.  Cole  owns  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  valuable  land.  Twelve 
children  were  born  to  \\'illiam  Cole  and  his 
wife,  ten  of  wdiom  still  survive,  as  follinvs: 
Baxter,  Samuel.  John,  George.  Clifford.  Liz- 
zie, Perry,  Burley,  Rosa,  and  Hobart.  Those 
who  have  passed  away  are  \Mllie,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  two  years,  and  Elmer,  who 
died  in  January,  1901,  at  the  age  of  fifteen. 

Baxter  Cole,  of  this  sketch,  was  well  ed- 
ucated in  the  common  schools,  at  first  with 
the  idea  of  becoming  a  teacher,  in  which  his 
brother  Clift'ord  has  succeeded  well,  but  later 
this  idea  was  abandoned  in  preference  for  a 
business  life.  He  made  his  home  with  his 
parents  until  his  marriage,  which  took  place 
on  March  i,  1897,  to  Josie  Lee  Brown,  who 
was  born  in  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
Brown,  who  is  now  a  farmer  in  Osage  coun- 
ty. Oklahoma.  One  son  was  boiMi  to  this 
union,  Robert  Leoto,  wlio  died  ;il  tlie  age  of 
thirteen  months. 

The  extensive  stock  operations  of  Cole 
&  Big'ger  are  carried  on  on  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  and  they  have  the  same 
amount  of  land  under  cultivation.  At  pres- 
ent they  have  three  hundred  head  of  stock 
cattle  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  Po- 
land-China hogs,  and  considering  that  but 
four  years  have  been  occupied  in  the  ven- 
ture their  success  has  been  remarkable.  The 
corn  crop  in  1901  was  not  up  to  their  ex- 
pectations, but  it  was  more  than  compensat- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ed  by  the  enormous  yield  of  wheat.  ]Mr. 
Bigger  is  the  manager  of  a  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Hutchinson,  while  Mr.  Cole  looks 
after  the  management  of  the  farm  and  stock 
He  is  thoroughly  conversant  with  every  de- 
tail understands  the  properties  of  the  soil 
and  has  studied  and  put  into  practice  the 
scientific  breeding  and  economical  feeding  of 
cattle  and  stock.  He  takes  an  intelligent  in- 
terest in  politics  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
Republicans  in  his  locality.  Socially  he  is 
connected  with  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  rising  young 
men  of  the  country. 


AARON  BOBB. 


The  name  of  Mr.  Bobb  is  inseparably 
interwoven  with  the  history  of  Rice  county. 
He  is  one  of  its  honored  pioneers  and  most 
esteemed  and  worthy  farmers.  He  was  the 
first  man  that  plowed  land  and  put  in  a  crop 
in  Rice  county,  and  from  that  time  his  labors 
have  continuously  demonstrated  the  possi- 
bilities that  lie  before  the  agriculturist  in 
this  portion  of. the  Sunflower  state.  He 
arrived  here  in  January,  1871,  bought  a 
tract  of  land  and  planted  a  field  of  potatoes 
in  March.  His  first  home  was  a  sod  house, 
in  which  he  resided  for  two  years.  Buffa- 
loes roamed  over  the  prairies  in  large  herds, 
deer  and  antelope  could  always  be  killed, 
and  the  animals  furnished  an  abundance  of 
meat  to  the  early  settlers.  Ind'ans  were 
still  in  the  neighborhood,  spending  much  of 
their  time  in  hunting  bufifaloes,  after  which 
they  would  tan  their  hides  and  use  them  for 
clothing  or  sell  to  the  white  men.  Such  were 
the  conditions  which  Air.  Bobb  found  when 
he  emigrated  westward  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  Rice  county,  here  to  become  an 
active  factor  in  the  development  and  prog- 
ress which  has  since  placed  the  county  on  a 
par  with  any  community  in  the  state. 

A  native  of  Union  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, he  was  born  Maixh  7,  1830,  and  is  a 
representative  of  a  family  of  Pennsylvania 


Dutch  people,  whose  chief  characteristics 
were  energy,  perseverance  and  fidelity  to 
their  word.  Daniel  Bobb,  the  father,  was 
born  in  the  Keystone  state  and>  was  a  son  of 
Peter  Bobb,  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  a  son  of  a  German  emigrant,  who  was 
the  founder  of  the  family  in  the  new  world. 
Daniel  Bobb  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sa- 
rah Close,  also  a  native  of  Pennsvlvania,  and 
a  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Sophia  (Gift) 
Close.  Their  marriage  was  blessed  with 
seven  children,  namely:  Marj^;  Aaron,  who 
is  now  living  in  Kansas;  Phebe;  Levi;  Jo- 
seph, now  deceased ;  Samuel ;  and  Amelia. 
In  1847  the  Bobb  family  removed  from  the 
Keystone  state  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Ste- 
phenson county,  that  state,  near  Freep'ort, 
where  the  parents  spent  their  remaining 
days,  the  mother  passing  away  April  o, 
1892,  in  her  eighty-fourth  year,  while  tlie 
father's  death  occurred  May  i,  1893,  in  the 
eighty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  Throughout 
his  entire  business  career  he  devoted  his  en- 
ergies to  farming,  and  thereby  piovided  a 
comfortable  living  for.  his  family"  Like  his 
ancestors  he  was  indentified  with  the  Lu- 
theran church,  to  which  his  wife  also  e- 
longed.  They  were  people  of  genuine  worth, 
honest,  faithful  and  reliable,  and  wherever 
known  their  sterling  characteristics  won 
them  high  respect  and  confidence. 

Aaron  Bobb,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  reared  in  Pennsylvania 
until  seventeen  years  of  age  and  was  early 
taught  lessons  of  industry,  honesty  and  per- 
sistence. He  acquired  his  education  in  the 
public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  he 
began  serving  an  apprenticeship  to  the  car- 
penter's trade,  which  he  mastered.  bec(!m- 
ing  a  good  mechanic.  After  the  removal  of 
the  fam.ily  to  Illinois  he  followed  that  occu- 
pation, and  has  always  been  identified  with 
the  building  interests  of  Rice  county  since 
coming  to  Kansas.  His  knowledge  of  car- 
pentering proved  of  great  value  to  him  in 
this  state,  for,  far  from  towns  and  rail- 
roads, he  had  to  depend  largely  upon  his 
own  efforts  for  everything  which  he  wished 
not  only  in  an  agricultural  but  also  in  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


217 


mechanical  line.  Hi$  use  of  tools  enabled 
him  to  secure  improvements  much  more 
easily  than  many  of  his  neighbors  who  were 
not  familiar  with  such  departments  of  work. 
Mr.  Bobb  was  married  in  1856.  in  St. 
Joseph,  Alickigan,  to  Amelia  Ann  King, 
who  was  born  in  Unio.n  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, a  daughter  of  James  King.  He  died 
in  Rice  county,  Kansas,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven  years,  and  his  wife.  Mrs.  So- 
phia King,  passed  away  in  ^Michigan,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four.  They  were  farming 
people  and  were  consistent  Christian-,  h^ld- 
ing  membership  in  the  Lutheran  church. 
Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Bobb  took  up  their  dcmestic 
life  in  ^lichigan.  where  they  remained  until 
1869,  when,  believing  that  better  opportun- 
ities could  be  secured  in  the  west,  they  went 
to  Daviess  county.  Missouri,  where  they  re- 
mained for  two  years  before  coming  to  Kan- 
sas. ^Ir.  Bobb  walked  tw-j  hundred  miles 
on  making  the  journey  to  the  Sunflower 
state,  and  after  viewing  the  countrv,  being 
pleased  with  its  prospects,  he  returned  to 
Missouri  for  his  family,  his  team  and  his 
carpenter  tools.  Here  he  secured  a  tract  of 
wild  land  and  immediatelv  l;egan  the  im- 
provement of  his  claim,  for  not  a  furrow 
had  been  turned.  A  sod  house  gave  shelter 
to  the  family,  and  there  hospitality  reigned 
supreme,  the  latch-string  being  always  out. 
A  cordial  welcome  was  ever  extended  to  the 
weary  wayfarer,  and  many  of  the  new  com- 
ers thrciugh  Rice  county  enjoyed  the  good 
cheer  which  pervaded  the  Bobb  home.  In 
September,  1893,  Mr.  Bobb  removed  to  his 
present  farm,  where  he  new  has  a  large  and 
attractive  residence  and  a  commodious 
barn,  together  with  extensive  granaries, 
containing  three  thousand  busliels  of  wheat. 
There  are  also  sheds  fur  tlie  slielter  of  stock, 
cribs  for  the  stc  ring  ,  f  grain,  feed  lots,  ver- 
dant pastures  and  highly  cultivated  fields. 
In  fact,  everything  about  the  place  is  in  ex- 
cellent cr-ndition,  the  farm  being  one  of  the 
finest  in  this  portion  of  the  country.  It  com- 
prises seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
rich  land,  whirh  yields  to  him  an  excellent 
return  for  the  grain  that  is  each  spring  plant- 
ed in  the  fields.     Good  groves  and  orchards 


add  to  the  value  of  the  place  and  no  im- 
provement of  the  model  farm  is  lacking. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Bobb  was 
blessed  with  a  family  of  nine  children,  six 
Sills  and  three  daughters,  namely:  James 
a  farmer  who  is  residing  near  Noble,  Kan- 
sas;  ]\Iary  A.,  the  wife  of  John  Altman,  of 
Rice  county :  Frank  S..  who  is  living  in  At- 
lanta townslii]*.  Rice  county:  Oscar  David, 
a  carpenter  cf  Denver,  Colorado;  Joseph 
Calvin,  wild  is  enipli:iyed  as  a  salesman  in 
th^.t  city;  Charles  Alfred,  who  is  living  in 
Oakland.  Californina;  Anna  S.,  wife  of 
Clark  ]McFarland,  of  Miami  county,  Kan- 
sas :  John  Peter,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Spanish-American  war,  and  is  also  engaged 
in  clerking  in  Denver,  Colorado;  and  Ida 
Louise,  who  is  now  at  home  wdth  her  father. 
The  greatest  loss  which  Mv.  Bobb  ever  sus- 
tained was  in  the  death  of  his  wife,  wliich 
occurred  June  16.  1888.  She  had  indeed 
been  a  faithful  companion  and  helpmate  to 
him  on  life's  journey  through  a  period  of 
;  thirty-two  years.  She  was  of  even  temper- 
!  anient,  always  genial,  never  complaining, 
and  was  widely  loved  for  her  kindness  of 
heart  and  mind.  Her  neighbors  knew  her 
for  a  kind  and  faithful  friend,  and  to  her 
husband  and  children  she  was  a  devoted 
wife  and  mother.  She  belonged  to  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  the  principles  of 
Christianity  permeated  her  career. 

Formerly  Mr.  Bobb  was  a  supporter  of 
Democratic  principles,  but  is  now  a  Popu- 
list. He  has  reached  the  psalmist's  span  of 
three  score  years  and  ten.  but  possesses  the 
vigor  and  appearance  of  a  man  much 
younger.  He  came  to  the  countv  with  lim- 
ited means,  but  as  the  years  have  passed  has 
acquired  a  handsome  competence.  He  owes 
nr:  man.  lias  a  valuable  farm  free  from  debt, 
anil  lii-  w.inl  is  as  good  as  his  bond,  for  in 
all  Im-iiie-s  transactions  he  is  found  straight- 
forward and  reliable.  He  possesses  the  ster- 
ling qualities  of  the  sturdy  pioneers  who 
bravely  faced  the  trials  and  hardships  of  life 
on  the  plains  in  order  to  make  homes  for 
their  families  and  thus  aided  in  laying  the 
foundation  for  the  prcient  prosperity  and 
progress  of  this  portion  of  the  state. 


2l8 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


JOHX  B.  MXXEXT. 

John  B.  \'incent.  tlie  efficient  postmaster 
of  Hutchinscn,  was  born  in  Franlvfort,  Ken- 
tucky, on  the  5th  of  December,  1845,  his 
parents  being  Leonard  and  Laura  (  Kackby) 
Vincent,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York 
and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  In  early  life  the 
father  went  to  the  Old  Dominion,  where  he 
was  married,  and  later  removed  to  Franklin 
county,  Kentucky,  where  he  engaged  in  con- 
tract work.  In  1858  he  became  a  resident 
of  Knox  county,  Indiana,  where  he  spent  his 
remaining  days,  passing  away  in  1876.  In 
his  family  were  'seven  children,  of  whom 
three  are  yet  living,  the  sisters  of  our  sub- 
ject being  Catherine,  the  wife  of  George  \\'. 
Martin,  of  Bruceville,  Indiana,  and  Carolina, 
the  wife  of  William  McEnder.  of  Frankfort, 
Kentucky. 

When  only  thirteen  years  of  age  J^hn 
B.  Vincent  accompanied  his  parents  to  Indi- 
ana and  there  he  remained  until  sixteen 
years  of  age,  when  his  patriotic  spirit  was 
aroused  by  the  attempt  of  the  south  to  secede 
and  at  the  first  call  for  troops  for  three  years' 
per\ice  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  Fifty- 
first  Indiana  Infantry.  The  regiment  was 
attached  to  Rosecrans'  division  of  the  Four- 
teenth Army  Corps  and  he  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Perryville,  Stone  River 
and  ether  engagements.  In  the  raid  of  Sand 
mountain  he  was  captured  near  Rome, 
Georgia,  by  General  Forrest  and  was  sent 
to  Libby  prison  and  afterward  to  Belle  Isle, 
but  was  soon  paroled  and  a  little  later  was 
exchanged.  Returning  to  his  regiment,  he 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Franklin.  Tennes- 
see, and  Nashville,  and  after  the  surrender 
of  General  Lee  his  regiment  was  sent  to 
Texas,  doing  duty  on  the  frontier  until  the 
CI  inmand  was  discharged,  on  the  13th  of 
January,  1866.  Although  so  young  when 
he  entered  the  service,  his  military  record 
was  creditable  and  he  displayed  valor  equal 
to  that  of  many  a  veteran  of  twice  his  ^-ears. 

Returning  to.  his  home  in  Indiana,  Mr. 
A'incent  began  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade, 
which  lie  followed  until  Aord,  1878.  when 
he  came  to  Reno  county.  Kansas,  to  secure 
a  claim.     He  located  on  schorl  land  in  Ros- 


coe  township  and  there  made  his  home  for 
two  years,  during  which  time  he  broke  sixtv 
acres  of  land  and  made  other  improvements. 
He  then  removed  from  the  farm  to  Nicker- 
son.  where  he  accepted  a  position  in  the 
shops  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railrpad  Company, 
there  remaining  until  the  fall  of  1884,  when 
he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  district  court. 
He  filled  the  position  for  three  consecutive 
terms  and  was  nominated  for  the  fourth 
term,  but  the  Populist  movement  swept  over 
the  country  that  year  and  together  with  the 
other  members  of  his  party  in  this  locality 
he  was  defeated.  He,  however,  retired  from 
office  as  he  had  entered  it,  with  the  confi- 
dence and  good  will  of  the  public. 

On  laying  aside  official  cares  Mr.  ^^incent 
engaged  in  business  at  Galena.  Kansas,  in 
operating  mines  and  developing  mining 
property.  Later  he  was  engaged  in  business 
in  Polk  county,  Arkansas,  and  there  became 
interested  in  coal  mining  in  connection  with 
W.  E.  Burns,  under  the  firm  name  of  ^^■.  E. 
Burns  &  Company.  He  continued  in  that 
position  for  only  six  months,  for  the  exces- 
sive freight  rates  entirely  consumed  the  prof- 
its on  coal.  On  the  first  of  April,  1896,  :\Ir. 
Vincent  was  appointed  by  Governor  Morrill 
to  a  position  as  a  member  of  the  live  stock 
sanitary  board  of  the  state  of  Kansas,  a 
board  established  to  stamp  out  and  prevent 
the  spread  of  disease  among  live  stock.  He 
served  in  that  capacity  for  a  year  and  on 
the  1st  of  July.  1897,  was  appointed  post- 
master of  Hutchinson  by  President  McKin- 
ley,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since  served, 
his  administration  of  the  afifairs  of  the  office 
being  practical,  business-like  and  commend- 
able. He  has  resided  in  Hutchinson  since 
May,  1887,  and  is  numbered  among  the  lead- 
ing citizens.  He  has  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  in  his  township  and  in  politics  has  al- 
[  ways  been  stanch  Republican. 
I  On  the  25th  of  December,  1870,  in 
!  Bruceville,  Indiana.  Mr.  Vincent  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Alice  Bruce,  a  represent- 
ative of  an  old  and  prominent  family  of  the 
Hoosier  state.  She  is  a  daughter  of  H.  J. 
Bruce  and  her  grandfather.  Major  Bruce, 
after  serving  as  an  officer  in  the  war  of  1812, 
secured  a  land  warrant  which  he  located  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Indiana,  the  tract  includino;  the  present  site 
of  Brucexille,  which  town  was  named  in  his 
honor.  Socially  Mr.  Vincent  is  connected 
with  Joe  Hooker  Post,  No.  ly,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Hutchinson,  is  a  past  commander  and  has 
represented  the  local  post  in  the  encamp- 
ment. In  the  Masonic  fraternity  he  has  at- 
tained the  Knight  Templar  degree,  and'  he 
has  also  belonged  to  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
fraternity.  Few  men  are  better  or  more 
widely  known  in  Reno  county  and  through- 
out the  state  than  Mr.  Vincent,  whose  long 
ofticial  service  has  gained  him  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance, while  his  per<Mn;i1  (|u;ilities  have 
won  for  him  the  friend^lnp  ami  respect  of 
those  with  whom  he  lias  licen  a>50ciated. 


C.  G.  PROFFITT. 

One  of  the  finest  ranches  in  Rice  county 
— known  as  Sunn.y  Ridge  Stock  Farm — is 
the  property  of  C.  G.  Proffitt,  a  leading  and 
enterprising"  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Ray- 
mond township.  Here  he  owns  and  oper- 
ates eleven  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land,  his  energies  being  devoted  to  the  culti- 
vation of  the  crops  best  adapted  to  this  soil 
and  climate  and  to  the  raising  of  the  best 
grades  of  stock.  He  was  born  in  Sullivan 
county,  Tennessee,  in  1855,  a  son  of  John 
M.  Proffitt,  a  prominent  early  settler  of  Rice 
county.  The  grandfather,  William  Proffitt, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  was  a  son  of 
Robert  Proffitt,  who  was  born  in  England. 
John  M.  Proffitt,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
married  Ellen  Smith,  who  died  in  this  coun- 
ty in  1874,  loved  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  her.  The  father  is  still  living,  and 
his  history  will  be  found  on  another  page  of 
til  is  volume. 

C.  G.  Proffitt,  whose  name  initiates  tliis 
review,  was 'a  lad  of  eleven  vears  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  renio\-al  tn 
Marion  county,  Iowa,  taking  up  their  abode 
near  Pleasantville,  where  he  assisted  in  the 
labors  of  the  farm.  His  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  public  schools  of  Tennessee 
and  Iowa.     He  first  came  to  Rice  county. 


Kansas,  in  .1873,  t)ut  shortly  afterward  re- 
turned to  Iowa.  In  1885  he  again  took  up 
his  abode  in  this  county,  where  he  has  since 
remained,  proving  an  active  factor  in  the 
upbuilding  and  improvement  of  his  adopted 
county.  He  now  owns  eleven  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  the  best  land  to  be  found  in 
the  locality,  it  being  improved  with  a  good 
residence,  large  barns,  wind-mills,  feed  lots 
and  all  other  necessary  improvements.  In 
addition  to  the  raising  of  the  cereals  best 
adapted  to  this  soil  and  climate  lie  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  stock  raisni.;.  dL-alini^-  in 
cattle  and  hogs.  He  keeps  on  hand  from  fnur 
hundred  tO'  one  thoiusand  head  of  cattle  on 
his  large  fami,  and  is  also  an  extensive  grain 
buyer.  His  Polled  Angus  cattle  are  among 
the  finest  to  be  found  in  central  Kansas.  He 
lias  been  largely  instrumental  in  improving 
the  grade  of  stock  raised  in  the  state,  and 
his  efforts  have  therefore  been  of  public 
benefit,  for  the  improvement  of  stock  adds 
to  its  market  value,  and  the  wealth  of  the 
agricultural  class  is  therefore  augmented. 

In-  IMarion  county,  Iowa,  in  1876,  oc- 
curred the  marriage  of  Mr.  Proffitt  and  Miss 
Sarah  Elizabeth  Schirner,  who  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  Marion  county,  a 
daughter  of  Andrew  Schirner,  a  native  of 
Germany.  After  coming  to  the  new  world 
lie  ser\ed  as  a  soldier  in  the  Unioai  army 
during  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  in  the  Iowa 
Graybeard  Regiment,  and  served  for  three 
years.  He  was  married  in  Indiana  to  ^lar- 
garet  Titus,  who  was  burn  in  Knox  cuunty. 
Ohio,  and  her  death  occurred  in  1876,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  She  was  twice 
married,  her  first  husband  being  James 
Walker,  and  they  had  four  children:  Jesse 
D. ;  F.  M.,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  Civil  war;  Emily  J.;  and 
Eliza.  Unto  3.1r.  and  ]\Irs.  Schirner  were 
born  five  children,  namely:  Margaret,  Si- 
las, Haniiali.  Sarah  E.  and  Lawrence.  ]\Ir. 
Schirmr  wa-  called  to  his  final  rest  in  1876, 
when  se\  cntN-fiiur  years  of  age.  The  union 
of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been'  blessed  \\-itli 
six  children  :  ■  Leonard,  who  was  married, 
October  8,  1899,  to  Bertha  Wood,  by  whom 
he  has  one  daughter,  Frances  Margaret,  and 
they  reside  in  Raymond  township:  Everett, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Ralpli,  Frank,  Esta  and  Beiyl.  In  his  po- 
litical affiliations  ]\Ir.  Proffitt  is'a  Democrat, 
and  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  His  life  has  been  a  success,  but  all 
his  achievements  are  the  result  of  patient  ef- 
fort, unflagging  industry  and  self-confi- 
dence. During  his  residence  in  the  Sun- 
flower state  he  has  so  deported  himself  that 
as  a  citizen  and  as  a  man  of  business  no 
man  has  a  cleaner  record  or  is  more  highly 
esteemed  than  he. 


JOHN  AND  JOHN  F.   BUTLER. 

Few  citizens  of  Ellsworth  county,  Kan- 
sas, are  better  known  or  have  been  more  suc- 
cessful in  farming  and  stock  raising,  than 
John  and  John  F.  Butler,  uncle  and  nephew, 
who  operate  a  ranch  of  eight  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  this  county.  This  is  one  of 
the  most  desirable  stock  farms  in  this  part 
of  ihe  state,  being  located  on  both  the 
Smoky  Hill  river  and  on  Thompson  creek. 
This  noted  ranch  is  owned  and  managed  by 
Tohn  Butler,  jr.,  and  his  nephe^v,  John  F. 
Butler. 

The  Butler  family  is  of  Irish  extraction. 
John  Butler  was  born  in  New  York'city,  on 
December  22,  1839,  ^nd  ^'^^  '^^'^s  a  son  of 
James  and  Margaret  (Hister)  Butler,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Ireland,  but  lived  a 
few  years  in  New  York  after  their  emigra- 
tion, dying  when  their  sons,  John  and  James, 
were  but  three  and  five  years  of  age.  An 
aunt  took  charge  of  the  orphans  for  some 
four  years  and  then  our  subject,  John,  was 
bound  out  to  a  farmer,  in  Sullivan  county. 
New  York,  and  remained  in  his  employ  until 
he  was  of  age.  At  this  time  he  received  fifty 
dollars  in  money  and  a  suit  of  clothes  in 
payment  for  his  twelve  years  of  service. 

A  stirring  life  followed.  In  December, 
1863,  our  subject  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  navy,  from  Brooklyn,  on  board  the 
frigate  Niagara,  which  was  the  flagship  of 
Commodore  Somers.  The  ship  remained 
in  harbor  until  the  following  June,  starting- 
just  one  day  too  late  to  witness  the  engage- 
ment between  the  Alabama  and  the  Kear- 


sarge.  The  cruise  extended  to  Antwerp,  Bel- 
gium, the  port  being  reached  in  thirty  davs, 
and  until  September,  1865,  the  vessel  was 
engaged  in  cruising  along  the  French  and 
Spanish  coasts  and  along  the  English  chan- 
nel, in  search  of  privateers. 

In  September  of  this  year  the  vessel  re- 
turned to  New  York  and  our  subject  was 
discharged  in  October.  Starting  westward 
in  search  of  a  permanent  career,  Mr.  Butler 
reached  St.  Joseph,  ^Missouri,  which  was 
then  the  terminus  of  the  Hannibal  &  ]^Iis- 
souri  railroad.  Here  he  spent  a  short  time 
working  on  the  construction  of  the  Hanni- 
bal &  St.  Joe  road,  going  thence  to  Leaven- 
worth, where  he  was  engaged  as  a  govern- 
ment teamster  on  the  overland  Sante  Fe 
trail.  Mr.  Butler  started  in  as  a  driver  in 
a  train  of  thirty  wagons,  with  thlrty-fi\e 
other  men,  and  they  reached  Kit  Carson 
Crossing  of  the  Arkansas  river  and  there 
they  were  snowbound.  It  was  necessary 
for  them  to  go  into  camp  here  and  it  was 
not  until  the  following  March  that  they  were 
released,  an  eastbound  train  then  coming 
to  their  rescue.  This  unfortunate  band  was 
by  that  time  reduced  to  almost  the  last  ex- 
tremity, their  provisions  being  e.xhausted 
and  their  clothes  so  worn  out  that  "gunny- 
sacks"  were  made  use  of  in  place  of  neces- 
sary articles.  For  a  considerable  period  their 
only  food  had  been  parched  corn,  which 
they  used  in  all  forms.  The  whole  party, 
however,  survived,  and  although  exhausted 
and  ill,  safely  reached  Leavenworth. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  Mr.  Butler  went 
to  the  Delaware  Nation,  south  of  Leaven- 
worth, and  engaged  in  farming  and  railroad- 
tie  making  for  some  three  months,  return- 
ing then  to  Leavenworth  and  hiring  his 
services  to  a  Mr.  Bausman  for  a  period  of 
four  months.  In  the  following  September 
our  subject  went  to  what  is  now  Valley- 
Falls,  but  which  then  was  called  Grasshop- 
per Falls,  and  there  engaged "  for  eighteen 
months  in  farm  work,  going  then  to  Atchi- 
son, w-here  he  reinained  during  the  succeed- 
ing two  years. 

In  July,  1869,  Mr.  Butler  came  to  Fort 
Harker,  in  Ellsworth  county,  and  was  en- 
gaged as  a  driver  in  a  wagon  train  from 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Fort  Harker  to  Fort  Sill,  returning  in  De- 
cember of  the  same  year.  In  the  following 
I\Iarch  he  located  a  homestead  claim  on  the 
Dry  Fork  of  Thompson  Creek,  on  section 
34-16-7,  a  strip  which  was  eighty  rods  wide 
and  one  mile  long.  Here  he  made  his  home 
until  1874,  engaging  in  stock  raising  in  a 
small  way  at  first,  and  gradual!)'  increasing 
until  he  owned  some  eighty  head.  In  1875 
he  sold  out  his  claim  for  four  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  during  the  next  two  ^-ears.  he  con- 
tinued grazing  his  own  herd  and  also  took 
I  in  stock  for  others.  In  1882  Mr.  Butler 
I  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land  from  Eli- 
,  jah  and  Samuel  Johnson,  this  being  a  part 
'  of  his  present  home.  A  year  or  two  later,  his 
brother  and  two  children  joined  him  in  Kan- 
sas. At  this  time  his  brother  was  a  widower, 
in  Xew  York,  his  two  children  being :  Ella, 
who  w.as  the  wife  of  Edw^ard  Peary,  but  now 
deceased,  a  farmer  and  stockman  of  Mitchell 
county,  and  John  F.,  who  is  at  present  asso- 
ciated with  our  subject  in  his  large  opera- 
tions. As  sooni  as  the  latter  reached  his 
majority,  he  was  takeu  into  partnership  by 
his  uncle. 

Since  this  firm  was  formed  the  entire  of 
section  2.3  has  been  added  to  the  original 
tract,  making  the  present  estate  to  comprise, 
eight  hundred  and  forty  acres,  some  three 
hundred  of  which  is  under  cultivation,  while 
from  two  to  three  hundred  head  of  cattle 
are  continually  kept.  All  of  the  excellent 
imprO'Vements  on  this  estate  have  been  made 
by  ]\Ir.  Butler,  the  fencing  alone  being  an 
enormous  expense. 

In  all  public,  matters  Mr.  Butler  has 
taken  an  intelligent  and  public  spirited  inter- 
est, always  doinp-  his  full  share  to  promote 
enterprises  for  the  advancement  nf  Ells- 
worth ci/iunty.  In  politics  he  has  always 
l;een  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  accepted  any 
I  'fhce  except  a  membership  on  the  school 
l:oard.  on  account  of  his  interest  in  educa- 
tional matters.  Fraternallv  he  is  connected 
with  Ellsworth  Post.  G.  A.  R. 

John  F.  Butler  was  born  in  New 
York  city  ou  October  22.  1869,  and  he  was 
deft  motherless  at  the  age  of  ten  years.  In 
1883  he  accompanied  his  father  to  Ellsworth 
countv    to    make   his   heme    with    his    uncle 


John,  recei\'ing  a  hearty  welcome  and  later 
becoming  his  partner  in  business.  On  De- 
cember 6.  1 89 1,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Rebecca  E.  Brown,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  James  and  Rebecca  (Evans)  Brown. 
Airs.  Butler  was  born  in  Harrison  county, 
Ohio,  and  came  to  Kansas  with  her  parents 
in  1889.  Mr.  Butler  ha)s  developed  into 
one  of  the  leading  stockmen  of  this  county, 
is  universally  esteemed,  and  is  prominentlv 
identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  with 
the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  M.  \V.  A.,  of  Kan- 
opclis.  In  politics  he  adheres  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party.  The  home 
is  brightened  by  the  presence  of  one  beauti- 
ful   little   daughter,    named    Ella    M. 

James  Butler,  who  is  the  other  mem- 
ber of  this  family,  and  the  father  of 
John  F.  Butler,  was  born  in  New  York  city 
on  February  28,  1835.  and  on  February  28, 
1867,  was  married  to  Catherine  McGovern, 
who  was  also  born  in  that  city.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  was  connected  with  the  Armv 
of  the  Potomac  and  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville,  and 
after  faithful  service  was  honorably  dis- 
charged in  June,  1863.  Until  the  fall  of 
1865  he  was  engaged  in  New  Jersey  at  his 
trade  and  then  accepted  a  position  as  freight 
agent  for  the  N.  Y.  &  N.  J.  railroad,  latter 
traveling  in  the  interests  of  the  firm  of 
i  Kemp,  Day  &  Co.,  frdm  18^.7  until  1870. 
He  then  engaged  in  Inulding  until  1883. 
when  he  came  to  Kansas  to  make  Ins  home 
with  his  brother  and  since  that  time  has  as- 
sisted on  the  ranch. 

Mr.  Butler  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
Democratic  politics,  has  frequently  been  a 
delegate  to  congressional,  state  and  county 
conventions,  and  has  most  acceptably  filled 
the  oftice  of  overseer  of  liighways.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  Ellsworth  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  has  been  sergeant  in  that  body 
at  the  state  encampment. 

The  ho.me  life  enjoyed  by  this  family 
elicits  good  natured  envy  from  the  neigh- 
borhood. Mr.  John  Butler.  Sr.,  after  an 
early  life  of  so  much  adventure  and  struggle, 
is  able  now  to  enjoy  some  of  its  fruits,  sur- 
rounded bv  those  of  nearest  kindred,  by 
whom  he  is  bel(n-e<l  and  appreciated.     The 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


famil}-  is  one  of  the  most  highly  respected 
in  Ellsworth  county,  not  only  on  account 
of  the  business  ability  it  displays,  but  for 
its  estimable  domestic  virtues  and  exalted 
citizenship. 


WILLIAM   ASTLE. 

A  worthy  representative  of  one  of  the 
most  prominent '  and  honored  pioneer  fam- 
ilies not  only  of  Haven  township,  but  of 
central  Kansas,  is  William  Astle.  They 
have  ever  borne  their  part  in  the  upbuilding 
and  development  of  this  region  and  have 
invariably  been  exponents  of  progress  and 
liberal  ideas  upon  all  subjects.  In  1872  the 
Astle  family,  consisting  of  the  father,  moth- 
er and  eight  sons  and  daughters,  located  in 
the  Sunflower  state,  where  they  were  among 
the  very  earliest  settlers  of  what'  is  now 
Haven  township,  and  from  that  time  to  the 
present  no  famil)-  has  been  more  prominent- 
Iv  identified  with  the  various  interests  of 
the  community  than  the  Astles. 

William  Astle,  of  this  review,  was  born 
in  Derbyshire,  England,  on  the  21st  of  No- 
vember, 1840,  a  son  of  Richard  Astle,  who 
was  a  native  of  the  same  locality,  his  birth 
having  there  occurred  on  the  15th  of  Febru- 
arv.  181 1.  In  his  native  land  the  latter  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  Hibbert,  also 
a  native  of  Melbourne,  Derbyshire,  Eng- 
land, born  on  the  3d  of  February,  1810,  and 
there  twelve  sons  and  daughters  were  born 
unto  them,  but  three  of  the  number,  Sarah, 
Harriet  and  Mary,  died  in  infancy.  In  1852, 
after  several  of  the  children  had  grown  to 
years  of  maturity,  and  the  two  oldest,  John 
and  Elizabeth,  had  married  and  located  in 
Derbyshire,  England,  the  family,  consisting 
of  the  father,  mother  and  seven  children,  em- 
igrated to  America,  and  after  their  arrival 
here  they  located  near  Quincy,  Illinois, 
where  the  father  was  engaged  principally  in 
gardening  until  1861.  In  that  year  the  fam- 
ily removed  to  Godfrey,  Illinois,  near  Al- 
ton, where  they  follcrwed  agricultural  pur- 
suits until  1866,  and  then  removed  to  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  county,  at  Alhambra. 
In  1872  Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Astle  and  several  of 


their  children  took  up  their  abode  in  what  is 
now  Haven  township,  Reno  county,  Kansas, 
and  in  the  following  fall  they  were  here 
joined  by  the  remainder  of  their  children, 
consisting  of  six  sons  and  two  daughters, 
and  the  father  and  each  of  the  children  se- 
cured claims.  The  father's  land  was  located 
on  section  20,  and  there  he  spent  many  years 
of  his  life,  during  which  time  he  greatly  im- 
proved his  land  and  took  a  very  active  and 
prominent  part  in  the  public  affairs  of  the 
locality.  He  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace 
during  the  early  days  of  Haven,  was  very 
prominent  in  the  organization  of  the  First 
Methodist  church  in  Haven  township,  of 
which  he  was  long  one  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers, was  an  ardent  supporter  of  RqDublican 
principles  and  was  a  member  of  the  old 
Manchester  Union  of  Odd  Fellows.  His 
death  here  occurred  on  the  loth  of  June. 
1883,  and  his  wife  survived  him  sfeveral 
years,  passing  away  January  22,  i8qi, 
aged  eighty  years  and  eleven  months.  Like 
her  honored  husband  she,  too,  was  a  mem- 
ber oi  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Unto 
this  worthy  couple  were  born  thirteen  chil- 
dren, ten  of  w'hom  grew  to  years  of  matur- 
ity:  John,  who  was  born  November  17, 
1832,  was  a  gardener  by  occupation  and  died 
in  England,  September  2.  1896,  aged  sixty- 
three  years ;  Elizabeth,  who  was  born  JMarch 
15,  1834,  and  died  September  28.  1899,  was 
the  widow  of  Henry  Barber  and  resided  in 
Melbourne,  England;  Richard,  born  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1836,  is  a  retired  farmer  of  Haven 
city,  where  he  has  served  as  marshal  and 
street  commissioner;  William  is  the  subject 
of  this  review;  George,  born  October  21, 
1842,  is  a  prominart  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
residing  two  miles  north  of  Haven,  and  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war  he  served  for  three  years 
as  a  member  of  the  Ninety-seventh  Illinois 
Infantry,  Company  I;  Joseph,  born  April 
27,  1845,  died  in  Haven  in  1899.  where  he 
was  one  of  the  leading  hardware  merchants ; 
Sarah,  born  February  16,  1847,  is  the  de- 
ceased wife  of  Henry  Challacombe,  a  farm- 
er of  Cornelius,  Oregon ;  Marv,  born  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1849,  is  the  wife  of  G.  \\'.  \'an . 
Buren,  a  prominent  early  settler  and  farmer 
residing    one    mile    nortlieast    of    Haven ; 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


Harry,  born  January  21.  1S51.  is  a  success- 
ful farmer  and  stock  raiser  northwest  of 
Ha\-en;  and  Charles  W'.,  the  youngest  of 
the  family  and  the  only  one  born  in  America, 
iiis  birth  occurring  on  the  21st  of  Novem- 
ber, 1854,  in  Ouincy,  Illinois,  is  a  retired 
farmer  of  Haven,  where  he  has  served  as 
postmaster  and  mayor. 

William  Astle.  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  received  his  early  education  in 
England,  and  after  coming  to  this  countrv 
he  attended  school  for  three  months  in  the 
vicinity  of  Ouiiicv,  Illinois.  He  assisted  his 
father  in  the  work  of  the  farm  until  1858, 
when  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  in 
Ouincy,  Illinois,  following  ^that  occupation 
until  1862.  In  that  year  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  war,  entering  Company 
I,  Xinety-seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan- 
tr}-.  at  Alton,  Illinois,  and  in  August  he  was 
mustered  into  service  at  Camp  Butler. 
Springfield,  Illinois,  first  under  command  of 
Colonel  Rutherford,  and  later  the  regiment 
was  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Vif- 
quain,  who'  commanded  Bryant's  regiment 
during  the  Spanish-American  war.  From 
Spring-field  the  regiment  was  sent  to  Ken- 
tucky, where  it  formed  a  part  of  the  amiy 
under  Buell  in  the  campaign  against  Bragg,, 
participating  in  the  battle  of  Perryville.  The 
regiment  then  went  by  boat  from  Louisville 
to  Alemphis,  and  from  there  was  taken  by 
boat  to  Vicksburg  in  Xovember,  where 
they  formed  a  part  of  Sherman's  army  and 
attacked  Vicksburg  from  the  north  at  Chick- 
asaw bayou.  This  attack  being  unsuccess- 
ful, the  army  then  fell  back  and  was  taken 
by  boat  to  Arkansas  Post,  the  army  being 
then  commanded  by  John  A.  AlcClernand. 
The  pest  was  captured  in  the  following  Jan- 
uary, after  which  the  army  was  sent  to  'M\\\i- 
ken's  Bend,  just  across  the  river  from  Vicks- 
burg, where  it  remained'  camped  until  in 
April,  1863.  The  regiment  of  which  ]\Ir. 
Astle  was  a  member  then  participated  in  the 
campaign  against  A'icksburg,  was  also  in  the 
battles  of  Pert  Gibson,  Champiun  Hills 
and  Black  River,  and  on  the  19th  of 
]May  they  drove  the  enemy  into  the  forts 
around  Vicksburg.  On  the  22(\  of  that 
month    he    participated    in   the  assault  on 


the  works  and  afterward  in  the  siege 
of  the  city  until  it  surrendered.  The 
regiment  then  formed  a  part  of  the  army 
that  went  to  the  capture  of  Jackson,  Mis- 
sissippi, starting  on  the  march  on  three 
o'clock  of  the  5th  of  July,  and  after  besieg- 
ing the  city  for  three  or  four  days  it  was 
finally  evacuated  and  they  then  returned  to 

I  Vicksburg,  from  which  place  the  regiment 
was  sent  by  boat  to  Xew  Orleans,  remain- 
ing in  camp  in  western  Louisiana  until  the 

'  Red  river  expedition,  with  General  Wash- 
burn in  command,  after  which  they  were  or- 
dered to  Xew  Orleans  to  be  fitted  out  as 
ntounted  infantry.  On  the  way,  however,  the 
train  was  wrecked,  leaving  less  than  two 
hundred  men  fit  ior  duty,  and  these  were 
put  on  provost  duty  for  ten  months  in  Xew 
Orleans,  during  which  time  the  regiment 
was  recruited  and  participated  in  the  expe- 
dition against  Mobile.  They  embarked  on 
a  ship  at  X'ew  Orleans  for  Pensacola.  ad- 
vancing thence  by  the  ^Mobile  &  Charleston 
railroad  to  Fort  Blakely,  and  on  the  9th  of 
April,  1865,  the  fort  was  caried  by  storm, 
but  during  the  assault  the  regiment. suffered 
greatly.  From  Alobile  they  proceeded  up 
the  Alabama  river  to  Selma  and  ]\Iontgom- 
ery :  thence  on  to  the  coast,  where  they  em- 
barked on  a  ship  for  Galveston.  Texas, 
where  they  were  discharged  in  July,  1865, 
and  at  Camp  Butler,  Illjnois,  on  the  19th  of 
August,  1865,  they  were  mustered  out  of 
the  service. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Astle  re- 
turned to  Alton,  Illinois,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  jiursuits  until  1872. 
and  in  that  year  he  came  to  Kansas,  locating 
in  Haiven  township,  Reno  cnunty,  and  at 
that  time  only  about  eight  families  resided 
in  the  township.  He  immediately  secured 
a  homestead  claim  on  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  32,  also  a  timber  claim  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  34,  and 
this  section  of- the  state  was  then  inhabited 
principally  by  Indians,  buffaloes  and  ante- 
lopes. At  one  time  Air.  Astle  killed  a  buf- 
falo ten  miles  east  of  where  the  city  of  Ha- 
ven noAv  stands.  He  began  life  on  thie 
western  frontier  in  a  small  way,  first  erect- 
ing a   small  two-rcom  house,  but  as   time 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


passed  by  he  gradually  improved  his  claim 
and  has  also  spent  some  time  at  his  trade 
of  blacksmithing.  having  a  shop  on  his  farm. 
As  he  prospered  in  his  undertakings  he  has 
added  to  his  original  purchase  until  he  is 
now  the  owner  of  about  twelve  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  Haven  and  Castleton  town- 
ships, but  much  of  this,  however,  he  has 
given  to  his  sons.  He  still  carries  on  general 
farming  on  his  original  soldier's  homestead, 
which  he  secured  on  coming  to  this  state, 
and  which  now  almost  adjoins  the  town  of 
Haven  on  the  north,  where  he  maintains  his 
residence.  On  this  old  homestead  in  1885 
he  erected  one  of  the  finest  country  residences 
in  Reno  county,  the  structure  costing  about 
four  thousand  dollars,  and  his  residence  and 
groimds  aire  among  the  most  beautiful  to 
be  found  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He 
also  has  one  of  the  largest  barns  in  Haven 
township.  In  addition  to  the  raising  of 
the  cereals  best  adapted  to  this  soil  and  cli- 
mate, Mr.  Astle  gradually  worked  into  tll"e 
stock  business,  aud  in  1886  he  became  ex- 
tensively engaged  in  the  grain  and  live  stock 
business,- establishing  an  office  in  Haven, 
where  business  is  carried  on  under  the  firm 
style  of  \\'illiam  Astle  &  Sim.  Thev  have 
a  well  furnished  dfhce  lucated  near  the  ]Mis- 
souri  Pacific  railrnad  ijn  Kansas  avenue, 
where  they  are  extensively  engaged  in  buy- 
ing and  selling  grain  and  live  stock.  In  the 
spring  of  1901  Mr.  Astle  erected  a  magnifi- 
cent grain  elevator,  the  largest  in  the  town, 
having  a  capacity  of  twenty  thousand  busli- 
els.  Shortly  after  his  return  from  the  war. 
on  the  25th  of  December,  1866.  and  while 
residing  at  Alton,  Illinois,  :\Ir.  Astle  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Louisa  L.  Tisius,  a 
native  of  Wisconsin  and  a  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Louisa  (  Fraink)  Tisius,  both  na- 
tives of  Germany  and  now  deceased.  The 
father,  who  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
passed  away  at  Alton.  Illinois,  several  years 
ago,  and  the  mother  died  in  Haven  in  1900. 
The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been 
blessed  with  five  children,  namely:  Henry 
J.,  who  is  engaged  with  his  father  in  the 
grain  and  li\-e  stock  business ;  T.  F.,  a  farm- 
er near  Haven:  William  R..  who  is  a  farm- 
er and  stockman  near  this  citv:  ].  W..  who 


makes  his  home  with  his  parents :  and  Rose, 
the  wife  of  O.  P.  Gilmore.  In  political  mat- 
ters ]\Ir.  Astle  was  formerly  a  Republican, 
but  in  recent  years  he  has  supported  the 
People's  party,  believing  it  to  represent  the 
best  interests  of  the  American  people.  In 
1875  he  \^'3S  elected  to  the  position  of  county 
commissioner,  and  for  the  past  fourteen 
years  he  has  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace 
and  also  as  a  notary  public.  He  was  one 
of  the  original  memljers  of  the  town  com- 
pany, of  which  he  was  \'ice-president  for 
several  years,  and  he  still  retains  a  number 
of  lots  in  Haven.  The  town  is  located  on 
railroad  lanxl  originallv  owned  bv  Mr.  As- 


tle, and  it  was  laid  < 
year  in  which  the  ^11 
was  coustructeJ  thr.a 
social  relations  he  ha; 


ut  in   1886,  the  same 

-souri  Pacific  railroad 

gh  this  place.     In  his 

lieen  an  Odd  Fellow 


for  the  past  thirty-fixe  years,  in  which  he 
has  passed  all  the  chairs,  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  Haven, 
and  carries  a  life  insurance  in  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Pyramids.  He  has  given  his  aid 
in  many  generous  ways  to  the  perpetuation 
of  those  forces  which  conserve  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  coniiuunity.  and  the  course 
that  has  followed  in  political,  business,  social 
and  home  circles  commends  him  to-  the  high- 
est esteem  of  all. 


O.  E.  HOPKINS. 


The  law  stands  most  prominent  among 
our  learned  professions  because  it  is  the  only 
one  that  involves  the  study  and  pursuit  of 
a  stable  and  exact  science.  Theplogy,  it  is 
true,  was  once  considered  an  inimitable 
science,  but  in  these  modern  times  we  see 
the  props  of  every  creed  attacked  and  new 
denominations  multiplied.  So  it  is  with  med- 
icine, for  its  practice  and  theories  succeed 
each  other  in  rapid  revolution.  But  amidst 
them  all  the  science  of  law  remains  un- 
changed, its  principles  as  finn  as  the  rock  of 
Gibraltar.  Is  it  any  wonder  then  that  men 
who  follow  the  legal  profession  claim  more 
than  a  passing  interest  from  their  fellow 
men?    .A.nd  this  is  especially  true  when  they 


^^^€<^-/i-^i<f^^i.J^^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


225 


have,  through  their  own  efforts  acquired 
more  than  ordinary  prominence  and  are 
known  to  exercise  more  than  ordinary  care 
in  sifting  the  contents  of  fact  and  brain,  well 
knowing  that  it  is  only  on  the  anvil  of  discus- 
sion that  the  spark  of  truth  can  be  struck. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  legal  practi- 
tioners at  the  bar  of  Rice  county  is  O.  E. 
Hopkins,  wlm  is  iiow  occupying  the  posi- 
tion of  county  attorney,  to  which  ofHce  he 
was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  in  No- 
vember, 1898.  He  stands  as  an  able  repre- 
sentative of  his  profession  in  central  Kan- 
sas, his  ability  being  widelv  recijgnized.  He 
was  born  in  ^^'arren  county,  Indiana,  near 
\\'illiamsport,  on  the  26th  of  November, 
1868,  ancl  is  a  son  of  W.  H.  Hopkins,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Illinois,  where  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject  located  in  pioneer  days. 
A^^  H.  Hopkins,  the  fathei",  was  reared  in 
Indiana,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he 
manifested  his  loyalty  to  his  country  by  don- 
ning the  uniform  of  the  nation  and  joining 
the  Thirty-third  Indiana  Infantry,  with 
which  he  served  until  hostilities  had  ceased 
and  the  preservation  oi  the  Uninn  was  an 
assured  fact.  He  married  Su-aii  ."^cIim,  Cl- 
over and'  in  1871  came  westward  with  his 
family  to  Kansas,  securing  a  homestead 
claim  in  Farmer  township,  Rice  county. 
This  was  before  the  county  was  organized, 
and  in  the  work  of  its  establishment  Mr. 
Hopkins  took  an  active  part.  He  still  owns 
the  homestead,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  and 
valued  citizens  of  Rice  county.  In  his  po- 
litical views  he  is  a  Republican,  and  was  the 
choice  of  his  partv  for  sherifif  in  1896,  but 
was  defeated  by  a  fusion  ticket.  Socially 
he  is  connected  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  with  th.e  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  his  religious  belief 
he  is  a  ]\Iethodist,  taking  an  active  interest 
in  the  work  of  the  church.  His  life  has  been 
honorable  and  upright,  and  he  is  as  faith- 
ful to  all  duties  cf  a  civil  nature  as  he  was 
to  the  military  duties  which  devolved  upon 
him  when  he  followed  the  stars  and  stripes 
through  the  south.  He  had  but  two  children 
O.  E.,  and  Bertha,  who  is  with  her  parents. 

Mr.  Hopkins,  whose  name  forms  the 
captiijn  of  this  review,  was  reared  upo 


the 


homestead  farm  and  there  develojjed  the 
physical  strength  which  formed  the  founda- 
tion cf  his  success  in  life.  He  was  early 
taught  lessons  of  industry  and  honesty  and 
was  trained  in  the  common  branches  of  Eng- 
lish learning  in  the  common  schools,  after 
which  he  pursued  his  studies  in  Salina,  Kan- 
sits.  For  a  time  he  engaged  in  teaching 
school,  and.  with  the  intention  of  making  the 
practice  :'  '  '  '  ''i'e  work,  he  matriculated 
in  the  1  Mt  of  the  State  Univer- 

sity of  A I  ■  ,  ,  :  I  Ann  Arbor,  where  he 
was  graduated  with  honor  in  the  class  of 
1894.  He  is  still  a  student  and  prepares 
his  cases  with  great  thoroughness  and  pre- 
cision. From  the  beginning  of  his  profes- 
sional career  he  has  met  with  a  fair  degree 
of  success,  and  his  clientage  is  now  of  a 
distinctively   representative  character. 

In  October,  1897,  was  celebrated  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Hopkins  and  Miss  Lura 
C.  Collins,  of  Salina,  a  lady  of  superior  in- 
tellectual culture  and  refinement  and  a 
daughter  cf  S.  W.  Collins,  who  is  now  de- 
ceased. Socially  Mr.  Hopkins  is  connected 
with  the  ^Masonic  fraternity,  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  cf  (  )(M  Fellriws  and  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  ledge,  being  a  valued 
representative  of  those  organizations.  In 
pilitics  he  has  ever  been  a  stanch  Republi- 
can and  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
growth  and  success  of  his  party.  At  his 
second  election  in  November,  1900,  to  the 
position  of  county  attorney  he  received  a  ma- 
jority of  five  hundred  and  fifty-six  votes,  a 
fact  which  indicates  his  personal  popularity 
and  the  confidence  reposed  in  his  ability  and 
ofificial  integrity.-  He  discharges  the  duties 
of  the  ofhce  i;i  a  nf'-^mpt  and  reliable  manner. 
He  is  a  -!i'  v.;  :i'l\  icate  before  the  jury  and 
concise  in  In-  ;i]  iic:ils  before  the  court.  He 
is  Si  I  till  rinL;hl\-  well  read  in  the  minutiae  of 
the  \:'.:\\-  tl-ai  he  is  able  to  base  his  arguments 
upiui  tlic-fi  ugh  knowledge  of  and  fainiliar- 
ity  with  precedents  and  to  present  a  case 
upon  its  merits,  never  failing  to  recognize  the 
main  points  at  issue  and  never  neglecting  to 
give  a  thorough  preparation.  His  pleas 
have  been  characterized  by  a  terse  and  de- 
cisi\-e  logic  and  lucid  presentation  rather 
than  by  flights  of  oratory,  and  his  power  is 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


the  greater  betcre  cuurt  ur  jury  from  tlie  fact 
that  it  is  recognized  that  his  aim  is  ever  to 
secure  justice  and  not  to  ensliroud  the 
cause  in  a  sentimental  garb  of  illusiijn  which 
thwarts  the  principles  of  right  and  equity 
in\'olved. 


JOSEPH   F.   TAMPIER. 

In  the  past  ages  the  history  of  a  country 
was  the  record  of  wars  and  conquests ;  to- 
day it  is  the  record  of  commercial  activity, 
and  these  whose  names  are  foremost  in  its 
annals  are  the  leaders  in  business  circles. 
The  conquests  now  made  are  those  of  mind 
over  matter,  not  of  man  over  man.  and  the 
victor  is  he  wiio  can  successfully  establish, 
control  and  operate  extensive  commercial 
interests.  Joseph  F.  Tampier  is  one  of  the 
strong  and  influential  men  whose  lives  have 
become  an  essential  part  of  the  history  of 
Ellsworth  county.  Tireless  energy,  keen 
;ierception.  honestv  of  purpose,  genius  for 
devising  and  executing  the  right  thing  at 
the  right  time,  joined  to  e\-ery  day  common 
sense,  guided  by  great  will  power,  are  the 
chief  characteristics  of  the  man.  As  mana- 
ger of  the  leading  grocery  house  in  Wilson 
the  place  that  he  occupies  in  business  circles 
is  in  the  front  rank. 

Mr.  Tampier  has  been  a  resident  of  Kan- 
sas since  the  spring  of  1880.  He  was  born 
across  the  water,  November  15,  1864,  and 
came  to  America  in  1867  with  his  parents, 
]\Ir.  and  ?vlrs.  Joseph  F.  Tampier.  The  fam- 
ily located  first  in  \\'isconsin,  and  for  a 
year  the  subject  of  this  review  was  con- 
nected with  the  farming  interests  of  the 
state.  They  afterward  removed  to  Saginaw, 
Michigan,  and  while  residing  there  the 
mother  died.  In  1880  the  father,  with  his 
son  and  daughter,  came  to  Kansas,  and  the 
three  now  occupy  a  fine  residence  in  Wilson, 
which  was  erected  in  1893. 

On  coming  to  Kansas  Joseph  F.  Tam- 
]jier  secured  a  quairter  section  of  land  in 
Russell  county,  and  for  some  time  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  cultivation  and  improve- 
ment of  the  tract.  After  three  years,  how- 
ever, he  sold  the  farm  and  ijurchased  a  stock 


of  goods  in  Wilson.     The  building  in  which 
I  he  began  his  mercantile  enterprise  stood  on 
the  east  oi  his  present  location,  and  there  he 
I  carried  on  o|>erations  until  1887.     In  1887 
!  he  erected  a  two-story  business    block,    in^ 
which  he  now  conducts  his  store.     He  is  a 
well  known  and  highly  esteemed  resident  of 
the  county,  having  been  actively  connected 
with  its  mercantile  interests  for  many  years, 
and  in  business  circles  he  sustains  an  unas- 
sailable reputation  for  reliability. 

Joseph  F.  Tampier,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  record,  pursued  his  educjitiMU  in 
the  public  schools  of  Saginaw  am!  accMm- 
panied  his  father  on  the  removal  ni  the  fam- 
ily to  Kansas  in  1880.  A  year  later  he. 
cajme  to  Wilson  and  has  since  been  asso- 
ciated with  mercantile  interests  in  this  city. 
He  induced  hs  father  to  dispose  of  the  farm 
and  enter  commercial  life  here.  From  the 
beginning  Mr.  Tampier  has  met  with  a  high 
degree  of  success  in  his  efforts.  He  is  the 
manager  of  the  store  and  carries  a  large  line 
of  hardware  and  queensware,  as  well  as  gro- 
cries.  As  the  years  have  passed  his  trade 
has  constantly  and  steadily  increased  as  die 
result  of  the  enterprise  and  honorable  efforts 
of  Mr.  Tampier,  and  to-day  the  volume  of 
business  amounts  to  forty  thousand  dollars 
annually.  He  also  engages  in  shipping'  eggs 
to  both  eastern  and  western  markets,  hand- 
ling that  product  to  the  value  of  about  twelve 
thousand  dollars  each  year.  In  connection 
with  other  interests  he  is  a  partner  in  a 
general  store  in  Sterling.  He  is  a  vei'v  prac- 
tical, enterprising  and  progressive  business 
man,  manifesting  keen  discrimination  in  the 
control  of  his  affairs,  and  at  all  times  com- 
mandng  the  confidence  and  respect  of  those 
with  whom  he  is  associated.  Air.  Tampier 
donated  half  of  the  west  wall  of  the  building 
and  eight  feet  of  the  lot  to  the  Turners,  who 
erected  a  lodge  room  and  onera  house  ad- 
joining his  business  block  on  the  east. 

Ill  his  political  views  Mr.  Tampier  is  a 
stalwart  Republican  and  keeps  well  informed 
on  the  issues  of  the  day.  He  has  several 
times  served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council 
and  has  given  his  support  to  all  measures 
of  reform  and  progress.  Socially  he  is  iden- 
tified with   Samaria  Lodge,  No.  298,  F.  & 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


227 


A.  :\I.;  Ellsworth  Chapter,  Xo.  t,^,  R.  A. 
M. :  Ellsworth  Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  and  in 
\\'ichita  Commandery,  No.  20.  has  attained 
the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite. 
He  is  likewise  identified  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  fraternity  and  with  tlie  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security.  He  withholds  his 
co-operation  from  no  movement  that  is  cal- 
culated to  prove. of  benefit  to  the  city  and 
is  justly  regarded  as  one  of  the  valued  resi- 
dents of  Ellsworth.  In  manner  he  is  pleas- 
ant and  genial,  in  dispositi(jn  is  kindly,  and 
the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  uniformly 
held  is  well  deserved.  His  success  in  life 
may  be  ascribed  tcj  positive,  determined  pur- 
suit of  business  and  to  the  fact  that  he  is 
a  man  of  hones^v  and  integritv. 


CHAI^LES   R.  JELLISOX. 

Charles  R.  Jellison  is  a  lumber  merchant 
of  Wilson  and  is  accounted  one  of  the  lead- 
ing representatives  of  business  interests  in 
the  city.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  his  birth 
having  occurred  on  the  8th  of  February, 
1871,  in  Apple  River,  that  state.  He. was 
not  yet  four  years  of  age  when  the  family 
came  to  Kansas,  and  in  the  schools  here  he 
began  his  education,  which  was  afterward 
supplemented  by  study  in  the  ^^' esleyan  Uni- 
versity, at  Salina,  Kansas,  where  he  pursued 
a  commercial  course  and  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1890.  Not  long  afterward 
he  entered  upon  his  business  career',  and  in 
1893  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother, 
A.  C.  Jellison.  in  the  lumlicr  Ijusiness.  This 
connection  was  maintained  and  the  business 
carried  on  with  a  eood  degree  of  success  un- 
til the  fall  of  1897.  when  I\Ir.  JelHson,  of 
this  revie^v,  sold  his  interest,  and  from  that 
time  until  the  summer  of  1900  devoted  his 
attention  to  the  operation  of  a  farm  adjoin- 
ing \\'ilson,  which  he  had  purchased.  ■  He 
has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
of  which  one  hundred  acres  is  under  culti- 
vation, the  remainder  being  devoted  to  pas- 
turage. He  makes  a  specialty  of  the  rais- 
ing of  fine  stock,  having  some  very  vain- 
able  Heref(jrd  cattle  and  draft  horses.     This 


enterprise  proved  a  very  profitable  one,  and 
to  it  he  gave  his  undivided  attention  until 
1900,  when  he  again  became  interested  in 
the  lumber  business  with  his  brothers,  W. 
D.  and  A.  D.  Jellison,  since  which  time  he 
has  acted  as  manager  of  the  lumber  yard 
in  Wilson,  in  addition  to  supervising  his 
farm.  He  has  made  many  improvements 
upon  his  place,  which  is  now  in  excellent 
condition,  and  his  lumber  yard  also  indi- 
cates the  superintendence  of  a  man  well 
accjuainted  with  business  and  in  touch  with 
the  progressive  spirit  of  the  times.  It  is 
located-  on  the  railroad,  which  affords  ex- 
cellent shipping  facilities,  and  he  handles 
hard  wood  as  well  as  pine  lumber,  buving 
direct  from  southern  and  northern  mills. 
His  trade  extends  over  a  wide  area,  sales 
being  made  to  a  distance  of  forty  miles  to 
the  north  and  ten:-  or  t\\-elve  miles  to  the 
south,  and  over  a  radius  of  ten  miles  to  the 
east  and  west.  In  addition  to  lumber  he 
handles  brick,  lime,  cement  and  other  build- 
ing materials,  and  has  a  large  and  growing 
trade.  His  sales  have  already  reached  a 
proportion  that  brings  to  him  a  very  hand- 
some income,  making  the  business  one  of 
the  most  important  in  this  line  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  county. 

On  the  Jjth  of  September,  1803,  ^Ii"-  Jel- 
lison was  united  in  marriage  tn  ]\Iiss  Iva 
Bertie,  daugliter  of  W.  H.  and  flattie  J. 
Humphrey,  of  Wilson.  Their  union  has 
been  blessed  with  two  children.  Arthur  A. 
and  Marion  Lucile.  In  his  pi'litical  views 
Mr.  Jellis(jn  is  a  stawart  ReiniliHcan.  giving 
an  inflexible  support  to  the  principles  of  the 
party.  His  fellow  townsmen,  recognizing 
his  worth  and  ability,  have  called  him  to 
public  oflice,  and  he  has  ser^^ed  both  as  city 
alderman  and  as  city  treasurer.  He  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Pyramids  and  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  a 
consistent  and  faithful  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  in  which  he  is  now  choris- 
ter, having  been  a  member  of  the  choir  since 
he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  Personally 
Charles  Reynard  Jellison  is  the  most  genial 
of  men.  and,  though  his  time  is  fully  occu- 
pied by  the  details  of  his  large  business  inter- 
ests, he  awax's  finds  time  to  de\-ote  to  those 


228 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


of  his  friends  wliose  calls  are  purely  of  a 
social  character.  He  is  a  thorough  exem- 
plification of  the  tpyical  American  business 
n:an  and  e'entleman. 


ALBERT  COPIES. 

Almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  has 
passed  since  Albert  Combs  came  to  Kingman 
countv.  He  took  up  farm  work  here,  and 
throughout  the  intervening  years  has  been 
engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil,  ranking 
among  the  leading  agriculturists.  He  was 
horn  in  \"an  Buren  county,  Tennessee,  June 
9,  1S31.  and  is  a  son  of  Simon  and  T^Iartha 
( Murrill)  Combs,  who  were  also  natives 
of  the  same  state.  The  former  died  in  1833 
and  the  latter  in  1839.  leaving  the  following 
children:  :\Iahala;  Ella;  Theresa;  Nancy; 
Elizabeth:  Athelia :  Julia;  Gideon;  and  Al- 
bert. They  also  had  a  daughter  who  died  in 
her  childhood. 

Albert  Combs  was  left  an  orphan  at  the 
early  age  of  eight  years  and  when  a  little  lad 
cf  ten  vears  began  earning  his  own  livelihood 
bv  working  for  twelve  cents  per  day  and 
his  board.  He  was  industrious,  honest  and 
reliable  and  therefore  could  always  obtain 
emplovment,  but  the  necessity  of  earning  his 
living  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  attend 
school.  His  youth  was  largely  passed  upon 
a  farm  in  Camden  county,  IMissouri,  and  in 
185 1  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Mary  Ellen  Kelley,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
and  a  daughter  of  Jesse  H.  and  Lavina 
( \Miitenburg)  Kelley,  both  of  whom  are 
now  deceased.  Her  father  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee.  I\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Combs  became 
the  parents  of  three  children,  but  two  died  in 
earlv  life.  The  surviving  daughter,  jSIar- 
garet  Lavina.  became  the  wife  of  William 
^IcKee,  of  \Miite  township,  Kingman  coun- 
ty. Th.e  mother  died  in  the  fall  of  i860,  in 
the  faith  of  the  ^lethcdist  Episcopal  church, 
01'  which  she  was  a  consistent  member,  and 
for  a  second  wife  Mr.  Combs  chose  Mrs. 
Nancy  A.  Vestal,  a  widow.  ThcA-  were 
married  in  1865.  but  she  died  eight  months 
later.     Li   1869  he  wedded  :N[rs'!  Sarah  E. 


(Smith)  Newman,  a  widow  of  Samuel  G. 
Newman,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  Civil 
war  and  (^ed  in  Libby  prison,  January  5. 
1865.  To  his  widoAv  he  left  the  care  of 
three  children,  namely:  Edward  A.,  of 
Wichita.  Kansas;  Mrs.  !Mary  J.  Corv,  of 
\\'atonga,  Oklahoma;  and  Albert  E..  of 
Texas  City,  Texas.  J\Irs.  Combs  was  a 
daughter  of  J.  ^^^  Smith,  who  died  in 
Spring-field.  Missouri.  Her  mother  is  still 
living  and  makes  her  home  in  Newton  coun- 
ty. Missouri.  Unto  Mr.  Combs  and  his 
present  wife  have  been  born  two  children: 
Eliza,  who  married  W.  F.  Winfrey,  and  Al- 
man  Ernest.  Both  are  residents  of  White 
township,  and  the  latter  is  serving  as  town- 
ship trustee.  He  married  Almeda  Herald, 
who  died  in  Mav,  1891.  leaviung  a  son 
Herald  Albert. 

At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Combs 
of  this  review  offered  his  services  to  the  gov- 
ernment, becoming  a  member  of  Company 
D,  Sixth  Missouri  Cavalry,  with  which  he 
served  for  three  years  under  command  of 
Captain  Crockett  and  Colonel  Wright.  He 
was  with  the  battalion  of  scouts  in  Spring- 
field, Greene  county,  Missouri,  and  was 
largely"  engaged  in  figthing  the  bushwhack- 
ers and  guerrilla  bands  in  the  woods  and 
swamps  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  He  was 
present  at  ^^'ilson  Creek  when  General  Lyon 
was  killed.  He  was  also  with  Colonel 
Wright  at  Springfield,  Missouri,  and  was  in 
General  Davis"  command.  Li  a  number  of 
battles  and  skirmishes  he  displayed  his  brav- 
ery and  loyalty,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  enlistment  recei\-ed  an  honorable 
discharge  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  returning 
to  his  home  with  a  creditable  military  record 
for  gallant  service. 

Mr.  Combs  continued  his  connection  with 
the  farming  interests  of  Llissouri  until  1878, 
when  he  came  to  Kingman  county  and  here 
secured  a  claim  which  he  cultivated  and  im- 
proved until  1892,  Avhen  he  purchased  his 
present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
in  White  township.  Upon  the  place  is  a 
pleasant  residence  and  substantial  barns  and 
outbuildings.  He  has  a  good  vineyard  and 
orchard  and  the  well  tilled  fields  promise  a 
golden  harvest.    His  thorough  knowledge  of 


MR.   AND   MRS.   ALBERT  COMBS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


229 


farm  work  and  his  progressive  spirit  have 
made  him  a  capable  and  prosperous  agricul- 
turist. His  political  support  is  given  with 
unswerving  loyalty  to  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  and 
his  wife  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church. 
For  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  main- 
tains pleasant  relations  with  his  comrades 
of  the  blue.  In  manner  he  is  frank  and  gen- 
ial, in  business  straightforward,  and  at  all 
times  is  known  as  a  good  citizen  well  worthy 
of  mention  among  the  representative  men  of 
his  adopted  county. 


ALMX   E.    SU^niERS. 

Among  the  prominent  and  enterprising 
agriculturists  and  stock  raisers  of  Rice  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  is  numbered  Alvin  E.  Summers, 
who  was  born  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana. 
January  30,  1872.  his  parents  being  William 
C.  and  Mary  ( Lake )  Summers.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  a  minister  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  church  who  came 
to  Indiana  at  a  very  early  day  and  settled 
in  Putnam  county,  where  he  improved  a 
gririd  farm,  which  he  carried  on  in  connec- 
tion with  his  ministerial  duties  until  called 
to  his  final  rest.  He  was  the  father  of  five 
chldren,  namely:  James  H.,  of  Mitchell 
county,  Kansas;  Daniel  T.,  deceased;  Will- 
iam C.  the  father  of  our  subject;  Amanda 
and  Almaza.  William'  C.  Summers,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
in  1830,  but  was  reared  in  Putnam  county, 
Indiana,  where  he  married  and  engaged  in 
farming  until  1872,  when  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas, locating  a  homestead  in  Rice  county,  on 
which  our  subject  now  resides,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1873  he  built  a  farm  house  upon 
it  and  moved  his  family  into  it.  He  then 
commenced  making  permanent  improve- 
fnents.  There  were  few  permanent  settlers 
in  that  locality  at  that  time  and  the  land 
was  a  vast  unbroken  prairie,  but  with  char- 
acteristic energy  he  plowed  and  prepared 
a  portion  of  his  land  for  cultivation  and  in 


1874  he  planted  his  first  crop,  but  the  grass- 
hoppers appeared  and  destroyed  all  vegeta- 
tion. This  was  enough  to  discourage  most 
men,  but  with  determined  purpose  he  per- 
severed in  his  effoiis  to  make  an  honest  liv- 
ing and  finally  his  labors  were  crowned  with 
success.  He  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  and  became  well  and  fa- 
vorably known,  commanding  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  all  that  knew  him.  In  1861  he 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  Fifty-first  Indiana' 
Volunteer  Infantry,  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain J.  W.  Sheete  for  three  years'  service  or 
during  the  war.  His  regiment  was  assigned 
to  the  army  of  the  Tennessee  and  he  partic- 
ipated in  some  of  the  most  important  battles 
of  the  war,  Shiloh,  Stone  River  and  Day's 
Gap  in  Alabamaj  and  many  other  minor 
battles  and  skirmishes.  He  was  never 
wounded  but  was  made  a  prisoner  and 
placed  in  Libby  prison,  where  he  suffered 
from  hunger  and  disease  so  severely  that  he 
never  recovered  his  health.  Later  he  was 
exciianged  and  at  the  expiration  of  three 
years  received  an  honorable  discharge  No- 
vember 12,  1864.  For  a  few  years  after  his 
return  home  from  the  war  he  was  not  able 
to  perform  any  manual  labor  and  ne^-er  re- 
gained his  full  strength  and  vigor.  For 
this  sacrifice  to  his  country  he  receives 
from  the  government  a  small  pension.  He 
was  married  in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  to 
Miss  Alary  Lake,  a  native  of  that  state,  born 
in  1833,  and  a  daughter  of  Elisha  L.  Lake, 
of  New  Jersey,  who'  became  a  farmer  and 
early  settler  of  Indiana,  remaining  on  his 
homestead  there  until  his  children  married 
and  scattered  to  homes  of  their  own,  and 
his  wife  died,  when  he  came  to  Kansas,  find- 
ing a  good  home  among  his  children,  and 
died  in  this  state  at  the  home  of  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Wright. 

Unto  Elisha  Lake  and  his  wife  were  born 
the  following  children :  Caroline,  who  mar- 
ried Dr.  Collings,  and  he  died  in  the  INIexi- 
can  war;  Mary,  the  mother  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch;  Hannah,  the  wife  of  S. 
Wright ;  and  INIartin,  who  died  in  childhood. 
William  C.  Summers  was  a  very  energetic 
\  and  progressive  agriculturist  and  by  his  hard 
'  labor   and   honest   dealing    accumulated     a 


230 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


handsome  competence.  In  manner  he  was 
ven-  genial  and  delighted  in  gathering 
around  him  his  friends  and  neighbors  for 
social  converse.  He  was  kind-hearted  and 
charitable,  ever  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand 
to  the  needy  or  distressed.  Socially  he  was 
connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
with  the  Grand  Amiy  of  the  Republic.  He 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  were  actively  inter- 
ested in  all  of  its  work.  Their  home  was 
blessed  with  eight  children,  namely :  Ethan 
B.,  of  Indiana;  Elisha  L.,  also  of  Indiana; 
Daniel  T..  nf  Chicago,  Illinois:  flattie  F., 
the  wife  of  E.  N.  Curts;  William  C,  a 
druggist  of  Wheaton.  Kansas;  Laurel  A.,  a 
ph)-sician  and  surgeon  of  \\'heaton,  Kansas ; 
Sarah  E..  the  wife  of -F.  ^\.  Becker;  and  Al- 
\'in  E..  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  fa- 
ther of  this  family  died  November  26.  1898, 
and  was  liuried  in  Lyons  cemetery,  but  his 
wife  still  sur\-i\-es  him  and  has  a  good  farm 
and  home  in  Kansas. 

Ah-in  E.  Summers,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review,  was  about  a  year  old  when 
his  parents  moved  to  Kansas,  where  he  was 
reared  among  the  pioneers  of  Rice  county, 
where  he  still  makes  his  home.  He  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  common  schools  oi  Kansas 
and  remained  under  the  parental  roof,  assist- 
ing his  father  in  the  work  of  the  home  farm, 
until  the  latter's  death,  when  the  property 
was  divided  and  our  subject  received  eighty 
acres  of  the  original  homestead  tract  and 
later  he  bought  the  other  eighty  from  his 
brother  and  now  owns  the  original  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  the  homestead.  His 
father  had  also'  given'  eightv  acres  of  land 
to  each  of  his  other  children,  and  built  his 
residence  on  another  quarter  and  the  home- 
stead land  had  no  buildings  upon  it.  In 
1895  our  subject  married  and  settled  on  one 
of  his  father's  farms  and  after  the  latter's 
death  he  l^uilt  a  good  house,  barn  and  out- 
buildings on  the  homestead  and  is  carrjdng 
on  the  work  inaugurated  by  his  father.  He 
has  placed  the  fields  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  and  carries  on  general  farming 
and  stock  raising. 

In  1895  our  subject  was  united  in  mar» 
riage  to  Miss  ?ilina  M.  Hill,  a  ladv  of  in- 


telligence and  culture,  born  in  Sullivan  coun- 
tv,  Indiana,  October  3,  187s,  a  daughter  of 
W.  F.  and  Elizabeth  (Xorrick)  Hill.  Her 
father  was  a  nati\'e  of  Pennsylvania  and  her 
mother  of  Ohio,  where  they  were  married. 
He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  aiid  also  en- 
gaged in  farming.  In  1864  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  rebellion  and  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  when  he  received  an  hon- 
orable discharge  and  returned  tO'  his  home 
in  Ohio,  there  remaining  until  1872,  when 
he  removed  to  Sullivan  county,  Indiana,  and 
bought  a  farm.  In  1878  he  sold  the  farm 
and  moved  to  Kansas,  locating  in  Rice  coun- 
ty, where  he  rented  a  farm  and  later  bought 
a  farm,  upon  which  he  remained  a  number 
of  years.  He  then  again  sold  his  place  and 
moved  to  Oklahoma,  where  he  took  up  a 
claim,  which  he  has  since  sold  and  is  now 
living  among  his  children  in  Oklahoma.  His 
wife  died  in  Rice  county,  Kansas,  in  1888. 
She  was  a  consistent  manber  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  and  a  most  estima- 
ble woman.  He  is  an  industrious,  honest 
farmer  and  mechanic,  plain  and  unassum- 
ing and  does  not  desire  notoriety  or  public 
otSce,  though  he  was  formerly  a  Republi- 
can and  now  votes  independently.  He  is  a 
class  leader  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  of  which  he  is  a  consistent  member. 
He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, namely:  Serepta  J.,  the  wife  of  R. 
D.  Hall ;  Ida,  who  married  J.  W.  Tarr : 
Daniel  N.,  of  Lyons;  George  W'.,  deceased: 
Stewart,  of  Lyons;  Grant,  now  living  in 
Perry,  Oklahoma;  Rose  R.,  who  marrried 
George  W.  Pancoast ;  Anna  E.,  who  is  }'et 
siingle;  Mina  M.,  the  wife  of  our  subject: 
and  Jessie  B..  who  became  the  wife,  of  C. 
Bailey. 

Mr.  Summers,  of  this  review,  is  one  of 
the  most  prominent  agriculturists  and  stock 
raisers  of  Rice  county,  who  by  his  unflag- 
ging industry,  determined  purpose,  enter- 
prise and  capable  management  has  won  a 
comfortable  competence  for  himself  and 
family.  As  a  citizen  he  takes  a  deep  and  ac- 
tive interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the 
welfare  of  the  community.  He  and  his  wife 
are  consistent  and  worthy  members  of  the 
IMethodist    Episcopal    church    and    take    an 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


^31 


active  interest  in  the  work  of  the  church  and 
charitable  and  benevolent  enterprises.  They 
have  no  children,  but  their  pleasant  home  is 
noted  for  its  gracious  hospitality  and  the 
circle  of  their  friends  is  co-extensive  with 
that  of  their  acquaintance,  and  they  well  de- 
serve the  respect  and  high  regard  in  which 
thev  are  held  bv  all  who  know  them. 


WILLIAM  A.  ROSE. 

One  of  the  most  highly  respected,  intel- 
ligent and  valued  citizens  of  Reno  county  is 
\\'illiam  A.  Rose,  the  pastor  of  the  German 
Baptist  church  of  Lincoln  township  and  a 
well  known  and  enterprising  farmer  who 
since  pioneer  times  in  the  history  of  this 
county  has  been  identified  with  its  agricul- 
tural interests.  He  owns  and  operates  three 
hundred  and  twent}-  acres  of  land  and  there 
is  not  in  the  township,  if  in  the  county,  a 
better  impoved  place  than  the  property  of 
our  subject. 

Mr.  Rose  is  a  native  of  Franklin  county, 
Ohio,  born  July  16,  1844,  his  parents  being 
S.  G.  and  Jane  (Ogden)  Rose,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  oi  the  same  county.  He 
accompanied  them  on  their  remo\-al  to  Lu- 
cas county,  Iowa,  and  assisted  his  father  in 
the  work  of  the  home  farm  until  sixteen 
years  of  age,  when,  in  September.  1861,  he 
offered  his  services  to  the  government  as  a 
defender  of  the  Union,  whose  destruction 
was  threatened  by  the  spirit  of  secession  in 
the  south.  He  became  a  memher  of  Com- 
pany C.  Thirteenth  Iowa  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh, 
Pittsburg  Landing  and  tlie  siege  and  battle 
of  Corinth.  He  was  also  in  the  campaign 
with  Grant  througli  central  ]\Iissi^sippi,  then 
back  to  ^Memphis  and  liy  wa}-  of  the  river 
to  Vicksburg,  participating  in  the  siege  of 
that  city.  After  that  campaign  he  marched 
to  Meridian  and  then  returned  to  \'icksburg. 
He  then  returned  home  on  a  thirty  days' 
furlough,  and  after  rejoining  the  army  he 
partici]iated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  from 
May  until  the  23d  of  August,  being  contin- 
U(!usly  under  fire  with  the  e.xception  of  but 


two  days.  Mr.  Rose  also  went  with  Sher- 
man on  the  memorable  march  to  the  sea, 
which  proved  that  the  strength  of  the  Con- 
federacy was  broken,  and  was  detached  for 
forage  duty  on  that  jnarch,  running  many 
narrow  escapes  from  being  captured  by  the 
enemy,  ^^'ith  his  command  he  afterward 
went  north  by  boat  from  Savannah  to  Beau- 
fort, South  Carolina,  and  was  present  at  the 
capture  of  Columbia,  the  capital  of  that  state, 
his  regiment  pulling  down  the  Rebel  flag 
I  that  waved  from  the  dome  of  its  capitol 
building.  Mr.  Rose  carried  the  flag  and  pre- 
sented it  to  General  Sherman's  wife  at  South 
Bend,  Indiana.  He  served  throughout  the 
war  as  a  non-commissioned  officer — cor- 
poral and  sergeant — and  his  valor  and  brav- 
ery was  equal  to  that  of  many  a  veteran  of 
twice  his  years.  He  participated  in  the 
grand  review  in  Washington,  where  "wave 
after  wa\e  of  bayonet-crested  blue"  swept 
by  the  stand  from  which  the  president 
watched  the  march  of  his  victorious  armies. 
Returning  to  Iowa  Mr.  Rc^e  entered 
JMount  Pleasant  University  to  resume  his  in- 
terrupted studies  w  itli  tlic  pm-pose  of  prepar- 
ing for  a  teacher's  pii  1  i'e->i«  n.  He  afterward 
spent  four  years  in  teaching  in  Iowa  and 
after  his  marriage  turned  his  attention  to 
farming.  As  a  companion  and  heljjmate  for 
the  journey  of  life  he  chose  Miss  Kate  Cut- 
ler, a  daughter  of  Joel  Cutler.  She  was 
l>orn  in  Licking  county.  Ohio,  and  with  her 
parents  went  to  Iowa  in  1859,  the  marriage 
being  celebrated  in  the  latter  state  on  the  15th 
of  October,  1868. 

After  his  marriage  ]Mr.  Rose  j^urchased  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres  of  brush  land  in  Iowa, 
and  clearing  it  he  continued  its  cultivation 
until  March,  1873,  ^vhen  he  came  to  Reno 
county.  Kansas,  and  located  his  present 
claim.  He  then  returned  to  the  Hawkeye 
state,  and  in  September  came  by  team  and 
wagon  to  his  new  home.  All  was  still  wild 
and  unimproved  in  this  region,  buffaloes 
could  still  be  shot  in  this  locality,  and  Mr. 
Rose  could  eount  not  less  than  forty  car- 
casses within  sight  of  his  home.  He  built  a 
residence  that  was  somewhat  in  advance  of 
the  prevailing  style  of  the  country  at  that 
time — a  two-story  frame  dwelling,  twelve  by- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


sixteen  feet,  one  story  being  under  ground. 
In  the  spring  of  1874  he  planted  sixteen 
acres  in  corn,  but  his  crop  was  entirely  de- 
stroyed by  the  grasshoppers.  Discouraged 
he  returned  to  Iowa,  where  he  renTained  for 
a  year,  engaged  in  farming. '  The  following 
year,  with  a  replenished  exchequer  and  new 
courage,  he  again  came  to  Reno  county,  and 
this  time  was  more  successful.  He  rapidly 
improved  his  place  and  the  rich  fields  soon 
returned  to  him  a  golden  harvest  as  a  re- 
ward for  the  care  and  cultivation  he  be- 
stowed upon  them.  He  purchased  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  29,  Lincoln  town- 
ship, adjoining  his  first  purchase — one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  on  section  32,  so  that 
he  now  owns  an  entire  half  section  in  one 
tract.  He  has  intelligently  followed  farm- 
ing, his  methods  being  practical  and  pro- 
gressive and  his  efl:'orts  have  therefore  been 
attended  with  success.  He  feeds  a  large 
number  of  cattle,  selling  usually  two  hundred 
head  each  year,  and  buying  a  large  portion 
of  the  grain  used  for  feeding-  purposes.  The 
grounds  which  surround  his  home  are  the 
most  tastefully  arranged  in  the  township, 
and  his  farm  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  de- 
sirable in  the  county.  He  has  a  comfortable 
and  beautiful  residence  and  his  orchard  com- 
prises ten  acres. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rose  has 
been  blessed  with  five  children:  ^^'alter  L., 
whO'  is  now  a  practicing"  physician  of  Har- 
per, Kansas;  John  G..  a  student  in  Xicker- 
son  College ;  Loda,  the  wife  of  Alonzo  Rob- 
erts, of  Oklahoma ;  and  Frank  and  Lena, 
who  are  still  under  the  parental  roof.  The 
family  hold  membership  in  the  German  Bap- 
tist church,  of  which  'Mr.  Rose  has  been  a 
minister  since  1889.  This  church  was  or- 
ganized by  Lemuel  Hillery  and  Abraham^ 
Shipler  in  1886,  with  a  membership  of  about 
twenty,  including  Benjamin  Shester,  A.  F. 
Miller,  John  Young.  Amos  Hartman.  Peter 
Hartman.  Hetty  Engle,  William'  A.  Rose 
and  wife.  George  Rexrood  and  wife.  ]\Iinnie 
Negley,  now  Mrs.  L.  P.  Smith,  David  Xeg- 
ley  and  wife,  William  Rexrood. and  wife. 
John  Showalter  and  wife.  Catherine  Al- 
bright. G.  W.,  Keedy  and  wife,  Levi  Hertz- 
ler  and  wife  and  daughter  Rhoda,  now  the 


wife  of  Guy  MclMurry,  Samuel  Kechler  and 
wife.  Ella 'Miller  and  Mrs.  IMary  Gardner. 
The  building  was  erected  that  year  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  27,  Lincoln 
township,  at  a  cost  of  about  eleven  hundred 
dollars.  The  first  regular  ministers  were 
Lemuel  Hillery  and  Abram  Shipler.  who 
were  followed  by  Enoch  Eby  and  A.  F.  Alil- 
ler,  the  latter  the  present  elden-.  He  has  rt- 
mained  in  charge  for  the  last  three  years. 
The  congregation  has  increased  to  a  mem- 
bership of  ninety-five. 

Mr.  Rose  has  not  only  been  an  active 
worker  in  the  interest  of  the  local  church 
but  gave  his  aid  and  influence  toward  the 
establishment  of  the  state  institution  of  that 
church — The  Old  Folks"  &  Orphans"  Home, 
which  is  situated  on  section  27.  Lincoln 
township,  and  is  sin'rounded  by  eighty  acres 
of  land  belonging  to  the  institution.  Mr. 
Rose  has  led  a  busy  and  active  life  aside 
from  his  ministerial  duties  and  the  care  of 
his  farm,  for  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
promoting  the  general  good  along  many 
lines  of  progress.  The  cause  of  education 
has  found  in  him  a  warm  friend  and  for  a 
number  of  years  he  has  served  on  the  school 
board,  acting  as  its  clerk  for  some  time.  His 
life  has  ever  been  honorable  and  upright  and 
his  influence  has  been  widelv  felt  for  good. 


J.  S.  XUXEMAKER. 

J.  S.  Xunemaker  is  a  leading  represen- 
tative of  the  agricultural  interests  of  King- 
man county,  where  he  owns  and  operates 
a' most  desirable  farm.  Of  excellent  busi- 
ness ability  and  broad  resources,  he  has  at- 
tained a  prominent  place  among  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  his  part  of  the  county 
and  is  a  recognized  leader  in  public  affairs. 
He  has  won  success  by  his  well  directed  and 
energetic  efforts,  aitd  the  prosperity  that 
has  come  to  him  is  certainly  well  deserved. 

Mr.  X'unemaker  was  born  in  Clinton 
county,  Indiana,  forty--four  years  ago,  and 
is  of  German  lineage,  his  grandfather, 
James  X^'unemaker,  having  been  born  in  the 
fatherland.    His  father,  Joseph  X^unemaker, 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


was  born  and  reared  in  Hocking  county, 
Ohio,  and  after  reaching  years  of  maturity 
he  was  there  married  to  Clarissa  Taylor,  a 
native  also  of  that  county  and  a  daughter 
of  William  Taylor,  who  claimed  Pennsyl- 
vania as  the  state  of  his  nativity  and  was 
of  English  parentage.  Soon  after  their 
marriage  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Nunemaker  re- 
moved to  Clinton  county,  Indiana,  where  tlie 
-former  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-three  years. 
He  fullnwed  the  vocation  of  farming-  as  a 
means  of  livelihood,  and  in  political  mat- 
ters he  upheld  the  Democracy.  His  widow 
was  called-  to^  the  home  beyond  while  re- 
siding in  Kansas,  passing  away  at  the  age 
of  seventy-four  years.  A  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren were  born  unto  this  worthy  couple, 
namely :  Lovina  Jane,  Elizabeth,  Clarissa, 
Daniel,  Amanda,  Thomas,  Joseph  S., 
Rachel,  George  and  Alice. 

Joseph  S.  Nunemaker,  whose  name  intro^ 
duces  this  review,  was  reared  to  years  of 
maturity  on  an  Indiana  farm,  and  his  edu- 
cational advantages  were  those  afforded  by 
the  common  schools  of  Clinton  county.  He 
remained  in  his  native  state  until  1885,  in 
which  year  he  came  toi  Kansas,  and  after 
his  arrival  here  he  purchased  the  quarter 
section  of  land  which  he  yet  o-wns,  located 
on  section  26,  Ninnescah  township,  and 
on  this  place  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  When 
he  took  possession  of  the  farm  only  a  small 
amount  of  the  land  had  been  placed  under 
cultivation  by  its  former  owner,  William 
Weiler,  but  he  has  since  improved  the  entire 
place,  and  his  fields  now  annually  yield  tO' 
him  a  handsome  financial  return  for  the 
care  and  labor  which  he  bestowes  upon 
them.  Substantia]  and  commodious  build- 
ings adorn  the  place,  and  everything  about 
the  farm  bears  evidence  of  a  progressive 
and  thrifty  owner. 

In  1880  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
^Ir.  Nunemaker  to  ^Nliss  Elda  Lamberson, 
who  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Indiana,  in 
1857,  a  daughter  of  William  Lamberson  and 
a  granddaughter  of  Levi  Lamberson,  both 
natives  of -Alaryland  and  of  English  descent. 
The  mother  of  Mrs.  Nunemaker  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Marv  Frver,  and  both  she 


and  her  father,  James  Fryer,  were  also 
natives  of  Maryland.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
\Villiam  Laniiberson  were  born  sevei:  chil- 
dren,— Ira,  John,  Sarah,  Phcebe,  Elda,  Levi 
and  William.  The  father  was  a  life-long 
farmer,  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
views,  religiously  a  Baptist,  and  his  death 
occurred  in  Clinton  county,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one  years.  His  Avife  reached  the 
age  (if  se\ciUy-eight  years,  dying  in  the  faith 
it  the  Cliristian  church,  and  she  was  loved 
and  hdniired  Ijy  all  who  knew  her.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nuneanaker  have  been  born 
seven  children,  six  sons  and  one  daughter, 
namely:  Ernest  J.,  William  E.,  Mittie 
Alice,  Dennis  A.,  Schuyler  and  John  and 
Joseph,  twins.  Mr.  Nunemaker  casts  his 
ballot  in  favor  of  the  men  and  measures  of 
the  Democracy,  and  for  many  years  he 
served  as  a  member  of.  the  school-  board, 
the  cause  of  education  ever  finding  in  him 
a  warm-  friend  and  active  worker.  Such  is 
the  record  of  one  who  has  been  an  important 
factor  in  the  public  improvement  as  well 
as  the  business  interests  of  his  adopted  coun- 
ty. His  code  of  morals  is  such  as  to  impel 
him  to  a  just  consideration  of  the  rights 
of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in 
contact  and  toi  a  conscientious  observance  of 
all  proprieties  of  life.  Thus  he  has  retained 
throughout  his  career  friendships  which 
have  grown  stronger  with  more  intimate  ac- 
c^uaintance,  and  all  who  know  him  estean 
him  for  his  sterling  worth. 


JACOB  WEIGEL. 


Nearly  every  state  in  1  le  Union  has  sent 
her  quota  of  men  to  Kr.nsas.  and  among 
those  that  Pennsylvania  h.as  furnished  to  the 
Sunflower  state  is  Jacob  Wcigel,  who  was 
born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsvlvania,  .Septem- 
ber 19,  1843,  'lis  parents  being  Nicholas  and 
Margaret  (Iseworth)  Weigel,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  was 
born  about  1808,  and  when  twenty-eight 
years  of  age  came  to  the  United  States.  In 
Pennsylvania  he  met  and  married  Miss  ise- 
worth, the  wedding  being  celebrated  about 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


1837.  He  was  a  farmer  and  took  up  his 
abode  upon  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  their 
remaining  days.  Unto  them  were  born  thir- 
teen children,  eight  of  whom  reached  years 
of  maturity,  and  two, of  the  five  sons  served 
in  the  Union  army.  John,  the  eldest  of  the 
family,  was  for  three  years  a  member  of  the 
army  and  was  wounded  January  15,  1865,  at 
Fort  Fisher,  North  Carolina,  his  injuries 
being  very  severe  and  causing  him  much 
suffering  for  several  years.  Mrs.  Weigel. 
the  mother,  died  \\-hen  about  forty-fix-e 
years  of  age.  The  father  ever  remained  true 
to  her  memory,  living  as  a  widower  until 
1898,  when  he  passed  away,  at  the  age  of 
ninety  years.  He  was  in  good'  financial  cir- 
cumstances and  was  a  strong  man  physically, 
mentally  and  morally.  Both  he  ant!  his  wife 
were  reared  in  the  Catholic  faith,  but  sev- 
ered their  connection  with  that  clmrch. 

In  his  parents'  home  Jacob  Weigel  spent 
his  youth.  In  1864  he  responded  to  the 
country's  call  for  assistance  to  aid  in  preserv- 
ing the  Union,  enlisting  as  a  member  of 
Company  I,  Seventy-sixth  Pennsylvania  In- 
fantry, with  which  he  remained  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  mustered  out 
at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina.  He  nnw  draws 
a  pension  of  twelve  dollars  a  month. 

On  the  4th  of  July.  1868.  after  return- 
ing from  the  war,  Mr.  Weigel  was  joined  in 
wedlock  to  Miss  Henrietta  C.  Stricklin,  of 
Richland.  Michigan,  in  which  place  the  wed- 
ding was  celebrated.  The  lady  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  Stricklin,  now  of  Michigan. 
The  young  couple  began  their  domestic  life 
upon  a  rented  farm  in  Kalamazoo  county, 
where  Mr.  Weigel  carried  on  agricultural 
pursuits  for  thirteen  years.  On  the  26th  of 
March,  1878,  he  arrived  in  Sterling,  Kan- 
sas, and  soon  afterward  took  a  soldier's 
"homestead  in  Reno  county,  near  Sterling. 
His  wife  was  in  poor  health,  and  on  this 
account  they  returned  to  Michigan,  where 
she  died  December  31,  18S0.  at  the  age  of 
thirty-five  years.  She  lost  her  first  daugh- 
ter at  the  age  of  eighteen  and  her  second 
•daughter  ako  died  at  the  same  age.  For 
the*  past  twenty-one  years  Mr.  Weigel  has 
resided  in  the  Kimliall   familv  and  has  en- 


gaged in  the  operation  of  the  Kimball  farm 
as  well  as  his  own.  He  has  always  been  a 
hard  working  man.  industry  being  one  of 
his  marked  characteristics,  and  though  he 
has  acquired  a  competence  he  does  not  be- 
lieve in  idleness  and  therefore  continues  in 
the  active  control,  of  his  farming  affairs.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  giving  a  stal- 
v\-art  support  to  the  principles  Oif  the  party. 
Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  with  the  Benev- 
olent Association  of  St.  Louis.  He  is  a  man 
of  sterling  worth,  of  strong  convictions  and 
unquestioned  honesty,  holding  his  word  as 
obligatorv  as  his  bond. 


MOSES  H.  VAN  BIBBER. 

Moses  H.  Van  Bibber  is  a  well  known 
agriculturist  of  Huntsville  township,  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  and  the  success  which  he 
has  achieved'  is  the  merited  reward  of  his 
own  labor.  He  has  worked  his  way  stead- 
ily upward,  overcoming  all  the  difficulties 
and  obstacles  in  his  path  by  determined  pur- 
pose, and  to-day  he  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  substantial  citizens  of  the  cimi- 
munity,  his  labors  having  brought  to  him 
a  handsome  competence. 

Mr.  Van  Bibber  was  born  in  Nicholas 
county.  West  Virginia,  on  the  7th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1828,  of  which  countv  his  father,  Da- 
vid C.  R.'Van  Bibber,  was  also  a  native. 
The  latter  held  the  rank  of  captain  in  the 
militia.  The  grandfather  of  our  subject. 
Mathias  A'an  Bibber,  was  the  first  white  male 
child  born  in  a  fort  in  Greenbrier  county. 
West  Virginia,  and  he  held  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain in  the  militia,  while  his  father,  Jnlin 
Van  Bibber,  served  as  a  colonel  therein. 
About  1824  David  C.  R.  Van  Bibber,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  wedded  Jane  Will- 
iams, who  was  born  in  Greenbrier  county. 
West  Virginia,  December  12,  1804,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  seven 
sons  and  three  daughters,  and  eight  of  the 
number  still  survive.  The  mother  passed 
away  in  Nicholas  county.  West  \'irginia,  in 
1872,  and  in '1889,   from  that  county,  her 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


235 


liusband  joined  her  in  the  spirit  world,  dy- 
ing at  tlie  age  of  about  ninety  years,  liis 
liirth  having-  occurred  on  tlie  i6th  of  Xo- 
vember,  1799. 

Moses  H.  Van  Bil>ber,  whose  name  in- 
troduces this  review,  enjoyed  but  limited  ed- 
ucational advantages  chiring  his  youth,  but 
since  putting  aside  his  text-books  he  has 
largely  added  to  his  knowledge  by  observa- 
tion, reading  and  study,  and  has  thus  be- 
come a  well  inf</rnied  man.  In  early  life 
he  learned  surveying  In-  himself,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  followed  that  occupation  in 
his  native  state.  On  the  iitli  of  May,  1874, 
he  left  his  home  in  the  south  and  with  a 
team  of  horses  and  a  covered  wagon  made 
the  journey  to  the  Sunflower  state,  arriving 
in  Walnut  township.  Reno  ciuiiitv.  in  the 
following  June,  and  was  at  that  time  almbst 
without  means.  He  secured  eighty  acres  of 
land,  to  which  he  afterward  added  another 
eighty-acre  tract,  lint  in  1884  he  sold  that 
place  for  fourteen  hundred  dollars  and  pur- 
chased the  farm  which  he  now  owns.  It 
then  consisted  of  one  hundred  acres  of  rail- 
road land,  and  the  purchase  price  was  five 
hundred  and  ninety  dollars.  The  principal 
•crop  which  he  raises  is  corn  and  wheat,  an- 
nually harvesting  about  two  thousand  bush- 
els of  corn,  and  during  the  year  of  1901  his 
wheat  crop  yielded  a  return  of  two  thou- 
sand one  inmdred  and  sixty  bushels.  His 
beautiful  orchard  and  shade  trees  were 
planted  by  his  own  hands,  and  the  many 
substantial  and  valuable  improvements  here 
seen  stand  as  monuments  to  his  thrift  and 
ability. 

In  the  Old  Dominion,  on  the  14th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1858,  Mr.  Van  Bibber  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Joanna  Pierson,  a  native  of 
that  commonwealth,  and  they  had  a  family 
of  four  children,  namely:  David,  who  re- 
sides in  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren :  Franklin,  who  makes  his  home  in 
^\'est  A'irginia;  Margaret  Jane,  wife  of 
Henry  Jones,  of  Peabody,  Kansas,  and  they 
have  five  children;  and  Lizzie  IMcClintosh, 
who  died  leaving  one  daughter.  For  his 
second  wife  I\Ir.  Van  Bibber  chose  \'irginia 
Ann  Hrilt.  who  was  born  in  Charleston. 
AA^est  \^irginia.  and  was  married'  September 


14,  1867.  and  by  this  union  there  were  also 
four  children:  John,  who  is  married  and 
revsides  in  Oklahoma;  Ulysses  Simpson 
Grant,  who  makes  his  home  in  Huntsville 
township,  and  has  one  daughter,  and  one 
sou;  ;\Iinnie,  wife  of  O.  C.  Andel,  by  whom 
she  has  two  daughters,  and  they  reside  with 
her  parents :  and  Fred,  at  home.  The  mother 
of  this  family  died  on  the  27th  of  October, 
1892,  at  the  age  of  fort3--nine  years.  On 
questions  of  national  importance  Mr.  Van 
Bibber  casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of  Repub- 
lican principles,  but  at  local  elections  he  votes 
for  the  men  whom  he  regards  as  best  quali- 
fied for  pulilic  office.  He  has  ever  been  a 
loyal  and  public-spirited  citizen,  and  during 
the  Civil  war  he  served  for  two  years  as  a 
corporal  in  the  state  service.  He  is  also  a 
worthy  member  and  active  worker  in  the 
Missionar\'  Ba|jtist  church.  As  a  citizen  he 
is  1:'  ,11  !.  and  loyal,  as  a  business  man 
str;!i;:;  I  1  .\ ,  lil  and  honorable,  and  as  a 
fricinl  lie  1^  laithful  and  consistent. 


C.  B.  SMITH. 

C.  B.  Smith  is  extensively  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  Success  in  any 
calling  is  an  indication  of  close  application, 
industry  and  faithfulness,  qualities  which 
are  numbered  among  the  leading  character- 
istics of  our  subject,  and  the  greatest  re- 
ward of  the  successful  man  is  his  conscious- 
ness of  having  acted  well  his  part.  This  Mr. 
Smith  has  ever  done,  and  to-day  he  stands 
among  the  highly  respected  citizens  of  his 
community. 

A  native  of  Canada,  Mr.  Smith  was  born 
at  Port  Stanley.  July  24,  1847,  'i"tl  is  a  son 
of  Alvin  and  Eleanor  (Clark)  Smith,  the 
former  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  the 
latter  of  Nova  Scotia.  Their  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  Canada.  The  paternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  Grove  Smith,  was  a 
member  of  an  old  and  prominent  Massa- 
chusetts family  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
for  American  independence.  He  was  a 
mechanic  bv  profession,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred in  Canada.     His  children  were  :     Su- 


236 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


sail,  who  married  Janies  Tobime.  he  being 
a  member  of  an  old  pioneer  family  of  Illi- 
nois; Moses,  Aaron,  Zenos,  George  W., 
Montgomer}',  'Alvin  and  Safronia,  who  be- 
came Mrs.  Benedict.  Alvin  Smith,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  reared  to  manhood 
in  the  state  of  his  nativity.  He  afterward 
emigrated  to  Canada,  going  the  entire  dis- 
tance on  foot,  walking  on  an  average  of 
sixty  miles  a  day,  and  there  he  settled  with 
his  father  and  family.  They  bought  land 
and  improved  a  farm  from  the  native  tim- 
ber. In  1833  Mr.  Smith  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  in  Boone  county,  where  he 
rented  a  farm,  but  death  claimed  him  four 
years  later  and  he  passed  away  in  1857.  His 
wife  survived  him  for  many  years  and  nobly 
succeeded  in  keeping  her  family  together  and 
providing  them  with  the  necessaries  of  life. 
After  many  years  she  came  to  Kansas,  and 
her  death  occurred  at  the  home  of  her  son, 
our  subject,  in  McPherson  county.  Both  she 
and  her  husband  were  Free  Will  Baptists. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
namely:  Hiram,  who  died  in  Minnesota; 
Lucy  A.,  who  was  twice  married,  first  to  J. 
Moss  and  afterward  to  D.  Thurston ;  Mary 
E.,  who  became  Mrs.  Higbee,  and  after  his, 
death  she  wedded  W.  Phelps;  Harvey  J., 
who  died  in  Arkansas;  Henry  T.,  a  resident 
of  Rockford,  Illinois ;  Alvin  M.,  who  makes 
his  home  in  Arkansas;  Ella  G.,  the  wife  of 
G.  H.  Irish;  Sarah  J.,  who  married  C.  A. 
Wing;  Charles  B.,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view; and  Carrie  V.,  who  married  A.  C. 
Church  and  died  at  Belvidere,  Boone  county, 
Illinois,  about  1864.  The  mother  of  this 
famijy  was  twice  married,  her  first  husband 
having  been  a  Mr.  Johnson,  by  whom  she 
had  one  son,  William  Johnson.  He  was 
reared  by  Mr.  Smith,  and  on  reaching  his 
majority  the  latter  gave  him  a  good  farm, 
he  being  at  that  time  in  good  circumstances, 
but  afterward  misfortune  overtook  him  and 
his  own  children  were  obliged  to  begin  life 
for  themselves  without  assistance. 

C.  B.  Smith,  whose  name  introduces  this 
review,  was  only  six  years  of  age  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal 
to  Illinois,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  tne  common  schools. 


After  the  death  of  his  father  he  remained 
j  with  his  widowed  mother  and,  with  his 
I  brothers,  Alvin  M.  and  H.  J.,  assisted  her  in 
j  the  support  of  the  family.  In  1870  he  left 
I  that  state  and  made  his  way  to  Kansas,  first 
j  locating  in  McPh.erson  count}-,  where  he  se- 
cured a  homestead  claim.  His  mother  after- 
ward joined  him  in  this  state  and  he  nobly 
cared  io.r  her  (luring  the  remainder  of  her 
life.  He  remained  in  jMcPherson  county 
until  1885,  when  he  sold  his  property  there 
and  came  to  Rice  county,  settling  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  resides.  Only  eighty 
acres  of  this  place  had  then  been  broken, 
there  were  no  fences  and  a  small  frame  dwel- 
ling stood  upon  the  land.  Mr.  Smith  has 
since  enlarged  and  remodeled  his  residence, 
which  is  two  stories  in  height,  and  has  a 
large  barn  and  all  necessary  outbuildings. 
The  place  is  located  five  miles  southeast  of 
Little  River  and  is  one  of  the  well  improved 
and  valuable  farms  of  the  county.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  general  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing Mr.  Smith  also  operates  a  threshing 
machine. 

In  McPherson  county,  Kansas,  in  187S, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margaret 
Pinkerton,  who  was  born  at  Kirksville,  Mis- 
souri. June  7,  1855,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Harriet  ( Normanl  Pinkerton,  both  na- 
tives of  Ohio.  They  were  married  in  the 
Buckeye  state,  and  in  1855  removed  to  Mis- 
souri, where  the  father  followed  farming. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  fought  for  the 
preservation  of  the  Union  in  a  Missouri 
regiment,  having  enlisted  at  Kirksville,  that 
state,  and  during  his  military  career  he  saw 
much  hard  service.  He  was  never  wounded 
or  captured,  and  on  the  expiration  of  his 
three  years'  service  he  received  an  honor- 
able discharge  and  returned  to  his  family  in 
Missouri.  He  subsequently  removed  to  No- 
komis,  Illinois,  where  he  followed  farming 
until  1873.  That  vear  witnessed  his  arrival 
in  Kansas,  where  he  purchased  a  tract  of 
raw  prairie  land  and  began  the  improvement 
of  a  farm.  He  was  only  permitted  to  enjoy 
his  new  home  for  a  short  time,  however,  as 
death  claimed  him  the  following  year.  He 
was  a  loyal  and  patriotic  soldier,  a  success- 
ful business  man  and  a  true  friend,  and  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


won  the  love  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact.  His  family  carried  on 
the  work  wliich  he  had  begun  and  remained 
there  until  1885,  when  they  sold  that  prop- 
erty and  removed  to  Kingman  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  they  pre-empted  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  and  there  began  the  work 
of  improving  another  fann.  where  the  ninth- 
er  lived  until  her  death,  which  occurred  in 
1 89 1.  Both  she  and  her  husband  held  mem- 
bership in  the  Free  Methodist  church,  in 
which  he  served  as  a  minister  for  many 
years,  using  his  influence  in  behalf  of  Chris- 
tianity and  in  the  uplifting  of  his  fellow 
men.  He  was  a  well  educated  man  and  was 
a  competent  school  teacher  in  early  life.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pinkerton  were : 
Amanda,  the  wife  of  J.  E.  Stanley;  Lewis 
W.,  deceased;  Marg-aret,  the  wife  of  our 
subject ;  A.  P.,  a  resident  of  Kingman  coun- 
ty, Kansas;  Joanna,  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Fair- 
childs;  Rhoda,  who  married  D.  Hess;  and 
Sarah  J-,  the  wife  of  B.  Durr.  The  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  has  been  blessed  with 
three  children, — Arthur  D.,  who  was  born 
Augiist  25,  1880;  Hattie  E.,  born  Novem- 
ber 27.  1881 ;  and  James  L.,  born  September 
12,  1884.  Of  the  Methodist  church  Mrs. 
Smith  is  a  valued  and  active  member.  In 
his  social  relations  Mr.  Smith  is  a  member 
of  the  \\'oodmen  of  the  \\'orld.  He  form- 
erly voted  with  the  Democracy,  but  is  now  a 
stanch  advocate  of  the  Reform  party.  He 
has  served  as  trustee  and  assessor  of  his 
township  and  has  filled  many  other  minor 
offices,  and  in  all  his  public  duties  he  has 
been  true  to  the  trusts  reposed  in  him. 


FREDERICK  DEISSROTH. 

It  is  a  fact  to  which  due  recognition  is 
not  always  acd^r^lcd  that  the  German  ele- 
ment of  our  nati'i'ial  commonwealth  has 
been  a  very  impnriant  mie  in  advancing  the 
material  interests  of  the  nation,  but  on  in- 
vestigation it  will  be  found  that  a  large  per- 
centage of  the  successful  business  men  are 
of  German  birth  or  lineage.  Mr.  Deissroth 
is  a  representative  of  the  fatherland  and  is 


now  one  of  the  leading^  and  enterprising 
merchants  of  Wilson,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  dealing  in  dry  goods,  clothing,  boots  and 
shoes.  He  was  born  in  Guntersblum,  Darm- 
stadt, Germany,  July  11,  1846,  his  parents 
being  William  and  Elizabeth  Deissroth,  the 
former  a  carpenter  and  builder.  In  the  fam- 
ily were  seven  children,  of  whom  Frederick 
is  the  eldest  and  the  only  one  living,  and  his 
parents  have  also  passed  away. 

Frederick  Deissroth  was  educated  in  the 
common  sclionls  rmd  pur-ucd  a  course  in 
drawing  and  iiKitlH'iiiatic^  preparatory  to 
learning  the  trade  which  his  father  had  fol- 
lowed. He  was  then  instructed  in  the  study 
of  architecture  .and  carpentering,  and  en- 
gaged in  work  along  that  line  until  nineteen 
years  ot  age,  when  he  came  to  America, 
crossing  the  Atlantic  in  the  winter  of  1864- 
5,  on  the  steamer  Saxonia,  which  was  nine- 
teen days  upon  the  trip.  The  vessel  was 
commanded  by  Captain  Meier,  who  said  that 
it  was  his  thirty-fifth  voyage  and  that  the 
storm  which  they  encountered  was  the  worst 
he  had  ever  experienced.  The  vessel  was 
driven  about  by  the  gale,  its  staterooms  were 
damaged  and  the  berth  occupied  by  Mr. 
Deissroth  was  also  broken  down.  However, 
in  safety  they  at  length  reached  New  York, 
and,  landing  in  the  eastern  metropolis,  Mr. 
Deissroth  proceeded  thence  to  Philadelphia 
where  he  was  engaged  in  carpentering  for 
fifteen  years.  He  came  to  Kansas  with  the 
intention  of  following  farming,  believing 
that  his  health  would  be  benefited  thereby. 
The  exhibit  made  l)v  the  Sunflower  state  in 
the  Centennial  Kxpnsition  liad  favorably  itn- 
pres^ed  him  and  was  the  thing  which  in- 
duced him  to  seek  a  home  here.  In  the  spring 
of  1877  he  came  on  a  prospecting  tour  to 
the  west  and  upon  his  return  organized  a 
colony  of  forty  families  with  whom  he  came 
to  Wilson.  Six  of  them,  however,  settled 
in  Russell  and  Lincoln  counties. 

Mr.  Deissroth  secured  a  homestead  in 
Russell  county  and  also  established  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  store  in  Wilson,  in  connec- 
tion with  J.  H.  Claussen.  their  partnership 
being  maintained  for  five  years.  On  the  ex- 
piration of  that  period  Mr.  Deissroth  sold 
his  interest  in  the  store  and  at  a  sheriff's 


238 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


sale  purchased  the  store  formerly  owned  by 
W.  G.  Thompson,  and  which  he  has  since 
conducted.  He  resided  upon  his  farm  for 
many  years,  driving  back  and  forth  daily 
to  his  place  of  business.  He  first  carried  on 
mercantile  operations  at  the  corner  south  of 
his  present  location  and  there  suffered  a  loss 
by  fire  in  1879,  but,  phenix-like,  a  new  store 
arose  from  the  ashes.  The  day  following 
the  fire  he  had  seventeen  carpenters^  at  work 
on  the  ground  clearing  away  the  debris  and 
making-  preparations  for  the  erection  of  a 
new  structure.  Five  years  were  there  passed, 
after  which,  in  February,  Mr.  Deissroth  sold 
his  interest  in  the  establishment,  as  before 
mentioned,  and  purchased  the  Thompson 
store.  He  was  for  three  years  on  the  oppo- 
site corner  and  then  rented  his  present  site. 
In  1898  he  purchased  the  entire  corner  where 
he  is  now  located  and  erected  the  two-story 
building,  having-  a  frontage  of  seventy-five 
feet  facing  the  railroad  and  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  on  Main  street.  This  building  is 
divided  into  six  stores.  The  one  occupied 
by  Mr.  Deissroth  is  forty  by  fifty  feet  and 
contains  a  large  stock  of  drv  goods,  cloth- 
ing, boots  and  shoes.  Mr.  Deissroth  has 
been  very  prosperous  in  his  undertaking.  He 
gives  personal  attention  to  the  business  and 
has  the  unique  record  of  never  having  had  a 
bill  presented  to  him  or  a  draft  made  on  him 
for  payment  of  his  accounts.  He  makes  it  a 
point  to  discount  all  bills.  He  sustains  an 
unassailable  reputation  in  business  circles, 
his  honesty  being  proverbial,  his  v/ord  being 
as  good  as  any  bond  that  was  ever  solemiiT 
ized  by  signature  or  seal.  He  has  added  to 
his  landed  possessions  and  now  Operates 
four  hundred  acres,  mainly  planted  to  grain, 
raising  Ijetween  nine  and  ten  thousand 
bushels  of  wheat  each  year.  He  is  also  one 
of  the  directors  of  tiie  \\'ilson  bank. 

On  the  nth  of  July,  1869,  in  Philadel- 
phia, Mr.  Deissroth  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Ernestina  Linsenbarth.  They  have 
nine  children :  Frederick  is  the  foreman  of 
Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  4,  of  New 
\  ork  city.  On  one  occasion  he  saved  the 
life  of  Mr.  Rajanond,  the  president  of  the 
Home  Insurance  Com|)any,  who  was  in  the 
\\'indsor  Hotel  fire,  and  for  this  he  received 


a  gold  medal  and  a  gift  of  five  hundred  dol- 
lars. The  other  members  of  the  family  are : 
August  R..  who  is  engaged  in  farming; 
Ernestina.  deceased ;  Charles,  who  also  car- 
ries on  agricultural  ]  ursuits ;  Grace,  Frank, 
George,  Otti  ami  Kinli.  who  are  still  with 
the  parents.  Tlic  family  home  is  a  fine  resi- 
dence which  was  erected  by  Mr.  Deissroth  in 
1897.  It  extends  from  one  street  back  to  the 
next  and  the  grounds  are  attractive  and  well 
laid  out.  There  is  also  a  good  stone  barn  upon 
the  place.  His  farm  is  equipped  with  all 
modern  accessories  and  improvements,  in- 
cluding a  good  grain  barn  and  sheds,  and  it 
is  characteristic  of  Mr.  Deissroth  that  every- 
thing about  him  shall  be  neat  and  thrifty  in 
appearance  and  thoroug-hly  up  to  date. 

Mr.  Deissroth  exercises  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Democratic  party.  He  has  served  as 
mayor  of  Wilson  antl  as  a  member  of  the 
city  council,  while  for  three  years,  from  1880 
until  1883,  he  was  county  commissioner  for 
the  third  district.  He  belongs  to  Samaria 
Lodge,  No.  298,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he 
was  the  first  master,  serving  in  that  capacity 
for  several  vears.  He  also  belongs  to  Ells- 
worth Chapter.  No.  54,  R.  A.  M.  :"Ellsworth 
Council,  No.  9.  R.  S.  M. :  St.  Aldemar  Com- 
mandery.  No.  ^t,  :  and  Isis  Temple  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  connected  with 
Wilson  Lodge,  No.  225,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is 
a  miember  of  the  German  Lutheran  church. 
He  has.  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  his  rec- 
ord, which  indicates  his  business  ability  to 
be  of  a  high  order,  combined  with  unflag- 
ging perseverance  and  keen  discrimination. 
His  entire  life  has  been  one  of  unusual  activ- 
ity and  industry  and  his  methods  have  al- 
ways been  in  keeping  with  the  highest  prin- 
ciples of  fair  dealing  and  with  conscientious 
regard  for  the  rights  of  others. 


WILLIAM  N.  LEWIS. 

A  leading  business  citizen  of  Hollyroocl, 
Kansas,  who  conducts  one  of  the  impiortant 
lines  of  sale  and  manufacture  in  this  little 
city,  is  William  N.  Lewis,  a  native  of  Penn- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


s\lvaiiia,  Ijorn  in  Cumberland  county,  on 
November  21,  1863.  He  was  a  son  of  Nich- 
olas and  Margaret  ( Finkenbinder)  Lewis, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Germany, 
and  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  nati\'e  of 
I'ennsylvania. 

Nicholas  Lewis  was  a  shoen^^aker  by 
trade,  and  until  1872  was  located  at  Stone- 
ham,  Pennsylvania.  At  that  date  he  re- 
niioved  to  Ellsworth  county.  Kansas,  with 
his  family,  and  located  at  Wilson,  opening 
up  at  this  place  a  shoemaking  shop.  A  short 
time  later  he  removed  to  what  is  now  Russell 
county,  where  he  purchased  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  railroad  land  which  was 
entirely  unimproved.  ^Iw  Lewis  was  one  of 
the  early  pioneers  and  spent  five  years  in  the 
improvement  of  his  land,  in  farming  and 
stock-raising,  selling"  out  at  that  date  and 
again  engaging  in  work  at  his  trade,  in  Wil- 
son. Until  1893  ^J^''-  Lewis  conducted  a 
business  in  this  line  but  failing  health  urged 
a  return  to  the  more  active  life  on  the  farm, 
and  he  purchased  a  desirable  tract  of  land  in 
Barton  county  and  carried  on  general  farm- 
ing there  until  1899.  returning  at  that  time 
tn  Russell  county,  where  he  now  resides. 

The  children  born  to  the  parents  of  our 
subject  numbered  eight,  and  five  nf  these 
still  survive,  as  follows:  Fred  R..  \\h>i  is 
in  the  harness  business  in  Wilson:  William 
N..  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Daniel 
A.,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  government ; 
Jennie  B..  who  is  the  wife  of  R.  Powell,  a 
farmer  of  Ellsworth  county  ;  and  Samuel  A., 
who  resides  at  home. 

\A'illiam  N.  Lewis  of  this  sketch  was  a 
lad  of  nine  years  when  his  parents  came  to 
Kansas,  and  he  acquired  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  district.  As  soon 
as  C'Ul  enough  to  learn  a  trade,  he  was  in- 
structed by  his  father  and'  thus  gained  a 
knowledge  of  leather  and  other  necessi- 
ties of  the  shoe  and  harness  trade,  which 
later  in  life,  wdien  he  was  prepared  to  estab- 
lish a  business  for  himself,  proved  of  the 
greatest  value. 

As  early  as  eighteen  year-  Mr.  Liwis  be- 
gan the  business  of  grain  Ijiiyir.g,  in  ;;sso- 
ciation  with  his  eldest  brother,  and  this  was 
carried  on  with  success  for  two  vears.     In 


1889  our  subject  came  to  Holly  rood  and 
started  the  first  business  in  his  line,  in  this 
town,  offering  to  the  public  a  complete  line 
of  both  heavy  and  fancy  harness,  plain  or 
ornamental,  with  all  modern  designs  and 
conveniences,  anil  soon  began  the  m;mufac- 
ture  of  the  same,  this  branch  of  the  business 
being  satisfactory  both  to  himself  and  his 
many  patrons.  He  has  given  close  atten- 
tion both  to  the  management  and  promotion 
of  his  business  and  has  gained  the  confidence 
of  the  public  over  a  large  extent  of  terri- 
tory. In  additii  n  i. »  his  manufactured  arti- 
cles, which  arc  ci  iiiiilete  and  entirely  up-to- 
date,  he  has  on  sale  an  excellent  line  of  less 
expensive  harness  and  horse  furnishings. 

In  politics  Mr.  Lewis  has  always,  been 
an  adherent  of  the  Democratic  party,  but  has 
ne\er  accc'iited  any  iiftice  except  that  of  con- 
stable. Iii>  >er\  ice  in  that  position  being  sat- 
isfactory to  both  parties,  although  he  re- 
tained the  office  but  one  term.  He  is  well 
and  favorably  known  in  a  number  of  frater- 
nal orders,  the  leading  ones  being :  F.  &  A. 
]\I..  of  Hollyrood ;  R.  A.  M.,  E.  M.  Chapter, 
of  Ellsworth;  and  has  filled  many  official 
positions  and  has  been  a  representative  to 
the  grand  lodge;  is  also-  a  thirty-second  de- 
gree Mason  and  belongs  to  Wichita  Con- 
sistory :  Hollyrood  Lodge,  No.  380.  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  in  which  he  is  past  grand;  and 
in  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  where  he  has 
passed  the  chairs  and  has  been  a  representa- 
tive to  the  highest  lodge. 

]\Ir.  Lewis  is  highly  regarded  in  his  local- 
ity and  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  high  char- 
acter who  conducts  hi-^  Iui-uk--  (  n  princi- 
l)les  which  reflect  honor  ,iim1  lund'n  not  only 
upon  himself,  but  alsii  np^  r.  In-  lown.     Our 


SniON  W.  KOONS. 

Simon  W.  Koons  was  born  in  Wayne 
county.  OhiO',  March  12.  1848.  and  is  now 
engaged  in  farming  on  section  2.  Valley 
township.  Rice  county,  Kansas.  His  par- 
ents were  John  and  Rebecca  (Gesleman) 
K(  ons.  The  former  was  born  in  Lancaster 
county.    Pennsylvania,    in    1797.    and    died 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


upon  tlie  farm  there  in  October.  1872.  By 
his  marriage  he  became  the  father  of  eleven 
sons  and  four  daughters,  of  which  number 
ten  sons  and  three  daughters  reached  adult 
age  and  all  were  married  with  the  exception 
of  one  daughter.  The  youngest  daughter  of 
the  family  was  accidentally  poisoned  when 
one  year  old.  and  they  lost'  an  infant  son. 
The  parents  began  life  in  humble  circum- 
stances and  in  the  midst  of  the  heavy  forest 
the  father  cleared  and  developed  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  and  the  rich 
fields  yielded  to  him  a  golden,  tribute  for  the 
care  and  labor  he  bestowed  upon  them.  He 
served  in  the  war  of  1812  and  was  ever  a 
loyal  and  devoted  citizen.  He  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  United  Brethren  church 
and  the  latter  died  in  1884.  being  an  octo- 
genarian at  the  time. 

Simon  \\".  Koons  spent  his  youth  in  the 
usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  of  the  period. 
He  acquired  a  good  common-school  educa- 
tion, such  as  was  given  to  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family.  The  nine  sons  engaged 
in  teaching  school  and  two  of  them,  Samuel 
and  Isaac,  became  ministers  of  the  gospel, 
the  former  now  preaching  in  California, 
while  the  latter  is  located  in  ^\"ichita,  Kan- 
sas. Joseph  was  the  inventor  of  the  Min- 
nesota Chief  Thresher  and  makes  his  home 
in  Glencoe,  ^linnesota.  Jacob  was  a  soldier 
for  four  years  in  the  Civil  war  and  now 
resides  at  New  Auburn.  Minnesota.  He  has 
a  son  who  is  engaged  in  military  service  in 
Ithe  Philippinies.  During  foul'teen  winter 
terms  Simon  W.  Koons  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school  in  Ohio  and  Kansas  and  was  a 
capable  educator,  who  imparted  clearly  and 
concisely  to  others  the  knowledge  he  had  ac- 
quired. He  remained  at  home  until  his  mar- 
riage, which  was  celebrated  on  the  ist  of 
December,  1870,  Miss  ^Minerva  Grady  be- 
coming his  wife.  She  was  born  in  Ohio. 
August  II,  1850.  Her  parents  came  to 
Kansas  in  the  fall  of  1884,  but  both  are  now 
deceased.  Mr.  Koons  of  this  review  arrived 
in  the  Sunflower  state  on  the  23d  of  August, 
1877,  settling  on  a  quarter  section  of  land. 
He  homesteaded  eighty  acres  and  paid  two 
thousand  dollars  for  the  other  eighty.  He 
has  since  carried  on   general   farmincr.   his 


principal  crop  being  wheat  and  corn.  He 
has  raised  twenty-three  hundred  and  fiftv 
bushels  of  wheat  and  three  thousand  bush- 
els of  corn  in  a  single  year  and  has  kept  on 
hand  from  six  to  ten  head  of  horses,  most 
of  which  he  has  worked  in  the  operation  of 
his  land.  He  also  keeps  about  thirty-five 
head  of  cattle  and  an  equal  number  of  hogs. 
In  1 901  he  erected  a  good  residence  upon  his 
farni  and  to-day  he  has  a  well  improved 
place,  neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance,  the 
richly  cultivated  fields  bringing  to  him  a 
splendid  return  for  his  labor. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Koons 
has  been  blessed  with  six  children :  Frank- 
lin Walter,  who  married  Bertha  Talbott,  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Kansas  City  Medical  Col- 
lege and  is  now  engaged  in  practice  in 
Chase,  Kansas;  Xola  ]\Iaud  is  the  wife  of 
Bruce  Burrows,  and  they  have  two  children  : 
Carrie  !May  is  the  wife  of  \\'illiam  Coldwa- 
ter,  a  farmer  living  near  Chase,  Kansas,  by 
whom  she  has  one  son :  Guy  Grady  assists 
his  father  in  the  operation  of  his  farm;  and 
Lena  Catherine  and  Bryson  are  both  at 
home.  Mr.  Koons  is  a  member  of  the  sub- 
ordinate lodge  and  encampment  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  has 
membership  relations  with  the  Ancient  Or- 
der of  United  Workmen.  He  supports  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Republican  partv, 
has  been  township  trustee  for  one  term  and 
has  served  on  the  school  examining  board. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
United  Brethren  church  and  he  is  a  public 
spirited  and  progressive  citizen  who  gives 
all  bis  aid  and  influence  to  support  every 
measure  which  he  believes  will  prove  of  gen- 
eral benefit. 


COL.  C.  L.  \'AUGHAX. 

An  im];ortant  business  interest  of  Hutch- 
inson. Kansas,  is  the  insurance  line,  and  a 
leading  representati\'e  is  the  ^'aughan-Font- 
ron  Agency,  tlie  senior  member  of  the  firm 
being  Col.  C.  L.  Vaughan  of  this  biog- 
raphy. Although  long  identified  with  the 
interests  of  this  state.  Colonel  \'aughan  was 
born    in    ^Medina,    Ohio,    on    September    18, 


Cti^fli- 


'/ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


1845.  He  comes  of  a  pioneer  ancestry  and 
also  belongs  to  a  family  which  has  been  cori- 
spicuoiis  in  the  military  life  of  the  country 
from  the  time  when  Orlando  X'aughan  was 
a  distinguished  soldier  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  down  to  the  brave  young  soldier 
who  worthily  bore  honors  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war. 

The  early  family  records  tell  of  three 
English  brothers  of  this  name  coming  to 
America  and  settling,  one  in  Rhode  Island, 
one  in  Massachusetts  and  the  third  in  Con- 
necticut. The  ancestor  i<\  the  Vaughan 
branch  under  consiikiMiiMii  was  Orlando, 
and  after  the  close  of  the  Kevnlutionary  w'ar 
he  moved  to  New  York  and  took  part  in 
the  Indian  wars  of  the  period.  His  son 
Rufus.  who  was  the  grandfather  of  Colonel 
\'aughan.  was  a  loyal  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812-14  and  at  that  time  was  a  resident  of 
Ohiii,  having  l>een  one  nf  the  pioneers  in 
that  state.  In  1848,  fi'llnwing  the  example 
of  his  ancestors.  Chauncy  Vaughan,  who, 
although  born  in  New  York,  was  reared  in 
Ohio,  migrated  to  WiscOinsin  and  settled 
near  the  present  town  of  Oiilton,  in  Calu- 
met county,  before  that  great  state  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Union.  Whatever  prompted 
these  early  pioneers,  whether  it  was  a  spirit 
of  adventure  or  a  desire  to  better  provide 
for  their  ofifspring.  the  life  brought  with 
it  exacting  conditions  which  required  great 
ph\'sical  courage  and  robust  constitutions. 
At  the  time  of  settlement  Chauncy  Vaughan 
and  wife  fonnd  a  forest  surrounding  their 
little  log  cabin  and  Indians  were  their 
only  neighbors.  Sometimes  these  children 
of  the  woods  were  friendly,  but  occasionally 
they  were  savage.  Colonel  Vaughan  recalls 
one  occasion  when  his  mother  was  badly 
frightened  l:)y  finding  three  Indians  grinding 
knives  at  her  husband's  grindstone,  near 
the  spring  where  she  had  gone  for  water. 
Greeting  them  in  a  friendh-  way  she  escaped 
injury  bv  giving  tlieni  fnod,  but  it  required 
strong  nerves  in  these  pioneer  mothers  tO' 
enable  them  to  go  abmit  their  daily  tasks 
under  such  conditions.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  Amanda  (Hyatt)  Vaughan, 
wdio  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  she  passed  away 
in  1863.     The  father  survived  until  March 


28,  1893.  Their  surviving  children  are: 
Col.  C.  L.,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Mrs.  Mary  Walsh,  who  lives  in  Seymour, 
Wisconsin  ;  Rufus,  who  is  the  talented  editor 
of  the  Jewell  County  "Monitor,"'  at  Man- 
kato,  Kansas,  and  Ida,  who  is  Mrs.  \\'alsh 
and  lives  at  Antigo,  W'isconsin. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  reared 
on  the  pioneer  farm  in  Wisconsin  and  was 
attending  school  in  Chilton  when,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years,  he,  in  the  wake  of 
his  ancestors,  also  became  a  soldier.  Enlist- 
ing on  July  14.  1863,  in  Company  F,  New 
York  lieavy  Artillery,  he  took  part  in  the 
operations  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until 
Aug-ust,  1864,  when  he  was  made  prisoner 
and  was  confined  in  Libby  prison,  and  was 
later  transferred  to  Belle  Island.  While  there 
he  cemented  a  friendship  with  a  colored  man 
by  the  gift  of  a  pipe,  who  frequently  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  him  somjething  to  eat, 
which  was  a  matter  of  vital  importance.  By 
this  means  he  was  able  to  keep  his  strength : 
and  when  the  poor  victims  of  imprisonment 
became  so  desperate  that  they  would  even 
commit  murder  to  obtain  something  and 
it  became  necessar\-  to  police  them,  he 
was  the  one  placed  in  charge  of  thirty-eight 
of  the  most  desperate  characters.  This  posi- 
tion Cokjuel  \"aughan  had  forced  upon  him 
by  Lieutenauit  Ballou,  the  officer  in  charge, 
and  he  was  promised  a  parole  at  the  winter 
break-up  if  he  would  consent,  and  with  this 
understanding  our  subject  took  the  dista.ste- 
ful  p  -iti'ii.  Like  many  of  the  promises 
made  in  tiiat  dreadful  place,  this  was  not 
fulfilled,  and  even  President  Davis  refused 
to  notice  it,  as  the  idea  was  to  only  parole 
or  exchange  those  who  were  unfit  for  ser- 
vice. However,  in  this  emergency.  Lieu- 
tenant Ballou  privately  gave  him  medicine 
which  made  him  temporarily  sick  and  in 
this  way  he  secured  parole.  After  his  ex- 
change, however,  he  suddenly  grew  better 
and  lost  no  time  in  rejoining  his  regiment 
at  Fort  Steadman,  only  to  again  sufi^er  cap- 
ture, in  March,  1865.  and  was  again  sent 
to  Libby  prison,  and  was  exchanged  again 
at  Aiken's  Landing,  on  April  2.  He  was  then 
given  a  furlough  home  of  thirty  days,  return- 
ing thence  to  his  regiment,  and  with  it  went 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


i 


to  Washington,  where  it  was  stationed  until 
July,  1866,  being-  discharged  in  Rochester, 
^s"ew  York.  On  account  of  his  excellence 
as  a  drill  master,  our  subject  obtained  his 
honorable  title,  having  had  charge  of  a 
batallion  at  New  York,  his  instruction  in- 
cluding both  officers  and  privates. 

After  his  return  to  civil  life.  Colonel 
Vaughan  was  successfully  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  wagons  and  carriages  in 
Wisconsin  until  his  property  was  destroyed 
by  a  disastrous  fire.  In  1871  he  made  a 
trip  to  Kansas,  but  did  not  permanently 
locate  in  this  state  until  1873,  when  he  took 
up  a  quarter  section  on  Buffalo  creek,  in 
Jewell  county,  and  here  did  some  farming, 
but  was  principally  engaged  at  work  at  his 
trade  in  Beloit.  In  1875  he  invented  and 
patented  a  breaker,  which  was  a  success,  bivt 
about  this  time  he  received  an  injury  which 
incapacitated  him  from  active  work  physi- 
cally and  he  then  entered  into  the  real-estate 
business  at  Mankato.  In  1885  the  Com- 
mon\\-ealth  Loan  and  Trust  "Company,  of 
Boston,  was  organized  and  our  subject  was 
made  one  of  the  three  district  agents  in  this 
state,  the  location  being  first  at  Millbrook, 
then  at  Wakeeney,  where  the  United  States 
land  office  was  located.  In  1887  the  three 
agencies  were  consolidated  and  Colonel 
Vaughan  was  gi\^en  charge  o-f  the  entire 
state  and  also  of  Texas.  In  1889  he  moved 
to  Dallas,  but  in  1891  returned  to  Kansas 
in  order  to  close  up  the  afifairs  of  this  busi- 
ness, on  account  of  the  prevaihng  hard 
times.  Before  accomplishing  this  the  Phce- 
nix  Insurance  Company  of  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut, offered  him  the  position  of  western 
manager,  covering  the  states  of  Kansas,  Ne- 
braska and  North  and  South  Dakota,  prac- 
tically all  of  their  investments  in  this  section. 
They  had  at  that  time  three-quarters  of  a 
million  dollars  in  western  investments,  but 
thrO'Ugh  defaulting  creditors  their  business 
was  in  bad  shape.  Colonel  Vaughan  en- 
tered into  this  with  characteristic  energ>' 
and  enthusiasm,  and  has  managed  so  well 
that  two-thirds  of  the  amount  has  been  paid 
and  the  balance  has  been  so  arranged  that  it 
is  now  profitable.  In  1896  a  partnership 
was  formed  and  in  1898  Judge  Fontron  he- 


came  a  partner,  the  firmi  style  being  the 
Vaughan-Fontron  Agency,  and  they  repre- 
sent some  of  the  oldest  and  most  reliable 
insurance  firms  in  the  United  States  and 
England. 

Colonel  Vaughan  was  married  on  Au- 
gust 4,  1867,  to  Miss  Eliza  Jane  Godding, 
a  daughter  of  Joseph  O.  Godding,  and  a  son 
of  this  marriage,  A.  E.,  is  associated  with 
the  business  of  his  father.  In  political  life 
Colonel  Vaughan  has  been  actively  identified, 
with  the  Republican  party  as  far  as  good  citi- 
zenship extends,  and  has  done  his  civic  duty 
in  the  city  council,  but  his  tastes  are  not  in 
the  direction  of  political  honors.  In  this 
city  he  stands  high  in  public  esteem  and  is 
reco'gnized  as  one  of  its  most  reliable  and 
capable  business  factors. 


ISAAC  L.  AIcCRACKEN. 

Isaac  L.  McCracken  is  now  living  re- 
tired in  Sterling,  the  rest  which  crowns  hon- 
orable, continued  and  well  directed  efforts 
having  been  vouchsafed  to  him,  and  now  as 
he  approaches  the  evening  of  life  be  is  en- 
abled to  enjoy  quiet  retirement.  He  was 
born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio,  July  18,  1836. 
His  father,  the  Rev.  S.  W.  McCracken,  was 
born  in  Hamilton  county,  Ohio,  near  Cin- 
cinnati, in  1800,  and  was  a  son  of  Wilson 
McCracken,  but  aside  from  this  little  is 
known  concerning  the  remote  ancestral  his- 
tory. During  the  greater  .part  of  his  life  the 
Rev.  McCracken  devoted  his  labors  to  gos- 
pel work  as  a  minister  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  was  at  one  time  pro- 
fessor of  mathematics  in  the  Miami  Univer- 
sity, of  Obio.  He  married  Miss  Catherine 
E.  Monfort,  who  was  born  in  Butler  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  about  1809,  and  was  a  daughter 
of  Peter  and  Anna  Maria  (Spinning)  Mon- 
fort. The  parents  of  our  subject  were  mar- 
ried in  Oxford,  Ohio,  and  the  mother  died 
at  ]\Iorning  Sun,  Preble  county,  that  state, 
in  1S49,  while  the  father,  surviving  her 
about  ten  years,  passed  away  in"  the  same 
ci'unty,  in  October,  18:9.  He  was  for  twen- 
ty years  the  pastor  of  Hopewell  church  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


tliat  county  and  his  remains  were  laid  to  rest 
in  the  churchyard  there.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  nine  children,  but  only  four  reached 
years  of  maturity,  namely.:  John  Calvin, 
who  is  now  a  merchant  in  Urbana.  Ohio; 
Isaac  L. ;  Charlotte  A.,  who  became  the  wife 
(if  W.  Craig-  and  died  in  Oxford,  Ohio. 
April  23,  1893,  at  the  age  of  forty-nine 
years,  leaving  four  children:  and  Samuel, 
who  was  killed  at  the  battle  ^f  Resac:i,  and 
sleeps  in  the  soldier's  cemeter\  at  Atlanta, 
Georgia.  He  left  the  jMianii  L'iii\trsity  at 
President  Lincoln's  second  call  for  troops, 
served  for  three  years  and  on  the  expiration 
of  that  period,  when  his  first  term_  of  enlist- 
ment had  expired,  he  re-enlisted,  meeting 
death  upon  the  battlefield. 

Isaac  L.  McCracken.  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  and  the  memlier  of  the 
family  in  whom  the  citizens  of  central  Kan- 
sas are  most  interested,  was  a  student  in  the 
Morning  Sun  Academy,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged in  teaching  for  one  term.  He  volun- 
teered for  service  in  the  Union  army  August 
8,  1862,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  G, 
Ninety-third  Ohio  Infantry.  He  joined  the 
army  as  a  private  and'  was  sergeant  when 
mustered  out.  He  was  never  wounded,  but 
was  accidentally  injured  while  on  the  sick 
list.  Brave  and  loyal  he  was  ever  found  at 
his  post  of  duty  and' with  a  creditable  mili- 
tary record  he  returned  to  his  home. 

Mr.  McCracken  was  united  in  marriage 
October  27.  1857,  to  Miss  Ella  ^^■.  Stewart, 
of  Preble  county,  Ohio,  born  Deccmlier  9. 
1835,  her  parents  being  Joseph  and  Xaomi 
(Hart)  Stewart.  Eight  children  have  been 
born  of  this  union:  Alia  ]\I.,  wife  of  A.  D. 
Ramsey,  of  Sterling,  and  they  have  three 
living  children  and  have  lost  one:  Frank 
M.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years,  while 
his  father  was  in  the  service  of  his  country : 
Myrta  C,  who  is  the  wife  of  X.  C.  Elliott, 
of  Union  county,  Indiana,  and  they  have 
two  living  children ;  Charley  S.,  who  is  now 
a  ranchman  in  Texas:  Lee  S.,  a  resident  of 
Sterling,  who  is  married  and  has  four  chil- 
dren:  Gilbert  G..  who  is  married  and  also 
resides  in  Sterling:  Josiah  C,  who  graduat- 
ed in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  with 
the  class  of  1901,  and  was  for  four  years  a 


member  of  the  football  team  and  one  of  the 
finest  athletes  of  the  school,  while  he  is  also 
renowned  for  his  mental  superiority  and  his 
moral  worth ;  and  Daisy  E.,  whoi  is  the  wife 
of  O.  B.  Johnson,  of  Lyons,  Kansas. 

Mr.  McCracken  continued  to  reside  in 
Ohio  until  the-  fall  of  1872,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Lincoln  county,  Tennessee,  going 
thence  to  Emerson  county,  Kansas,  in  the 
fall  of  1884.  He  fHll,.\'ve(l  farming  and 
milling.  In  the  spring  nf  iSSd  he  went  to 
Ness  county,  Kansas,  wlicre  he  secured  four 
quarter  sections  of  land  and  thereon  carried 
on  farming  for  five  years.  In  i8gi  he  came 
to  Sterling,  taking  up  his  abode  in  his  pres- 
ent good  residence,  and  is  now  living  re- 
tired. Socially  he  is  connected  with  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  has  been 
junior  vice  commander.  He  has  served  as 
street  commissioner  for  four  years  and  is  a 
stanch  temperance  man.  He  also  belongs 
to  the  L'^nited  Presbyterian  church,  in  which 
he  is  a  trustee,  and  he  is  deeply  interestd  in 
all  moral  work  calculated  to  uplift  his  fellow 
men. 


HENRY   B.   NEWMAN. 

Henry  B.  Newman  is  a  progressive 
farmer  residing  one  mile  north  of  the  city 
of  Sterling.  He  was  born  in  Rising  Sun, 
Indiana.  October  30,  1854.  His  father, 
Henry  B.  Newman,  was  accidentally 
drowned  when  the  son  was  only  six  months 
old.  He  was  a  cripple,  and  in  falling  from 
a  boat  at  Rising  Sun  was  unable  to  help  him- 
self and  thus  found  death  in  a  watery  grave. 
He  left  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  The 
mother  bore  the  maiden  name  O'f  Mary  Wal- 
ton and  died  in  Rising  Sun  in  the  fall  of 
1893.  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  The 
father  of  otir  subject  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, but  was  brought  to  America  during  his 
childhood.  His  crippled  condition  was 
caused  from  a  white  swelling.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  engaged  in  the  drug  bus- 
iness in  Rising  Sun.  and  to  his  family  he 
left  a  comfortable  home  and  a  small  prop- 
erty. His  children  were:  Charles,  now  a 
painter  of  Rising  Sun :  Oliver,  a  farmer  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


that  locality ;  Sarah  Frances,  wliO'  became  the 
wife  of  A.  R.  Talbott  and  died  when  about 
thirty  years  of  age,  leaving  tAvo  children; 
Harriet,  who  died  wheil  about  twelve  years 
of  age;  and  Henry  B. 

Mr.  Newman,  o^f  this  review,  received  a 
fair  common-school  education,  continuing 
his  studies  until  thirteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  began  working  in  a  woolen  mill,  where 
he  was  employed  for  six  years.  He  subse- 
quently worked  in  a  brick  yard,  receiving 
but  small  wages.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  years  he  left  home  and  came  to  Rice 
county,  Kansas,  reaching  his  destination  on 
the  27th  of  February.  1877.  He  made  his 
way  to  the  home  of  his  brother-in-law,  A. 
R.  Talbott,  a  miller  of  Rising  Sun,  Indiana, 
and  later  came  to  Rice  county.  After  his 
arrival  here  Mr.  Newman  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Miss  Isabel  Heter,  and  their 
friendship  ripened  into  love,  their  wedding 
being  celebrated  on  the  20th  of  April,  1879. 
The  lady  was  born  in  Bellevue,  Ohio,  a 
daughter  of  Levi  and  Marv  (Schock)  Heter. 
The  mother  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  February,  1834,  but  was  reared  in 
Ohio.  The  father  was  born  in  the  latter 
state  on  the  17th  of  April,  1829,  and  was 
married  in  Ohio  in  1852.  Their  daughter. 
Mrs.  New^Tlan,  was  the  eldest  of  their  eight 
children,  of  whom  four  sons  and  three 
daughters  reached  mature  years,  and  all  are 
yet  living  and  are  married  with  one  excep- 
tiiin.  The  parents  still  reside  in  Bellevue, 
Ohio,  where  the  father  for  many  years  con- 
ducted a  large  farm,  but  ij  now  retired. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newman  took  up  their  abode 
six  miles  northwest  of  Sterling,  remaining 
for  two  years  upon  the  Talbott  farm,  after 
making  a  purchase  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  for  one  thousand  dollars.  The 
former  owner  had  been  Mr.  Heter,  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Ne\\nnan,  who  had  come  to 
Kansas  on  a  prospecting  trip  and  purchased 
tliis  land  as  an  investment.  There  were  a 
few  improvements  on  the  place  and  Mr. 
Newman  has  added  maoy  others,  mak-ing  his' 
farm  a  very  desirable  property.  The  home 
has  been  blessed  with  four  children  :  Ralph 
A.,  who  was  born  June  27,  1884.  and  is 
ucAv  a  student  in  the  high  school  in  Sterl- 


ing: jNIay  Gladys,  born  May  3.  1886;  Rose 
Fern,  born  December  21,  1889;  and  Winnie 
Belle,  born  October  28,  1891.  All  are  stu- 
dents in  the  schools  of  Sterling. 

Mr.  Newman  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing, making  a  specialty  of  the  production 
of  wheat  and  corn  and  also  raises  cattle  and 
horses.  At  one  time  he  was  extensively  en- 
gaged in  raisiiog  hogs,  but  cholera  rendered 
this  unprofitable  and  he  now  devotes  his 
energies  to  other  lines  of  farm  work.  He 
is  a  man  of  marked  industry,  energy  and 
determination.  His  home  is  embowered 
amid  many  ornamental  shade  trees  and  he 
has  also  planted  many  fruit  trees,  which  have 
reached  a  bearing  condition  and  add  to  the 
value  of  the  place.  Few  farmers  starting 
out  in  life  without  cash  capital  have  in  so 
short  a  space  of  time  achieved  as  creditable 
success  as  has  crowned  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Newnvan.  He  is  now  the  possessor  of  a 
handsome  competence,  which  will  enable  him 
to  carry  over  his  crops  for  better  markets 
if  he  does  not  desire  to  dispose  at  the  pre- 
vailing prices.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  church  and  en- 
joy the  warm  friendship  of  many  with 
whom  they  have  come  in  contact,  for  their 
many  sterling  characteristics  liave  ever  com- 
manded the  res])ect  and  regard  of  those 
with  whom  they  have  been  associated.  They 
have  labored  together  earnestly,  the  work  of 
the  one  supplementing  and  rounding"  out  the 
work  of  the  other,  and  their  attractive  home 
is  a  fitting  monument  to  their  labors. 


ERNEST  A.  TAYLOR,  M.  D. 

Prominently  identified  with  the  inter- 
ests of  Reno  county,  Kansas,  and  one  of 
the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  ol  Hutch- 
inson, is  Dr.  Ernest  A.  Taylor,  who'  since 
1886  has  been  in  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession  in  this  city.  He  is  a  resident  of 
the  \\-est  by  choice,  for  his  birth  occurred  in 
the  east,  in  Hunterdon  county,  New  Jersey, 
on  August  13,  1834.  Prior  to  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  some  of  his  ancestors  founded 
the  great  industrv  known  still  as  the  Tav- 


^,  ^,  .2z^m/^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


lor  Iron  Works,  at  Highbridge,  Xew  Jer- 
sey, and  it  was  from  these  great  fo'undries 
that  the  army  of  General  Washington  ob- 
tained man}^  of  the  cannon  balls  which  so 
eiTectually  enforced  the  demands  of  o-ur  pa- 
triot fathers  \\-'hen  they  called  upon  the 
British  troops  and  the  Hessian  hirelings  to 
depart  from  our  shores. 

Archibald  Taylor  was  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  and  during  the  progress  of 
the  Revolutionary  war  bought  this  iron  busi- 
ness, in  association  with  his  sons.  Some 
members  of  the  family  are  still  connected 
with  it.  John  B.  Taylor,  the  father  of  Dr. 
Taylor,  was  not  b}-  nature  a  worker  in  iron. 
He  became  a  teacher,  was  a  man  of  higli 
attainment,  but  never  accumulated  large 
means.  His  marriage  was  to  Susan  Ade- 
line Bray,  a  distant  relative  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Watsom  Bray,  who  traced  an 
honorable  descent  from  Scotch  ancestors. 
These  came  among  the  early  settlers  to 
New  Jersey,  where  the  name  still  represents 
public-spirited  and  financial  stability.  He 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  was  identified 
with  many  public  affairs  and  was  the  orig- 
inator of  the  idea  oi  the  feasibility  of  the 
building  and  success  oi  the  New  Jersey 
Central  railroad.  His  son.  Augustus,  made 
a  trip  to  Salt  Lake,  Utah,  in  the  early  days 
of  the  reign  of  Brigham  Yoimg,  driving 
the  entire  distance  with  six  yoke  of  oxen. 
He  was  employed  by  the  great  Mormon 
prophet  and  later  took  out  one  thousand 
head  of  cattle.  Still  later  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  sold  cattle  for  a  time  and 
then  engaged  in  milling,  becoming  both 
prominent  and  wealthy.  Our  subject  was 
the  fourth  n^ember  of  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents,  namely :  Robert, 
who  has  passed  away;  John,  who^  lives  in 
Boulder  county,  Colorado:  Alexander,  who 
is  our  subject's  twin  brother;  and  IMary  C, 
who  married  Byron  Bliss  and  died  in 
Boulder  county,  Colorado. 

In  1840  Air.  Taylor  removed  with  his 
family  tof  Missouri,  and  continued  to  fol- 
low his  profession  of  teaching.  Our  sub- 
ject \\-as  instructed  by  his  father,  whom 
lie  afterward  remunerated,  the  latter  being 
in    limited    circumstances.     \"erv  earlv   in 


his  career  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  was 
j  so  occupied  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
war.  The  family  became  divided  on  this 
great  question.  Dr.  Taylor  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  Con-qjany  F,  Seventh  Missouri  State 
Cavalry,  on  April  11,  1862,  while  his  twin 
brother  espoused  the  other  side.  Governor 
Crittenden  was  lieutenant-colonel  and  Judge 
Phillips  was  coiloijel  oi  the  regiment  of 
which  Dr.  Taylor  was  a  member.  His  serv- 
ice was  principally  in  Missouri,  Arkansas 
and  Kansas.  For  forty-one  days  he  was 
on-  Price's  raid,  and  was  captured  on  the 
third  day  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Mis- 
souri, but  just  afterward  he  was  paroled. 
Some  eight  months  later  he  re-enlisted  and 
soon  afterward  was  appointed  by  the  col- 
onel as  fifth  sergeant  of  Company  F,  and 
later  was  made  hospital  steward.  This  po- 
sition he  held  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  this'  determined  his  future  career.  The 
practical  experience  that  he  had  received  in 
medicine  and  surgery  during  these  \-ear5 
of  strife  awakened  in  him  an  enthusiasm 
for  the  profession  which  he  has  adorned 
for  so  many  years. 

W'ith  about  a  tliousand  dollars  which. 
he  had  saved.  Dr.  Taylor  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  York  and  took  his  first  med- 
ical course,  returning  then  to  Misisouri  and 
locating  for  one  year  in  Leesville,  in  Henry 
county.  A  favorable  opending  presenting 
itself  both  for  practice  aaid  study  at  Cole- 
camp,  he  removed  thither,  remaining  for 
six  years  at  that  point.  Then  he  entered 
the  St.  Louis  Medical  College,  remaining 
until  graduation  in  1871.  A  short  time  was 
again  spent  in  Colecamp,  when  removal 
was  made  to  Aullville,  in  La  Fayette  coun- 
ty, Missouri,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years,  opening  tfhen  a  practice  in  Concordia, 
I  where  he  remained  for  eleven  years.  In 
1886  he  came  to  this  city  and  since  that 
j  timie  has  built  up  a  lucrative  and  still  in- 
{  creasing  practice,  due  to  his  skill,  medical 
ability  and  the  possession  of  those  personal 
attributes  which  go  so  far  to  incite  confi- 
dence in  a  physician.  During  the  first  term 
of  the  late  President  McKinley,  Dr.  Taylor 
was  appointed  by  him  a  member  of  the 
pension   examining"   board,    and   ever   since 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


then  he  has  retained  this  position.  He  is 
serving  his  third  term  as  county  coroner, 
liaving  made  it  his  aim  ever  since  taking 
charge  of  this  important  branch  of  the  coim- 
ty  business  to  niai<e  the  costs  as  httle  as 
win  subserve  justice.  In  poHtics  he  is  a 
stanch,  Repubhcan  and  is  fraternahy  con- 
nected with  Joe  Hooker  Post,  No.  17,  G. 
A.  R.  For  many  yeai;s  our  subject  has 
been  pron:inent  in  the  Presbyterian  church, 
for  fifteen  years  serving  as  retiring  elder. 
Dr.  Taylor  has  been  twice  married,  first 
in  Ouincy.  Illinois,  to  Miss  Florence  Mc- 
Kee.  and  ten  children  were  born  to^  this 
union,  eight  of  these  still  surviving,  namely  : 
Adeline,  who'  married  James  H.  Stratton, 
of  Hutchinson;  Alberta,  who  married  Bert 
j\I.  Iver,  of  Abbey ville,  Reno  county;  Ern- 
est, who  is  a  tobacconist,  in  Preston,  Colo- 
rado; Robert,  who  is  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness with  W.  S.  Thompson,  in  this  city; 
Grandon.  who  is  a  resident  of  Creston,  Colo- 
rado ;  Clarence,  who  is  a  resident  of  Hutch- 
inson; Josie,  who  lives  in  St.  Louis;  and 
Augustus  A.,  who  was  born  on  his  father's 
birthday.  The  second  marriage  of  Dr. 
Taylor  was  to  Mrs.  Samantha  (George) 
(Newcomb)  Scott.  The  children  born  to 
her  first  marriage  are:  James  Newcomb, 
who  served  in  tlie  Spanish-American  war; 
Mae,  who  is  Mrs.  Thorpe;  and  Guy  New- 
comb, who  is  now  in  the  army  in  the  Philip- 
pine Islands.  The  children  of  her  second 
marriage  are:  Orville,  Fairy.  Hattie  and 
Annie. 


ALEXANDER  S.  HUNTER. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  man  who 
in  his  progressive  career  has  demonstrated 
the  \-alue  of  a  good  name  in  the  business 
world,  which  is  worth  more  than  cash.  As 
a  merchant  and  man  of  affairs  he  has  not 
only  prospered  in  a  substantial  manner  but 
has  won  a  name  which  stands  for  business 
stability  and  insures  him  a  high  standing. 

Alexander  S.  Hunter,  of  Norwich,  King- 
man county,  one  of  the  prominent  merchants 
of  southern  Kansas,  was  born  in  the  state 
New  York,  January  i,  1831,  a  son  of  Sam- 


uel and  Mary  A.  (Calvert)  Hunter.  His 
father  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York 
and  was  descended  from  an  old  New  Eng- 
land family,  the  founder  of  which  in  Amer- 
ica was  Mr.  Hunter's  great-grandfather,  a 
Scotch-Irishman,  who  came  to  the  colonies 
a  British  soldier  to  help  subdue  the  patriot 
insurrection  of  1776.  but  who,  soon  recog- 
nizing the  injustice  of  the  British  cause, 
transferred  his  allegiance  to  America  and  in 
the  army  of  Washington  fought  for  Ameri- 
can liberty.  After  the  Revolution  he  lived 
for  a  time  in  Connecticut  and  later  removed 
to  New"  York  state,  where  he  was  a  farmer 
and  where  he  died  within  the  recollection 
of  his  great-grandson. 

Samuel  Hunter,  in  1842.  emigrated  from 
New  York  state  to^  McHeiary  county.  Illi- 
nois, where  he  died  in  1872.  aged  seventy- 
three  years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat 
until  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party,  with  which  he  afterward  acted.  In 
religion  he  was  an  old-school  Presbyterian. 
He  had  ten  children,  the  following  informa- 
tion concerning  some  of  whom  will  doubt- 
less interest  readers  of  this  article.  His 
daughter,  Mary,  married  a  Mr.  Shearer, 
and,  now  a  iwidow.  lives  at  Woodstock,  Illi- 
nois. His  son,  S.  H.,  lives  in  Kansas  City. 
Missouri.  His  daughter.  Sarah,  married  a 
Mr.  Austin,  and  lives  in  ^Missouri.  His 
daughter,  Martha,  is  Mrs.  Furney,  of  Genoa, 
Wisconsin.  His  son,  \A'.  H.,  lives  at  Gow- 
ens,  Iowa.  His  son,  Thomas  G.,  lives  at 
Los  Angeles,  California.  Three  others  of 
his  children  died  in  childhood  and  youth. 

When  his  father  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  ^IcHenry  county.  Illinois,  Alexander 
S.  Hunter  was  eleven  years  old.  He  ac- 
quired some  education  as  was  available  to 
him  in  public  schools  near  his  home,  and 
when  twenty-one  3-ears  old  he  began  farming 
on  rented  land.  In  1854  he  bought  land 
in  Bremer  count}-,  Iowa,  which  he  owned 
until  1857,  but  on  which  he  never  lived.  In 
1856  he  opened  a  general  store  at  Crystal 
Lake,  Illinois,  which,  five  years  later,  he  re- 
moved to  Algonquin.  Illinois.  After  trad- 
ing two  years  at  Algonquin  he  removed  his 
stock  of  goods  to  Elgin.  Illinois,  where  he 
sold   dry  goods   and   groceries   until    1866. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


247 


From'  that  time  until  1873  he  was 
in  his  old  home  in  WcHenry  county, 
looking  after  his  parents  and  attend- 
ing- to  his  father's  farm.  After  the  death 
of  his  father  in  Septemlier  r.'f  the  year 
mentioned,  he  went  to  W'ynniing-.  where  for 
two  ytors  he  operated  mines  and  looked 
after  mining  investments.  In  1875  he  lo- 
cated at  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  where  he 
was  a  leading  merchant  until  1886,  when 
be  removed  to  Norwich,  Kansas,  which  had 
been  founded  the  previous  year,  where  he 
opened  a  general  store,  which  he  has  man- 
aged successfully  toi  the  present  time.  He 
has  invested  tO'  a  considerable  extent  in  town 
proijerty,  owning  several  dwellings  in  Nor- 
wich and  the  Norwich  flouring-  mill,  and 
has  accjuired  eight  hundred  acres  of  good 
land  in  Bennett  township,  which  he  leases. 
As  a  member  of  the  People's  party  he  has 
l^een  active  in  public  afTairs  and  has  been 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  member 
of  the  city  council.  Since  1883  he  has 
owned  mining  interests  in  southern  Colo- 
rado and  in  1900  he  became  financially  in- 
terested in  the  Norwich  flouring  mill,  al- 
ready mentioned,  which  has  a  capacity  of 
seventy-five  barrels  of  flour  a  day,  and  which 
has  recently  been  equipped  with  up-to-date 
machinery  and  is  under  his  own  manage- 
ment. He  is  a  member  of  tUe  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

December  12,  1855.  Mr.  Hunter  was 
married,  in  Illinois.  tO'  I\Iary  A.  Lynd,  and 
they  have  four  children :  Viola,  whO'  is  the 
wife  of  William  E.  Haynes.  a  merchant  of 
Emporia.  Kansas:  Fannie,  who  married  Dr. 
Frank  Boyington.  (^t  Oiariton.  To\va;  Albert 
O.,  who  lives  at  Wichita.  Kansas;  and  Jay 
Alexander,  who  assists  his  father  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  store.  As  a  merchant  Mr. 
Hunter  has  made  it  the  rule  of  his  life  never 
to  procrastinate  in  any  business  affair  or  to 
depend  on  another  to  attend  to  matters  of 
importance  about  which  he  felt  any  solici- 
tude. During  his  many  years  active  career 
he  has  never  asked  for  an  extension  of  time 
on  any  obligation  and  has  discounted  all 
bills,  and  his  thoroughness  and  carefulness 
have  carried  him  safely  through  several  fi- 
nancial panics  which  have  wrecked  many  of 


his  competitors.  His  friends  rejoice  with 
him  in  his  success  because  they  know  that  it 
has  been  fairlv  won. 


WILLIAM  R.  JOHNSON. 

Among  the  successful  and  prominent 
farmers  and  stockmen  of  Ellsworth  county, 
Kansas,  as  William  R.  Johnson,  who  resides 
on  the  east  t  ne-half  of  section.  32,  in  Gar- 
field townsbi;;.  ^Ir.  Jchhscn  has  a  ranch 
of  ten  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in  cultiva- 
tion and  raises  some  enormous  crops  of  corn, 
Kaffir  corn  and  sorghum,  employing  eight 
men. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Johnson  occurred  in 
Lawrenceburg,  Anderson  county,  Kentucky, 
on  December  6,  1858,  and  he  is  a  son  of 
Berry  W.  and  Elvira  (Mountjoy)  Johnson, 
both  of  wdiom  are  natives  of  the  same  state. 
The  father  followed  farming  in  that  state 
until  1869,  when  the  family  removed  to  Bates 
county,  Missouri,  where  the  parents  remain- 
ed until  1895,  at  which  period  they  returned 
to  tlieir  (.1(1  Kentucky  home,  wdiere  the  fa- 
ther died  in  April.  1899,  but  the  mother  still 
survi\-es. 

Mr.  Johnson  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest 
in  a  family  of  eight  children,  two  of  his  bro- 
thers, James  and  John,  also  being  residents 
of  Ellsworth  county.  His  school  days  had 
to  be  shortened  in  order  that  he  might  also 
become  a  wage-earner,  as  he  was  the  eldest 
of  :i  lai-L^e  family,  and  when  only  eleven 
>■  ■     le  started  out,  securing  work 

■.\  :  ig  farmers,  and  spent  thirteen 

yc..i.  ;;..;  ,  ,,  (irking  for  four  years  for  one 
man,  J.  C  Farrar.  Industrious  and  provi- 
dent, our  subject  accumulated  means  and 
bought  a  one-half  interest  of  Mr.  Farrar. 
One  year  he  spent  in  Arkansas,  but  not  lik- 
ing tiie  country,  he  returned  to  Missouri, 
where  he  remained  until  October,  1895, 
when  he  came  to  Ellsworth  county.  Prior 
to  this  Mr.  Johnson  had  been  engaged  in 
farming  and  later  in  mining  for  coal,  but 
the  vein  gave  out.  and  he  decided  to  move 
to  Kansas.  'Mr.  Johnson  shipped  the  first 
coal,  over  the  Kansas  Citv  &  Southern  rail- 


248 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


road,  wliich  was  ever  sent  south  of  the 
INlarais  des  Cygnes  and  the  Cypress  rivers. 

Upon  coming  to  Ellsworth  county  Mr. 
Johnson  could  not  at  first  find  and  buy  a 
place  that  suited  him,  so  he  leased  the  Mc- 
Lennan ranch,  consisting  of  nine  sections. 
This  extends  for  four  miles  on  the  creek, 
with  luxuriant  pasture  on  both  sides,  seem- 
ing to  be  especially  adapted  to  stock-raising. 
He  buys  almost  exclusively  western  cattle, 
both  on  the  ranges  and  in  Kansas  City,  and 
at  the  present  writing  he  is  feeding  six 
hundred  and  forty  head  of  his  own,  and 
wintering  two  hundred  head  for  another  in- 
dividual. This  is  not  the  extent  of  the  cat- 
tle interests  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  large  farmer, 
Johnson,  for  he  buys  and  sells  from  two 
thousand  to  three  thousand  head,  his  plan 
being  to  buy  in  large  numbers  and  to  sell  in 
small  lots  to  other  feeders,  who  do  not  do 
so  extensive  a  business.  Aside  from  his  cat- 
tle interests  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  large  farmer, 
cultivating  ten  hundred  and  thirty  acres. 
The  amount  of  energy  and'  ability  required 
to  manage  all  these  large  interests,  is  abund- 
ant proof  that  j\Ir.  Johnson  is  gifted  with 
great  executive  force  and  the  most  excellent 
judgment. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  was  solem- 
nized in  Bates  county,  Missouri,  on  October 
12,  1881,  to  Miss  Ruth  Woodfin.  who  was 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Emily  Woodfin, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Vermont 
but  became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
ilissouri,  and  one  of  the  most  extensive 
farmers  of  that  state.  Two  children  were 
born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  John- 
son, one  son  and  one  daughter,  namely: 
Samuel  F.  and  Emma  V. 

In  his  political  sympathies  'Mr.  Johnson 
has  always  been  a  Democrat,  but  he  has 
ne\-er  consented  to  accept  office,  with  the 
exception  of  membership  on  the  school  board, 
on  account  of  his  interest  in  education,  al- 
though few  men  in  this  locality  are  more 
fitted  to  assume  such  responsibilities.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  high  up  on  the  roll  of  worthies 
both  in  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Brookville,  and  in 
Ellsworth  Lodge,  No.  146,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
as    well    as    the    chapter,    commandery    of 


Knights  Templar,  and  Consistory  No.  2. 
S.  P.  R.  S.,  at  Wichita,  and  of  Isis  Temple 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  at  Salina.  Mrs.  John- 
sen  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  our  subject  is  an  attendant  and 
liberal  supporter.  He  is  widely  known  in 
this  part  of  Kansas,  his  large  busmess  op- 
erations bringing  him  into  contact  with  many 
residents  of  all  sections,  and  he  most  worth- 
ily represents  that  type  of  the  progressive 
and  successful  western  business  citizen  who 
has  done  so  much  to  build  up  the  interests  of 
the  great  state  of  Kansas. 


ELIJAH  RAYL. 


Diversified  interests  claim  the  attention 
of  Elijah  Rayl,  who  is  now  successfully  en- 
gaging in  stock-raising,  horticultural  pur- 
suits and  the  nursery  business,  and  each  in- 
dustry returns  to  him  a  good  income.  Since 
1874  he  has  resided  in  Reno  county  and  has 
aided  in  its  development  from  i>rimitive 
conditions  and  surroundings  to  its  present 
advanced  stage  oi  progress. 

]\Ir.  Rayl  was  born  in  Howard  county, 
Indiana,  January  27,  1861.  His  father, 
Thomas  Rayl,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  \\'hen  a  boy  removed  with  his  parents  to 
the  Hoosier  state,  where  he  was  reared 
upon  a  farm  amid  pioneer  surroundings. 
He  began  farming  upon  his  own  account 
when  entering  upon  an  independent  busi- 
ness career  and  was  thus  engaged  until  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  removed  to 
the  town  of  Kokomo,  and  began  general 
contracting,  making  a  specialty,  however, 
of  the  building  of  streets.  In  his  political 
\-iews  he  was  a  Democrat  and  for  several 
termSi  he  served  as  councilman  and  once 
as  mayor  of  the  city.  His  administration 
was  a  practical  and  beneficial  one  and  he 
was  widely  regarded  as  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative and  influential  residents  of  his 
community.  He  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  cause  of  education  and  while  serving 
on  the  school  board  exercised  his  official 
prerogative  to  advance    the    interests    and 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


249 


efficiency  of  the  schools  and  raise  the  stand- 
ard of  inteUectual  attainment.  In  Kokomo 
he  married  Miss  Julia  Ann  Connell,  and 
unto  them  were  born  seven  children:  Will- 
iam, a  farmer  of  Clay  township,  Reno  coun- 
ty. Kansas  :  Harless,  who  is  living  in  Hutch- 
inson; Katie  E.,  the  wife  oi  William  Brown, 
of  ArHngton  township,  Reno  county; 
Elijah;  Mary  Jane,  the  wife  of  Fred 
MaJick,  of  South  Reno  township;  Levi  ajid 
Thomlas,  who  are  also  living  in  the  same 
township. 

In  1874  the  family  came  to  Kansas  and 
railroad  land  was  purchased,  upon  which 
Levi  Rayl  now  resides.  The  tract  com- 
prised a  half  section,  and  here  in  pioneer 
style  the  family  began  life  in  the  Sunflower 
state.  Prairie  was  broken,  crops  planted 
and  in  course  of  time  good  harvests  were 
garnered  and  the  family  also  aided  in  the 
work  of  development  and  improvement,  in- 
cluding, the  organization  of  the  schools. 
The  father  died  in  1890.  He  was  a  man 
of  upright  principles,  who  did  what  he  be- 
lieved to  be  right;  and  so  fair  and  just  was 
he  in  all  things  that  it  is  dijuhtful  if  he  ever 
had  an  enemy.  In  his  business  career  he 
was  successful  and  in  ailditi'in  to  his  farm 
made  investments  in  real  estate  and  in  busi^ 
ness  interests  in  Hutchinson.  His  widow 
still  sun-ives  him. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Kokomo  Elijah 
Rayl  began  his  education,  which  he  has 
largely  supplemented  through  practical  ex- 
perience and  observation.  When  fourteen 
years,  of  age  he  came  with  the  family  to 
Kansas  and  here  bore  all  the  hardship  and 
trials  of  frontier  life  which  came  to  the 
household.  His  youth  was  a  busy  one,  as 
he  aided  in  breaking  prairie  and  in  per- 
forming all  the  tasks  incident  to  the  develop- 
ment and  cultivation  of  a  new  farm.  He 
remained  on  the  old  homestead  until  thirty- 
one  years  of  age,  and  long  prior  tO'  that 
time  the  management  and  operation  of  the 
farm  largely  devolved  upon  him.  In  1880 
he  made  a  trip  to  the  mountains  and  helped 
to  build  the  railroad  from  Albucjuerque  to 
California,  continuing  in  the  west  for  two 
years.  He  prospered  in  his  work  there  and 
upon  his  return  he  purchased  the  old  home 


place,  and  when  his  youngest  brother,  Levi, 
became  of  age,  deeded  one-half  of  it  to  him. 
They  continued  in  business  together  for 
some  time  and  invested  largely  in  property 
west  of  the  old  farm.  Tliey  had  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  when  they  di- 
vided their  interests..  In  connection  with 
general  farming  they  engaged  in  raising 
and  handling  cattle  and  also  began  the  culti- 
vation of  fruits,  their  specialty  being  apples. 
Since  the  brothers  divided  their  business  in- 
terests Elijah  Rayl  has  continued  in  the 
same  line  of  activity,  and  is  the  owner  of 
one  oi  the  finest  farms  in  the  river  bottom. 
He  has  one  hundred  acres  in  fruit,  includ- 
ing apples,  peaches,  pears  and  grapes,  and 
liad  forty  acres  in  nursery  stock,  fruits, 
shrubbery  and  other  plants.  His  business 
in  this  direction  is  constantly  increasing  and 
year  by  year  his  sales  have  grown  larger 
and  his  profit  thereby  increases.  He  owns 
altogether  five  hundred  acres  Qif  rich  and 
productive  bottom  land,  and  in  connection 
with  horticultural  pursuits  he  is  engaged 
in  the  raising  of  short  horn  cattle,  keeping 
from  fifty  to  two  hundred  head  of  good 
stock.  In  1892  he  erected  his  present  com- 
modious and  comfortable  residence  and  to 
his  farm  he  ihas  added  all  modern  improve- 
ments and  accessories.  He  has  a  blacksmith 
shop  on  his  place  and  his  practical  under- 
standing of  that  business  enables  him  large- 
ly to  facilitate  his  work. 


On  the  23d  of  May, 


}2,    Mr.    Rayl 


married  Miss  Minnie  L.  Thompson,  a 
daughter  o'f  Joseph  Thompson,  who  died  in 
Indiana  prior  to  the  removal  of  the  family 
to  Kansas.  W'ith  her  mother  Mrs.  Rayl  re- 
moved to  Wichita.  By  her  marriage  she 
has  become  the  mother  of  one  daughter, 
Ethel.  Mr.  Ra}l  is  a  member  of  the  park 
and  fair  associations  and  is  interested  in 
every  measure  and  movement  that  tends  to 
benefit  the  community.  He  votes  with  the 
Democracy,  is  quite  active  in  political  af- 
fairs and  frequently  attends  the  county, 
congressional,  senatorial  and  state  conven- 
tions. In  1890  he  received  the  nomination 
for  sh'erifl:',  but  his  party  strength  was  not 
equal  to  that  of  the  opposition.  His  life 
has    been    guided  by  sound  principles,  his 


2  50 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


work  has  beem  carried  along-  the  hnes  of 
strict  commercial  ethics,  and  his  reputation 
for  reliability  as  well  as  industry  and  enter- 
prise is  one  most  enviable. 


F.  E.  FULLER. 


F.  E.  Fuller,  who  is  engaged  in  general 
merchandising  in  Geneseo,  and  is  one  of  the 
successful  merchants  of  the  town,  was  born 
in  Colebrook.  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  De- 
cember 9,  1862,  a  son  of  William  O.  and 
Laura  (Cotton)  Fuller.  The  father  was  a 
well  known  citizen  of  Ashtabula  co-unty, 
Ohio,  and  his  death  occurred  at  Colebrook 
at  the  age  of  forty-three  years.  The  mother 
died  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years. 

F.  A.  Fuller,  the  subject  of  this  review, 
^vas  reared  in  the  county  of  his  nativity, 
-where  he  received  a  good  common  school  ed- 
ucation. He  afterward  entered  the  New 
L\Tne  Academy,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1885.  and  he  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Spen- 
cerian  Business  College  and  of  Rusk"s  School 
■of  Oratory.  Being  thus  well  fitted  for  life's 
practical  duties  by  a  thorough  education,  he 
•entered  upon  his  business  career  in  his  na- 
tive state.  He  was  engaged  in  the  memorial 
business  at  New  Lyme  for  two  years  and 
ralso  followed  the  same  occupation  at  Ul- 
richsville,  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio.  He 
^vas  next  engaged  in  milling  in  Trumbull 
tounty.  that  state,  for  a  time.  The  year  1899 
^vitnessed  his  arrival  in  Rice  county,  Kan- 
.-sas,  and  since'the  spring  of  1893  ^'^^  l^^'S  been 
an  important  factor  in  the  business  circles 
in  Geneseo.  In  that  year  he  embarked  in 
general  merchandising  in  this  city,  and  he 
now  carries  a  large  and  well  appointed  stock, 
his  being  one  of  the  leading  stores  in  his 
line  in  this  locality.  He  carries  a  general 
line  of  dry  goods,  boots,  shoes,  groceries 
and  notions  and  also  handles  furniture  and 
hardware,  and  his  trade  is  steadily  increas- 
ing. His  store  room  is  fifty  by  seventy  feet. 
-By  his  close  attention  to  business  and  honor- 
•able  methods  he  has  acquired  the  confidence 
and  good  will  .of  the  citizens  of  Geneseo  and 
the  surrounding  country. 


In  the  year  1886,  in  New  Lyme,  Ohio, 
occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Fuller  and 
Miss  Bernice  E.  Hyde,  who  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Ohio  and  is  a  daughter  of  Perry 
G.  Hyde.  Three  children  have  come  to 
bless  this  union, — Frances,  Obediah  and 
Temperance.  Mr.  Fuller  is  a  leader  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Democratic  party,  believing 
firmly  in  its  principles  and  doing  everything 
in  his  power  to  promote  its  advancement. 
He  has  served  his  fellow"  townsmen  as  town- 
ship treasurer,  and  for  three  years  was  a 
member  of  the  school  board.  His  social  re- 
lations connect  him  with  the  KniightS'  of 
Pythias  fraternity  and  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  has  been  the 
architect  of  his  own  fortunes  and  has  builded 
wisely  and  well,  placing  his  confidence  in 
those  reliable  qualities  of  energ)-,  industry 
and  honesty,  which  in  the  end  never  fail  to 
bring  the  merited  reward. 


ANDREW  J.  GREGG. 

In  central  Kansas  are  many  fine  stock 
farms.  In  the  pastures  are  seen  high  grades 
of  horses  and'  cattle  and  in  the  barn  yards 
splendid  animals  give  evidence  of  the  care 
of  an  ambitious  owner  who'  wishes  to  im- 
prove bis  stock  and  therefore  make  it  of 
high  market  value.  Mr.  Gregg  owns  a  good 
farm  on  section  34,  Valley  township.  Rice 
county,  and  is  devoting  the  greater  part  of 
his  attention  to  this  branch  of  agricultural 
labor.  He  was  born  in  Winchester  town- 
ship, Adams  county,  Ohio,  July  3,  1858.  His 
father,  James  Gregg,  was  a  native  of  Brown 
county,  Ohio,  born  March  4,  1823,  and  die 
family  is  of  Irish  lineage,  for  the  grandfa- 
ther, Andrew  Gregg,  was  born  on  the  Em- 
erald Isle.  After  coming  to  America  he  was 
married  in  Ohio  to  a  Scotch  wife.  They 
reared  two  children,  the  daughter  being  Ellen 
Houston,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  son 
Jamesi  Gregg,  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
home  and  established  a  home  of  his  own 
through  his  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Dilling- 
er,  who  was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania, 
a  daughter  of  William  Dillinger,  a  farmei. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


251 


whose  property  is  now  included  within  the 
corporation  hmits  of  the  city  of  Pittsburg. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gregg  were  married  in  1857, 
and  their  union  was  blessed  with  seven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Andrew  J.;  Margaret,  the 
wife  of  Del  Cummings,  of  Portsmouth, 
Ohio;  Harriet,  who  married  James  Larkiri, 
of  Valley  township;  Catherine,  the  wife  of 
William  Hibbard,  of  Portsmouth,  Ohio; 
Edward,  a  stock  farmer  of  Reno  county, 
Kansas ;  ]\Irs.  Laura  Hawkins,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-five  years;  and  Stewart, 
who  is  also  living  in  Reno  county.  The  fa- 
ther carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  in  Ohio 
and  died  in.  Scioto  county,  that  state,  in  De- 
cember, 1900,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 
His  widow  is  now  living  in  Kansas,  keep- 
ing house  for  her  son,  Edward,  and  is  a  verv 
active  old  lady  of  seventy-five  years. 

Andrew  J.  Gregg  received  but  limited 
school  privileges  for  his  services  were  needed 
upon  the  home  farm  in  his  youth,  and  he 
early  began  to  assist  in  the  labors  oi  field 
and  meadow.  He  remained  at  home  until 
twenty-five  years  of  age.  In  1884  he  came 
to  Kansas,  arriving  at  Sterling  on  the  loth 
of  July,  with  only  twenty-five  cents  in  his 
pocket  after  he  had  paid  his  hotel  bill.  He 
came  here  as  a  feeder  of  a  threshing  ma- 
chine, and  during  the  first  winter  after  his 
arrival  he  was  employed  to  feed  cattle  own- 
ed by  Tom  Harper.  Later  he  erected  a 
blacksmith's  shop  on  the  Arkansas  river, 
south  of  Sterling,  and  there  conducted  busi- 
ness for  one  summer.  His  first  purchase  of 
land  comprised  eighty  acres,  for  which  he 
gave  eleven  hundred  and  ninety  dollars.  He 
afterward  bought  a  tract  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  one  mile  to  the  north  and  in 
1900  he  became  the  owner  of  a  quarter  sec- 
tion adjoining  his  farm.  He  carries  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  does  an  extensive  business 
as  a  stock  raiser,  having  fifty-two  horses  and 
mules  and  seventy-five  cattle  of  his  own, 
while  each  year  through  the  winter  season 
he  cares  for  from  one  hundred  and  twenty 
to  two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  1885,  ]\Ir. 
Gregg  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Caro- 
line Elhuff,  a  native  of 'Ohio.  Both  of  her 
parents  were  natives'  of  Germany,  and  her 


father  died  in  the  Buckeye  state,  but  her  mo- 
ther is  now  living  in  Rice  county  and  has  at- 
tained the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  She  had 
tweh-e  children,  of  whom  five  are  yet  living. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gregg  has 
been  blessed  with  three  children :  Sadie,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  two  years ;  a  son  who  died 
in  infancy;  and  Pearl,  who  is  now  eleven 
years  of  age.  Socially  Mr.  Gregg  is  con- 
nected with  the  subordinate  lodge  and  en- 
campment of  the  Rebekah  order  of  the  Odd 
Fellows  society,  and  is  likewise  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 
His  wife  belongs  to  the  Methodist  church,  in 
which  he  is  serving  as  one  of  its  trustees. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican  and  is  now 
overseer  of  the  highways. 


WILLL\^I  B.  LUCAS. 

William  B.  Lucas,  who  occupies  the  po- 
sition of  clerk  of  the  courts  of  Barton  countv 
and  resides  at  Great  Bend,  was  born  in  High- 
land county,  Ohio,  October  30,  1865.  His 
parents  were  John  S.  and  Rebecca  (Steel) 
Lucas,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the 
Buckeye  state.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation  and  died  in  the  prime  of  life, 
at  the  age  of  forty-one  years,  but  his  widow 
is  still  living  and  is  now  making  her  home  in 
Great  Bend.  There  are  also  two  sons  of 
the  family  yet  living,  the  brother  of  our  sub- 
ject being  Clay  Lucas,  a  prominent  agri- 
culturist of  Buffalo  township.  Barton  county. 

William  B.  Lucas  of  this  review  had 
been  provided  with  excellent  educational 
privileges  and  was  thus  well  equipped  for 
the  responsible  and  practical  duties  of  life. 
After  attending  the  public  schools  he  entered 
the  Wesleyan  Normal  School,  at  Salina, 
Kansas,  and  was  afterward  a  student  in  the 
Central  Normal  College  at  Great  Bend. 
Li  1886  he  began  teaching  in  a  district  school 
in  Buffalo^  township  and  followed  that  pro- 
fession for  ten  years,  becoming  a  most  ca- 
pable instructor,  readily  imparting  the  knowl- 
edge that  he  had  acquired  to  those  who  were 
unde/  his  direction.  After  a  decade  devoted 
to  the  profession,  however,  he  turned  his  at- 


252 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


tepaioiito  farming  which  he  followed  in  Buf- 
falo township  until  1900,  becoming  one  of 
the  enterprising  and  prosperous  agricultur- 
ists of  the  community.  He  was  then  elected 
on  the  fusion  ticket  to  the  position  of  clerk 
of  the  courts  of  Barton  county  as  the  suc- 
cessor to  F.  G.  Strothman.  Entering  upon 
the  duties  of  the  position,  he  has  since  proven 
a  capable  officer,  his  career  reflecting  credit 
upon  him^self  and  his  constituents.  He  is 
verv'  popular  in  both  business  and  social 
circles  and  is  an  esteemed  and  valued  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen. 


WILLIAM  H.  LIBBY. 

William  H.  Libby  is  residing  upon  the 
old  Libby  homestead,  where  he  located  on 
the  2 1st  of  March,  1873,  the  farm  being  one 
of  the  desirable  country  seats  of  Rockville 
township,  Rice  county.  He  was  born  in 
Saco,  York  county,  Maine,  January  29, 
1840,  the  year  of  the  great  Harrison  cam- 
paign, when  "Tippecanoe  and  Tyler,  too," 
was  the  rallying  cry  of  the  Whig  party, 
and  every  one  spoke  of  the  "log  cabin  and 
hard-cider  campaign."  David  Libby,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  Imrn  Xri\-ember  30, 
1796,  oil  the  farm  wliicli  \\a-  tlie  liirtlijihiLe 
of  his  son  William  and  nt  his  father.  l)a\-id 
Libby,  Sr.  The  latter  was  born  ]\Iarch  26, 
1765,  and  was.  a  son  of  Joseph  Libby.  whose 
birth  occurred  at  Kittery,  }vlaine,  on  the  14th 
of  December,  1725.  He  was  a  son  of  Solo- 
mon Libby,  w'ho'  was  born  at  Portsmouth, 
Xew  Hampshire,  in  1695,  and  his  father 
was  David  Libby,  who  was  born  in  Scar- 
boro,  Mlaine,  in  165 1.  It  was  his  father, 
Jo'hn  Libby,  w'ho'  became  the  founder  of  the 
family  in  America.  He  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, in  1602,  and  in  1630,  braving  the 
dangers  incident  to  an  ocean  voyage  at  that 
time  [n  order  to  establish  a  home  in  the  new 
world,  he  settled  in  Scarboro,  Maine,  his 
descendants  in  America  now  numbering 
many  hundred.  Representatives  of  the 
name  have  been  prominent  in  peace  and 
brave  in  war  and  have  attained  distinguished 


positions  in  connection  with  the  great  ma- 
terial industries  and  with  the  professions. 
One  of  his  descendants  is  Mr.  Libby,  the  fa- 
mous pork  packer  of  Chicago.  The  name  is 
found  in  almost  every  state  in  the  Union 
and  is  borne  by  men  and  women  of  sterling 
worth. 

David  Libby,  Sr.,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  married  on  the  17th  of  No- 
vember, 1793,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Cleves, 
who  was  born  in  Saco,  Maine,  a  daughter 
of  Robert  Cleves,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Beverly,  Massachusetts.  Their  son.  David 
Libby,  Jr.,  was  reared  upon-  the  old  family  , 
homestead  in  the  Pine  Tree  state  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  lumbering.  As  a 
companion  and  helpmate  for  the  journey  of 
life  he  chose  Miss  Sarah  Berry,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Jane  Berry,  of  Saco.  The  lady 
was  bom  and  reared  in  Maine,  and  their 
marriage  was  celebrated  ©n  the  5th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1823,  while  their  union  was  blessed 
with  seven  children,  namely :  Martha  Jane, 
deceased  wife  of  S.  M.  Harmon;  Sarah 
Elizabeth,  who  has  also  passed  away ; David, 
who  is  living  in  Thoniasville,  Georgia ;  Car- 
oline, who  became  the  wife  O'f  O.  R.  Ham- 
ilton and  died  at  Lynn,  Massachusetts;  Jo- 
seph P.,  wdio  died  in  1853  :  Gideon,  who  was 
a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  died  in  Kings,  Illinois,  in  1879; 
and  William  H.,  whose  name  introduces  this 
recurd.  The  father  devoted  much  of  his  life 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  but  was  also  a-^aw- 
yer  in  the  pine  woods  of  Maine  and  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business.  In  early  days  he 
gave  his  politica.1  support  to  the  ^Vhig  party 
and  was  an  honored  and  respected  citizen  of 
the  ci  immunity  in  wdiich  he  made  his  home. 
His  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  at  the 
age  of  eig'hty-four.  She  was  a  consistent 
member  erf  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  her  Christianity  formed  a  part  of  her 
daily  life. 

William  H.  Libby  was  reared  on  the  old 
family  homestead  ^an'd  early  became  familiar 
with  the  work  of  cultivating  the  iields.  He 
was  also  employed  in  the  pine  woods  and  at 
intervals  he  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Maine,  acr[uiring  a  good  education.     At  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


age  of  nineteen  he  began  teaching,  and  after 
the  inauguration  of  the  Civil  war  he  put 
aside  all  personal  considerations  that  the 
country  might  have  the  benefit  of  his  services 
on  the  field  of  action.  He  enlisted  on  the 
2d  of  July,  1861,  donning  the  blue  uniform 
as  a  member  of  Company  B,  Sixteenth 
5  Massachusetts  Infantry,  under  command  of 
i'  General  Mason  and  Colonel  Powell  T.  Wy- 
man.  He  oecame  a  member  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  commanded  by  General  Mc- 
Clellan,  and  served  until  honorably  dis- 
charged on  account  of  disability.  When  he 
was  again  able  to  work  he  secured  a  posi- 
tion in  the  navy  yard  at  Charlestown,  Mas- 
Isachusetts. 
Before  leaving  for  the  front  and  after 
his  enlistment,  Mr.  Libby  was  married  in 
his  soldier's  uniform,  on  the  5th  of  August, 
1861.  tO'  Miss  Emily  A.  Crosby,  and  then 
bade  adieu  to  his  bride  in  order  to  assist 
his  country  in  her  stiaiggle  tO'  preserve  the 
Union  intact.  The  lady  was  born, at  Calais, 
near  Passamaquoddy  bay,  Maine,  on  the 
18th  of  Septeinber,  1839..  Her  father. 
Jeremiah  Crosby,  was  a  nati\e  nf  r\lacliias, 
Maine,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  Crnsli\, 
of  the  Pine  Tree  state.  After  arriving  at 
years  of  maturity  Jeremiah  Crusby  wedded 
Susan  L.  Keyes,  who  was  Ijorn  in  Orland, 
Maine,  a  daughter  of  William  Keyes,  of 
Orland,  who  was  of  English  descent.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Crosby  became  the  parents  of 
four  children,  namely:  John,  who  was  an 
officer  in  the  Civil  war  and  is  now  in  the 
United  States  navy  at  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, holding  the  rank  of  captain,  and  has 
been  all  over  the  world;  Mrs.  Libby,  whoi  is 
the  next  younger;  Helen,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-twoi  years ;  and  Frederick, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  The 
motlier  of  this  family  died  when  ]\lrs.  Liljby 
was  nnl\-  nine  years  r.\t\.  and  tlie  father 
was  afterward  again  married,  his  sccmid 
union  being  with  Alartha  Smith,  by  whom 
he  had  one  son,  Algernon  Crosby,  of  Bos- 
ton, Massachusetts,  and  one  daughter,  Fan- 
nie, who  is  also  living  in  Boston.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  millwright  by  trade  and  at  the 
time  (if  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
he  made  his  wav  to-  the  Pacific  coast  and 


died  in  that  state  in  1849.  I"  religious  be- 
lief he  was  a  Universalist.  The  marriage 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Libby  has  been  blessed 
with  three  living  children:  Irene  M.  and 
Walter  G.,  at  home;  and  Edna  C,  wife  of 
A.  L.  Manassa,  of  Little  River,  Kansas,  by 
whom  she  has  one  daughter,  Helen.  Mr. 
and  Airs.  Libby  also  lost  four  children  wIk.. 
died  in  infancy. 

After  his  return  fmm  the  war  the  sub- 
ject of  this  re\-ie\v  rcMM^M  m  \l:i -,s,,rlu,,etts 
for  some  years,  working  ;ii  Ids  ii.nlc  <:\  car- 
pentering and  step-building.  In  1865, 
ho\\'e\-er,  he  removed  to  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  followed  his  chosen  pur- 
suit for  eight  years,  and  on  the  2d  of  March, 
1873,  he  came  to  Rice  county,  locating  on 
what  is  now  the  Libby  homestead,  in  Rock- 
ville  township.  He  first  resided  in  a  sod 
house  and  afterward  in  a  dugout  within  the 
site  of  his  present  home.  The  date  on  which 
the  material  for  this  sketch  was  secured 
was  the  twenty-eighth  anniversary  of  his 
arri\-al  in  the  county.  During  the  period 
of  his  residence  here  he  has  accomplished 
much  in  a  business  line,  and  is  td-dav  the 
Hwncr  ni  a  valuable  pn  iperty,  wliich  stands 
as  a  uKiUument  to  his  thrift  and  industrv. 
A  grove  and  an  orchard  are  upon  his  farm, 
together  with  modern  buildings,  the  latest 
improved  mac'hinery  and  all  the  equipments 
of  a  model  farm  of  the  twentieth  centurv, 
Mr.  Libby  votes  with  the  Republican  party, 
but  the  honors  oi  office  have  had  no  attrac- 
tion for  him,  as  he  prefers  to  devote  his  en- 
ergies to  his  business  afifairs.  He  is  a  man 
of  intelligence,  broad  minded  and  liberal  in 
his  opinions  and  wherever  he  has  gone  he 
has  won  warm  friends  by  reason  of  his 
sterling  worth.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
held  in  high  regard  in  the  community,  and 
their  own  home  is  celebrated  for  its  gracious 
hospitality. 


ROBERT  J.  ^^•ATKIXS. 

Grand  \'iew  is  one  of  the  finest  farms  in 
Rice  county  and  is  the  property  of  R.  T. 
Watkins,  a  practical,  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive   agriculturist,     whose    possessions 


254 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


have  been  acquired  entirely  tliroiigh  his  own 
efforts,  resulting  from  capable  management, 
untiring  industry  and  keen  discrimination 
in  business  affairs.  He  came  to  the  county 
in  1879  and  is  therefore  numbered  among 
its  early  settlers,  having  been  a  witness  of 
its  growth  and  de^-elopment  for  twenty-two 
years. 

^Ir.  \\'atkins  was  born  in  Logan  countv, 
Ohio,  near  Bellefontaine.  on  the  26th  of 
April.  1855.  ^"d  represents  one  of  the  old 
families  of  Virginia.  His  grandfather,  John 
\\'atkins.  was  a  native  of  that  state,  which 
indicates  that  at  an  early  period  the  family 
was  founded  in  America.  Robert  J.  Wat- 
kins.  Sr..  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  also 
born  in  Virginia  and  was  reared  near 
\\'heeling.  \\>st  Virginia,  his  boyhood  days 
lieing  passed  in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer 
lads  of  the  period.  The  public  schools 
afforded  him  his  educational  privileges. 
When  a  yoimg  man  he  wTnt  to  Ohio  and 
was  married  in  Logan  county,  that  state, 
to  ]\Iiss  Lydia  Cowgill,  a  native  of  Logan 
county,  where  they  began  their  domestic 
life,  the  father  devoting  his  energies  to 
fanning  and  stock-raising  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  when  he  was  fifty-eight 
years  of  age.  The  political  principles'  of  the 
Republican  party  received  his  loyal  support. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
with  which  his  wife  was  also  identified,  and 
in  that  faith  they  reared  their  children. 
^Irs.  W'atkins  died  in  Ohio,  August  20, 
1901.  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  Her 
noble  Christian  life  and  her  kindness  of 
heart  won  her  the  love  and  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  she  was  brought  in  contact. 
This  worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of  thir- 
teen children,  but  only  three  of  the  number 
are  now  living,  namely:  John  W.  and  Ed. 
who  reside  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  and 
Robert  J.,  of  this  review.  Those  who 
reached  mature  years  but  have  now  passed 
away  were  Thomas,  Deborali,  Mary  and 
Louisa,  and  the  others  all  died  in  infancy 
or  childhood. 

Rdbert  J.  \\'atkins,  whose  name  forms 
the  captii.m  of  this  review,  was  reared  upon 
the  old  home  farm  in  Ohio  and  when  old 
enough  to  handle  the  plow  took  his  place 


in  the  fields,  preparing  the  ground  for  culti- 
vation in  the  early  springtime,  aiding  in 
the  work  of  planting  as  the  season  pro- 
gressed and  assisting  in  the  harvest  fields 
when  the  crops  were  ready  for  the  garner- 
ing. He  acquired  a  fair  education  in  the 
public  schools  and  supplemented  his  early 
study  by  a  course  in  Earlham  Academy,  in 
Richmond,  Indiana.  He  continued  at  home 
until  twenty-five  years  of  age,  when  he  re- 
solved to  try  his  fortune  in  the  west,  believ- 
ing that  he  might  have  better  opportunities 
for  advancement  in  the  less  thickly  set- 
tled district  bej-ond  the  Mississippi  river. 
Coming  to  Kansas,  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Wilson  township.  Rice  county,  in  1879.  and 
secured  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
rich  land.  The  soil,  however,  was  rich  in 
its  latent  possibilities,  needing  only  the  cul- 
tivating powers  of  man  to  make  it  produc- 
tive. As  the  years  passed  Mr.  Watkins 
transformed  the  place  into  rich  and  fer- 
the  fields  and  added  all  modern  improve- 
ments. He  also  secured  the  machinery  nec- 
essary to  facilitate  farm  work,  erected  sub- 
stantial buildings  and  developed  a  farm 
which  is  well  entitled  to  the  name  of  Grand 
View.  Upon  the  place  is  a  fine  grove  of 
maple  trees  and  box-elders.  There  is  a 
good  bearing  orchard,  commodious  barns 
and  sheds  for  the  shelter  of  grain  and  stock, 
good  feed  lots  and  yards,  rich  pastures  and 
grain  fields  which  give  evidence  of  coming 
harvests.  Everything  on  the  place  is  in 
good  condition  and  the  owner  has  every 
reason  to  be  proud  of  his  valuable  farming 
property.  Li  addition  to  the  production  of 
the  cereals  best  adapted  to  this  climate  he 
breeds  finest  stock,  including  short-horn  cat- 
tle and  Poland-China  hogs. 

I\Tr.  Watkins  was  married  on  the  15th 
of  February,  1898,  in  Lyons,  Kansas,  to 
Miss  Lena  E.  Cowdr}-,  a  cultured  lady,  who 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Lyons  a  daugh- 
ter of  J.  A.  Cowdry,  a  prominent  and  well- 
known  resident  of  that  city.  Her  father 
was  born  in  Meigs  county,  Ohio,  in  1847. 
and  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  responded 
to  the  call  for  aid.  serving  as  a  member  of 
Company  L  Second  Ohio  Infantry.  He 
married  Abbie  Wolf,  a  native  also  of  INIeigs 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


--255 


c^iunty,  Oliio,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Rebecca  W  olf.  They  became  the  parents  of 
four  children,  as  follows :  Mrs.  Lena  Wat- 
kins;  Elbert  E.,  at  home;  J.  Ray,  a  dentist, 
who  is  engaged  in  practice  in  Lyons;  and 
Herman,  who  is  still  with  his  parents.  They 
also  lost  two  children,  Neil  and  Laurel,  who 
died  in  childhood.  The  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Watkins  has  been  blessed  with  one 
child,  a  little  daughter,  Helen,  who'  is  the 
life  and  light  of  the  household. 

Mr.  \\'atkins  is  quite  prominent  in  pub- 
lic affairs  and  his  influence  is  strongly  felt 
as  a  supporter  of  the  Populist  party.  Li  the 
fall  of  1895  he  was  elected  sheriff  and  filled 
the  position  in  such  a  capable  and  com- 
mendable manner  that  he  was  re-elected  for 
a  second  term.  An  exemplaiy  member  of 
the  ]\Iasonic  fraternity,  he  has  taken  the  cle- 
gTees  of  the  blue  lodge  in  Sterling,  Kansas, 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter 
at  that  place.  He  is  likewise  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
His  disposition  is  cordial  and  genial,  his 
manner  friendly  and  courteous  and  his  so- 
cial qualities  are  such  as  have  won  for  him 
a  wide  circle  of  friends,  while  in  business 
affairs  he  is  known  for  his  reliability,  and 
he  has  gained  the  confidence  and  good  will 


E.  F.  TRUESDELL. 

The  agricultural  interests  of  Rice  coun- 
ty are  well  represented  by  E.  F.  Truesdell, 
who  owns  a  fine  farm  on  section  31,  Victoria 
township.  He  has  been  "a  resident  of  the 
Sunflower  state  since  the  28th  of  March, 
1879,  and  has  ever  borne  his'  part  in  the 
work  of  improvement  and  development. 
He  was  born  in  Warsaw,  Wyoming  county, 
Xew  York,  on  .the  19th  of  August,  1856, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  Truesdell.  a  native  of 
Lake  George,  New^  York,  of  which  locality 
the  grandfather,  John  Truesdell.  was  also 
a  native.  The  latter  married  Miss  Nancy 
Smith,  also  of  the  Empire  state.  John 
Truesdell,  Jr.,  was  reared  in  the  place  of  his 
nativity  and  was  tliere  married  to  Jane 
Waldrun,  who  was  born  at  Warsaw,  New- 


York,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Waldron. 
He  joined  the  Mormons  and  went  with  them 
across  the  plains  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  died,  leaving  five 
children, — Frank,  a  resident  of  Lyons; 
George,  also  of  that  city;  John,  who  is  em- 
ployed as  a  boiler-maker  by  the  Truesdell 
Coanpany  in  Hutchinson,  Kansas:  Grace,, 
who  still  resides  in  New  York;  and  E.  F., 
the  subject  of  this  review.  For  his  second 
wife  the  father  chose  Ella  Gififord.  and  thev 
also  became  the  parents  of  five  children'; 
Gifford,  a  well-known  and  successful  physi- 
cian of  \A'arsaw,  New  York:  Artie,  at 
home;  Emily,  also  at  home;  Willie:  and  one 
other.  The  father  has  now  reached  the  ven- 
erable age  of  seventy  years.  He  is  a  farm- 
er and  stock  man  and  votes  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  For  maay  years  he  has  been 
a  worthy  and  active  member  of  the  Baptist 
church. 

E.  F.  Truesdell,  the  immediate  subject 
of  this  review,  was  reared  in  his  parents' 
honiie  in  Warsaw,  New  York,  and  was  there 
taught  lessons  of  industry,  honesty  and  per- 
severance. After  reaching  years 'of  matur- 
ity he  was  employed  for  a  time  in  the  serv- 
ice of  the  Lake  Erie  Railroad  in  Buffalo, 
New  York.  On  the  28th  of  Alarch.  1879, 
.he  came  to  Rice  county,  Kansas,  and  his  first 
employment  was  as  a  brakeman  on  the  Atch- 
ison, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  He  was 
subsequently  promoted  to  the  position  of 
conductor.  After  four  years  of  railroad 
sen-ice  he  again  returned  to  the  quiet  pur- 
suits of  the  farm.  In  1883  he  chose  as  a 
companion  for  life's  journey  Miss  Flora  L. 
Gay.  She  is  a  dauglfter  of  Frank  Gay.  The 
father  and  his  son  Floyd  were  killed  in  a 
railroad  accident  in  Attica,  New  York.  The 
son  was  then  only  five  years  of  age.  The 
mother  is  still  living  and  is  now  sixty  years 
of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gay  had  five  chil- 
dren,— Flora  L.,  Charles,  josie  and  Fred 
and  Floyd,  twins.  Unto  our  subject  and 
wife  have  been  born  five  children,  but  two 
are  now  deceased, — Grace,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  three  years,  and  a  daughter  who  died 
in  infancy.  Tlie  living  children  are  Gertie, 
Herbie  and  Glenn,  aged  respecti\-e!v  four- 
teen, twelve  and  three  years.    Mr.  Truesdell 


256 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


is  independent  in  his  political  views,  prefer- 
ing  to  cast  his  vote  for  the  men  whom  he 
regards  as  best  qualified  for  public  ofifice. 
For  six  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  of  Victoria  township.  He  is  well 
known  to  many  citizens  of  the  community 
and  has  lived  so  as  tO'  command  their  con- 
fidence and  respect.  He  has  many  warm 
friends,  who  esteem  him  for  his  sterling 
worth  and  many  excellencies  of  character. 


WILLIA^I  H.  S.  BENEDICT. 

William  H.  S.  Benedict,  a  prominent 
business  man  of  Hutchinson,  was  born  in 
Fond  du  Lac  county.  Wisconsin,  May  4, 
1855.  His  father,  Cyrus  Benedict,  was  a 
nati\-e  of  the  Buckeye  state,  born  near  Co- 
lumbus, ]\Iay  4,  1823.  When  but  seven 
years  of  age  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  his-  mother,  and  he  was  then 
bound  out  to  a  man  named  Savage,  who  for 
six  years  demonstrated  to  the  lad  that  he. 
Savage,  was  well  named,  in  fact  treating 
the  boy  with  such  cruelty  that  at  the  age 
of  thirteen  years  he  ran  away,  making  his 
way  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  found  em- 
ployment in  a  Quaker  community  and  there 
grew  to  manhood.  On  the  2d  of  August, 
1844,  he  was  there  married  to  Hannah  C. 
Cope,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  on  the 
14th  of  April,  1826,  and  was  a  member  of  an 
old  and  prominent  family  of  that  state. 
Their  family  history  can  be  traced  back  to 
1681.  when  Oliver  Cope  came  to  America 
from  Wilkshire,  England,  becoming  a 
landed  proprietor  in  Pennsylvania.  Our 
subject  now  has  in  his  possession  a  deed  to 
land  granted  to  one  O'f  his  mother's  ances- 
tors by  William  Penn. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ben- 
edict took  up  their  abode  with  her  parents, 
intending  to  make  their  home  there  for  at 
least  that  season.  On  one  occasion  the 
mother,  forgetting  thait  her  daughter  had 
risen  to  the  dignity  of  a  married  lady,  pun- 
ished her  for  a  supposed  falsehood,  accus- 
ing her  of  spilling  the  milk  on  the  floor  of 
the  milk  house,  which  the  daughter,  being 
innocent,    stoutlv    denied.     Then    followed 


the  punishment,  which  so  incensed  the 
young  husband  that  he  gave  up  his  contract 
to  farm  his  father-in-law's  place  and  with 
his  wife  started  for  the  wilds  of  W^isconsin, 
notwithstanding-  the  fact  that  he  was  warned 
by  his  Quaker  father-in-law  that  if  thev 
left  he  would  disinherit  his  daughter,  and 
that  threat  was  afterward,  carried  out.  The 
young  couple  located  in  the  woods  near  the 
vicinity  of  Milwaukee,  which  was  then  a 
mere  hamlet,  the  year  of  their  arrival  being 
1846,  and  there  they  encountered  manv 
hardships  and  privations,  but  they  were  am- 
bitious and  for  a  time  the  husband  worked 
at  any  honorable  occupation  that  was  of- 
fered him.  He  was  engaged  in  splitting 
rails  at  forty-seven  cents  a  day,  walking 
three  miles  to  his  work,  and  their  first  win- 
ter in  Wisconsin  was  a  very  severe  one,  the 
snow  lying  to  a  depth  of  six  feet.  Mr.  Ben- 
edict was  naturally  a  very  strong  man,  but 
while  assisting  another  man  to  carry  a  large 
beam,  which  they  had  on  their  shoulders, 
the  latter  misunderstood  the  order  to  throw 
it  off  and  let  his  end  drop  too  quickly,  thus 
injuring  Mr.  Benedict's  spine,  and  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life  he  was  practically  a 
cripple. 

In  1850  the  family  removed  to  Fond  du 
Lac  county,  Wisconsin,  locating  about  four 
miles  from  the  town  of  Brandon,  where 
they  remained  until  1856,  going  thence  to 
Winnebago  county,  that  state,  that  event 
takinig  plafce  wdien  our  subject  was  only 
fourteen  months  old.  A  location  was  made 
in  the  town  of  Omro',  on  the  Fox  river, 
about  twelve  miles  from  Oshkosh,  where 
Mr.  Benedict  was  employed  in  conducting  a 
restaurant  for  several  years.  WHiile  there 
residing  he  also  spent  several  years  in  ex- 
perimenting with  a  cough  remed\',  which 
he  wished  to  make  as  nearly  perfect  as  pos- 
sible, and  after  perfecting  it  waited  three 
years  before  applying  for  a  patent,  wishing 
to  test  the  keeping  qualities  of  the  medicine, 
which  he  found  to  be  perfect.  He  was  scru- 
pulously conscientious  and  honest  in  every 
respect,  and  w^onld  never  enter  into  an  en- 
terprise unless  it  was  absolutely  honorable. 
In  his  cough  remedy  he  used  only  the  purest 
and  best  ingredients  that  could  be  procured, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


257 


and  liis  medicine  possessed  great  virtue  as 
a  cure  for  coughs,  colds  and  lung  trouble. 
Before  his  death  he  sold  a  half  interest  in 
this  business  to  John  Wilcox,  they  form- 
ing a  stock  company  with  a  capital  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  and  erected  a  fine  two- 
story-  brick  building  in  which  to  manufac- 
ture medicine,  and  of  this  company  Mr. 
Benedict  was  made  treasurer  and  Mr.  Wil- 
cox superintedent.  Previous  to  this  time, 
however,  Mr.  Benedict  had  taken  our  subject 
into  his  confidence  and  had  entrusted  him' 
with  the  secret  of  the  compounding  and 
manufacture  of  this  valuable  remedy.  Short- 
ly after  the  formation  Oif  the  company  the 
father  was  confined  to  his  bed  with  a  serious 
illness,  and  while  in  this  condition  his  part- 
ner substituted  various  cheap  and  worthless 
ingredients  for  the  pure  ones  formerly 
used,  and  our  subject,  w4io  was  then  work- 
ing in  the  factory,  reported  it  to  his  father. 
This  proved  his  death  blow,  but  before  his 
deatli  he  called  his  partner  to  his  bedside 
and  expostulated  with  him,  but  to  no  pur- 
pose. The  preparation  which  Mr.  Wilcox 
put  upon  the  market  spoiled  as  soon  as  the 
warm  weather  came,  and  the  reputation  of 
the  firm  was  ruined,  and  to  complete  the 
misfortune  the  building  burned  to  the 
ground,  leaving  not  a  trace  of  what  would 
have  l)een  a  fine  business  if  honorably  con- 
ducted. 

Mr.  Benedict  passed  to  his  final  reward 
on  the  nth  of  April,  1870.  In  political 
matters  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  afterward 
a  Republican,  and  during  the  Ci\'il  war  he 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  Fourteenth  \Mscon- 
sin  Volunteer  Infantry,  but  could  not  pass 
the  physical  examination.  He  was  a  man 
oif  intense  loyalty  to  his  country,  and  would 
have  sen-ed  as  a  brave  and  fearless  defender 
had  his  health  permitted.  His  social  rela- 
tions connected  him  w-ith  the  Odd  Fellows 
fraternity:  and  religiously  he  remained  true 
to  his  Quaker  teachings.  He  never  sought 
or  desired  the  emoluments  of  public  office, 
but  he  was  often  soiicited  by  his  friends 
to  accept  positions  oi  trust,  and  he  some- 
times consented.  About  five  years  after 
his  death  his  widow  married,  at  Brandon, 


Wisconsin,  Samuel  Hubble,  a  Quaker,  and 
they  removed  to-  Omro,  that  state,  where 
they  remained  until  the  30th  of  May,  1878, 
when  Mrs.  Hubble  also  passed  away,  dying 
in  the  Quaker  faith.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Benedict  were  born  four  children,  namely: 
Anna,  wife  of  Felix  Gunning,  a  hotel  pro- 
prietor of  Salem,  Oregon :  Da\i(l,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery-  Im^iiu---  m  Newton, 
Kansas;  Qiarles  C,  a  machinist  ny  trade, 
and  for  nineteen  years  was  employed  by  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company,  but  now  makes 
his  home  at  Nickerson,  Kansas,  where  he 
has  a  large  vineyard  and  orchard ;  and  Will- 
iam H.  S.,  the  subject  of  this  review.  The 
second  child,  David,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war.  becoming  a  member  of  Company 
C,  Fourteenth  Wisconsin  \'olunteer  Infan- 
try. He  began  his  military  career  when 
only  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  for  twenty- 
two  months  was  a  brave  and  loyal  defender 
of  the  stars  and  stripes.  He  was  with  Grant 
at  Shiloh,  Corinth  and  Vicksburg.  and  was 
with  Sherman  on  his  memorable  march  to 
the  sea. 

William  H.  S.  Benedict,  the  immediate 
subject  of  this  review,  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  OmrO',  Wisconsin,  and 
after  the  burning  of  his  father's  medical 
works  he  learned  the  machinist's  trade,  be- 
ing then  about  sixteen  years  of  age.  In 
Tune,  1876,  he  came  to  Kansas,  two  of  his 
brothers  having  preceded  him  to  the  Sun- 
flower state,  the  eldest,  David.  arri\-ing  in 
1 87 1.  He  purchased  a  farm  north  of  Great 
Bend,  where  his  family  resided,  but  he 
worked  at  his  tratle  in  the  town,  and  our 
subject  and  his  brother,  Charles,  the  latter 
having  come  to  this  state  in  1875,  operated 
'  the  farm  for  two  and  a  half  years,  when  they 
took  a  claim  north  of  Great  Bend.  On  his 
land  our  subject  erected  a  sod  house  and 
soon  had  fifty  acres  under  cultivation  and 
planted  with  wheat,  but  his  crop  w^as  de- 
stroyed by  the  drouth  of  that  year,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  government  granted  an 
extra  time  of  eighteen  months  to  the  home- 
steaders. In  the  spring  of  1879  ^^i"-  ^C"" 
edict  went  ti>  N'ew  Mexico,  where  his  broth- 
er and  G.  L.  Brinkman  owned  an  outfit  for 


258 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


freighting,  our  subject  going  tliere  to  re- 
lieve his  brother,  who  was  called  to  his 
home  at  Great  Bend,  Kansas,  by  his  wife's 
sickness,  and  for  two  and  a  half  years  there- 
after our  subject  follow-ed  freighting  for 
the  railroad  company.  In  1882  he  removed 
to  San  Pedro  and  engaged  in  the  same  oc- 
cupation for  the  big  copper  mines,  hauling 
ore  with  four  mule  teams  and  there  he  final- 
Iv  secured  the  position  of  timekeeper,  while 
still  later  he  arose  to  the  position  of  fore- 
man, looking  after  the  machinery  in  the 
mines,  for  which  he  received  six  dollars  a 
day.  This  was  an  old  Mexican  mine,  but  at 
that  time  was  owned  by  a  New  York  and 
Boston  syndicate,  who  had  purchased  the 
property  from  an  old  IMexican  named  Otera. 
Twelve"  months  after  our  subject  began 
work  there  the  mine  was  captured  by  about 
fifty  armed  miners,  who  had  been  bribed 
by  the  sons  of  the  former  owner,  they  dis- 
puting the  title  of  the  company  then  operat- 
ing it.  The  employes  were  taken  entirely  by 
surprise,  and  were  forced  to  surrender.  Af- 
ter this  event  Mr.  Benedict  removed  to  So- 
corro and  assisted  in  the  construction  of  the 
railroad  from  that  point  to  the  Magdalena 
mines,  his  time  being  thus  employed  for 
one  year,  when  he  removed  to  Golden,  a 
mining  camp  near  San  Pedro,  and  was 
there  married  on  the  8th  of  August,  1883. 
His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Louisa 
E.  Talbott  and  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  Pow- 
eshiek countv,  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  John 
M.  Talbott,  a  Quaker. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Benedict  was 
employed  for  six  months  in  the  grading  of 
the  Santa  Fe  railroad  at  Socorro,  after  which 
he  moved  to  a  ranch  on  the  Rio  Grande,  the 
land  having  a  frontage  on  the  river  for  six 
miles.  He  obtained  a  squatter's  right  to  the 
land  and  was  there  engaged  for  three  years, 
employing  several  cowboys  to  take  care  of 
his  large  herds  of  cattle.  In  1885  he  sold 
his  property  there  and  came  to  Kansas, 
spending  the  following  four  years  in  Sylvia, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  coal,  flour  and 
feed  business  with  his  father-in-law.  They 
erected  a  large  store  building,  and  for  a 
time  conducted  a  paying  business,  handling 


the  famous  Rockvale  coal  of  Colorado.  In 
1889  our  subject  again  sought  a  new  loca- 
tion, this  time  selecting  Hutchinson,  and  in 
this  city  he  engaged  in  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness at  No.  318  North  :\Iain  street,  there 
remaining  for  nine  months.  On  the  expi- 
ration of  that  period  he  located  at  No.  400 
North  Main  street,  and  about  six  years  ago 
he  added  a  line  of  groceries  to  his  already 
extensive  business.  On  the  ist  of  April, 
1901,  he  came  to  his  present  quarters,  No. 
113  North  Main  street,  where  he  carries 
a  full  line  of  groceries  and  field  and  garden 
seeds,  and  in  connection  therewith  lias  an 
extensive  bakery.  Associated  with  him  in 
business  is  his  nephew,  Frank  W.  Gunning, 
and  the  firm  of  Benedict  &  Gunning  occu- 
pies a  conspicuous  place  among  tlie  leading 
business  houses  of  the  city.  They  sell  from 
seven  to  eight  hundred  loaves  of  the  B.  & 
G.  bread  each  day  and  this  brand  has  be- 
come famous  throughout  the  locality,  its 
popularity  also  extending  into  the  surround- 
ing towns.  The  firm  occupy  a  floor  space  of 
twenty-five  by  one  hundred  and  sixty-five 
feet,  and  seven  assistants  and  three  delivery 
wagons  are  kept  constantly  employed.  Dur- 
ing the  month  of  May  their  sales  amounted 
to  thirty-one  hundred  dollars. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benedict  has 
been  blessed  with  three  children,  Jessie,  born 
in  New  Mexico,  in  1885;  Arthur,  who  died 
at  Sylvia  when  three  months  old;  and 
Harry  M..  born  in  Sylvia,  Kansas,  in  1888. 
The  daughter  is  now  a  member  of  the 
sophoanore  class  of  the  high  school.  In  his 
political  affiliations  Mr.  Benedict  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  socially  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  the  Ancient  Order  of 
Red  Men  and  the  ilodern  Tontine.  Mrs. 
Benedict  holds  membership  relations  with 
the  Methodist  church,  in  which  she  is  an 
active  and  zealous  worker.  Our  subject  has 
perhaps  the  finest  collection  of  old  coins, 
old  scrip,  bank  notes  and  geological  speci- 
mens to  be  found  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
An  English  farthing  of  1669  and  an  Ameri- 
can dollar  of  1798  are  among  his  rare  coins, 
while  among  his  collection  of  bills  is  a  con- 
tinental scrip  dated  1776. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


259 


CHARLES  E.  JEXXIXGS. 

Every  community  has  a  few  men  who 
are  recognized  as  leaders  in  pubhc  affairs 
and  to  whom  are  due  the  prosperity  and 
progress  which  have  led  to  the  substantial 
development  of  the  locality.  To  this  class  in 
Kanopolis  belongs  Charles  E.  Jennings,  who 
is  now  engaged  in  general  merchandising 
there.  He  was  born  December  5,  1864,  at 
A\'hite  Cloud,  Kansas,  and  is  a  sion  of  C.  F. 
and  Jennie  (Seaver)  Jennings.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  there  resided 
until  the  time  of  the  Civil  war.  \\hen,  on  ac- 
count of  his  loyal  adherence  t<T  the  Union 
cause,  ihe  was  forced  to  leave  the  state,  and 
together  with  hisi  brother.  Samuel  L.  Jen- 
nings, came  to  Kansas.  The  latter  had  re- 
moved to  this  state  in  1854,  but  after  a  time 
returned  to  the  Old  Dominion.  When  the 
brothers  once  more  sought  a  home  in  the 
Sunflower  state  they  took  up  their  abode  in 
Doniphan  county  and  jMr.  Jennings  was  ap- 
pointed tO'  the  government  position  of  pay- 
master of  the  Shawnee  agency,  in  which  he 
served  until  about  1869.  He  then  removed 
to  Jasper  county,  Missouri,  where  he  became 
largely  interested  in  mining  operations, 
which  were  attended  with  a  high  degree  of 
success  at  an  early  day,  but  afterward  proved 
of  a  disastrous  nature.  In  1885  he  removed 
to  Wyandotte  county.  Kansas,  and  in  1886 
came  to  Kanopolis,  where,  in  connection 
with  his  sons,  H.  S.  and  Charles  E.,  he  es- 
tablis'h.ed  his  present  general  mercantile  busi- 
ness, under  the  firmi  name  of  C.  E.  Jennings 
&  Sons.  He  was  an  active  partner  in  the 
enterprise  until  1887,  when  he  withdrew,  the 
sons  continuing  the  business  together  until 
1891,  since  which  time  Charles  E.  Jennings 
has  been  sole  proprietor.  The  father  died 
in  August,  1888  or  1889.  His  widow  still 
sur\-i\-es  him  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Car- 
neiro,  Kansas.  He  was  very  pi-ominent  in 
church  work.  In  early  life  he  held  member- 
ship with  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church 
but  afterward  became  a  Presbyterian,  and 
throughout  his  remaining  years  he  did  all 
in  his  power  to  promote  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity and  thus  aided  in  the  uplifting  of  his 
fellow  men.     He  was  a  liberal  and  generous 


contributiir  to  church  work  and  aided  large- 
ly in  tlie  building  of  both  houses  of  worship 
in  Kanopolis.  The  father  was  twice  mar- 
ried, and  by  his  first  union  had  three  chil- 
dren,— Hugh,  a  resident  of  Joplin,  Mis- 
souri; Mary  L.,  the  wife  of  E.  D.  McCul- 
lom,  of  Aurora,  Missouri ;  and  Florence,  the 
deceased  wife  of  John  M.  Shannon,  also  of 
Joplin.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  C. 
F.  Jennings  married  Miss.  Jennie  Seaver, 
and  they  had  four  children,  namely :  Seaver, 
who  is  now  deceased;  Charles  A.,  of  this  re- 
view; Will  H.,  who  is  living  in  Joplin,  Mis- 
souri; and  Annella,  the  wife  of  F.  N.  Rew- 
ick,  a  merchant  of  Carneiro,  Ellsworth 
county. 

Charles  E.  Jennings  spent  the  first  six- 
teen years  of  his  life  in  his  parents'  home, 
during  which  time  he  pursued  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Joplin,  Missouri,  and 
in  Drury  College,  of  Springfield,  Missouri. 
He  then  determined  to  see  something  of  the 
world  and  traveled  in  the  southern  and  east- 
ern states,  and  in  1882  he  made  a  trip  to 
South  America,  spending  a  year  or  two  in 
that  country,  visiting  various  portions  of 
the  continent.  \\'hile  there,  in  company 
with  two  American  companions,  he  became 
involved  in  one  of  the  local  insurrections 
frequent  in  that  country.  He  continued 
traveling  until  1884,  and  through'this  means 
he  gained  an  extensive  and  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  North  America  and  of  the 
southern  continent.  In  1884  he  turned  his 
attention  to  railroad  construction,  taking 
some  contracts  from  the  Fitz  L.  Malloy  Con- 
struction Company.  He  was  thus  engaged 
for  two  andi  a  half  years,  when,  in  1886,  he 
came  to  Kanopolis  and  joined  his  father  in 
merchandising,  since  which  time  he  has  re^ 
mained  in  active  business.  He  is  now  sole 
proprietor  of  a  large  and  well  appointed 
store,  in  which  be  carries  everything  fonnd 
in  a  first-class  general  establishment.  In 
addition  to  dry  goods  and  groceries  and 
other  commodities  he  deals  in  coal  and  feed. 
His  patronage  is  now  extensive,  and  those 
who  once  become  his  customers  remain  as 
his  regular  patrons,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
he  is  ever  courteous,  obliging  and  reliable 
in  his  dealings. 


260 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


On  the  6th  of  June.  1885,  occurred)  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Jennings^  and  Miss  AHie 
Kirby,  a  daughter  of  John  J.  and  Mary 
(Funk)  Kirby.  She  was  born  in  Missouri 
and  by  her  marriage  has  l>ecome  the  mother 
of  one  son,  Claude  S.  Mr.  Jennings  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  also 
with  the  Royal  Labor  and  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber and  past  noble  grand  of  Kanopolis 
Lodge,  No.  321,  L  O.  O.  F.  He  has  been 
very  prominent  in  public  affairs  and  has  left 
the  impress  O'f  his  individuality  upon  prog- 
ress and  improvement.  He  is  one  of  the 
enterprising  and  successful  young  business 
men  of  Ellsworth  county,  who  has  experi- 
enced the  adversity  as.  well  as  prosperity  of 
Kansas.  He  has  also  been  postmaster  of 
Kanopolis  for  five  years.  He  has  reason  to 
feel  justly  proud  of  his  success,  which  has 
come  to  him  through  good  management, 
close  application  to  business  and  fidelity  to 
duty.  Public-spirited  and  proigressive,  he  is 
accounted  one  of  the  most  valued  citizens  of 
his  community,  and  this  work  would  be  in- 
complete without  mention  of  his  career. 


DAVID  B.  TRACY. 


Among  the  veterans  of  the  Civil  war 
who  now  find  homes  in  Kansas,  who  are  rep- 
resentatives of  its  farming  interests  and  who 
are  numbered  among  the  valued  residents  of 
the  Sunflower  state  is  David  B.  Tracy,  who 
now  follows  agricultural  pursuits  and  stock- 
raising  on  section  14,  Garfield  township.  He 
is  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  the  county, 
and  his  standing  among  his  fellow  men  is 
indicated  by  the  fact  that  for  eight  years  he 
has  occupied  the  position  of  county  com- 
missioner. His  writings,  too, — for  he  is  a 
well  known  newspaper  correspondent — are 
favorably  received,  as  he  treats  intelligently 
and  comprehensively  every  subject  which  he 
discusses. 

Mr.  Tracy  was'  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  April  24,  1845.  '^"d  is  of 
Irish  lineage,  his  grandfather.  James  Tracy, 
having    been    born    on    the    Emerald    Isle, 


whence  in  early  manhood  he.  crossed  the  At- 
lantic tO'  the  new  world,  taking  up  his  abode 
in  this  country  during  colonial  days:  When 
the  colonies  attempted  to_  throw  off  the  yoke 
of  British  oppression  he  jiiined  the  anny  and 
loyally  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  His  son,  Peter  Tracy,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  born  at  Morrison's 
Cove,  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
likewise  a  soldier,  belonging  to  a  Mar\-land 
regiment  that  did  active  duty  in  the  war  of 
1812.  By  trade  he  was  a  blacksmith,  and 
in  connection  with  that  pursuit  he  followed 
farming.  He  wedded  Mary  Knowles  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
but  only  five  are  now  li\-ing. 

In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  Da- 
vid B.  Tracy  spent  his  youth,  pursuing  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  the  neighborhood 
and  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  farm  in  such 
a  manner  as  his  years  and  strength  would 
permit.  He  was  only  fifteen  years  of  age 
when  with  loyal  spirit  he  responded  to  his 
country's  call  and  joined  Company  H  of  the 
One  Hundred'  and  Seventh  Pennsylvania  In- 
fantry. He  afterward  re-enlisted,  on  the  8th 
of  January,  18(14.  as  a  member  of  Company 
A,  Second  Pennsylvania  Pleavy  Artillery. 
The  principal  engagen:uents  in  which  he  par- 
ticipated were  those  at  Cold  Harl>or,  the 
siege  of  Petersburg,  and  the  battles  of  Fort 
Harrison  and  James  Landing,  and  he  also 
took  part  in  a  number  of  minor  engage- 
ments. He  remained  in  the  army  until  1866, 
when  he  received  an  honorable  discharge 
and  with  a  most  creditable  military  record 
returned  to  his  home. 

When  again  in  the  north  Mr.  Tracy  fol- 
lowed various  occupations,  being  a  part  of 
the  time  engaged  in  farming  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, until  1876.  His  leisure  moments,  how- 
ever, were  devoted  to  literary  pursuits  and 
he  has  gained  quite  a  reputation  as  a  writer 
of  aliility  and  merit,  his  productions  being 
at  once  interesting  and  in-tructive.  At  that 
time  be  wrote  a  pamphlet  called  Five 
Months  on  Cape  Fear,  which  was  sold  out- 
right to  a  book  company  of  Augusta,  IMaine. 
He  also  wrote  a  work  which  was  published 
by  the  Baltimore  News  &  Book  Company,  in 
1872  and  1873,  three  editions  being  issued. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


26  i 


Its  title  was  Life  Around  tlie  Knob,  and 
treated  of  the  humorous  side  of  mountaineer 
life  and  of  the  "happy-go-lucky"  disposition 
of  such  people. 

In  1876  Mr.  Tracy  came  to  the  west,  lo- 
cating on  Mission  Creek  in  Wabaunsee  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  where  he  remained'  for  two.  years 
when  he  came  to  Ellsworth  county.  Here 
he  entered  from  the  go\-ernment  a  claim 
O'f  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  a  branch 
of  the  Elkhorn  creek,  and  opened  up  the  farm 
upon  which  he  now  resides.  His  first  resi- 
dence, a  little  dug-out,  now  forms  the  kitchen 
of  his  present  home.  He  chose  a  tract  of 
land  bordering  the  creek  so  that  be  could 
have  running  water,  as  it  was  his  intention 
to  engage  in  the  stock-raising  business.  He 
makes  a  specialty  of  the  production  of  corn 
and  wheat  and  the  raising  of  cattle,  and  he 
also  sells  calves  to  feeders.  The  secret  of 
his  success  is  found  in  unremitting  toil  and 
close  application.  To  his  farm  he  has  added 
another  lialf-section  of  land,  so  that  he  now 
has  quite  an  extensive  tract,  and  its  value 
has  Ijeen  greatlv  increased  owing  to  the  im- 
pro\-ements  which  he  has  made  upon  the 
place. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1868,  Mr. 
Tracy  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Nancy 
Belle  ]\IcLaughlin,  and  they  now  have  two 
children:  Johnson,  who  is  living  in  Kan- 
sas City,  and  Mrs.  Bett  Adamson,  who  is 
now  living  upon  the  home  farm. 

Mr.  Tracy  exercises  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Republican  party,  and  has  served  as 
a  delegate  to  its  conventions.  While  in 
Pennsvlvania  he  acted  as  town  treasurer, 
and  also  filled  other  township  offices,  in  an 
early  day.  He  was  chosen  a  director  of  the 
school  board  in  Ellsworth  county  in  1882 
and  has  since  served  in  that  capacity,  exer- 
cising his  official  prerogative  in  behalf  of 
good  schools  and  doing  all  in  bisi  power  to 
increase  their  efficiency.  He  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Masmer  under  President 
Cleveland's  first  administration  and  was  cen- 
sus enumerator  of  Garfield  township  in  1890. 
In  1893  he  was  elected  county  commissioner, 
was  re-elected  in  1896  and  again  in  1899, 
so  that  for  more  than  eight  years  he  has 


been  continued  in  the  ofiice,  which,  fact 
stands  as  incontrovertible  evidence  of  his 
ability  and  his  fidelity  to  duty.  He  was 
elected  county  commissioner  on  promises  of 
having  suitable  bridges  put  across  the  Smoky 
Hill  river,  and  he  has  kept  these  promises, 
and,  even)  with  all  the  extra  expense  he  has 
succeeded  in  having"  taxes  reduced  three  mills 
on  the  dollar.  He  has  indeed  been  a  very 
faithful  officer,  and  his  official  record  is  one 
which  is  above  reproach. 

Mr.  Tracy  maintains  pleasant  relation- 
ship with'  his  old  army  comrades  through 
his  membership  in  Ellsworth  Post,  No.  22, 
G.  A.  R.,  and  takes  delight  in  recalling  the 
scenes  which  occurred  on  the  tented  fields  or 
in  the  midst  of  battle.  He  continues  his  lit- 
erary work  as  a  newspaper  correspondent. 
Mr.  Tracy  is  one  of  the  best  known  men  of 
Ellsworth  county,  and  his  genuine  worth  of 
character  command's  for  him  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  all  whom  he  ci  -nies  in  c  mtact. 
The  success  which  has  attended  liis  efforts 
has  enabled  him  in  the  past  ten  years  tO'  take 
life  easier  and  to  enjoy  more  of  its  rest  and 
comforts.  He  finds  more  time  for  the  read- 
ing which  he  so  much  enjoys,  and  being  an 
excellent  sportsman  he  finds  great  pleasure 
wdien  with  his  gtm  he  travels  through  the 
forest  or  across  the  prairies  in  search  of 
game. 


LEWIS  H.  WESTERMAN. 

Lewis  H.  \^'esterman,  who  is  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  owns 
and  operates  nine  hundred  acres  of  land  on 
sections  5  and  8,  township  15,  range  8,  Ells- 
worthy  county.  He  was  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  September  19,  1840,  his  parents 
being  Frederick  and  Dorolthea  (Oldenburg) 
Westerman,  both  of  whom;  were  also  natives 
of  Hanover.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation  and  remained  in  Gennany  until 
1845,  \vhen  'he  came  with  liis  family  to 
America,  locating  at  Dunkard  Grove,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  remained  for  two  years.  He 
then  ranoved  to  Lockport,  that  state,  where 
he  also  spent  two  years,  going  thence  to 
Lake  county,   Indiana,   where  he  procured 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


a  tract  of  land,  upon  which  he  spent  his 
remaining  days,  his  death  occurring  in  1868. 
The  mother  died  in  Hastings,  Nebraska,  at 
the  liome  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Lepin,  at 
tlie  advanced  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  In 
their  family  were  five  children,  namely: 
Frederick,  a  resident  of  Tqjedo,  Ohio; 
Lewis  H.,  of  this  review;  Wilhclmina,  the 
wife  of  H.  Lepin,  of  Hastings,  Nebraska; 
William,  who  is  general  s'tate  agent  in  Min- 
nesota for  the  McCormick  Harvester  Com- 
pany, making  his  home  in  St.  Cloud,  that 
state;  and  Sophia,  the  deceased  wife  of 
Christ  Thurman,  of  Blue  Hills,  Nebraska. 

Lewis  Westerman  was,  only  five  years 
of  age  wlien  the  family  crossed  the  broad 
Atlantic  to  the  new  world.  He  acquired 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Illi- 
nois and  was  reared  to  farm  life.  On  the 
4th  of  May,  1864,  he  was  married,  in  Bruns- 
wick, Lake  county,  Indiana,  to  Frances  A., 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  F.  and  Sarah  (Judd) 
Holbert.  The  lady  was  born  in  Broome 
county,  New  York,  and  her  parents  were  also 
natives  of  the  Empire  state.  In  1857  they 
emigrated  westward,  locating  in  Lake  coun- 
ty, Indiana.  They  had  six  children,  but 
tile  eldesit  died  in  infancy.  The  others  are : 
Mrs.  Westennan;  Almeda,  the  deceased 
wife  of  Sylvester  Bartholomew,  of  Lake 
county,  Indiana;  Martha,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Jessie,  the  wife  of  Marion  Albin,  of 
Jasper  county,  Indiana;  and  James  A.,  who 
is  living  in  Lake  county,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Westerman's  first  business  venture 
was  im  connection  with  merchandising  at 
Brunswick,  Indiana.  He  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  William,  and  together 
they  carried  on  business  for  about  five  years, 
but  in  1867  Lewis  H.  Westerman  turned 
his  attention  to  fanning,  cultivating  a  tract 
of  land  just  across  -the  state  line  in  Will 
county,  Illinois.  There  he  remained  for  a 
year,  when,  in  1868,  in  connection  with  his 
brother,  William,  he  purchased  the  flouring 
mill  at  Lovell,  Indiana,  where  for  ten  years 
he  engaged  in  the  milling  business.  In  1S78 
he  organized  a  colony  from  his  county  and 
with  fifty  families  shipped  his  household 
goods,  teams  and  farming  implements,  to 
Kansas.     The  party  utilized  twelve  freight 


cars  and  one  passenger  coach,  and  arrived 
at  Ellsworth  on  the  12th  of  March,  1878. 
The  various  families  sought  homes  in  Ells- 
worth and  Logan  counties,  while  a  few  lo- 
cated in  Russell  county.  Of  all  those  who 
came  with  the  colony  and  located  in  Ells- 
worth county,  Mr.  A\'esterman  and  his  fam- 
ily are  the  only  ones  who  have  braved  the 
harships  and  reverses  of  pioneer  life  in 
Kansas  and  remained  residents  of  the  com- 
monwealth to  the  present  time.  He  home- 
steaded  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  34, 
township  14,  range  8,  five  miles  noith  of 
Ellsworth,  and  with  characteristic  energy 
began  its  impro'vement,  erecting  thereon,  a 
'Comfortable  frame  residence  and  also  build- 
ing what  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  best 
barns  in  the  county.  He  planted  an  orchard 
and  otherwise  improved  the  place,  which  he 
made  his  home  for  six  years.  In  1884  he 
traded  his  farm  for  a  half  interest  in  the 
Ellsworth  Flouring  Mill,  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Jamesen  &  Westerman. 
Fifteen  months  later  the  miill  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  but,  phoenix-like,  it  arose  from  the 
ashes.  The  new  mill  was  equipped  with  a 
roller  process,  the  first  in  the  coimty,  and 
was  known  as  the  Ellsworth  City  Roller 
]Mill.  In  this  industry  Mr.  Westerman  re- 
tained an  interest  until  1887,  when  he  sold 
out  to  Mr.  Gooddell,  taking  a  fann  property 
in  exchange.  He  t'hen  took  up  his  abode  on 
the  Gooddell  place,  where  he  remained  until 
1889,  when,  in  connection  with  H.  Ramels- 
burg,  he  again  bought  the  roller  mill,  which 
he  conducted  for  two  years,  when  he  dis- 
posed of  his  interest  to  his  partner.  Mr. 
Westerman  next  became  proprietor  of  the 
Farmers"  Hotel,  at  Ellsworth,  and  in  con- 
nection therewith  for  two  years  conducted  a 
livery^  barn.  In  1894  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm,  then  consisting  of  sixty-four  acres 
of  land,  on  which  was  a  good  set  of  farm 
buildings  that  had  been  erected  by  Mr.  Mc- 
Lennon.  From  time  to  time  he  has  added 
to  the  place  until  he  now  owns  nine  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  one  body,  constituting  one 
of  the  best  farms  in  the  county.  It  is  ad- 
mirably adapted  to  mixed  husbandry  and 
s'tock-raising,  to  which  Mr.  \A'esterman  has 
given  considerable  attention.     The  residence 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


263 


and  buildings  are  among  the  best  to  be 
fiiund  in  this  portion  of  the  coimty  and 
e\eryihiiig  ;il)iiiu  the  place  indicates  the 
thrift  and  ]irML;rc_-ssive  spirit  of  the  owner. 
IJe  ha>  \\"n  distinction  by  introducing  im- 
pr(j\ed  stuck,  and  has  done  much  to  advance 
the  grade  (if  stock-raising.  He  was  proba- 
bly the  tirst  man  to  bring  standard-bred 
horses  intO'  Ellsworth  county,  having  intro- 
duced ithese  in  1888,  at  which  time  he  pur- 
chased from  P.  R.  Eycke,  of  Washington 
Court  House,  Ohio,  eight  head  of  horses, 
■with  the  famous  Dalbrino,  No.  4323,  and 
Mayflo'wer  at  their  head.  He  has  since 
raised  a  number  of  other  fine  animals;  of 
mrire  than  local  fame,  including  Dandy  O., 
with  a  pacing  record  of  2:11,  now  owned 
in  Vermont;  Otto  W.,  2:13^;  Mambrino, 
2  12634  ;  Albrino,  2  :o8,  now  owned  in  Can- 
ada ;  and  St.  Patrick,  2 128,  with  a  trial 
record  of  2:16.  Mr.  Westermani  has  also 
purchased  a  number  of  full-blooded  draft 
horses,  which  he  has  brought  tO'  the  county, 
and  probably  no  man  in  this  locality  has 
done  more  to  improve  the  grade  of  stock 
than  he.  He  bought  thoroughbred  short- 
horn cattle  and  was  the  first  to'  introduce 
imported  Holstein  cattle.  He  also  founded 
a  herd  of  registered  Poland-China  swine, 
and  for  several  years  engaged  in  breeding 
those  hogs.  He  has  made  the  breeding  of 
fine  stock  his  principal  business  and  in  this 
way  he  has  contributed  in  a  large  measure 
to  the  welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  com- 
munity, for  improved  stock  commands 
higher  prices,  its  market  value  is  increased 
and  thus  the  income  of  the  community  is 
greatly  augiuented.  He  was  the  first  man 
in  the  county  to  open  a  coal  mine,  having 
in  1879  opened  a  mine  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  coimty,  which  is  still  operated  and 
is  known  as  the  Westerman  mine.  Of  the 
Ellsworth  Creamery  Connpany  he  was  one 
of  the  iirganizers.  His  \'aried  interests 
show  that  he  is  a  man  of  resourceful  ability 
and  one  who  is  capable  of  successfully  con- 
trolling extensive  interests. 

The  home  of  Mr:  and  Mrs.  Westerman 
was  blessed  with  eleven  children,  namely: 
Alma,  now  the  wife  O'f  T.  T.  Burnham, 
of  Wakeenev,  Kansas;  Martha,  the  wife  of 


W.  A.  Bauer,  of  Ellsworth  county;  Lizzie 
H.,  the  wife  of  Jesse  Forrest,  also  of  Ells- 
worth county;  Capitola,  who  married  Sam- 
uel Earlenbaugh,  of  Plainsville,  Kansas; 
Willie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three 
years;  Bertha,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Sarah;  Mary;  Otto;  Sylvia;  and  Edwin. 
The  family  is  one  of  prominence  in  the 
community  and  the  members  of  the  house- 
hold occupy  enviable  positions  in  social  cir- 
cles. In  public  affairs  Mr.  Westerman  has 
been  quite  prominent,  taking  an  active  part 
a^  a  worker  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican 
party,  although  he  has  never  been  an  aspir- 
ant for  political  honors.  He  has  served  on 
the  Republican  central  coinmittee,  has 
acted  as  delegate  to  the  various  county, 
congressional  and  state  conventions  and  was 
chosen  chairman  of  the  congressional  con- 
vention held  in  Hays  city  in  1900.  In  edu- 
cational matters  he  has  also  taken  a  deep 
interest,  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  for  a  number  of  years  and  has 
done  everything  in  his  power  to  proiuote  the 
cause  of  the  sdiools  in  this  locality.  He 
belongs  to  Ellsworth  Lodge,  No.  146,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  to  Chapter  XiL  44  nf  the  Order 
of  the  Eastern  Star.  <<\  wliirh  Mrs.  Wester- 
man also  is  an  esteemed  nieinher.  Eew  men 
in  central  Kansas  have  dune  more  for  the 
material  upbuilding  and  substantial  inv 
provement  of  this  section  of  the  state  than 
Mr.  Westerman,  who  with  strong  faith  in 
the  future  of  Kansas  came  here  in  pioneer 
days,  endured  all  the  hardships  and  trials 
incident  to  frontier  life,  invested  his 
capital  here  and  assisted  in  the  work 
of  establishing  many  lines^  of  business 
which  ha\ie  proiven  of  great  value 
to  the  community.  His  fellow  towns- 
men recognize  his  worth  and  ability  and  ac- 
cord him  a  place  among  the  prominent  citi- 
zens and  extend  to  him  their  warm  regard. 


HERMAN  WERNET. 

Herman  \\'ernet  is  one  of  the  prominent, 
enterprising  and  successful  residents  of 
Rock\-ille  township.  Rice  countv.     The  Ger- 


264 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


man  race  has  ever  been  noted  for  persist- 
encA-  of  purpose,  and  this  lias  been  a  salient 
fea't'iire  in  the  career  of  Mr.  Wernet,  who 
is  one  of  the  sons  of  the  fatherland.  Hav- 
ing come  to  America  to  seek  his  fortune, 
he  has  found  in  the  opportunities  of  the  new 
world  the  advantages  which  he  sought,  and 
today  he  is  numbered  among  the  agricultur- 
ists of  affluence  in  his  adopted  county. 

'Mr.  Weriiet  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
(Baden)  Wernet,  who  were  also  natives  of 
the  fatherland  and  there  spent  their  entire 
lives.  They  had  nine  children,  seven  sons 
and  two  daughters,  namely :  Aver,  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Rockville  township;  Her- 
man, of  this  review;  Albert,  also  a  well 
known  farmer  of  Vae  same  township;  and 
six  others  who  never  became  residents  of 
Rice  county.  The  subject  of  this  review 
.  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Ger- 
many until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
determined  tO'  seek  a  home  in.  the  new  world, 
having  heard  favorable  reports  of  its  ad- 
vantages and  opportunities.  Accordingly 
he  took  passage  on  a  westward  bound  vessel 
at  Bremen,  and  on  the  twelfth  day  of  the 
voyage  landed  at  New  York.  He  did  not 
remain  long  in  the  metropolis,  however,  but 
proceeded  at  once  to  Harvard,  McHenry 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  followed  agricul- 
tural pursuits  for  eighteen  months.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  to-  An- 
drew county,  Missouri,  and  in  1873  came 
to  Rice  county,  casting  in  his  lot  with  its 
early  settlers.  He  has  here  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  has  resided 
con't'inuously  upon  the  old  homestead  which 
he  secured  from  the  g-ijvernment.  As  his 
financial  resources  ha\-e  increased,  however, 
he  has  added  to  his  property  until  he  now 
owns  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
and  as  the  result  of  care  and  culti- 
vation it  yields  him  a  splendid  re- 
turn. His  farm  is  improved  with  a 
good  residence  and'  substantial  barns. 
There  are  al'so-  feed  lots,  pastures  and 
meadows  and  highly  cultivated  fields. 
He  raises  a  large  amount  of  wheat 
each  year  and  keeps  on  hand  about  one  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle,  one  hundred  hogs,  thirty 
liorses  and  other  stock.     He  is  justly  ac- 


counted one  of  the  leading  and  enterprising 
agriculturists  of  Rockville  township  and- 
his  well  (lii'L-cted  labor  have  brought  to  him 
a  handsMine  profit. 

Air.  Wernet  was  married  in  Rice  county 
to  Miss  Rachel  Bergman,  who  has  proved  to 
him  a  faithful  companioii  and  helpmate  on 
the  journey  of  life.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  twoi  children,— Minnie  and 
Hariy.  In  his  political  vieavs  Mr.  Wernet 
is  a  stalwart  Republican  and  in  religious 
faith  is  a  Catholic,  but  his  wife  belongs  to 
the  Lutheran  church.  He  is  now  in  the 
prime  of  life,  intellig-ent,  enterprising  and 
successful,  honest  in  his  dealings  and  of 
unquestioned  integrity,  his  word  being  as 
good  as  his  bond.  His  life  record  is  an 
excellent  example  of  what  may  be  accom- 
plished in  the  new  world,  where  effort  is 
not  hampered  by  cas'te  or  class,  where  abil- 
ity and  worth  are  recognized  and  labor  finds 
its  just  reward. 


HANNAH   WRIGHT. 

The  life  of  the  late  Aaron  H.  Wrigbt,- 
the  name  of  whose  widow  appears  above, 
was  terminated  untimely  and  the  career  thus 
ended  was  one  full  of  promise.  Mrs.  Wright, 
who  lives  on  section  7,  in  Huntsville  town- 
ship, Reno  county,  Kansas,  and  whose  post- 
office  address  is  Huntsville,  is  a  woman  of 
much  character  and  ability  and  was  to  Mr. 
Wright  a  most  worthy  helpmeet  and  who 
has  ably  succeeded  to  the  management  of  his 
home  affairs. 

Aaron  H.  Wright,  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  Ohio,  and  died  at  his  home 
in  Reno  county  in  his  fifty-first  year,  No- 
vember 15,  1 88 1.  His  fatlier,  Aaron  Wright, 
from  New  Jersey,  was  an  early  settler  in 
Warren  county  Ohio,  and  moved  thence  to 
Montgomery  county.  He  was  a  tanner  by 
trade  and  owned  several  farms,  on  which 
he  had  a  tannery,  and  was  considered  a 
wealthy  man  in  his  time.  He  died  at  Brook- 
ville,  Ohio,  after  having  lived  nearly  eighty 
years.  He  was  twice  married  and  by  his 
two  wives  had  eleven  children.      His  first 


MRS.  HANNAH  WRIGHT. 


AARON  H.  WRIGHT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


265 


wife,  wlin  was  Ruth  Hackett,  was  the 
motlier  of  Aaron  H.  and  eiglit  others  of 
his  cliildren,  of  whom  only  one,  Sarah  Burke 
of  Darke  county,  Ohio,  is  living.  Mrs. 
W'rigiit's  maiden  name  was  Aten  and  she 
was  of  Low  Dutch  ancestry  on  her  fatlier's 
side.  Her  father  was  Adrian  Aten,  a  na- 
tive of  Maryland,  who  died  in  1832,  at  the 
ag-e  of  seventy-one  years.  His  wife.  Eliz- 
abeth Castle,  was  born  in  \'irginia.  now 
West  Virginia,  about  1788,  and  died  near 
Clermont.  Preble  county.  Ohio,  in  1866. 
She  married  twice  and  had  four  children  by 
each  of  her  husbands.  Three  of  her  chil- 
dren by  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Aten  are  now 
living:  John  Aten,  her  only  son,  lives  in 
Darke  county,  Ohio,  and  has  eight  sons, 
all  of  thcra  middle  aged  or  approaching 
middle  age.  Elizabeth  Aten  married  Rob- 
ert A.  Clark,  of  Greenville,  Ohio,  and  has 
two  children. 

Mrs.  Hannah  Wright,  of  Hunts\-ille,, 
township,  Reno  county,  Kansas,  widow  of 
the  late  Aaron  H.  \\'right,  and  daughter  of 
Adrian  and  Elizabeth  (Castle)  Aten,  first 
attended  school  in  a  log  house  with  pun- 
cheon seats,  and  all  the  recollections  r.f  her 
childhood  and  girlhood  are  of  pinneer  life. 
She  married  Aaron  H.  \\'right  February 
22,  1853,  and  they  lived  on  an  eighty-acre 
farm  belonging  to  IMr.  Wright's  father  un- 
til after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Wright's  mother, 
when  they  liought  the  Aten  place,  on  which 
they  lived  eight  years,  until  they  removed 
to  ]\Iontgomery  county,  Ohio,  wliere  they 
bought  an  eighty-acre  farm,  which  was  their 
home  until  they  removed  to  Kansas.  They 
located  on  Mrs.  Wright's  present  farm  in 
1879,  which  originally  consisted  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acr^s  of  Santa.  Fe  rail- 
road land,  for  which  Mr.  Wright  paid  about 
five  hundred  dollars.  The  farm  was  new, 
uncultivated  prairie  land  and  they  set  about 
improving  it  and  putting  it  under  cultiva- 
tion, in  planting  fine  ordiards  of  apple, 
peach  and  cherry  trees  and  numerous  box 
elder  and  mulberry  trees  to  provide  needed 
shade  in  the  summer  season.  For  a  time 
they  lived  in  a  box  house  covering  a  ground 
space  of  fifteen  by  twenty  feet.  Mrs. 
Wright's  present  residence  is  of  ample  size 


and  up-to-date  in  all  its  appointments.  Her 
barn,  which  is  first  class  in  every  respect, 
was  built  in  1893. 

Mr.  Wright  gax'e  his  attention  to^  general 
farming,  which  since  his  death  has  been  con- 
tinued under  Mrs.  Wright's  direction.  She 
raises  corn  and  wheat  and  gives  considera- 
ble attention  to  hogs  and  cattle.  Neither 
Mr.  nor  ]Mrs.  Wrii^lit  inherited  much  prop- 
erty and  their  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  has  been  divided  intoi  two^  farms  of 
eighty  acres  each,  one  of  which  is  owned 
by  Mrs.  Wright  and  the  other  by  her  sons. 
The  following  items  of  interest  concerning 
the  children  of  Aaron  H.  and  Hannah 
(Aten)  Wright  will  be  of  interest  in  this 
connection.  Their  son,  Adrian  Aten 
Wright,  married  ]\Iiss  Jennie  Garrwood, 
whoi  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years, 
leaving  four  children,  John,  whO'  is  married; 
Orville  A.,  who  is  married:  Ellen'  P.,  who 
is  not  married:  and  James  A.,  a  young  man 
of  eighteen  years.  Adrian  A.  Wright  is  the 
manager  of  his  mother's  lionie  farm.  Their 
son,  A.  B.  Wright,  is  married  and  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  near  Huntsville.  Their 
son,  Orville  E.  Wright,  is  married  and  has 
four  children.  He  was  graduated  in  music 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  for  three  years 
past  has  been  musical  director  of  the  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  high  school.  Their  son,  John 
Elmer  \A'right.  is  married  and  has  a  daugh- 
ter. He  is  a  railway  mechanic  and  li\'es 
at  Hutchinson,  Kansas.  TIk-u-  son.  Harry 
A.  Wright,  is  married  and  has  a  son.  He 
formerly  tau,ght  school  in  Nebraska  and  in 
Michigan  and  is  now  a  missionary,  laboring 
in  the  work  of  the  Presbyterian  Sunda}'- 
schools,  under  the  auspices  of  the  American 
Sunday-school  Union,  in  sO'Uthern  Ohio. 
Their  son,  Charles  Wright,  is  a  student  at 
Winfield  College,  of  Winfield,  Kansas. 
Their  daughter,  Margaret,  married  George 
Gantz,  a  farmer  of  Reno  county,  and  has 
five  children.  Their  daughter.  Tvlettie,  mar- 
ried J.  Lewis  Feggett  and  lives  three  miles 
southeast  from  her  mother's  farm. 

Mrs.  Wright  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  fifty-seven  years,  and  her 
husband,  who  was  .gifted  as  a  speaker,  was 
an  exhorter  and  in  that  capacity  did  effective 


266 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


service  in  Oliio.  Some  time  before  his  death 
he  entered  Delaware  College  to  prepare  him- 
self for  admission  to  the  bar,  but  his  health 
failed  and  he  returned  to  his  farm  in  Kan- 

here   he   died   after   more    than    two 

illness. 


sas.   ■ 
years 


T.  ^I.  PROFFITT. 

A  farm  well  de\eloped  and  equipped, 
located  on  section  14,  Raymond  township, 
Rice  county,  is  the  property  of  J.  JNI. 
Proffitt,  wlio  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
portion  of  the  state  for  almost  thirty  years. 
He  arrived  in  the  fall  of  1873  and  was  one 
of  the  first  to  secure  a  homestead  claim.  He 
made  his  way  to  Kansas  from  loAva,  but  is 
a  native  of  east  Tennessee,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Sullivan  county,  that  state,  on 
the  2ist  of  May,  1830.  He  represents  one 
of  the  old  famifies  of  Tennessee  and  his  an- 
cestry can  be  traced  back  tO'  the  old  world. 
William  Pi-offitt,  the  father  o'f  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  Tennessee,  and 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  married 
Miss  Malinda  Willard,  also  a  native  of  that 
locality  and  a  daughter  of  George  Willard, 
who  removed  to  Tennessee  from  North 
Carolina.  Unto  ^\'illiam  and  Malinda 
Proffitt  were  born  six  children,  namely: 
Eulanda  \\'.,  who  is  living  in  Iowa;  John 
j\I. ;  ^Matilda,  who  makes  her  home  in  Mis- 
souri :  George  \Y.  and  Christina,  who  are 
likewise  residents  of  the  Hawkeye  state; 
and  Malinda,  who  makes  her  home  in  Iowa. 
The  mother  of  this  family  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty-seven  years,  and  the  father  passed 
the  age' of  three  score  years  and  ten,  being 
seventy-five  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  His  religious  views  were  in  har- 
mony with  the  teachings  of  the  Baptist 
church,  and  with  tliat  denomination  he  held 
membership,  Avhile  his  political  support  was 
was  given  to  the  Democracy. 

John  M.  Proflitt,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  record,  was  a  Tennessee  farmer, 
and  during  the  Civil  war  he  served  as  cap- 
tain and  superintendent  of  the  Nitre  Works 
in  Tennessee.    In  that  state,  in  iS;;.  he  was 


united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Barbara  Ellen 
Smith,  who  was  born  in  Sullivan  county, 
Tennessee,  a  daughter  of  Jasper  and  Rachel 
(Hampton)  Smith.  Her  death  occurred  in 
Rice  county,  in  1S74.  She  left  eight  chil- 
dren to  mourn  her  loss,  namely:  G.  C, 
who  is  a  valued  resident  fanner  of  Ray- 
mond township;  Mrs.  Alice  Davis,  who  is 
living  in  Oklahoma;  John  and  Will,  twins, 
both  farmers  of  Rice  county;  Mrs.  Mary 
E.  Eaton,  of  Missoin^i ;  ilrs.  Sarah  Riggs, 
of  Oklahoma;  and  Mrs.  Nancy  ^Mitchell 
and  ilrs.  Christina  Reed,  who  are  also  liv- 
nig  in  Oklahoma.  For  his  second  wife  Mr. 
Proflitt  chose  Miss  Abigail  Browning,  the 
wedding  taking  place  in  1876.  The  lady 
was  born  in  Scotland  county,  Missouri, 
near  Memphis,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Caleb 
and  Elvira  (Fuller)  Browning,  the  former 
a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Illi- 
nois. Both  have  now  passed  away,  the 
mother's  death  having  occurred  in  Iowa, 
in  1865  when  she  was  thirty-three  years  of 
age,  while  the  father  died  in  1880,  at  the 
age  of  eighty  years.  The  mother  left  five 
diildren:  America,  who  is  a  resident  of 
Rice  county ;  Ann.  who'  died  in  this  county ; 
[esse,  who  is  living  in  the  same  county ; 
and  Zelpha,  who  became  Mrs.  Safiford  and 
died  in  Garden  City,  Kansas.  The  parents 
were  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  thus 
indicating  their  religious  faith  and  prefer- 
ence. Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Proffitt  have 
been  born  five  children,  namely:  Albert. 
Harvey,  Jessie,  Ray  and  Roy.  The  last 
two  named  are  twins. 

In  the  year  1865  :\Ir.  Proffitt  became 
a  resident  of  Marion  county,  Iowa,  where 
he  opened  up  a  new  farm,  continuing  the 
work  of  cultivation  and  improvement  until 
1873,  ^vhen  he  took  a  liomestead  of  eighty 
a,eres  and  a  tree  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Raymond  township,  Rice 
county.  He  proved  up  on  both  places  and 
afterward  received  his  title  from  the  gov- 
ernment for  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  rich  land.  The  work  of  further  cultiva- 
lion  and  i:nprovenient  has  since  been  car- 
ried on  and  has  resulted  in  making  J\Ir. 
Proflitt's  property  one  of  the  valuable  and 
de^^irable  farms  in  this  localitv.     He  carries 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


267 


on  general  farming  and  stock-raising  in  a 
progressi\-e  manner  and  his  lias  been  a  busy 
and  indr.strii  lis  career,  slicwing  that  earnest 
lab^ir  is  Ciimpetent  U^  cope  with  all  the  diffi- 
culties and  liardships  of  life  and  eventually 
win  success.  His  study  of  political  ques- 
tions has  led  him  to  espouse  the  cause  of 
Democracy  and  he  keeps  well  informed  on 
the  issues  and  questions  of  the  day.  He 
has  never  been  a  politician  in  the  sense  of 
oflice  seeking,  yet  has  served  as  township 
treasurer,  as  assessor  and  as  a  member  of 
the-  school  board,  and  has  ever  discharged 
his  duties  in  a  manner  reflecting  credit  upon 
himself,  while  at  the  same  time  his  work 
has  ]>een  satisfactory  to  his  constituents. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church, 
serving  on  its  official  board  and  is  now  one 
of  the  church  trustees.  He  has  passed  the 
allotted  Psalmist's  span  of  three  score  years 
and  ten,  for  he  has  now  reached  the  age 
of  sevent}--two,  but  he  still  maintains  an 
active  interest  in  ever}i:hing  around  him 
that  tends  to  benefit  his  fellow  men  or  to 
promote  the  material  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity. For  twenty-eight  }ears  he  has 
been  a  resident  of  Rice  ciuiitw  and  where- 
e\-Rr  he  is  known,  he  is  held  in  v;arm  esteem, 
for  he  possesses  all  tin  se  qualities  which  in 
every  land  and  clime  command  respect  and 
confidence. 


BERNARD  LAMELLE. 

Since  the  days  of  our  struggle  for  inde- 
]3endence  Frenchmen  have  felt  friendship 
for  America  and  our  American  institutions 
and  in  the  establishment  of  a  Republican 
government  in  France  the  inhabitants  of 
that  country  have  had  the  heartfelt  sym- 
pathy of  Americans.  Emigrants  from 
France  ha\-e  been  welcomed  to  all  parts  of 
the  United  States  and  for  the  most  part 
tiiey  have  developed  into  citizens  of  enter- 
prise and  usefulness.  Among  the  best 
known  residents  of  central  Kansas,  of 
French  nativity  are  Bernard  and  Isaac 
Lavielle,  of  Walnut  township.  Reno  county, 
\\hose  postoffice  is  at  Avery. 

Bernard  Lavielle  was  born  near  Biscav, 


France,  July  15,  1844,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1874,  in  company  with  a  man  named 
Dacey  and  the  latter's  family.  The  two 
men  started  from  their  native  jland  \\ith 
considerable  money  in  gold  coin,  but  they 
were  made  the  victims  of  a  confidence 
scheme  and  arrived  in  America  with  prac- 
tically nothing.  In  1874  Mr.  Lavielle,  John 
Dacey  and  eight  others,  constituting  a  party 
of  ten,  went  west  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri, 
and  thence  to  Sterling,  Rice  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  Mr.  Lavielle  arrived  a  little  in 
debt.  His  success  since  that  time  has 
demonstrated  the  fact  that  he  is  not  only 
capable  of  learning  by  experience  but  is  pos- 
sessed of  good  business  ability  which  was 
necessary  only  for  him  to  exercise  in  order 
for  him  to  better  his  fortune. 

John  Lavielle,  father  of  Bernard  and 
Isaac  Lavielle,  married  Mary  Gollare,  and 
they  had  four  daughters  and  five  sons,  and 
three  of  their  daughters  died  young.  Ber- 
nard and  Isaac  La\ielle  had  little  oppor- 
tunity for  education  in  France  except  that 
afforded  by  night  school.  Their  father, 
who  was  possessed  of  well  developed  me- 
chanical aliility.  earuL.!  a  li\ing  by  making 

:  snuli    Imixcs    fri  in    li,  m,    which    he   melted 

I  and  pressed  nUo  various  designs  and  which 
he  lined  with  peach  tree  wood.  His  son 
Bernard  has  a  snuff  box  like  those  made  by 
his  father,  but  this  was  made  by  his  uncle, 
and  also  has  a  small  gimlet  with  a  horn 
handle,  which  his  father  used  in  work  of 
that  kind. 

Bernard  Lavielle  walked  from  Flutch- 
inson,  Kansas,  to  the  vicinitv  nf  his  present 
place  of  residence  and  i^'und  employment  at 

j  ten  dollars  a  month  herding  cattle  for 
Thomas  Bundser,   in  which    he    continued 

I  for  six  months.  He  lived  a  bachelor  life 
with  his  brother  for  fifteen  years,  until 
1888.  December  10  of  that  year  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Martha  Deadmond,  a  native  of 
Marion  county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Margaret  (Johnson)  Deadmond. 
natives  of  that  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dead- 
mond removed  to  Kansas  in  1883,  arriving 
at  Sterling  August  17.  and  they  live  on  a 
good  farm  in  Walnut  township,  where  ^Ir. 
Deadmond  busies  himself  as  a  farmer  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


as  a  mechanic.  They  have  had  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  three  are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lavielle  have  had  seven  children,  of  whom 
six  are  living,  one  daughter  having  died 
young.  These  living  were  born  at  the  dates 
here  given:  Ernest  F.,  April  15,  1891 ; 
Clarice  May,  September  6,  1892;  Ora 
Aurelia,  September  28,  1895 ;  Marshall 
Ivory.  November  7,  1897;  James  Irvin, 
February  19,  1899;  Cora  Almeda,  Decem- 
ber 15,  1900. 

Mr..  Lavielle's  land  aggregates  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  embraced  in  two 
farms.  He  settled  in  \\'alnut  township 
when  the  country  was  new  prairie,  pre- 
empting eighty  acres  and  later  homesteaded 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  more  and  added 
to  his  acreage  until  he  had  acquired  his 
present  holding.  His  house  is  modern  and 
comfortable  and  his  barns  and  outbuildings 
are  adec^uate  to  all  demands  upon  them.  In 
the  fall  of  1874  he  walked  from  Kansas  to 
Douglas  county,  Illinois,  and  the  following 
spring  he  returned  to  Emjioria,  Kansas,  and 
walked  from  Emporia  to  his  present  home, 
carrying  a  heavy  pack  on  his  Ijack,  and  was 
three  days  in  making  the  journey.  He 
spent  six  months  in  Xew  Mexico,  where  he 
was  employed  upon  the  construction  of  the 
Santa  Fe  railroad.  His  progressive  char- 
acter is  indicated  by  his  material  progress 
and  prosperity  and  by  the  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held  by  his  fellow  citizens.  Four 
acres  of  his  land  is  given  up  to  a  fine  orchard 
of  apple  and  peach  trees,  but  he  gives  his 
attention  principally  to  general  farming. 
Wheat  and  corn  are  his  leading  crops,  but 
he  also  raises  some  broom  corn.  He  keeps 
about  fifty  head  of  stock  cattle  and  eight 
horses  and  mules.  His  house  is  emlxjwered 
among  fruit  and  shade  trees  and  he  gives 
considerable  attention  to  grape  culture. 
His  residence  was  erected  in  1889,  his  large 
red  barn  in  1891. 

Isaac  Lavielle,  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Gollare)  Lavielle,  is  as  well  known  in 
Walnut  township,  Reno'  county,  Kansas,  as 
his  brother  Bernard.  He  was  born  near 
Biscay,  France,  September  23,  1852,  and 
was  educated  in  his  native  town.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn 


the  manufacture  of  corks,  in  which  he  was 
employed  for  eight  years,  becoming  an  ex- 
pert workman  and  earning  good  wages. 
He  and  Bernard  served  as  volunteers  in  the 
French  navy  for  ten  months,  six  months  of 
the  time  in  actual  war.  He  marched  twen- 
ty-eight consecutive  hours  overland  to  es- 
cape capture  by  the  enemy  and  his  feet 
were  blistered  so  that  his  stockings  clung 
to  them.  Early  in  1875  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  arrived  at  Hutchinson, 
Kansas,  April  22,  that  year.  May  5,  fol- 
lowing, he  reached  Walnut  township,  Rena 
county,  with  ten  dollars  left  out  of  the  two 
hundred  and  thirty  dollars  with  which  he 
had  left  home. 

Mr.  Lavielle  joined  his  brother  in 
farming  on  their  two  original  eighties  of 
land,  which  la}-  side  by  side.  They  set  up 
housekeeping  together  in  a  dugout,  ten  bv 
twelve  feet  in  size,  covered  with  a  thatched 
roof,  and  began  breaking  land  with  four 
wild  steers,  which  Mr.  Lavielle  bought  at 
Hutchinson,  Kansas,  for  one  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  one  of  which  soon  broke  its  neck. 
After  that  they  worked  the  three  in  pairs 
and  the  difiiculties  under  which  they  labored 
were  increased  by  the  fact  that  one  of  them 
was  a  wild  and  ferocious  animal,  which  no 
one  but  Mr.  Lavielle  could  control  or  han- 
dle. Like  his  brother  he  gives  his  atten- 
tion to  general  farming  and  he  has  at  con- 
siderable trouble  and  expense  provided  him- 
self with  orchards  of  fruit  of  various  kinds. 
He  took  great  pleasure  in  planting  and 
watching  the  growth  of  his  fruit  trees  and 
in  setting  out  shade  trees  of  different  kinds. 
About  eight  years  ago  he  cut  down  an  im- 
mense Cottonwood  tree  which  had  grown 
from  a  small  twig  which  he  had  planted 
with  his  own  hands. 

Mr.  Lavielle  was  married  April  15, 
1886,  to  Miss  Josephine  Boner,  a  native  of 
Kankakee  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  Boner,  a  farmer  in  RenO'  coun- 
ty. He  located  in  Kansas  in  Octo- 
ber, 1878,  when  Airs.  Lavielle  was 
twelve  years  old.  Isaac  and  Josephine 
(Boner)  Lavielle  have  six  children,  named 
as  follows:  Louis  M..  who  is  fourteen 
vears  old;  Lawrence  is  in  his  twelfth  vear; 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


269 


Elert.  who  is  in  his  tenth  year;  Alfred,  wlio 
is  in  his  eightli  year;  Pearl,  who  is  fi\e 
years  old ;  and  Alta,  who  is  five  months  old. 
The  brothers  are  independent  in  politics  and 
are  consistent  members  of  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic chnrch. 


XOAH  BELLE\V. 

Deeply  engraved  on  the  pages  of  pioneer 
history  oif  Reno  county  is  the  name  of  Noah 
Bellew,  for  he  was  the  first  settler  in  Miami 
township,  and  during  his  long  residence  in 
this  section  of  the  state  has  borne  an 
important  part  in  the  substantial  develop- 
ment and  material  improvement  of  the 
county. 

jNIr.  Bellew  is  a  native  son  of  the  Buck- 
eye state,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Guernsey  county,  on  the  28th  of  June,  1847, 
of  whicli  locality  his  father,  Samuel  Bel- 
lew, was  also  a  native,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  1823.  The  original  ancestor  of 
the  Bellew  family  in  America  was  the  great- 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject,  who  came 
to  this  country  from  the  Emerald  Isle.  The 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  Joseph  Bellew, 
was  a  prominent  farmer  of  Ohio,  and  his 
wife  was  a  member  of  the  noted  Astor  fam- 
ily. Samuel  Bellew  was  reared  to  the  hon- 
est toil  of  the  farm,  and  followed  that  occu- 
pation throughout  his  entire  business  ca- 
reer. About  1850  he  removed  to  Vinton 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  speut  the  remainder 
of  his  days.  He  was  first  united'  in  mar- 
riage to  Eliza  Riggs,  who  was  b' Mm  in  West 
Virginia,  about  iSjii.  and  tlie\  became  the 
parents  of  five  children,  one  nf  whom,  Jo- 
seph W.,  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  and 
th()se  still  living  are:  Noah,  the  subject  of 
this  review :  Mary^  Jane,  wife  of  James  L. 
Lay,  a  farmer  of  Yuma  county,  Colorado; 
Nancy  A.,  wife  of  S.  M.  Johnson,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  King- 
fisher, Oklahoma,  and  he  has  two  sons ;  and 
Isabella,  now  Mrs.  Dyer,  of  Colorado.  The 
mother  of  this  family  passed  to  her  final 
reward  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of 
fi'rty-two'  years,  and  the  father  was  a  sec- 
mid  time  married,  INIaggie  Cams  becoming 


his  wife.     She  bore  him  one  son,   Samuel, 
now  a  resident  of  Cheney,  Kansas. 

Noah  Bellew,  the  immediate  subject  of 
this  sketch,  enjoyed  but  limited  educational 
I  achantages  during  his  youth,  as  his  time 
was  almost  constantly  employed  irpon  his 
father's  farm.  Remaining  in  the  state  of 
his  nativity  until  1868,  he  theu  removed 
with  his  wife  to  Coles  county,  Illinois,  and 
from  that  state  came  to  Kansas  ou  the  loth 
of  November,  1873,  having  been  the  first 
settler  to  locate  in  Miami  township,  where 
he  immediately  filed  a  homestead  claim,  his 
first  -residence  here  being  a  box  house 
twehe  by  Mxteen  feet.  He  still  owns  this 
farm,  and  in  addition  he  also  has  another 
tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on 
which  his  son-in-law  now  resides.  Both 
places  are  under  an  excellent  state  of  culti- 
\-ation,  and  the  improvements  found  upon 
his  land  are  among-  the  best  in  the  locality. 
He  has  a  beautiful  orchard  of  four  acres, 
containing  apple,  peach,  pear  and  plum 
trees,  while  his  residence  is  literalh-  em- 
bowered with  Cottonwood,  mul]:ierr\-,  maple 
and  catalpa  trees,  many  of  his  majile  trees 
being  eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  Six 
years,  ago,  however,  Mr.  Bellew  left  his 
beautiful  country  home  and  located  in 
Turon,  where,  in  1900,  he  embarked  in 
mercantile  pursuits  and  is  now  extensively 
engaged  in  dealing  in  groceries,  notions, 
flour  and  feed.  This  is  one  of  the  leading 
business  houses  of  the  town,  and  in  this 
line  of  trade  he  is  meeting  with  a  well 
n-Lerited  degree  of  success. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Bellew  occurred 
in  Augiist,  1868,  when  Miss  .Vnnie  Camp 
became  his  wife.  She  is  a  nati\'e  of  X'inton 
county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Rachel  (Sprowl)  Camp,  early  pioneers  of 
Ohio  and  Illinois,  where  the  father  followed 
agricultural  pursuits.  They  passed  away 
in  Coles  county,  Illinois,  leaving  six  sons 
and  two  daughters.  All  of  the  sons  were 
brave  soldiers  during  the  Civil  war,  and 
one,  Walter  Camp,  was  wounded  in  the  en- 
gagement at  Foi't  Dcnelson,  from  which  his 
death  occurred.  His  twin  brother,  John 
Camp,  is  a  resident  of  Joplin,  Missouri. 
Unto  our  su'iject  and  wife  have  Iieen  hern 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


the  following  children :  Louisa  Belle,  wife 
of  O.  'M.  P.  Bowles,  by  whom  she  lias  three 
children,  and  the  family  reside  on  the  Bel- 
lew  homestead;  Minnie  E..  at  home.  In 
political  matters  Mr.  Bellew  is  an  advocate 
of  Republican  principles,  and  for  two  terms 
he  served  as  a  township  trustee,  and  while 
residing  on  his  farmi  he  was  for  ten  years 
a  school  director.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  served  as  a  private  in  the  Ohio  National 
Guards,  his  military  career  covering  a 
period  of  five  months,  during  which  time 
he  was  principally  engaged  in  doing  guard 
duty.  He  is  indeed  an  honored  pioneer  of 
Reno  county,  and  in  the  active  walks  of 
business  life  has  ever  been  honorable  and 
upright,  commanding"  the  respect  of  those 
with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  con- 
tact. 


JOHN  R.  McLAURIN. 

Canada  has-  furnished  to  the  United 
States  many  bright,  enterprising  young  men 
who  have  left  the  Dominion  to  enter  the  busi- 
ness circles  of  this  country  with  its  more 
progressive  methods,  li\-elier  competition  and 
advancement  more  quickly  secured.  Among 
this  number  is  Mr.  McLaurin.  He  inher- 
ited somew'hat  of  the  strong,  rugged,  per- 
severing and  plodding  characteristics  devel- 
oped by  his  earlier  environment,  which, 
coupled  with  the  livelier  impulses  of  his 
Scottish  blood,  made  him  at  an  early  day 
seek  wider  fields  in  which  to  give  full  scope 
to  his  ambition  and  industrj- — his  dominant 
qualities.  He  found'  the  opportunity  he 
sought  in  the  freedom  and  apprecia- 
tion of  the  growing  western  portion 
of  the  country.  Though  born  across 
the  border,  he  is  a  thorough,  Ameri- 
can in  thought  and  feeling,  and  is  patriotic 
and  sincere  in  his  love  for  the  stars  and 
stripes.  His  career  is  identified  with  the 
prosperous  city  of  Ellsworth,  where  he  has 
acquired  fortune  and  is  an  honored  and  re- 
spected citizen. 

John  R.  McLaurin,  who  is  now  proprie- 
tor of  the  Lake  Superior  Lumber  Company, 
at  Ellsworth,  was  born  in  East  Templeton, 


in  the  province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  February 
1 6,  1S57.  His  grandfather,  Alexander  AIc- 
Laurin,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  in  the 
year  1S15  came  to  the  new  w-orld.  locating 
in  Canada,  A\here  occurred  the  birth  of  his 
soar,  John  McLaurin,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, who  was  for  many  years  successfully 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  Canada, 
but  at  length  retired  from  active  business 
life,  having  acciuired  w-ealth  through  the 
careful  conduct  of  his  industrial  interests. 
He  was  very  active  in  the  Presbj-terian 
church,  in  which  he  held  membership  and 
filled  several  of  its  offices.  He  was  married 
in  Canada,  to  Clarissa  Dunning,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  four  sons,  of  whom  our 
subject  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth. 

John  R.  ]\IcLaiirin  i)r.rsued  his  early  ed- 
ucation in  the  pulilic  ^cll■ll!ls  and  in  the  Can- 
adian Literary  Institute,  at  Woodstock,  On- 
tario. His  jjusinesss  training  was  received 
under  the  direction  of  his  father,  for  dur- 
ing twoi  years  he  was  connected  with  his  fa- 
ther's lumber  interests.  He  then  went  to 
Ottawa,  Canada,  where  he  remained  for  five 
years,  and  on  the  nth  of  October,  1881,  he 
came  to  Kansas,  locating  in  \\'ellsville, 
Franklin  county,  where  he  liegan  business 
in  connection  with  'Mv.  Laing.  They  pur- 
chased a  lumber  yard,  which  they  conducted 
for  about  a  year,  when  Mr.  [McLaurin  sold 
out  and  went  to  Manitoba.  There  he  en- 
gaged in  the  same  business  until  the  spring 
of  1884,  when  he  removed  to  Minneapolis, 
Minnesota,  where  he  was  connected  with 
the  w-holesale  grain  and  flour  trade  for  a 
few  months.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year, 
howe\-er,  he  disposed  of  his  interests  and  in 
February,  1885,  came  to  Ellsworth,  where 
he  has  since  been  a  representative  of  the 
lumber  business.  For  a  few  years  thereafter 
financial  depression  was  manifest  in  the 
county,  but  he  persevered  and  in  course  of 
time  his  business  reached  extensive  propor- 
tions. In  addition  tO'  a  large  line  of  lumber 
he  carries  paints  and  oils.  He  has  erected 
all  the  buildings  and  sheds  for  the  conduct  of 
his  enterprise,  and  in  the  winter  months  he 
ships  in  his  stock  of  lumber  so  that  it  is 
ready  for  the  opening  of  the  following  sea- 
son in  the  early  spring.     He  is  still  interested 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


in  the  lumber  business  in  Canada,  with  his 
brothers,  under  the  firm  name  of  MeLaurin 
Brothers,  having  control  of  extensive  yards 
in  Montreal  and  Lachine. 

In  1887  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  ]\IcLaurin  and  JMiss  Georgia  Long,  a 
daughter  of  D.  B.  Long  of  Ellsworth,  who 
is  extensively  engaged  in  dealing  in  cattle. 
They  now  have  two  living  children, — Ber- 
nice  and'  Genevieve.  ]\Ir.  IMcLaurin  is  a 
member  of  Ellsworth  Chili,  and  is  identified 
with  Ellsworth  Lodge,  Xo.  i4(),  F.  &  A.  M., 
in  which  he  has  filled  all  of  the  chairs,  and 
with  Wichita  Consistory,  Xo.  2.  S.  P.  R.  S. 
His  political  views  are  in  harmony  with  the 
principles  set  forth  by  the  Democrac}-,  and 
he  is  recognized  as  an  active  and  effective 
worker  in  the  interests  of  the  party.  He  has 
served  as  a  delegate  to  the  county,  congres- 
sional and  state  conventions,  has  been  chair- 
man of  the  county  central  committee  and  is 
now  a  member  of  the  congressional  comnfit- 
tee.  He  has  never  entered  the  political 
arena  as  an  ( iftice-seeker,  yet  his  fellow 
townsmen,  recognizing  his  worth  and  ability, 
have  twice  elected  him  to  the  position  of 
mayor  of  Ellsworth,  and  his  administration 
has  been  one  characterized  by  a  progressive 
spirit.  He  is  a  man  of  keen  discrimination 
in  business  affairs,  and  he  ca]>abl}'  cc-ntrols 
extensive  intere.-ts,  his  well  directed  labors 
having  gained  for  him  a  ])>  siti.m  among  the 
prosperous  resirlents  of  his  adopted  county. 


TAMES  :^I.  WILSOX. 

James  M.  \\'ilson  occupies  the  position 
I  if  clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  Ellsworth 
county,  and  on  the  roster  of  the  county  of- 
ficials appears  the  name  of  no  man  who  is 
more  faithful  to  duty  or  who  enjoys  in  a 
higher  degree  the  confidence  and  good  will 
"f  his  fellow  townsmen.  He  was  born  in 
riath.  New  York.  September  12,  1864,  a  son, 
of  James  and  Lucinda  (AfcKey)  \\'ilson, 
both  natives  of  Scotland.  Coming  to  Amer- 
ica, they  re?ided  for  some  years  in  Bath.  X'ew 
York,  and  at  the  time  of  the  civil  war  the 
father  enlisted  for  service  in  tlie  L^iion  armv. 


as  a  maitber  of  Company  A,  Ninety-first 
X'ew  York  Infantry,  with  which  he  remained 
until  the  close  of  hostilities  and  the  declara- 
tion! of  peace.  While  he  was  in  service  at 
the  front  his  son  James  was  born.  The 
father  of  our  subject  died  in  1881,  at  Bath, 
New  York,  In  his  family  were  seven  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  reached'  mature  years, 
namely:  Mary,  the  wife  of  A.  Highman.  a 
real-estate  dealer  of  Ell^\v.:rtli  ;  William  M., 
who  is  engaged  in  the  InikL-ry  and  restaur- 
ant business  at  Dodge  City.  Kansas:  Isa- 
bel, the  wife 'of  C.  j.  Evans,  a  prominent 
attorney  of  Ellsworth ;  Oiarity,  the  wife  of 
J.  A.  Chase,  a  banker  of  Mountain  GroA'e, 
Missouri,  and  James  M.  Two  sons,  John 
and  Samuel,  died  in  childhood. 

James  M.  Wilson  was  reared  in  his  na- 
tive state  and  his  boyhood  days  were  spent 
under  the  parental  rooi.  His  youth  was 
passed  in  school,  pursuing  his  studies  in  the 
public  school^  of  Bath.  New^  York.  When 
fifteen  years  of  age  he  became  an  apprentice 
in  a  book  bindery  at  Albany.  He  followed 
that  line  of  work  until  the  spring  of  1882, 
when  he  determined  to  try  his  fortune  in 
the  west,  and  made  lii<  way  t.i  Ellsworth, 
where  his  '^i^ter.  Mr^.  Evans,  resided.  Here 
he  accepted  a  clerkship  in  a  gocery  store, 
where  he  was  employed  for  five  years.  He 
then  became  a  clerk  in  the  office  oi  the 
county  attnniov.  under  his  broifher-in-law, 
Mr.  E\'ans  acting  as  deputy,  and  after- 
ward serving  as  deputy  register  of 
deeds.  In  the  fall  of  1897  he  was  elected 
to  his  present  position,  as  clerk  of  the  cir- 
cuit court,  and  that  he  has  been  most  loyal 
ti;  hi.-;  duty  is  indicated  Viy  the  fact  that  he 
has  been  twice  re-elected. 

On  the  24th  of  July,  1890,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Wilson  and  IMiss  Addie  iM. 
Myers,  a  daughter  of  C.  L.  and  Anna  (Hal- 
stead)  Myers.  She  was  born  in  Illinois,  and 
came  wdth  her  parents  to  Ellsworth  county, 
her  father  being  one  of  the  early  settlers 
here.  He  engaged  in  the  nursery  busi- 
ness near  the  city  and  planted  all  the  shade 
trees  in  Ellsworth,  caring  for  them  until  they 
were  in  good  growing  condition.  His  death 
occurred  August  16.  1900.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Wilson  is  a  Republican  and  has 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


served  on  various  committees  and  attended 
various  conventions.  He  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  work  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  and 
served  on  the  staff  of  J.  Redmond,  of  Wich- 
ita, in  the  capacity  of  division  surgeon, 
travehng-  throughout  the  state.  He  is  a  man 
of  sterhng  purpose,  splendid  characteristics 
and  oif  genial  manner,  and  is  a  popular,  well 
known  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Ells- 
worth,  countv. 


DAVID  C.  CHAMBERLIN. 

David  C.  Chamberlin.  the  popular  pro- 
prietor of  the  City  Hotel  of  Pretty  Prairie 
is  a  self-made  man  in  the  fullest  and  best 
sense  of  the  term,  for  at  the  early  age  of 
nine  years  he  started  out  to  fight  life's  bat- 
tles and  in  the  contest  he  has  won  the  vic- 
tory. To-day  he  is  numbered  among  the 
successful  men  of  his  locality  and  a]l  that 
he  possesses  has  been  acquired  thrcuigh  his 
own  unaided  eft'orts.  his  life  proving  that 
prosperity  is  not  a  niatter  of  genius,  but 
the  outcome  of  persistent  and  honorable  pur- 
pose. 

Mr.  Chamberlin  was  born  in  Beaver 
county,  Pennsylvania,  October  9.  1837,  bis 
parents  being  David  and  Jane  (Bradly) 
Chamberlin,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives 
of  the  Keystone  state.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  blacksmith  by  occupation  and 
after  his  sons  became  old  enough  they  ]>er- 
fomied  the  work  of  the  farm  while  he  de- 
voted his  attention  to  the  smithy.  About 
1858  he  removed  to  Brooks  county.  West 
Virginia,  and  within  a  year  was  drowned  in 
the  Ohio  river.  In  his  political  faith  he 
was  a  Democrat  and  in  religious  belief  was 
a  Methodist.  In  his  family  were  twelve  chil- 
dren, one  O'f  whom  died  in  infancy,  while 
the  remaining  eleven  grew  to  years  of  ma- 
turity. Two  of  the  sons,  Alexander  and 
Jacob,  were  soldiers  of  the  Civil  war  and  the 
latter  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Richmond, 
while  the  former  was  crippled  for  life  in 
the  same  engagement  by  his  horse  falling 
upon  him.  The  family  became  scattered  and 
trace  of  some  of  them  were  lost.    George  lo- 


cated in  Vermont.  Fulton  county,  Illinois, 
and  in  i860  removed  to.  Iowa.  He  devoted 
his  energies  to  the  milling  business,  which 
he  learned  in  earl_\-  life.  James,  the  second 
son  of  the  family,  went  to  California  in 
1849.  returned  in  1852,  and  then  again  made 
his  way  to  the  Golden  state,  where  he  was 
living  when  last  heard  from.  The  other 
members  of  the  family,  with  the  exception 
of  our  subject,  all  remained  in  the  east. 

When  only  nine  years  of  age  David  C. 
Qiamberlin  began  working  in  the  coal  mines 
of  Pittsburg  as  a  driver,  for  which  service 
he  received  one  dollar  per  day.  He  re- 
mained as  an  employe  in  the  mines  until 
eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  went  to  Ver- 
mont, Illinois,  where  his  brother,  George, 
was  engaged  in  the  milling  business.  For 
three  years  he  remained  in  Fulton  county, 
that  state,  employed  as  a  .farm  hand,  and 
then  _  went  to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois, 
where,  on  the  28th  of  November,  i860,  he 
secured  as  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  the 
journey  of  life  Miss  ]':iizal)etli  Garris.m.  Af- 
ter their  marriage  he  rented  land  in  Schuv- 
ler  county,  where  he  carried  on  agricultural 
pursuits  until  the  fall  of  1869,  at  which 
date  he  went  to  Bates  county,  Missouri,  and 
purchased  a  small  farm  of  fifty-three  acres. 
He  was  there  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  until  1875.  when  he  lost 
his  place  throngh  an  imperfect  title. 

(Jn  the  J4th  of  July,  of  that  year,  he 
started  with  team  and  wagon,  accompanied 
by  his  family  of  three  children,  to  Kansas. 
PI  is  wife  had  died  a  short  time  before.  On 
the  1 1  th  of  August,  he  arrived  in  Reno 
c(juiny,  where  he  located  a  claim,  compris- 
ing the  southeast  quarter  of  section  23, 
township  26,  range  7 — what  is  now  known 
as  Roscoe  township.  Thereon  he  erected 
a  small  frame  house  with  basement  and  had 
a  comfortable,  if  small,  home.  In  February, 
1886,  however,  Mr.  Chamberlin  lost  his 
farm  residence  and  all  that  it  contained  bv 
fire.  This  was  during  the  terrible  blizzard 
of  that  year.  With  characteristic  energy  he 
began  the  development  of  his  land  and  car- 
ried on  the  raising  of  grain  and  st<ck  at 
that  place  until  1887,  when  he  remox-ed  to 
Hutchinsim,    where  he  was   empli)ycd   in   a 


MR.   AND   MRS.    D.   C.   CHAM  BERLIN. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


packing  house  for  eighteen  months.  On  tlie 
expiration  of  tliat  period  lie  returned  to  liis 
farm,  wliich  was'  his  place  of  residence  until 
May,  1895,  when  he  again  put  aside  agricul- 
tural pursuits  and  came  to  Prett}'  Prairie 
to  take  charge  of  the  hotel.  He  rented  the 
property  for  the  first  two  years  and  tlien 
purchased  it,  and  as  the  iiu-reasing  husiness 
necessitated  he  has  nia^k-  ci  mniMdious  addi- 
tions. In  1901  he  agani  enlarged  his  facili- 
ties by  erecting  a  good  two-story  building 
adjoining  the  main  structure,  and  fitting  it 
up  for  business  houses  below  and  sleeping 
apartments  abo-ve.  His  hotel  receives  a  very 
liberal  patronag^e,  owing  to  the  excellent 
manner  in  which  it  is  conducted,  being  sur- 
passed ]i}-  ni>  h(islelr_\'  in  a  town  of  this  size 
in  central  Kansas,  During  two  years  of 
the  time  he  has  concUicted  the  hotel  he  was 
also  owner  of  a  livery  business,  but  in  the 
fall  of  1901  he  disposed  O'f  this.  The  Cit}- 
Hotel  is  noted  for  aJl  that  makes  a  hotel 
attractive — good  wholesomie  fare,  clean  beds 
and  cordial  and  accommodating  manner  in 
the  host.  All  these  make  the  hostelry  a 
homelike  place  toi  the  "knights  of  the  grip" 
and  other  travelers.  In  addition  to  the  ho- 
tel ]\Ir.  Chamberlin  still  retains  the  farm  antl 
the  rental  deri\-ed  therefrom  adds  materiall_\- 
to  his  income. 

]\Ir.  Chamberlin  was  a  second  time  mar- 
ried November  19,  1876,  Mrs.  Sianaa  Ar- 
mond  becoming  his  wife.  Slie  was  lii-rn  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  a  daughter  ni  William  and 
Margaret  (Buttemer)  Haywood,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Sheffield,  England. 
In  childhood  they  came  to  America  and  were 
married  in  Cincinn;iti.  frdui  which  cit}'  the 
father  engaged  in  steamliualing  on  the  Ohio 
river  and  eventually  lost  his  life  in  that 
way  when  Mrs.  Chamberlin  was  only  a 
little  child.  He  owned  a  farm  o«  the  Ken- 
tucky side  of  the  river  just  below  Coving- 
ton, where  the  family  resided  until  ]\Irs. 
Chambierlin  was  eight  years  of  age,  when 
the  mother  sold  the  farnii  and  removed  with 
her  family  to:  Edgar  coainty,  Illinois,  locat- 
ing in  Paris,  the  county  seat.     Subsequently 


was  married  to  Henry  .\rmon(l.  He  lived 
for  only  about  a  year,  lea\-ing  tO'  the  care 
of  his  widow  an  infant  daughter,  Flora  Ar- 
mond,  who  makes  her  home  with  her  mother 
and  greatly  assists  her  in  carrying  on  the 
home  farm.  By  his  first  marriage  Mr. 
Chamberlin  had  three  children  ;  Arbina  P., 
deceased  wife  of  F.  L.  Landis,  of  Fulton 
county,  Illinois;  Eugene  D.,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  the  same  county ;  and  Zetta.  By 
the  second  mariaee  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cham- 
berlin five  children  ha\-e  been  born:  Min- 
nie, the  wife  of  \Mlliam  Seward,  a  dealer 
in  agricultural  implements  in  Kingman. 
Kansas;  William,  of  Pretty  Prairie;  Mabel, 
the  wife  of  K.  Turner,  a  traveling  sales- 
man in  the  employ  of  the  T.  B.  Hate  Grocery 
Compan}-.  of  Omaha,  Nebraska ;  Louis 
Frank;  and  David  A. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Chamberlin 
is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  of  Democ- 
racy as  expounded  by  Jeffersoii.  '  He  has 
never  sought  nor  accepted  ofiice  save  that 
of  constable  of  Roscoe  township,  which  he 
filled  for  two  terms  of  two  }'ears.  Frater- 
nallv  he  is  connected  with  Prettv  Prairie 
Lodge,  No.  447.  I.  O.  (  ).  V.  lie 'is  (  ne  of 
the  sterling  citizens  of  the  c^  niity,  li'Miored 
for  his  upright  life,  straightforward  Ijusi- 
ness  methods  and  his  genial  nature. 


thev  caine  to  K; 


nd  after 


wcgo:  for  three  \ears  went  to  ]\Iontgomer 
county,  this  state,  where  Sonora  Havwot 


DA\TD  MORTON  THORNLEY. 

For  many  years  David  Morton  Thorn- 
ley  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  Reno  county.  Kansas,  locating  here 
before  the  establishment  of  the  town  of 
Turon.  He  has  seen  with  pleasure  the 
wonderful  growth  and  development  of  this 
favored  section,  and  has  been  identified 
with  its  progress  in  many  ways. 

The  birth  of  ]Mr.  Thornley  occurred  in 
Clermont  county.  Ohio,  in  the  same  section 
iif  wliich  General  Grant  was  born,  on  De- 
cember 3.  1823.  His  grandfather,  Ephro- 
ditus  Thornley.  was  liorn  in  King  George 
County.  \'irginia,  and  later  moved  to  Ken- 
tuck}-,  where  he  died  in  1S14,  ha\ing  reared 
three  sons  and  one  daughter.  The  latter 
liecame  ]Mrs.  Beckett  and  after  marriage  re- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


moved  to  Daviess  county,  Indiana.  The  three 
sons  were:  Enocli.  who  settled  eighteen 
miles  north  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and 
became  well  known  in  that  locality  as  a 
scholarly  man  and  a  wonderful  mathema- 
tician; Thomas,  who  ranained  in  the  south 
and  became  a  large  slave  owner  and  for  a 
number  of  years  operated  a  plantation  on 
the  ground  which  during  the  Civil  war  be- 
came the  camp  of  the  United  States  troops 
during  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  Reuben, 
who  became  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  and  was  born  in  Cynthiana.  Harri- 
son county,  Kentucky,  in  1798.  His  death 
occurred  in  Devvitt  county,  Illinois.  Sep- 
tember 6,  1846.  The  mother  of  Mr.  Thorn- 
lev  was  named  Anna  ^^'alriven,  and  she 
was  born  in  Ohio  in  1802  and  married  in 
1818.  Her  parents  were  Samuel  and  Eliza 
(Sargent)  Walriven,  who  were  natives  of 
Mar\'land  and  who  settled  in  Clermont 
county,  Ohio,  in  1796,  when  it  was  a  dense 
forest  and  wild  beasts  had  not  yet  been  ex- 
terminated. The  land  was  located  two  miles 
from  the  Ohio  river  and  was  both  valuable 
and  productive.  The  children  born  to 
Reuben  Thornley  and  wife  were  as  follows : 
Samuel,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years ; 
Edward,  who  was  born  in  182 1,  is  now  a 
farmer  in  Nebraska,  having  removed  there 
from  Iowa  in  1885,  and  to  Iowa  in  1852 
from  Dewitt  coimty.  Illinois ;  David  Mor- 
ton, of  this  sketch;  Leroy,  who  was  killed 
in  the  Mexican  war,  at  Cerro  Gordo,  where 
he  is  buried ;  Eliza  Hall,  who  married  and 
died  in  Dewitt  county,  in  1897.  leaving  a 
large  family;  Sally  and  Rebecca,  who  were 
twins,  and  both  are  now  deceased,  leaving 
large  families ;  Lucy  Ann  Hall,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  a  resident  of  Dewitt  county ;  Mary 
Walker,  who  resides  in  Hydeville.  Cali- 
fornia; Enoch,  who  is  a  farmer  of  Dewitt 
county,  Illinois,  and  served  four  years  in 
the  Civil  war,  in  the  Tenth  Illinois  Cavalrv ; 
James  A.,  who  removed  here  in  1868  and 
died  in  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  soon  after; 
Susan,  who  is  a  resident  of  California :  and 
Peter  A.,  who  died  in  childhood,  in  1851. 
After  the  death  of  the  father  the  mother 
married  Jesse  Stout  and  bore  one  son, 
which  died  in  infancv.  the  mother's  death 


taking  place  in  1884,  and  she  was  buried 
on  the  home  farm  by  the  side  of  her  first 
husband. 

David  Morton  Thornley  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm,  which  consisted  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres,  two  hundred  and 
forty  of  which  was  in  timber  and  the  remain- 
der in  prairie  land.  Here  the  parents  settled 
in  1863,  Mr.  Thornley  being  the  first  man  to 
locate  out  on  the  prairie.  His  nearest  mar- 
ket was  Chicago,  and  the  long  journey  was 
made  with  ox-teams,  it  being  necessary  to 
camp  out  on  the  way.  The  first  house  he 
built  was  of  logs,  with  dimensions  of  eight- 
een by  twenty  feet,  and  the  fioor  to  the  loft 
or  attic  was  made  of  boards,  four  feet  long, 
riven  out  with  a  frow.  He  recalls  very  dis- 
tinctly the  sudden,  terrible  cold  which  fell 
over  the  country  in  December,  1836,  when 
the  mercury  fell  to  thirty-six  degrees  below 
zero,  following  a  thunder  storm. 

Mr.  Thornley  embraced  every  possible 
chance  to  obtain  an  education,  attending  a 
school  away  from  home  two  years  after 
reaching  his  majority  and  he  was  the  first 
individual  in  that  section  to  obtain  a  teach- 
er's certificate.  He  taught  school  very  suc- 
cessfully for  seven  winters,  leaving  home 
in  1845.  On  February,  1849,  '"le  ^vas  united 
in  mlarriage  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Lapham,  who 
was  born  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois,  and  six 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  as  folloAvs  : 
Margaret,  who  is  the  wife  of  D.  Smedley, 
of  Oklahoma  Territory;  Ann  Eliza,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  one  year ;  ^^'illiam  Henry, 
who  lives  in  DcAvitt  county,  Illinois,  and 
has  five  children;  Florence,  who  is  the  wife 
of  A.  Lowe,  and  lives  in  Grove  township, 
Reno  county,  and  has  five  children;  and 
Alta  D.  and  Eva. 

Mr.  Thornley  arrived  in  Kansas  in 
March,  1886,  and  his  first  abode  was  the 
small  frame  house  which  forms  a  part  of 
his  present  handsome  home.  In  1900  he 
bought  a  quarter  section  of  valuable  land 
in  Gray  county,  his  real-estate  business  en- 
abling him  to  select  from  a  lar,ge  acreage. 
His  business  has  been  as  a  commission  deal- 
er in  land,  and  probably  no  one  in  this  lo- 
cality is  better  posted  on  values  and  loca- 
tions. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


275 


yiv.  Tliornley  joined  the  order  of  Odd 
Fellows  in  1850,  in  Decatur,  Illinois,  and 
lias  been  an  active  member  ever  since.  In 
politics  he  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  he 
has  etSciently  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  as  notary  public,  and  has  taken  an  act- 
ive part  in  public  affairs  in  Turon.  Both 
he  and  wife  are  worthy  and  consistent  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  church,  in  which  he 
is  a  trustee,  and  they  are  among  the  most 
highlv  esteemed  citizens  of  this  pleasant 
little  town. 


JOHN  R.  PRICE. 


Among  the  substantial,  prominent  and 
liighly  esteemed  citizens  of  Reno  county, 
Kansas,  is  John  R.  Price,  who  owns  large 
tracts  of  land  in  Miami  township,  in  addi- 
tion to  much  other  valuable  property.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Breaconshire,  South 
Wales,  on  September  16,  1826,  a  son  of 
Rees  Price,  who  was  born  in  the  same  house, 
about  1799.  The  Price  family  occupied  an 
estate  of  four  hundred  acres  of  valuable 
land  for  many  generations,  and  in  1891. 
when  Mr.  Price,  of  this  biography,  with 
his  two  daughters,  visited  the  old  family 
home,  he  was  offered  the  large  sum-  of  twen- 
ty-five thousand  pounds  for  it.  Here  his 
great-grandfather  was  born  and  lived  to  an 
advanced  age,  and  here  his  grandfather, 
Joshua  Price,  was  also  born,  and  lived  to 
be  ninety-six  years  old.  Their  remains  lie 
in  the  little  Episcopalian  cemetery  of  the 
Stone  church  located  there. 

The  father  of  our  subject  died  at  the  age 
of  forty-one  years,  of  pneumonia,  contract- 
ing this  disease  while  seining  iish.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  named  Janet 
Jones,  and  was  a  widow  living  at  Glyneath, 
Wales,  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr. 
Rees  Price,  and  lived  to  be  ninety-four 
years  of  age.  dying  in  1873.  She  reared  to 
maturity  nine  of  her  ten  children,  five  sons 
and  four  daughters,  one  daughter  dying  at 
the  age  of  three  years.  Our  subject  is  the 
youngest  of  the  sons,  although  he  has  two 
younger  sisters.  These  nine  children  mar- 
ried,  and   the   \-enerable   grandmother   was 


permitted  to  see  seventy-four  grandchildren 
and  fourteen  great-grandchildren.  Mr. 
Price  comes  of  a  family  noted  for  its 
longevity.  Two  of  his  aunts  are  now  liv- 
ing in  Wales,  near  the  castle  of  the  great 
prima  donna,  Adelina  Patti,  and  they  have 
children  who  are  old,  the  names  of  the  aunts 
being  Mrs.  Sarah  Evans,  who  is  one  hundred 
and  six  years  old,  and  Mrs.  Nest  Morgan, 
who  is  one  hundred  and  eight  years  of  age. 
The  earh^  educational  advantages  of 
our  subject  were  very  limited,  but  his 
schooling  was  not  confined  to  books.  The 
world  and  its  great  movements  have  been 
teachers,  and  few  men  have  studied  with 
greater  profit.  Seven  years  of  his  life  in 
young  manhood  were  spent  in  apprentice- 
ship, four  to'  the  trade  of  stone  cutter  (dur- 
ing which  time  he  did  a  part  of  the  work  on 
Madam  Patti's  castle,  for  such  the  world 
will  always  remember  her)  and  three  in  the 
building  trade.  In  1S61  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, landing  at  New  York,  and  as  he  wished 
to  engage  in  gold  mining  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
the  trip  consuming  twO'  months.  Mr.  Price 
was  married  in  Wales,  in  1856,  to  Margaret 
Jones,  of  his  own  neighborhood,  and  when 
he  came  to  the  United  States  he  left  her  and 
their  little  son  behind.  His  gold  mining  did 
not  prove  as  successful  as  he  hoped,  and  six 
years  passed  before  he  returned  to  his  dear 
ones  in  the  old  country,  ^^'hen  he  returned, 
in  1867,  he  brought  them  with  him  and  the 
family  settled  in  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  where 
they  remained  for  fourteen  years,  and  there 
the  children  were  born,  with  the  excq>tion 
of  the  only  son,  Rees,  whose  death  occurred 
in  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
six  years,  of  appendicitis.  He  came  to  Kan- 
sas after  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  business  ability,  was  in 
business  with  his  father,  and  was  president 
of  the  Hutchinson  Salt  Works.  His  wife 
and  one  daughter  live  in  Geneva,  Switzer- 
land, his  estate  being  very  large,  and  his 
life  insurance  amounting  to  ninety-seven 
thousand  dollars. 

It  was  in  Oskaloosa.  Iowa,  in  1873.  that 

i  ]\Irs.  Price,  the  beloved  wife,  was  removed 

from    the    familv    circle,   and   three  vears 


2/6 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


later  'Sir.  Price  renu>ved  to  Topeka,  Kaiv 
sas.  There  he  resided  until  five  years 
ago,  when  he  came  to  his  present  home 
and  ranch,  comprising  twenty-two  hun- 
dred acres.  Here  are  raised  in  the  greatest 
abundance  wheat  and  corn,  the  land  yield- 
ing from  three  to  seven  thousand  bushels 
a  vear  of  the  former,  and  from  two  to  four 
thousand  a  year  of  corn  and  oats.  He 
feeds  all  he  produces  except  his  wheat,  and 
is  obliged  to  buy  corn,  this  not  being  remark- 
able when  it  is  remembered  that  he  raises 
from  six  to  se\-en  hundred  head  of  cattle 
and  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  head  of 
horses  and  keeps  many  eligible  to  register, 
as  they  are  full-blooded.  This  ranch  Mr. 
Price  bought  eighteen  years  ago  and  he  had 
Colonel  Johnson  as  a  tenant  for  some  years. 
It  was  originally  but  raw  prairie  land,  but 
is  now  attractive  and  valuable,  with  its 
groves  of  shade  trees,  four  acres  of  pro- 
ductive orchards,  and  its  cultivation  and  im- 
provement in  every  direction.  Tine  tenant 
house,  with  the  barns  and  granaries,  make 
a  village  of  themselves,  and  here  Mr.  Price 
is  preparing  to  erect  a  handsome,  modern 
residence.  This  property  is  located  one  mile 
east  of  Turon,  and  all  the  land  within'  that 
town,  north  of  Price  avenue,  is  located  on 
what  was  a  part  of  the  estate.  In  addition 
to  this  magnificent  property  he  also  has  his 
fine  home  in  Topeka,  which  cost  over  thirty 
thousand  dollars  and  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  near  that  city,  valued  at  ten 
thousand  dollars. 

]Mr.  Price  has  been  largely  interested  in 
coutracting  and  building,  principally  in  the 
line  of  railroad  work.  One  contract  alone, 
taken  in  Bostou.  amounted  to  four  million 
dollars  and  was  for  a  railroad  in  old  Mexico, 
Mr.  Price  has  built  over  three  thousand 
miles  of  railroad  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river.  Fraternally  he  has  long  been  a  valu- 
ed memlier  of  t'he  Masonic  order,  and  in  pol- 
itics is  a  Republican.  Although  so  well 
fitted  to  assume  the  responsibilities  of  office, 
he  has  always  declared  himself  too  busy. 
With  him  reside  his  two  lovely  daughters. 
Cordelia  is  the  widow  of  Henry  Stevenson, 
of  Cayuga.  Xew  York,  where  he  was  a  mer- 
chant.    She  was  educated  at  Blauvelt  Insti- 


tute, in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  is  pro- 
ficient in  music,  while  her  sister.  Miss  Jen- 
nie, is  equally  well  educated  in  mathematics 
and  art,  both  being  charming  and  cultured 
ladies.  Although  ]Mr.  Price  has  been  de- . 
prived  of  a  wife's  aft'ection  for  twenty-eight 
years,  he  has  found  tender  and  loving  care 
from  his  dutiful  and  beloved  daughters. 


PHIXEAS  C.  BRA^XH. 

In  a  record  of  thos^e-  who  have  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  development 
and  progress  of  Reno  county  it  is  imperative 
that  definite  consideration  be  granted  to  the 
subject  of  this  review,  for  not  only  is  he  a 
prominent  representative  of  the  agricultural 
interests  of  this  favoned  section,  but  has  the 
distinction  of  being  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  golden  west,  with  whose  fortunes  he  has 
been  identified  for  nearly  thirty  years,  and  so 
ordering  his  life  as  to  gain  and  retain  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 

Phineas  Colver  Branch  i^  a  native  of 
Vermont,  his  birth  having-  i  cciirred  in  ^Mid- 
dletown,  Rutland  county,  nn  the  ^th  of  July, 
1824.  His  paternal  grandfather.  Daniel 
Branch,  emigrated  frrmi  Connecticut  to  Ver- 
mont with  ox  teams  and  co\-ered  wagons, 
taking  with  him  his  housiehold  goods,  while 
the  ladies  of  the  family  rode  on  horseback. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  was  d 
teamster  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Our 
subject's  maternal  grandfather.  Nathaniel 
Colver.  was  a  soldier  in  that  remarkable 
struggle,  and  his  daughter,  the  mother  of 
our  subject,  cut  and  made  the  uniforms 
worn  by  a  number  of  the  soldiers  in  the  war 
of  1812.  Elinor  Branch,  the  father  of  him 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  in  1769,  and  his 
death  occurred  in  LaPorte  county.  Indiana, 
in  1838,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  He 
was  a  well  educated  man.  and  was  an  able 
and  efficient  teacher  for  his  day.  being  an 
excellent  penman.  Our  subj'ect  now  has  in 
his  possession  two  choice  souvenirs  from  his 
father's  pen.  one  bearing  the  date  of  July, 
1787.  and  the  ether  of  February.  1794. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


27  7 


When  the  trouble  arose  between  the 
nortli  and  the  south  Mr.  Branch,  of  this  re- 
view, put  aside  all  persoaial  considerations 
and  loyally  responded  to  the  call  of  his  coun- 
try, in  August,  1862,  from  Iowa,  he  en- 
listei.l  in  the  Thirteenth  Iowa  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. Company  G,  and  served  until  the 
long  and  terrible  struggle  was  past.  He 
received  an  honorable  discharge  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa.  Prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  re- 
Ijellion  Mr.  Branch  was  married,  the  wed- 
ding having  been  celebrated  on  the  14th  of 
May.  1854.  in  Vinton.  Iowa.  The  lady  of 
his  choice  was  Miss  Sarah  Chapin.  who  was 
born  in  Holyoke,  Massachusetts,  in  1826,  a 
daughter  of  Stephen  and  Lovina  (Humis- 
ton)  Chapin,  natives  also  of  the  old  Bay 
^tate.  The  Humistons  were  among-  the  first 
settlers  on  the  Connecticut  river.  After  his 
marriage  Mr.  Branch  removed  with  his  wife 
to  Galena.  Illinois,  locating  next  dcorto  the 
leather  store  owned  by  the  father  of  General 
Grant.  From  that  city  he  removed  to  Iowa, 
securing  eighty  acres  of  unimproved  land  in 
Benton  county,  and  to  that  place  his  wife's 
1-enple  had  alsr  remnved.  Tlie  vear  1873 
witnessed  the  arri\al  nf  Mr.  liranch  in  the 
Suntluwer  state.,  where  he  >ecured  a  timber 
claim  and  a  quarter  section  of  prairie  land 
in  Reno  county.  His  son  also  owns  a  half 
section  here,  and  together  they  are  farming 
the  entire  section,  which  is  located  in  ]Med- 
ford  township.  The  place  is  under  a  fine 
state  of  cultivation  and  is  adorned  with  good 
buildings  and  beautiful  shade  and  fruit  trees. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  Airs.  Branch  has 
been  blessed  with  two  children.  The  eldest, 
Charles  Branch,  is  cashier  in  the  Citizens' 
State  Bank.  The  second  son.  Andrew,  was 
formerly  a  student  in  the  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, as  was  also  his  brother,  and  he  is  now 
married  and  has  three  children.  3*Ir.  and 
Mrs.  Branch  now  reside  in  Hutchinson, 
Kansas,  where  their  eldest  son  resides  with 
them.  Mr.  Branch  is  an  advocate  and  earn- 
est siipport.er  of  the  Prohibition  part}-.  His 
worth  and  ability  have  been  recognized  by 
his  fellow  townsmen,  and  fur  one  term  he 
served  as  county  commissinner  uf  Reno 
county.      He  has   also  served   as   township 


trustee  and  township  clerk.  He  is  an  up- 
right and  reliable  citizen,  true  to  all  the  du- 
ties of  business,  ofiicial  and  private  life,  and 
his  sterling  worth  has  gained  him  high  re- 
gard. 


HEXRY  SIEMSEX. 

The  lumber  dealer  is  a  public  necessity 
in  any  rapidly  developing  community,  and 
in  Kansas,  during  all  the  years  of  her  ad- 
vancement, lumbermen  ha\-e  been  among 
her  foremost  business  men.  There  is  no 
man  in  the  trade  in  Ellsworth  county  bet- 
ter known  than  Henry  Siemsen,  of  Holly- 
rood. 

Mr.  Siemsen  was  born  in  Hclstein, 
Germany.  March  20,  1869,  a  son  of  Fred- 
erick and  Anna  (Johansen)  Siemsen,  na- 
tives of  Holstein.  His  father,  who  was  a 
carpenter  and  builder,  came  to  America  in 
1883,  and  located  ih  Ellsworth  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  bought  land  and  engaged 
in  farming  and  in  doing  carpenter  work 
as  occasion  dmanded.  In  1889  he  took 
charge  of  a  lumber  yard  at  Hollyrood,  which 
he  managed  for  five  years,  when  he  retired 
from  active  business  life.  He  is  an  hon- 
ored resident  of  Hollyrood. 

Of  the  tw^o  sons  of  Frederick  and  Anna 
(Johansen)  Siemsen,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  He 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  with  his  father 
and  followed  it  with  success  for  several 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1899  he  bought  his 
present  enterprise  from  George  \\'.  Ultch, 
and  took  up  the  business  under  the  fimi 
name  of  H.  Siemsen  &  Company,  with  C. 
H.  Rebber  and  H.  A.  Stoltenberg  as  part- 
ners. On  the  3d  of  December,  th^  same 
year,  he  purchased  the  interests  of  ^^lessrs. 
Rebber  and  Stoltenberg  and  has  since  con- 
ducted the  business  individually,  carrying 
a  stock  of  lumber  arid  building  materials 
of  all  kinds,  and  also  paints,  oils,  brushes, 
glass,  etc.,  and  he  has  been  able  to  build  up 
and  maintain' a  good  trade. 

Politically  Mr.  Siemsen  is  a  Democrat 
of  considerable  local  influence,  and  he  has 
filled  the  offices  of  constable  for  one  vear. 


278 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


township  trustee  four  years  and  road  over- 
seer four  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church  and  of  the  Na- 
tional Alliance  Aid,  of  Hollyrood.  May  i6, 
1893,  he  married  Bertha,  daughter  of  Hen- 
ry and  Annastina  (Ott)  Stoltenberg,  and 
has  five  children,  namely :  Dora,  Clara, 
Bert,  Hattie  and  Arthur. 


EZRA  WEAVER. 

Descendants  of  early  settlers  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  and  reared  in  an  atmosphere  of 
industry  and  frugality  have  sought  fortune 
and  found  it  in  all  parts  of  our  country,  and 
in  acliieving  personal  prosperity  have  con- 
tributed to  the  prosperity  of  the  communities 
with  which  they  have  become  identified. 

One  O'f  the  most  prominent  citizens  of 
Pennsylvania  nativity  living  within  the  bor- 
ders of  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  is  Ezra 
^^'eaver,  of  Hollyrood,  who  was  born  in 
Huntingdon  county,  in  the  Keystone  state, 
September  25,  1865,  a  son  of  George  B.  and 
]\Iarv  (Smith)  Weaver,  both  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  his  father  born  in  Hunting- 
don county,  his  mother  in  Berks  county. 
His  father,  who  was  a  prosperous  farmer, 
was  an  active  promoter  of  public  education 
and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and 
an  old-school  Democrat.  He  died  in  his 
native  county,  in  1884,  aged  sixty-three 
years;  his  wife  died  in  1876.  Ezra,  of 
Hollyrood,  was  one  of  their  eleven  children, 
four  of  whom  died  in  childhood  and  youth 
and  seven  oi  whom  lived  to  maturity. 
Lafayette  lives  at  Markleysburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania; Isaiah  is  a  farmer  at  Oregon;  Lydia 
is  the  wife  of  Saimuel  Hirst,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania; Caleb  is  a  farmer  of  Pennsylvania; 
Sarah  is  the  wife  of  George  Herman,  of 
OuakertO'wn,  Pennsylvania ;  and  Anna  mar- 
ried Oliver  Krause,  of  Greenville,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr.  Weaver  spent  his  early  life  on 
his  father's  farm  and  his  educational  facil- 
ities were  such  only  as  were  afforded  by  win- 
ter sessions  in  the  common  schools  near  his 
home.  He  remained  at  home  in  Pennsyl- 
vania until  the  death  of  his  father,  and  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  began  working  at  the 


carpenter's  trade,  for  thirt)'-se\en  and  one- 
half  cents  a  day.  He  was  thus  employed  in 
his  native  state  until  Septanber,  1887,  when 
he  went  to  Wilson,  Kansas,  where  he  was 
employed  as  a  carpenter  until  January  i, 
1888,  when  he  went  to  Hollyrood,  where  he 
began  business  as  a  contractor  and  builder. 
He  erected  many  of  the  early  buildings  in 
the  town,  employing  at  one  time  as  many  as 
thirteen  men  and  was  a  leading  contractor 
and  builder  there  for  two  years. 

In  June,  1889,  Mr.  Weaver  bought  the 
general  store  and  stock  of  goods  of  Jacob 
Bolinger,  who  was  conducting  a  mercantile 
Inisiness  on  the  site  of  the  present  drug  store 
at  Hollyrood.  About  three  monthe  after  he 
bought  the  business  Mr.  \Veaver  remo\-ed 
it  to  its  present  stand.  Beginning  with  a 
stock  of  goods  worth  about  one  thousand 
two  hundred  dollars  and  with  a  limited  pat- 
ronage, he  has  by  good  and  enterprising 
methods  built  his  business  up  to  its 
present  magnitude.  In  1885  he  built  a  two- 
story  stone  house,  which  is  one  of  the  com- 
fortable residences  of  the  town.  Those  who 
know  him  best  rejoice  with  him  in  the  suc- 
cess that  he  has  attained,  because  they 
know  that,  beginning  poor,  he  haS'  built  up 
an  enterprise  of  \\diich  any  man  might  be 
proud,  and  that  he  richly  deserves  the  good 
fortune  that  he  has  so  worthily  created. 

Mr.  Weaver  was  married  June  14,  18S9, 
to  Miss  Minnie  Richter,  of  Ellsworth  coun- 
ty, and  they  have  one  son,  named  James 
Floyd  Weaver.  Mr.  Weaver  was  for  five 
years  treasurer  of  the  tOAvniship  board  and 
has  also  seiwed  as  clerk  of  'that  body.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  he  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Democratic  county  com- 
mittee and  as  a  delegate  to  county  conven- 
tions. Though  not  a  member  of  any  church 
he  is  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  ]\Ietho'dist 
church  of  Hollyrood.  He  is  a  member  of 
Hollyrood  Lodge,  No.  380,  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  and  was  its  noble  grand 
in  1901.  He  is  a  member  also'  of  Gemian 
Ledge,  No.  340,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  is 
one  of  its  past  chancellor  commanders.  As 
an  Odd  Fellow  and  as  a  Pythian  he  has  rep- 
resented his  lodges  in  the  grand  lodges  of 
the  respective  orders. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


279 


LOUIS  C.  Axn  WILSOX  SMITH. 

Among  tlie  enterprising  farmers  of  Reno 
county  there  are  probaljlv  none  more  ener- 
getic or  thorough-going  than  the  Smith 
brothers,  wlio  are  successfully  carrying  on 
operations  in  \\'esitminster  tOAvnship.  Louis 
C.  Smith  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  the  i6th  of  September,  1856, 
while  his  brother  first  opened  his  eyes  to 
the  light  of  day  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  Septem- 
ber 28,  i860.  Their  parents,  Henry  and 
^Margaret  (Wilson) Smith,  were  natives  of 
the  Emerald  Isle.  IMargaret  Wilson  came 
to  this  country  with  her  mother  and  Henry 
Smith  with  his  brothers.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  on  the 
2ist  of  Xo^■ember.  1850.  The  mother  was 
called  to  her  final  rest  while  residing  in 
Peoria,  Illinois,  passing  away  on  the  29th 
of  July,  1863.  leaving  three  sons,  one  of 
whom,  Robert  H.,  resides  in  Colorado.  Two 
of  her  children  are  also  deceased.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  second  time  married,  and  by  the 
last  union  reared  two  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, namely  :  Maria,  the  wife  of  Ed  Rough- 
enburg,  of  Peoria,  Illinois,  where  she  is  em- 
ployed as  a  bookkeeper;  Newell,  also  of  that 
city;  and  Loren,  who  resides  with  his 
parents  in  Peoria.  The  father  has  now 
reached  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-five 
}-ears.  For  eleven  years  he  was  employed 
as  a  watchman  for  a  large  pottery  firm,  and 
during  that  long  period  he  was  never  off 
duty  but  one-  nigh't.  Tlie  maternal  grand- 
parents of  the  Smiith  brothers,  John  and 
Sarah  (Buchanan)  Wilson,  were  also  na- 
tives of  the  Emerald  Isle,  and  the  latter  was 
a  relative  of  President  Buchanan.  The 
grandfather  died  in  Durm  Lodge,  County 
Donegal.  Ireland,  in  January,  1837,  when 
about  thirty-fi\-e  }-ears  of  age,  having  been 
a  practicing  jjhysician.  He  left  his  family 
in  humble  circumstances,  but  the  mother 
nobly  cared  for  and  supported  her  children, 
and  succeeded  in  providing  them  with  the 
necessaries  of  life  by  taking  in  sewing.  In 
1847  she  came  with  her  family  to  the  new 
world,  landing  in  Philadelphia  after  a  jour- 
ney of  five  weeks,  and  in  diat  city  she  made 
her  home  for  eleven  years.      About    1859, 


h('we\-er.  in  company  with  her  daughter. 
Sarah  Jane,  now  Airs.  William  A.  Birket, 
she  removed  to  Iowa  with  Henry  Smith, 
but  two  years  later  they  removed  to  Illinois, 
locating  at  Peoria,  where  she  made  her 
home  with  INIrs.  Birket  and  the  three  Smith 
brothers  until  her  death,  which  occurred  the 
27th  of  July,  1875,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  Mrs.  Smith  also  passed  away  in  tho 
Prairie  state. 

Louis  Smith  received  a  common-school 
education  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
mained until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  went  to  the  home  of  his  uncle,  William 
Birket.  who  resided  on  a  farm  near  that 
city.  In  1877,  when  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  lie  came  to  the  Sunflower  state,  locat- 
ing in  Butler  county,  where  he  fanned  on 
rented  land  for  nine  years.  He  came  to  this 
state  with  an  outfit  of  three  horses  and  a 
wagon,  and  on  his  arrival  here  had  just  one 
hundred  dollars  in  money.  His  brother, 
Wilson  Smith,  resided  with  his  LTncle 
Birket  between  the  ages  of  ten  and  twenty- 
two  years,  and  in  1882  he  joined  his  brother 
in  Butler  county,  ccaning  to  this  state  with 
a  cash  capital  of  three  hundred  dollars.  He 
subseciuently  returned  tO'  Washington  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  and  was  there  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Thompson,  a  native  of  that  connty 
and  a^daughter  of  William  P.  and  Mary  A. 
(Kizer)  Thompson,  natives  respectively  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  Their  wedding 
was  celebrated  in  Ohio,  and  in  1850  thev 
removed  to  Illinois,  purchasing  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land,  the  purchase  price 
being  $1.25  an  acre.  He  has  now  reached 
the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-five  years,  but 
is  well  preserved  both  mentally  and  phys- 
ically.' His  wife  died  in  1893,  ^^  '^he  age  of 
seventy-ifwo  years.  This  worthy  couple 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  seven  of 
whom  grew  to  }-ears  of  maturity,  six  daugh- 
ters and  a  son,  and  all  are  living  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  daughter,  and  the  son.  Airs. 
Peyton  Cress,  the  daughter,  was  killed  in 
a  railroad  accident  at  Chatsworth,  Illinois, 
leaving  a  son  and  daughter.  The  son,  Elijah, 
AI.,  was  shot  by  accident  December  21, 
1901,  and  died  immediately.  He  went 
hunting   at   the   time   and   accidentallv    tlie 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


weapon  was  discharged.  ^Irs.  Smitli.  the 
youngest  of  her  parents'  surviving  children, 
received  a  common-school  education,  and  by 
her  marriage  to  Wilson  Smith  has  become 
the  mother  of  two  children, — Laura,  a 
bright  little  daughter  of  ten  years,  and 
Edith,  who  was  born  on  the  31st  of  Decem- 
ber, 1893. 

After  the  marriage  of  Wilson  Smith  the 
brothers  purchased  a  quarter  section  of  rail- 
road land  in  this  locality,  for  -which  they 
paid  seventeen  hundred  dollars,  going  in 
debt  to  the  amount  of  five  hundred  dol- 
lars. They  made  their  home  in  a  small 
three-roonii  house  until  189S,  when  the_\' 
erected  their  present  commodious  dwell- 
ing, which  is  two  stories  in  height.  In 
1888  the  brothers  divided  their  land,  a 
quarter  section,  and  Wilson  now  owns  a 
tract  of  four  hundred  acres,  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  which  is  in  one 
body  and  the  remaining  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  is  detached,  and  on  his  land  he 
is  extensively  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
wheat  and  corn,  having  about  three  hundred 
acres  planted  with  the  former  cereal.  Loiiis 
Smith  owns  thi'ee  farms,  aggregating  in 
all  seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  seven 
hundred  acres  of  which  is  planted  with 
wheat,  yielding  an  annual  return  of  about 
fourteen  thousand  bushels.  During  the  year 
of  1901  he  shipped  about  thirty  car-loads 
of  that  cereal  to  market.  The  brothers  have 
made  a  success  in  their  farming  operations, 
and  during  their  residence  in  the  Sunflower 
state  they  have  so  lived  as  to  gain  and  retain 
the  esteem  and  good  will  of  a  large  circle 
ijf  acquaintances.  They  are  Republican  in 
their  political  affiliations,  and  Louis  Smith 
has  served  as  a  township  trustee  for  two 
terms. 


WILLIAM  J.  ROSS. 

From  early  boyhood  William  J.  Ross 
has  been  identified  with  pioneer  life  west  of 
the  Mississippi  and  since  the  fall  of  1873 
he  has  made  his  home  in  Reno  county.  Of 
the  work  of  improvement  he  has  not  only 
been  a  witness  but  has  aided  in  the  develop- 


ment and  upbuilding  of  the  county  and  has 
shared  in  the  trying  experiences  and  hard- 
ships which  beset  the  pioneers  who  laid  the 
foundation  for  the  present  prosperity  and 
progress  of  the  county.     The    days    were 

j  sometimes  dark  and  dreary,  for  drouth  and 

I  the  grasshopper  scourge  worked  havoc  in 
fields  and  meadows,  but  with  steadfast  pur- 

\  pose  and  firm  faith  in  the  future  of  Kansas 
2\lr.  Ross  maintained  his  residence  here  and 
in  due  time  his  lators  were  rewarded  with 

;  prosperity,  so  that  he  is  now  enabled  to  live 
a  retired  life  in  his  attractive  home  at  Pretty 
Prairie. 

Air.  Ross  was  born  in  Rush  county,  In- 
d'ana.  May  21,  1824.  The  Ross  family  to 
which  he  belongs  comes  of  the  Scotch  clan 
of  Hamilton.  William  Ross,  the  grandfa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of  Xew 

;  Inverness  in  the  north  of  Scotland  and  at  a 
very  early  age  was  left  fatherless.  He  was 
then  apprenticed  to  a  shoemaker.  Llis 
moither  was  a  sister  of  the  Duke  of  Suther- 
land, who.  to  make  provision  for  the  family, 
purchased  a  commission  for  W'illiam  Ross 
as  ensign  in  the  royal  army,  and  when,  in 
1775,  the  war  broke  out  in  the  American  col- 
onies he  became  a  member  oi  the  celebrated 
Scotch  Black  Watch,  which  was  sent  to 
America  to  bring  the  colonies  again  into  a 
state  of  subjection  to  the  British  crown.  He 
served  through  the  entire  seven  years  of  the 

I  war  and  after  hostilities  had  ceased  he  re- 
turned to  his  native  land  and  was  mustered 
out.  But  he  had  become  interested  in  Amer- 
ica and  alt  once  came  again  to  tlie  new  re- 

I  public,  settling  in  Pennsylvania.     Later  he 

!  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Kentucky  and 
in  traffic  between  the  United  States  and  the 
West  Indies.  In  1833  he  accompanied  his 
son,  Sullivan,  to  Iowa,  where  he  died  in  the 
same  year.  So  far  as  is  known  he  is  the 
only  British  soldier  of  the  Revolittionary 
war  ever  buried  on  Iowa  soil,  while  a  Mr. 
Shiephertl  was  the  only  member  of  the  Co- 
lonial army  that  fonnd  a  grave  in  the  Hawk- 
eye  state. 

Sullivan  S.  Ross,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Lexington.  Kentucky,  Fel> 
ruary  4,  1800,  at  the  time  his  father  was  en- 
gaged in  merchandising-  there.     He  was  one 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


281 


oi  the  earliest  residents  of  the  town  and 
there  erected  the  first  brick  honse  within  its 
borders.  Later  tlie  family  removed  to  Rush 
county,  Indiana,  where  Sullivan  Ross 
cleared  a  farm  from  heavily  timbered  land. 
At  that  time  Indians  were  still  living  in  the 
locality  and  the  work  of  improvements  and 
civilization  seeined  scarcely  begun.  The 
family  remained  in  Rush  county  until  sev- 
eral years  after  the  birth  of  our  subject, 
when,  in  1830,  Sullivan  Ross,  with  his  wife 
and  children,  went  to  northeastern  Missouri, 
where  the  father  took  up  government  land, 
upon  which  he  lived  until  1832.  Then  in 
company  with  his  brother,  Dr.  William  R. 
Ross,  and  their  father,  William  Ross,  Sr., 
he  engaged  in  general  merchandising  in 
Quincy,  Illinois,  carrying  a  large  line  of 
dry  goods,  groceries  and  drugs,  but  the  fol- 
lowing year,  1833,  Quincy  was  almost  de- 
populated by  cholera.  The  wife  and  two 
children  of  Dr  William  Ross  died,  as  also  the 
mother  of  our  subject  and  one  of  her  chil- 
dren. She  was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss 
]^Iary  A.  Junken,  and  was  born  in  Bowding 
Green,  Kentucky,  in  1803.  After  the  two 
families  were  thus  bereaved  in  the  cholera 
scourge,  the  business  in  Quincy  was  closed 
out  and  Sullivan  Ross,  w'ith  his  surviving 
children,  remo\'ed  to  Burlington,  Iowa, 
where  they  continued  in  the  same  business, 
trading  with  the  Indians  as  well  as  the  white 
men.  The  subject  of  this  re\-iew  recalls  an 
incident  which  occurred  in  his  father's  store 
at  Burlington  about  1835.  The  noted  In- 
dian chief.  Black  Hawk,  came  into  his  fa- 
ther's store  with  his  twelve  wives  and 
bought  a  black  felt  hat  for  each. 

In  1838  Sullivan  Ross  removed  to  the 
eastern  part  of  Jefferson  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  entered  a  claim  from  the  govern- 
ment, residing  thereon  until  1849.  Then 
leaving  his  son,  William,  and  daughter, 
Margaret,  in  Iowa,  he  started  with  the 
other  members  of  his  family  for  California, 
where  he  engaged  in  mining  with  indifferent 
success  until  1852.  In  that  year  he  re- 
turned to  Iowa  and  purchased  a  farm  in 
Henry  county,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  days,  dying  in  1855.  He  was  a  very 
prominent  and  influential  citizen  in  the  early 


history  of  that  state  and  twice  served  as  a 
member  of  its  constitutional  convention,  for, 
the  first  constitution  being  rejected,  another 
convention  was  called,  to  which  he  was 
again  sent  as  a  delegate,  thus  aiding  in  fram- 
ing the  present  organic  law  of  the  state.  The 
Democratic  party  numbered  him  among  its 
leading  members  and  his  opinion  carried- 
weight  in  the  councils  of  the  organization. 
He  left  the  impress  of  his  strong  indix-idu- 
ality  upon  the  events  wdiich  go  to  frame  the 
early  annals  O'f  Iowa  and  w'as  a  most  promi- 
nent citizen'  of  that  state.  In  his  family 
were  the  following  children :  William  f . 
is  the  eldest  of  the  family.  Nancy  E.  is  the 
wife  of  S.  J.  Bonnifield  and  resided  in  L nva 
until  1859,  when  she  went  to  California. 
Margaret  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Maguire,  of 
Jeffersiin  county,  Iowa.  Thomas  E.  died 
in  185 1,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  upon  his 
retuna  from  California.  James  H.,  who  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war,  located  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  Kansas,  and  became  a  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  de- 
voting the  greater  part  of  his  life  to  preach- 
ing the  gospel.  He  died  at  Jefiferson  Springs, 
Arkansas,  in  1886.  Sullivan  S.,  also  a 
soldier  of  the  Union  army,  now  resides  at 
Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa.  Christopher  laid 
down  his  life  on  the  altar  of  his  country, 
dying  in  the  service  in  1862.  Lucinda  is  the 
wife  of  George  Schmidtline,  of  Woodville, 
Oregon.  The  other  member  of  the  family 
died  in  infancy. 

Williann  J.  Ross  remained  with  his  fa-, 
ther  through  the  period  of  his  minority  and 
acquired  his  elementary  education  in  the 
primitive  schools  of  the  time  and  between 
his  thirteenth  and  fifteenth  years  was  a 
student  in  McKendree  College,  in  Lebanon, 
Illinois.  After  reaching  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  assisted  his  father  in  the  store,  the  saw- 
mill and  on  the  farm,  and  when  he  entered 
upon  an  independent  business  career  it  was 
in  the  line  of  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
lumber,  conducting  a  lumber  yard  and  oper- 
ating a  sawmill  on  the  Des  Moines  and 
Skunk  rivers  in  Iowa  until  1850.  He  after- 
ward followed  the  carpenter's  and  mill- 
wright's trades  for  a  time  and  in  1852  he 
accepted  a  position  as  salesman  and  book- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


keeper  at  Ottuniwa,  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1857,  when  he  was  elected  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  to  the  office  of  treas- 
urer and  recorder  of  Wapello  county,  Iowa. 
After  serving  for  two  years  he  was  re- 
elected and  thus  continued  in  the  office  for 
four  years.  On  retiring  from  office  he  be- 
came cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Ottumwa,  with 
the  firm  of  Bonnifield  Brothers,  and  acted 
in  that  capacity  for  a  year  and  a  half.  In 
1863  he  went  to  the  territory  of  Nevada  and 
organized  a  mining-  company  at  Humboldt, 
devoting  a  year  and  a  half  to  silver  mining. 
\\'hen  he  had  spent  all  of  his  capital  in  the 
enterprise  without  receiving  profitable  re- 
turns he  gave  up  the  business  and  returned 
to  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  the  insurance 
business  until  1867.  In  that  year  he  was 
again  elected  county  treasurer,  and  after 
serving  one  term  again  accepted  a  position 
in  theBank  of  Ottumwa  as  teller,  assistant 
cashier  and  bookkeeper,  there  remaining  un- 
til 1873. 

The  fall  of  that  year  witnessed  the  ar- 
rival of  Mr.  Ross  in  Reno  county,  Kansas. 
Here  he  homesteaded  the  northeast  quarter 
of  section  22,  township  26.  range  7.  This 
he  inlproved  and  resided  upon  until  March, 
1900.  When  he  located  there  his  was  the 
farthest  settlement  to  the  south.  His  first 
home  was  a  dugout,  sixteen  b}-  twenty-four 
feet,  and  became  know^n  as  the  "big  dug- 
out." The  first,  winter  of  his  residence  here 
there  was  no  settler  either  to  the  south  or 
west  of  his  claim  and  his  nearest  neighbors 
were  Mr.  Jordan  and  Warren  Field,  who 
were  on  the  adjoining  sections.  In  the 
spring  of  1874  Mr.  Ross  planted  twenty 
acres  of  sod  corn  and  three  or  four  acres 
of  spring  Avheat  and  a  similar  amount  in 
oats  and  vegetables.  The  small  grain  pro- 
duced little  on  ^account  of  the  drouth  and 
was  used  for  feed,  while  the  grasshoppers 
ate  all  the  corn.  Great  suffering  followed 
this  year  of  calamity  among  the  pioneers. 
A  mass  meeting  was  called  at  Hutchinson 
to  discuss  ways  and  means  of  relief,  and  of 
that  meeting  Mr.  Ross  was  chosen  chairman. 
A  committee  was  then  appointed  tO'  go  east 
and  secure  aid,  and  Mr.  Ross  was  also 
chosen  for  this  task  and  in  company  with 


Judge  G.  V.  Ricksecker,  of  Hutchinson,  he 
went  to  New  York  citv,  where  they  suc- 
ceeded in  securing:  much  needed  assistance. 

Mr.  Ross  experienced  all  the  hardships 
and  privations  incident  to  this  calamitous 
year  of  1874,  but  he  determined  to  stand 
by  the  state  in  which  he  had  cast  his  lot  and 
remained  upon  his  farm,  Dushing  forward 
the  work  of  cultivation  and  improvement  as 
fast  as  possible.  He  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising  and  when  his 
mone\-  supply  would  become  exhausted  he 
would  replenish  the  exchequer  by  accepting 
employment  elsewhere,  spending  some  time 
in  Hutchinson  at  different  intervals  in  book- 
keeping and  similar  positions,  while  his  sons 
carried  on  the  farm. 

It  was  on  the  2d  of  September,  1844,  i" 
Jefferson  county,  Iowa,  that  ^Ir.  Ross  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Catherine  Bonnifield. 
a  daughter  of  Rodham  and  Nancy  (Minear) 
Bonnifield.  She  was  born  in  Randolph 
county,  West  Virginia,  and  with  her  par- 
ents went  to  Iowa  in  1837.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ross  were  born  eight  children:  Lou- 
isa S.,  the  wife  of  \Y.  C.  Holden,  of  Kan- 
sas City ;  Thomas,  who  is  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising in  Hutchinson;  Annie  E.,  the 
wife  Oif  George  A.  Barton,  of  Grant  county, 
Kansas;  Nellie,  the  wife  of  Herbert  Field, 
a  farmer  of  Roscoe  township,  Reno  county ; 
\Mlliam,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty 
years;  Charles  W.,  of  Enid,  Oklahoma: 
i\Iack.  a  farmer  of  Sedgwick  county;  and 
Ida.  the  wife  of  the  Hon.  E.  R.  ^^'atki^s. 
of  Sego,  Kansas. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Ross  has  al- 
wa}-s  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Democ- 
racy and  has  three  times  been  the  party's 
nominee  for  the  legislature,  but  as  the  polit- 
ical strength  of  the  county  is  overwhelming- 
ingly  Republican  he  was  not  elected.  He 
has  ser\'ed  in  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace  for  ten  years  and  his  decisons  were 
ever  fair  and  impartial.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  belonging  to  Clinton 
Chapter,  N^o.  9,  R.  A.  M.,  and  has  been 
elected  a  member  of  the  grand  lodge  in  rec- 
ognition of  his  faithful  service  in  behalf  of 
the  craft.  He  is  a  past  master  of  Ottumwa 
Lodge.  No.  16.  F.  &  A.  M.     He  was  serv- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ing  as  master  of  his  lodge  in  Ottumwa 
when  the  war  broke  out  and  by  a  great  effort 
he  maintained  the  organization  and  kept  up 
the  lodge  during  that  period,  serving  as 
master  for  six  years  and  as  secretary  for  the 
same  length  of  time.  In  recognition  of  his 
service  he  was  presented  by  the  lodge  with 
an  elegant  gold  watch,  appropriately  en- 
graved, which  he  still  carries.  Mr.  Ross 
has  always  been  an  advocate  of  any  move- 
ment in  the  line  oi  morality,  reform,  edu- 
cation and  general  progress.  He  is  an  ac- 
ti\-e  worker  in  the  temperance  cause  and 
was  formerly  a  leading  member  of  the 
Grange  and  the  Farmers"  Alliance.  Since 
1854 — almost  half  a  century — he  has  been 

;'  a  consistent  member  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 

copal church  and  has  taken  an  active  part 
in  its  various  branches  of  work,  acting  both 
as  teacher  and  superintendent  in  the  Sun- 
da  v-school.  Since  the  spring  of  1891  he  has 
resi'ded  in  Pretty  Prairie.  He  has  led  an 
exemplary  life,  is  a  gentleman  of  refined  and 
courteous  bearing  and  commands  the  uni- 

\  form  regard  of  all  with  whom  business  or 

social  relations  have  brought  him  in  con- 
tact.   • 


FREDERICK  KREY. 

Men  of  German  parentage  and  of  Amer- 
ican birth  have  everywhere  made  good  and 
(latriotic  citizens.  Of  such  nativity  is  Fred- 
trick  Krey,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Reno  county,  Kansas,  who  lives  on 
section  30  in  Hayes  township,  and  whose 
post  oi^ce  address  is  Peace-Creek. 

Frederick  Krey  was  born  in  Lee  county, 
Iowa,  September  19,  1854.  a  son  of  Conrad 
Krev,  who  is  now  a  retired  farmer  on  sec- 
tion 14,  Hayes  township,  near  Sylvia.  Mr. 
Krey  was  born  in  Germany,  May  31,  1822, 
a  son  of  Peter  Krey,  a  farmer,  who  died  in 
1830,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  leaving 
a  widow  and  four  sons  and,  three  daughters, 
two  other  children  having  died.  Mrs.  Krey 
reared  her  family  to  useful  and  industrious 
lives  and  died  in  Germany  when  past  her 
seventy-fifth  year.  Conrad  Krey  learned  the 
trade  of  a  shoemaker  and  worked  at  it  for 


many  years.  He  served  four  months  in  the 
German  amiy.  At  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years  he  came  to  America,  embarking  at 
Bremen  for  New  Orleans  on  a  sailing  ves- 
sel, and  was  sixteen  weeks  in  making  the 
voyage,  the  ship  having  encountered  a  storm 
in  vrhich  it  came  near  being  wrecked.  From 
New  Orleans  he  made  his  way  up  the  river 
to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  landed  with 
plenty  of  clothing  and  bedding  but  with 
very  little  money.  April  11,  1849,  '"^^  mar- 
ried Henrietta  Hartman,  whose  birth  place 
in  the  fatherland  was  identical  with  his  own 
and  who  was  born  in  1832.  The}-  had 
twelve  children,  of  whom  ten  are  now  living 
and  they  have  fifty  grandchildren  and  about 
twenty  great-grandchildren.  Mr.  Krey  left 
St.  Louis  in  1850  and  bought  forty  acres 
of  land  in  Iowa,  on  which  he  paid  four  hun- 
dred dollars,  money  he  had  accumulated  at 
his  trade  as  a  shoemaker.  In  1880  he  re- 
moved to  Missouri,  where  he  improved  a  . 
fami  of  twO'  hundred  acres,  which  he  sold 
in  the  fall  of  1885  and  removed  to  Kansas, 
here  purchasing  his  present  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  made  a 
cash  payment  of  eight  hundred  dollars.  He 
worked  at  shoemaking  one  3"ear  after  he 
settled  in  Missouri,  but  since  then  he  has 
done  nothing  in  that  line.  In  politics  he 
has  been  a  Republican  since  the  Civil  war. 
He  and  his  wife  are  Gemian  Methodists  and. 
services  of  that  denomination  were  held  in 
his  house  twO'  years,  while  during  two  suc- 
ceeding years  he  preached  to  a  German  con- 
gregation in  his  native  language. 

Frederick  Krey  was  reared  to  a  fann  life 
and  educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  was 
married  June  21,  1874,  to  Martha  Grose- 
close,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  January 
10,  1856,  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Mildred 
(Asher)  Groseclose.  Her  father  died  at  the 
age  of  fifty-four  years,  leaving  a  widow  and 
five  children  who  were  named  as  follows : 
George,  a  farmer  near  Sylvia;  Mary,  who 
married  Adam  Shaverbush,  of  Hayes  town- 
ship; Martha,  the  wife  of  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Eliza,  the  wife  of  John 
Yust,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work;  and  Emma,  who 
married  Henrv  Lvnden,  of  Oklahoma  Terri- 


284 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


tory.  Mrs.  Groseclose  died  in  April,  1885, 
aged  fifty-four  years.  Mr.  Groseclose  was 
a  farmer  in  Missouri  and  the  children  were 
reared  in  that  state. 

Frederick  Krey  began  active  life  as  a 
farmer  on  his  father's  farm  in  Missouri, 
where  he  remained  two  years,  until  he  re- 
mo\ed  to  Kansas,  where  he  began  his  ca- 
reer in  a  box  house  covering  a  ground 
space  of  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet  on  a 
homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  That  small  building,  once  his  resi- 
dence, he  now  utilizes  as  a  hen  house. 
He  is  now  the  owner  of  two  quarter 
sections  of  land — one  in  Hayes  township, 
and  a  section  aiid  a  quarter  in  Stafford  coun- 
tv.  He  farms  his  three-quarter-section  in 
Hayes  township,  pastures  stock  on  a  three- 
quarter-section  and  rents  two  quarter-sec- 
tions. He  usually  has  from  fifty  to  two  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  and  raises  annually  from 
twenty-five  to  forty  calves.  His  stock  is  of 
the  short-horn-  variety,  of  good  grade  and 
brings  good  prices.  He  sells  the  milk  of 
eight  cows  to  a  creamery.  He  has  fi'om  ten 
to  fifteen  horses  and  raises  several  every 
year.  Wheat  is  his  leading  crop  to  which 
"he  devoted  two  hundred  and  sixteen  acres 
in  1 90 1,  the  average  yield  being  fifteen  to 
twenty-five  bushels  per  acre.  He  plants 
scA-enty-five  to  one  hundred  acres  to  corn 
.and  harvests  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  bush- 
els per  acre.  He  planted  and  has  brought  to 
maturity  a  five-acre  orchard,  which  yields 
fruit  in  considerable  variety.  His  large 
and  fine  farm  house  was  erected  in  1885  and 
an  addition  tO'  it  was  erected  in  1900.  His 
commodious  red  barn  was  erected  in  1885 
also.  Mr.  Krey  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  is  active  in  local  afifairs  and  for  two 
years  has  held  the  office  of  school  director. 
Being  a  man  of  much  public  spirit  he  may 
be  safely  depended  on  to-  do  his  utmost  to 
assist  any  measui;e  which  in  his  good  judg- 
ment is  calculated  to  advance  the  public 
good. 

Frederick  and  Martha  ( Groseclose)  Krey 
have  had  eleven  children:  John  is  a  far- 
mer in  Staiiford  county  on  a  two-hundred- 
and-twenty-acre  farm.  He  married  Mil- 
dred Pruner  and  has  one  son.     Anna  mar- 


ried Bernard  McKeown,  a  farmer  living  a 
mile  and  a  half  east  from  Mr.  Krey  and  who 
is  also  in  the  livery  business  at  Sylvia.  They 
have  three  children.  Ella  diecl  at  the  age 
of  seven  years,  on  May  22,  1885.  Gertrude 
died  at  the  age  oi  four  years,  June  5,  1885. 
Nettie  Josephine  married  Benjamin  Bagle, 
of  East  Cooper,  Stafford  county.  Mattie 
Birdie  is  an  attractive  girl  of  fifteen  years, 
who  is  acquiring  an  education  and  giving 
special  attention  to  music,  in  which  she  is 
takmg  lessons  on  the  organ.  Harvey 
Frederick  is  a  manly  boy  of  twelve  years. 
Cephas  ^Mariun  i^  nine  years  old.  Ralph 
Gilbert  was  liorn  in  1893,  Francis  Clarence 
in  1896  and  Talta  Leo  in  1899. 


WILLIAAI  R.  PEXXIXGTON. 

Among  the  well  known  and  highly  es- 
teemed citizens  of  Reno  comity  and  one  of 
its  oldest  residents  is  \A'illiam  R.  Pemiing- 
ton,  the  proprietor  of  the  noted  Penning- 
ton orchards,  located  in  section  4,  in  North 
Reno  township.  The  birth  of  William  R. 
Pennington  was  in  Sullivan  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  September  13,  1843,  and  he  is 
a  son  of  J.  R.  and  Susan  (Rodgers)  Pen- 
nington, the  second  child  in  their  family  of 
five  children.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
died  while  the  latter  was  still  young.  The 
father  remarried,  but  no  children  were  born 
to  the  second  union.  In  1854  J.  R.  Pen- 
nington moved  to  Lee  county,  Illinois,  and 
remained  there  for  eleven  years,  engaged 
in  farming,  removing  thence  to  Jones  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  where  he  continued  some  five 
years,  later  settling  for  the  same  period  on 
a  farm  in  ^Marshall  county,  Iowa.  The 
next  change  of  residence  was  to-  Mlarion 
county,  Kansas,  and  later  to  Reno  county, 
where  he  died  in  1899,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
two  years.  He  was  a  worthy  and  consist- 
ent member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and 
a  stanch  believer  in  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party.  The  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  Jesse  Pennington,  and  he  came 
from  England  and  established  his  home  in 
Pennsvlvania. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


William  R.  Pennington  of  this  biog- 
raphy was  ele\'en  years  of  age  when  the 
family  located  in  Illinois  and  there  had 
some  school  advantages,  accompanying  his 
father  to  L nva  and  remaining  with  him  un- 
til t\\ ent}-'  ne  years  of  age.  In  February, 
1803.  he  enhsted  in  Company  G,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty-sixth  Illinois  Infantiy. 
With  his  regiment  he  went  from  Louis- 
ville to  Chattanooga,  thence  to  Georgia,  and 
from  there  back  to  Alennphis,  finally  return- 
ing to  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  was 
discharged,  the  war  being  over.  After  this 
experience  he  settled  down  to  the  peaceful 
vocation  of  farming,  following  the  same  in 
Cedar  and  ^Marshall  counties,  Iowa,  until 
1873,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Reno  coun- 
t}-.  Here  he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  of 
the  quarter  section  which  he  now  owns,  on 
April  7,  1S73.  At  that  time  the  country 
surrounding  the  beautiful  home  of  Mr. 
Pennington  presented  a  treeless  prairie,  ex- 
tending for  miles  west\^-ard  without  a 
break,  wind-swept  and  uncultivated,  still 
the  home  of  many  wandering  bands  of  sav- 
ages and  sometinres  visited  by  the  wild  ani- 
nials  of  'the  locality.  Mr.  Pennington  went 
through  many  of  the  trials  of  pioneer  life 
and  had  some  losses,  but  it  is  upon  record 
that  he  never  accepted  assistance  which  was 
sent  by  the  east  to  the  Kansas  pioneers  after 
their  losses  through  tlic  \-i-it;itiun  of  the 
grasshoppers.  Mr.  IVnnin-i'!!  was  confi- 
dent that  the  soil  of  Kansas  w  add  produce 
wheat  while  many  of  his  neighbors  devoted 
their  sole  energies  to  corn.  \\'hen  the  grass- 
In  uppers  came  he  thus  lost  less  than  others. 
II i:^  wlieal  lifcanie  ^lK■ll  an  abundant  and 
fiiiurishing  cri^p  tliat  agriculturists  from  far 
and  near  came  to  admire  and  went  away  to 
follow  his  example.  \'ery  early  in  his  ex- 
perience our  suljject  saw  the  advisaliility  of 
raising  cattle,  and  has  always  done  some- 
thing in  that  line,  and  now  has  some  sixty 
head. 

In  1880,  with  Jnhn  J.  Measer.  :\Ir.  Pen- 
nington started  into  raising  nursery  stock, 
and  at  the  same  time  he  set  out  a  number 
of  trees  fur  an  orchard,  as  an  experiment. 
He  has  cimtinued  to  increase  his  orchard 
and  now  includes  eightv  acres  of  his  own 


land  and'  seventy  aa^es  of  his  son's  land, 
the  one-hundred-and-fifty-acre  tract  being 
known  as  the  Pennington  orchards.  Here 
the  yield  has  been  abundant,  principally  of 
apples,  although  the  yield  of  cherries,  plums, 
peaches,  apricots,  pears,  grapes  and  berries 
has  also  been  very  satisfactory.  Mr.  Pen- 
nington has  three  hundred  acres  of  tillable 
land  and  does  seme  grain  raising.  For  ten 
years  he  very  successfully  managed  the 
nursery  business,  but  as  his  orchards  pros- 
pered he  found  more  profitable  use  for  his 
land.  The  trees  planted  by  him,  not  includ- 
ing those  raised  and  distributed  through  his 
energy,  have  completely  changed  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  country,  and  have  had  a 
noted  climatic  influence.  In  1892  he 
erected  his  fine,  modern  residence  and  here 
enjoys  the  results  of  his  former  industry 
and   intelligently  applied   energy. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Pennington  was 
in  Iowa,  in  1869,  to  Miss  Lucinda  Jeffs,  and 
three  children  have  been  born  to  this  union : 
Leon,  a  well-known  horticulturist  of  this 
township ;  Rella,  who  married  George 
Kearney,  of  Grant  township,  in  Reno  coun- 
ty; and  Harold.  Mr.  Pennington  has  been 
a  prominent  member  of  the  Republican 
party  and  for  three  years  has  efficiently 
served  as  township  treasurer.  When  he 
settled  here  there  were  neither  school  nor 
church  edifices,  and  he  has  been  an  organ- 
izer of  both,  contributing  time  and  money 
to  advance  l)Oth  educational  and  religious 
enterprises.  In.  the  interests  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  he  has  been  particularly  act- 
i\-e,  of  which  he  has  long  been  a  member 
and  for  twenty  years  an  elder.  He  did 
much  to  assist  in  its  establishment  here. 
Fraternallv  he  is  connected  with  Toe  Hook- 
er Post,  No.   17,  G.  A.  R. 


DANIEL  E.  REID. 


"Through  struggles  tO'  success"  is  the 
epitome  of  the  life  record  of  Daniel  E. 
Reid,  who  now  occupies  a  prominent  and 
honored  position  in  financial  circles  in  cen- 
tral  Kansas.      Residing  in   Hutchinson,  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


is  there  engaged  in  tiie  banking  and  broker- 
age business  and  is  the  well  known  vice- 
president  of  the  State  Exchange  Bank.  In 
one  of  his  witty  after-dinner  speeches 
Chauncey  Depew  said:  "Somie  men  achieve 
greatness,  some  men  are  born  great  and 
some  men  are  born  in  Ohio."  The  last  is 
applicable  to  Mr.  Reid  and  it  is  also  a  well 
known  fact  that  his  good  fortune  has  been 
achieved' — through  untiring  perseverance, 
honorable  effort  and  coinmendable  de- 
termination and  ambition.  Such  a  life  record 
is  wfll  wurtliv  of  emulation  and  proves  that 
success  is  imt  a  matter  of  genius  but  the 
outcnme  I'f  well  directed  labor. 

His  birth  occurred  in  New  Paris,  Ohio, 
October  3,  1844,  his  parents  being  William 
B.  and  Mary  A.  (Jones)  Reid.  His  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Adam  Reid,  was  born 
in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  and  was 
a  soldier  under  General  \Villiam  Henry 
Harrison  in  the  Indian  wars.  His  wife 
was  Hannah  Reid,  and  among  their  chil- 
dren was  William  B.  Reid,  who  w'as  born, 
reared,  lived  and  died  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship, Preble  cmmty,  ()hi(>.  In  early  life 
he  learned  and  i'mUmwciI  the  hatter's  trade. 
He  recruited  a  CMiniMiiy  ii>r  service  in  the 
Mexican  war  and  was  chi  iseii  its  captain, 
but  although  the  war  cln^cl  liclMfe  \u- 
trorips  were  called  out  he  was  ;dwa}s  ktrnwn 
as  Captain  Reid.  About  1850  he  located 
on  a  farm,  where  he  spent  his  remaining 
days,  his  death  occurring  in  1889,  when  he 
Jiad  reached  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 
His  political  support  was  first  given  the 
Whig  party  and  on  its  dissolution  he  joined 
the  ranks  Oif  the  new  Republican  party. 
Although  he  was  not  identified  with  any 
religious  denomination  he  believed  in  the 
doctrines  oi  the  Christian  church,  attended 
its  services  and  gave  to  the  support  of  the 
cause.  His  wife,  who'  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  ^lary  A.  Jones,  was  born  in  Fred- 
erick county,  Maryland,  and  when  a  child 
accompanied  lier  parents  to- Preble  county, 
Ohio.  She  was  a  cousin  of  Colonel  Ethan 
Allen,  the  distinguished  Revolittionary  sol- 
dier. Her  mother,  Mrs.  Helen  Jones,  lived 
to  tlie  extreme  old  age  of  ninety-two  years 
and   when   she   removed    from   \'irginia   to 


Ohio  she  liberated  all  her  slaves.  Like  her 
husband,  ^Irs.  Reid  believed  in  the  faith  of 
the  Christian  church  and  was  a  constant 
and  faithful  member  thereof,  ardently  en- 
dorsing its  teachings.  Her  death  occurred 
in  1884.  In  the  family  were  six  sons  and 
four  daughters :  Susan,  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Miller,  of  New  Paris,  Ohio ;  Adam,  of  New 
Westville,  Ohio;  Celestia,  the  wife  oi  Allen 
Holderman,  a  merchant  of  Camden,  Ohio ; 
Martha  A.,  the  wife  of  Washington  Clark, 
of  New  Paris,  Ohio;  George  J.,  a  resident 
farmer  of  Preble  county;  Daniel  E.,  of 
Hutchinson,  Kansas;  William  B.,  oi  New- 
Paris,  Ohio;  Lurton  D.,  a  resident  farmer 
of  New  Madison,  Ohio;  and  Charles  S., 
also  of  New  Paris. 

In  the  days  of  his  youth  Daniel  E.  Reid 
enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  country  boy 
who  takes  from  the  hard  work  of  the  farm 
time  for  study  and  self- improvement.  That 
such  surroundings  in  boyhood  are  an  actual 
advantage  to  a  man  in  this  country  is  prov- 
en by  the  innumerable  comipany  of  success- 
ful men  whose  career  began  on  the  farm. 
It  is  thought  by  some  that  the  pressure  of 
poverty  is  in  the  nature  of  a  discrimination 
against  a  man  in  the  race  of  life,  but  the 
trutli  is  that  the  old-fashioned  country 
IiniiKstead  has  produced  nearly  all  of  the 
successful  men  of  this  generation,  because 
it  produces  health  of  body  and  mind  as 
well  as  of  moral  disposition' — three  things 
that  are  the  chief  conditions  of  success. 
Attending  the  neighborhood  school  through 
the  short  winter  sessions  and  w-orking  in 
the  fields  in  summer,  the  youth  of  our  sub- 
ject was  passed  until  he  was  sixteen  years 
of  age,  when,  on  the  i6th  of  August,  1861, 
he  responded  to  the  first  call  for  troops 
to  serve  for  three  years  and  enlisted  in 
Company  E,  Fifth  Ohio  Volunteer  Cavalry. 
He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Shiloh, 
Corinth,  luka  and  the  Atlanta  campaign. 
He  was  captured  at  Corinth  and  held  as  a 
prisoner  at  JMobiie,  Montgomery,  Atlanta, 
W'eldon,  Libby  and  Belle  Isle  for  eleven 
months  and  twenty-one  days.  When  cap- 
tured he  weighed  one  hundred  and  sixty 
pounds  and  when  paroled  only  ninety-three 
pounds.     During  the  cold  winter  of  1863-4 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


287 


lie  suffered  all  the  horrors  that  have  ever 
been  depicted  in  relation  to  life  in  the 
southern  prison  pens.  They  had  no  fuel, 
tents,  blankets  or  shelter  of  any  kind  and 
the  awful  prison  fare  was  served  in  starva- 
ti<;>n  quantities.  On  the  21st  of  March, 
1804.  he  went  home  on  parole,  rejoining 
his  command  at  Huntsville,  Alabama,  in 
June  following.  He  remained  in  the  serv- 
ice until  after  the  campaign  of  Atlanta  and 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  being 
discharged  December  3,   1864. 

After  his  return  from  the  war  Air.  Reid 
began  farming  on  his  own  account,  renting 
the  old  homestead  imtil  he  was  able  to  pur- 
chase a  farm,  which  was  his  home  until 
1884.  when  he  sold  his  property  in  Ohio 
and  came  west,  locating  first  in  Kansas 
City,  where  he  was  for  five  }-ears  engaged 
in  the  loan  and  brokerage  business.  In  the 
meantime  he  was  lookmg  about  him  for  a 
fa\-orable  location  and  in  1889,  he  chOiSe 
Hutchinson  as  the  place  offering-  the  best 
inducements.  Accordingly  he  toak  up  his 
residence  here,  whe~re  he  has  since  engaged 
in  the  loan  and  brokerage  business,  buy- 
ing and  selling  farm  and  city  property  and 
negotiating  loans.  In  Alarch,  1899,  ^^^ 
erected  a  bank  building  and  in  company 
with  Joseph  and  ^Mllis  Baker  organized  the 
State  Exchange  Bank  of  Hutchinson, 
Kansas,  with  Joseph  Baker  as  president, 
Daniel  E.  Reid,  \"ice-president,  and  Willis 
Baker,  cashier.  This  institution  was  Ijased 
upon  sound  business  principles  and  has  ever 
enjoyed  an  unassailable  reputation  and  a 
liberal  patronage. 

<  'n  tlie  4th  of  December,  1867,  Mr. 
Ruil  u  as  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Han- 
aali  Fall,  a  daughter  of  John  L.  and  Re- 
becca (Hart)  Fall.  She  was  born  and 
reared  in  Preble  county.  Ohio,  in  the  same 
neighborhiMid  as  her  husband.  They  have 
,iu  ele,L;ant  In  iuie.  lieautifully  and  tastefully 
furnished  and  supplied  with  all  modern 
improvements,  including  electric  lights, 
hot  and  cold  water  and  other  accessories 
which  add  to  the  comforts  and  convenience 
of  life.  In  his  political  \-iews  Air.  Reid  is 
a  Republican  and  fi  ir  one  term  served  as 
a    member    of  the  city  council,   taking  an 


active  part  in  directing  the  affairs  of  the 
city.  For  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church  and  much  of 
the  time  has  served  on  the  official  board  as 
deacon.  Airs.  Reid  has  also'  taken  an  act- 
ive part  in  religious  and  benevolent  work 
and  the  poor  and  needy  find  in  them  warm 
friends.  Air.'  Reid  is  a  member  of  Joe 
Hooker  Post,  No.  17,  G.  A.  R.,  and  his 
W'ife  belongs  to  the  XVoman's  Relief. Corps, 
m  wdiich  she  has  served  in  several  official 
positions.  He  is  also'  a  member  of  Reno 
Lodge,  No.  140.  F.  &  A.  AT,  and  Reno 
Lodge,  No.  99,  I.  O.  O.  F.  In  the  line  of 
his  military  connection  he  has  served  as 
commander  of  his  post,  as  representative  to 
the  state  encampment  and  for  one  year  was 
adjutant  of  his  post.  His  life  has  been  suc- 
cessful and  commendable  and  without  any 
extraordinan-  family  connections  or  pe- 
cuniary aid  to  assist  liim  he  has  steadily  ad- 
vanced to  a  prominent  position  in  financial 
circles  in  central  Kansas. 


GEORGE  A.  COLLETT. 

One  of  the  most  pcvpular  places  in  Ells- 
w-orth,  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  is  the 
'■Postoffice  Book  Store"  of  George  A.  Col- 
lett,  at  the  corner  of  Douglas  avenue  and 
First  street.  Air.  Collett  carries  a  complete 
line  of  standard  books,  currait  literature, 
periodicals,  daily  papers  and  school  books 
and  schnol  supplies,  together  \vith  station- 
ery, nctions  and  sumlries.  confectionery,  ci- 
gars, tobacco  and  sun  kcis'  ^(u.d^,  and  being 
a  popular  citizen  and  iu-  st,  n-e  the  repository 
of  articles  of  interest  to  persons  of  every; 
age  and  class,  he  is  achieving  a  success  to 
wdiich  his  fair  and  enterprising  business 
methods  justly  entitle  him. 

George  A,  Collett  was  born  at  Cornwall, 
Vermont,  October  2^,  1855,  a  son  of  John 
and  Hannah  (Willis)  Collett.  His  father 
was  of  French-Canadian  birth  and  his 
mother,  wdio  was  descended  from  English' 
ancestry  was  born  in  New  Hampshire.  John 
Collett,  who  W'as  a  farmer,  died  in  Ver- 
mont at  the  age  of  thirtv-five  vears.  when  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


son.  George  A.,  his  oldest  child,  was  only 
six  years  old.  Eugene.  John  Collett's  sec- 
ond son,  is  a  farmer  in  Union  county,  Ohio, 
and  John  Collett,  his  third  son,  has  for 
some  years  been  a  proof  reader  in  the  office 
of  the  Denver  (Colorado)  Times.  After  the 
death  of  the  husband  and  father  the  family 
removed  to  St.  Lawrence  county,  New- 
York,  where  they  remained  until  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  twelve  years  old,  when 
tl'.ev  removed  to  Athens  connty,  Ohio, 
A\here  they  lived  until  1879. 

George  A.  Collett  spent  his  life  on  a 
farm  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  when 
he  found  employment  in  the  office  of  the 
Athens  Journal,  at  Athens,  Ohio,  where  he 
worked  two  )-ears  as  a  printer  and  obtained 
a  practical  knowledge  of  country  journal- 
ism. He  passed  the  next  three  years  in  mer- 
cantile business  at  Coolville,  Ohio.  In  1879 
he  came  to  Ellsworth,  Kansas,  where  for  a 
short  time  he  was  employed  in  the  office  of 
the  Ellsworth  Times,  but  soon  accepted  a 
position  with  Gephardt  &  Huycke,  in  the 
Reporter  office,  where  he  was  employed  until 
1885.  In  that  year  in  company  with 
Frank  S.  Foster,  he  bought  the  Ellsworth 
News,  which  then  became  the  Ellsworth 
Democrat,  and  later  the  Ellsworth  Messen- 
ger, which  is  still  published  by  Mr.  Foster, 
and  with  which  Air.  Collett  was  connected 
ten  vears,  until  he  was  appointed  postmas- 
ter at  Ellsworth  by  President  Cleveland.  In 
1894  he  entered  the  book  and  stationery 
trade  in  a  small  way,  and  his  management 
of  his  enterprise  has  been  so  efficient  that 
his  store  is  regarded  as  the  best  of  its  class 
in  central  Kansas. 

}ilr.  Collett  has  always  taken  an  active 
interest  in  public  affairs.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Democratic  state  central  conmiittee 
for  many  years  and  in  1888  he  was  a  dele- 
gate the  national  convention,  at  St.  Louis, 
which  nominated  Grover  Cleveland  for  the 
presidency.  Always  an  active  partisan,  he 
has  rendered  his  party  much  efficient  service. 
For  three  years  he  was  clerk  of  the  city 
council  of  Ellsworth  and  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education.  He  is  a 
Knight  Templar  Alason,  being  past  eminent 
commander    of    St.  Aldemar  Commandery, 


Xo.  T,^.  in  Ellsworth,  and  is  past  noble 
grand  of  Ellsworth  Lodge.  Xo.  109,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  holds 
membershipL  in  the  IModern  ^\'oodmen  of 
America  and  in  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  Mr.  Collett  is  an  affable,  cour- 
teous gentleman,  whose  list  of  friends  ec^uals 
his  list  of  acquaintances,  and  he  is  one  of 
the  most  popnbr  and  successful  business 
men  of  Ellsworth.  His  executive  ability 
was  amply  demonstrated  during  his  admin- 
istration of  the  office  of  postmaster,  which 
has  never  been  filled  more  satisfactorily  by 
am-  other  incumbent. 

Mr.  Collettt  was  married  October  29, 
1876,  to  Miss  Clara  Streicher,  a  native  of 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  who  is  descended 
from  a  family  prominent  in  military  circles 
in  Europe,  thev  have  three  children,  Tena 
E..  Mame  and  Tohn  S. 


C.  M.  BAY. 

One  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  and 
stock  raisers  oi  Reno  comity  is  C.  M.  Bav, 
who  resides  on  section  18,  Roscoe  township. 
He  has  depended  entirel}^  upon  his  own  re- 
sources' from  early  manhood  and  has  met 
difficulties  and  disasters ;  but  the  word  de- 
feat does  not  appear  in  his  vocabulary,  and 
with  undaunted  spirit  he  faces  every  situa- 
tion and  makes  conditions  result  to  his  own 
benefit,  where  a  man  of  less  resolute  pur- 
pose would  be  uttei'ly  disheartened  and  dis- 
couraged. Within  the  last  three  years  he 
has  become  the  owner  of  the  extensive  prop- 
erty interests  which  he  now  enjoys  and  his 
stock  raising  enterprise  is  represented  by 
seven  hundred  head  of  cattle  of  good  grades 
upon  his  ranches. 

Mr.  Bay  was  born  in  Gallia,  Ohio,  in 
1858,  a  son  of  Joseph  X.  and  Emily  (Camp- 
bell) Bay.  both  of  whom  were  also  natives 
of  the  Buckeye  state.  The  father,  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  remo\-ed  with  his  family 
from  Ohio  to  IMonroe  county,  Iowa,  and 
now  resides  in  Clark  county,  that  state,  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  and  stock 
raising.     He  is  a  prominent  citizen  O'f  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


289 


locality  and  a  leading-  representative  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  In  his  family  were  four 
children,  of  whom  two  are  now  living:  C. 
M.,  who  is  the  eldest,  and  Samuel  E.,  a 
farmer  of  Roscoe  township,   RenO'  count}-. 

During  his  infancy  Mr.  Bay  was  taken 
by  his  parents  ;to  loiwa,  and  there  he  was 
reared  to  manhood  upon  the  home  farm,  ac- 
quiring- his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  neighborhood.  His  mother  died  when 
he  was  only  seven  years  of  age,  but  he  con- 
tinued with  his  father  until  seventeen  years 
of  age,  when  he  left  home  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  He  began  farming  on 
his  own  accoimit  on  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  in 
Wayne  ci:iunt\',  Iowa,  and  after  tw-o  years 
sold'  tliat  pi-Mpert)-  and  with  his  capital  pur- 
chasing iwii  gnod  teams  and  w-agons.  with 
which  he  started  for  Kansas  in  1878.  On 
arriving-  in  Reno>  county  he  traded  one  team 
and  wagon  for  the  southwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 19,  Roscoe  township — a  tract  of  raw 
prairie  land,  on  whicli  he  built  a  sod  house. 
Immediately  afterward  he  began  improv- 
ing the  farm,  remaining  thereon  for  two 
■\-ears.  He  also  took  up  a  timber  claim,  on 
the  same  quarter,  on  which  he  planted  about 
ele\en  acres  of  catalpa  trees,  from  which  he 
has  sold  for  the  last  three  years  fence  post^ 
ti_*  the  value  of  five  hundred  dollars  each 
year. 

In  18S0  ]Mr.  Bay  purchased  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  in  Roscoe  township  on 
sections  28  and  29,  and  took  up  his  abode 
on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  29. 
There  he  erected  another  sod  house,  in 
which  he  lived  for  a  year  and  then  removed 
to  his  present  location  on  section  18,  Ros- 
coe township.  In  1882  he  erected  his  pres- 
ent residence,  hauling  the  lumber  from 
Hutchinson.  In  1883  he  removed  from 
the  farm  to  the  town  of  Kingman,  renting 
his  land,  and  there  engaged  in  the  land  and 
loan  business,  handling  nuich  property  and 
carr\-ing  on  an  extensi\e  business.  He  was 
also  active  in  promoting  various  enterprises 
which  proved  of  value  in  promoting  general 
prosperity  as  well  as  individual  success.  He 
remained  in  Kingman  until  1890  and  from 
1884  until  1887  prospered,  making  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  but  during  'the  finan- 


cial  panic   of   1887,-88,   when   there   was   a 
marked   depreciation    in    the  value    of    all 
kinds  of  property  and  because  he  had  to 
make  payment   of   some  twenty   thousand 
dollars  of  security  debts,  and  in  addition, 
losing  thirty-eight  thousand  dollars  in  vari- 
ous coqjorations,  he  lost  all  in  the  general 
crash,  saving  only  from'  the  wreck  of  his 
fortunes  the  timber  claim  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  19.  Roscoe  township.     In 
1 89 1  he  retired  to  the  fann  and  again  took 
his  place  behind  the  plow.       Gradually  he 
gained   another   start   and   engaged    in   the 
raising  of  grain  and  stock.    In  1895  he  pur- 
chased one  thousand  head  of  cattle,  which 
he  kept  foT  three  }-ears  and  then  found  the 
venture  unprofitable.      Since  then    he    has 
been  largely  engaged  in  buying  and  selling 
land  and  in  cultivating  his  fields  and  deal- 
ing in  live  stock.     He  now  has  thirty-six 
hundred   and  eighty  acres.      He  cultivates 
about  sixteen  hundred  acres  and  therefore 
annually  harvests  large  crops.     He  also  has 
about  se\-en  hundred  head  of  cattle  upon  his 
place  and  among  the  leading  and  most  ex- 
tensi\'e   farmers    and   stock    raisers   of   the 
county  he  is  numbered.     ^Vhen  disaster  has 
o^•ertaken  him,  with  renewed  courage,  his 
trouble  serving  as  an  impetus  for  greater 
diligence,  he  has  taken  up  the  work  of  re- 
trieving his  lost  possession,  and,  with  unfal- 
!  tering  spirit,  he  has  once  more  gained  a  place 
among  the  leading  and  prosperous  business 
,  men  of  Reno  county.     Undonbtedly  he  pos- 
I  sesses  business  ability  of  a  high  order,  to- 
j  gether  with  executive  force,  keen   discern- 
ment and  marked  powers  of  management. 
Mr,  Bay  was  married  in  Iowa,  Septem- 
j  ber  2j.   1876,  to  Miss  Maegie  J.  Sloan,  a 
!  daughter  of  H.  R.  and  Charlotte  (Gibson) 
I  Sloan.     She  is  a  native  of  Ohio  and  with 
j  her  parents  wei-it  to  Iowa,  where  the  family 
I  were  numbered  among    the  early    settlers. 
j  Unto  ^Ir.  and  ilrs.  Bay  five  children  have 
been  born:    Lottie  F..  an  accomplished  lady 
well  known  in  Hutchinson  and  vicinity,  who 
is  now  the  wife  of  Emmet  Hutton,  one  of 
the   proprietors   of    the    American     Steam 
Laundry,   of  Hutchinson;   Clyde  and   Del- 
1  mer,  at  honiie;  and  twoi  who'  died  in  infancy. 
Like  many  other  settlers  in  pioneer  times 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


]\Ir.  Bay  frequency  did  freighting  between 
\^"ichita  and  Medicine  Lodge.  Lake  City  and 
other  points,  during  the  winter  months,  in 
order  to  bring  in  some  ready  money.  He 
is  numbered  among  the  early  settlers,  whose 
labors  contributed  in  large  measure  to  the 
develojiment  and  progress  of  the  county  and 
he  is  yett  actively  interested  in  all  movements 
for  the  general  good.  Li  politics  he  has  al- 
ways been  a  stalwart  Republican,  but  has 
never  aspired  to-  office,  and  has  ncA^er  con- 
sented to  serve  in  public  positions,  save  on 
the  school  board.  Id  his  fraternal  relations 
he  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  belonging  to^  Kingman 
Lodge,  No.  99,  and  he  also'  has  membership 
relations  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  Camn 
at  Pretty  Prairie.  His  example  should 
serve  as  a  source  of  inspiration  and  encour- 
agement to  others,  showing  what  can  be 
accoinplished  even  in  the  face  of  great  diffi- 
culties, when  one  has  the  will  to  dare  and 
to  do,  and  when  labor"  is  guided  by  sound 
business  principles. 


\V.  HEXRY  WILSOX. 

AV.  Henry  ^^"ilson  has  well  earned  the 
proud  American  title  of  a  self-made  man, 
for  in  the  active  world  of  business  he  has 
overcome  difficulties  and  obstacles  and  en- 
tirely unaided  has  worked  his  way  upward 
until  he  is  now  numbered  among  the  most 
most  prosperous  representatives  of  agricul- 
tural interests  in  central  Kansas.  He  owns 
a  farm  of  sixiteen  hundred  acres  in  Wash- 
ington township,  Rice  county,  but  makes  his 
home  in  Hutchinson,  from  which  place  he 
superintends  the  operation  of  his  land  and 
the  raising  of  stock. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  born  in  Greene  county, 
Pennsylvania,  February  23,  1839,  his  par- 
ents being  Isaac  and  Mary  (Roberts)  Wil- 
son. The  family  is  of  English  lineage  and 
was  founded  in  America  by  Henry  Wilson, 
who  was  born  on  the  "merrie  isle"  and  be- 
longed to  a  wealthy  family  there,  his  father 
being  an  extensive  ship  owner.  At  the  age 
of  twelve  years  he  went  to  sea  and  was  ma- 
rooned on  a  lone  island.  Finally  he  went 
to   America,    locarting-   in    eastern    Pennsvl- 


vania,  where  he  married  INIiss  Alarv  A.  Su}-- 
der,  a  German  lady.  They  went  across  the 
mountains  to  Waynesburg,  Greene  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  spent  their  remain- 
ing days.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolutionarv 
war  Henry  Wilson  served  his  adopted  coun- 
try as  a  drummer  in  the  American  army. 
Throughout  his  active  business  career  he 
followed  farming  and  died  in  Greene  county. 
Pennsylvania.  The  parents  of  oi1r  subject 
were  botli  natives  of  that  count>-.  The  fa- 
ther learned  the  tanner's  trade  in  \\'a\nes- 
burg,  the  county  seat  of  Greene  county,  and 
on  leaving  that  place  went  to  Newton  and 
subsequentl}^  to  Morristown,  Pennsylvania. 
In  1849  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Bureavi 
county,  Illinois,  and  later  went  to  Putnam 
county,  that  state,  where  he  died  in  1875. 
He  was  one  of  the  earlv  settlers  of  the 
Prairie  state  and  became  an  extensive  land 
owner  there.  In  his  political  faith  he  was 
first  a  Whig  and  afterward  a  Republican 
and  in  public  affairs  he  was  quite  prominent, 
although  he  never  aspired  to  public  office. 
Of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  he  was 
a  zealous  and  consistent  member,  was  a 
strong  advocate  of  the  temperance  cause  and 
endorsed  every  refomr  movement  which 
tended  to  uplift  mankind.  In  ante-bellum 
days  he  was  an  ardent  Abolitionist  and  did 
effective  work  in  behalf  of  the  slaves  by 
making  his  home  a  station  on  the  "under- 
ground railroad,"  which  line  conveyed  many 
a  poor  bondsman  to  liberty  in  the  north.  He 
started  out  upon  his  business  career  in  very 
limlited  circumstances  but  prospered  as  the 
years  passed  by  and  also  won  that  good 
name  wdiich  is  rather  to  be  chosen  than  great 
riches.  He  was  twice  married  and  by  the 
first  union  had  five  children,  of  whom  four 
are  yet  living,  namely :  James,  a  farmer  of 
McPherson  county,  Kansas:  W.  Henry; 
John,  a  farmer  of  Reno  county ;  and  Mar- 
garet, the  wife  of  Emanuel  Hise,  of  Reno 
county.  "  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
the  father  married  Phoebe  Martin,  of  West 
Virginia,  and  they  had  three  children : 
Frank>  of  East  Portland.  Oregon ;  So- 
phronia,  the  wife  of  John  Montgomery,  of 
Horton.  Kansas ;  and  Isaac,  of  Arling'ton, 
this  state. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


291 


\\'.  Henry  ^^■ilson  spent  the  first  ten 
years  of  his  hfe  in  the  Keystone  state  and 
then  went  with  his  parents  to  Ilhnois,  where 
he  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Bureau  and 
Putnam  counties.  His  educational  advan- 
tages were  very  meager.  He  attended  the 
common  schools  to  a  hmited  extent  but  his 
father  was  a  poor  man  and  needed  his  assist- 
ance upon  th.e  home  farm,  where  he  hved 
and  labored  until  thirty-three  years  of  age. 
While  residing  in  Putnam  county  he  was 
married  June  4,  1866,  to  Mai-y  D.  Lackey, 
who  was  born  in  Broome  county,  New  York, 
June  22.  1847,  3-  daughter  O'f  John  W.  and 
Rachel  (Mitchell)  Lackey,  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  the  Empire  state  and  the  latter  of 
Wayne  county,  Pennsylvania.  The  father 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  when  Mrs. 
Wilson  was  a  maiden  of  ten  simmiers  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Bureau  county, 
Illinois,  arriving  there  in  1857.  He  then 
turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  later 
went  to  Peoria  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
remained  until  he  came  with  Mr.  Wilson  to 
Kansas  and  secured  a  claim  in  Rice  county. 
There  he  spent  his  remaining  days,  his  death 
occurring  in  1897,  while  his  wife  passed 
away  in  1891.  They  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children:  Orlando  R.,  of  Kansas  City; 
Eugene,  deceased ;  ]\Irs.  \\'ilson :  Geraldine, 
the  wife  of  James  P.  Brady,  of  Ellsworth 
county;  Curtis  G.,  a  farmer  of  Rice  county; 
Fidelia,  the  wife  of  Edward  Bich,  of  Rice 
county ;  Franklin  G.,  a  farmer  of  that  coun- 
ty; Jerome,  deceased;  Fred,  a  farmer  of 
Pratt  county;  and  Agnes,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Burdick,  of  McPherson  county. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Wilson  engaged 
in  the  operation  of  the  old  home  farm  in 
Illinois  until  the  spring  of  1872,  when  he 
shipped  teams  and  implements  to  Newton, 
Kansas.  He  first  pre-empted  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  6,  township  21,  range  5, 
in  McPherson  county  and  was  the  first  man 
to  develop  a  farm  in  that  township.  During 
the  first  year  his  nearest  neighbor  was  Lewis 
Thomas,  who  lived  ten  miles  south  in  Reno^ 
county.  For  two  years  after  his  arrival  buf- 
faloes were  killed  in  this  vicinity  and  in  the 
spring  of  1874  he  killed  on  his  place  the  last 
one  seen  in  tiie  neidiborhood.  He  built  a  box 


house,  sixteen  by  thirty-two  feet,  hauling 
the  lumber  from  Newton,  and  after  remain- 
ing there  for  a  year  he  secured  a  homestead 
claim  in  Rice  county — the  norti:  half  of  the 
northwest  quarter  and  the  west  half  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  2,  township  21, 
range  6.  Here  in  1873  lie  built  a  dugout  in 
which  he  lived  for  about  eight  years,  when 
he  removed  to  another  farm — the  southeast 
quarter  of  the  same  section,  which  he  pur- 
chased in  1873.  In  1874  he  had  eis-hty  acres 
planted  in  corn  and  anticipated  selling  his 
crop  for  a  dollar  per  bushel  to  drovers,  after 
which  he  intended  buying  yearling  Texas 
cattle  at  three  dollars  per  head ;  but  his  plans 
were  set  at  naught,  for  it  was  the  year  of 
the  grasshopper  scourge  when  his  crops 
were  entirely  destroyed.  Through  the  fol- 
lowing winter  he  had  a  hard  time  to  get 
along  and  frequently  his  food  supply  was 
exhausted  and  he  did  not  know  where  he 
was  to  obtain  the  next  meal,  but  a  way  was 
opened  up  and  in  the  spring  he  obtained  a 
situation  at  hauling  rock  to  Hutchinson. 
The  next  year  he  raised  a  good  crop  and 
thus  once  more  got  a  start. 

Mr.  Wilson  began  raising  and  dealing 
in  stock  and  in  1878  had  fifty  head  oi  cattle. 
For  twenty  years  he  has  handled  from  four 
to  eight  hundred  head  of  cattle  annually  and 
each  year  feeds  for  the  market  from  one  to 
two  hundred  head  and  at  times  as  many  as 
five  hundred.  He  has  added  to  his  farm  un- 
til it  now  comprises  sixteen  hundred  acres, 
of  which  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  is  un- 
der a  high  state  of  cultivation,  while  much 
of  the  remainder  is  used  for  grazing  pur- 
poses. He  has  a  good  grade  of  shorthorn 
cattle  and  has  raised  from  one  hundred  to 
three  hundred  head  of  hogs  each  year,  while 
he  also  keeps  on  hand  a  good  grade  of  horses 
and  mules,  having  sixteen  head  of  work 
horses  and  mules  besides  young  animals. 
The  buildings  upon  his  place  are  substantial 
and  commodious.  There  is  a  seven-room 
residence  witii  good  cellar  and  extensive  cat- 
tle barns,  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  bv 
thirty  feet.  There  is  also  a  feed  grinder 
with  engine  to  operate  it  and  living  water 
upon  the  place,  the  feed  yards  being  supplied 
with  water  tanks  and  all  modern  conveh- 


292 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


iences  for  the  care  of  the  stock.  Mr.  Wil- 
son remained  upon  the  farm  until  May, 
1897,  when  he  purchased  his  comfortable 
residence  in  Hutchinson  and  removed  to  the 
citv,  although  he  still  operates  the  place, 
keeping  a  reliable  foreman  in  charge.  He 
has  a  team  in  town  and  at  least  once  a  week 
drives  to  the  farm  in  order  to  see  that  ever)^- 
thing  is  being  well  conducted.  He  has  given 
his  attention  exclusivly  to  his  farming  and 
stock  raising  interests  and  is  one  of  the  pros- 
perous self-made  men  of  this  portion  of  the 
state. 

In  politics  Mr.  A\'ilson  is  a  stalwart  Re- 
publican, voting  with  the  party  since  cast- 
ing his  first  presidential  ballot  for  Lincoln. 
The  cause  of  education  has  always  found 
in  him  a  warm  friend.  He  assisted  in  or- 
ganizing the  first  school  district  in  Wash- 
ington township,  Rice  county,  and  was  one 
of  its  first  directors,  serving  in  that  posi- 
tion for  many  years.  In  the  fall  of  1874 
he  became  tlie  'first  overseer  of  highways 
and  continued  in  that  office  until  he  refused 
longer  to  serve.  For  the  past  four  years  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church,  of  Hutchinson,  and  since  1879  he 
has  been  a  member  of  Victoria  Lodge,  No. 
212,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Little  River,  Kansas. 
Such  in  brief  is  the  life  history  of  one  who 
came  to  Kansas  in  limited  circumstances  and 
has  found  here  the  opportunity  he  sought 
of  gaining  success  through  earnest  and  un- 
remitting labor.  Well  does  he  deserve  his 
prosperity,  which  is  the  just  reward  of  in- 
defatif^alile  and  honorable  effort. 


CHARLES   ROBINSON. 

The  pinoeer  history  of  central  Kansas 
is  familiar  to  Charles  Robinson  from  active 
connection  with  the  experiences  of  frontier 
life  in  this  portion  of  the  state.  His  history 
fonns  a  connecting  link  between  the  primi- 
tive past  and  the  enterprising  present,  from 
the  days  of  dugouts,  sod  houses  and  un- 
improved farms  to  those  of  marked  pros- 
perity, when  farms  are  supplied  with  splen- 
did accessories  and  conveniences  for  carrv- 


ing  on  agricultural  pursuits,  while  in  the 
towns  and  villages  are  found  all  of  the  en- 
terprises and  business  establishments  known 
to  the  older  east.  Mr.  Robinson  now  en- 
gages in  feeding  and  shipping  stock,  mak- 
ing his  home  in  Ellsworth.  He  was  born  in 
Detroit,  Michigan,  March  31,  1846,  and  is 
a  son  of  William  and  ]VIar_\-  Robinson,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  England,  whence 
they  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  Canada  in  early 
life,  locating  in  Ontario,  where  they  were 
married.  The  father  was  a  drover  and 
stockman,  and  about  1838  went  tO'  Michi- 
gan, locating  in  Detroit,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  stock  business  until  1862.  He  then 
moved  to  Niagara  Falls,  New  York,  and 
after  two  years  became  a  resident  of  Iowa 
City,  loAva.  His  death  occurred  in  that 
state  in  1883,  and  his  wife,  who  still  sur- 
vives him,  is  now  living  in  Omaha,  Nebras- 
ka. Charles  Robinson  is  the  third  in  order 
of  birth  in  their  family  of  eight  children,  the 
others  being  George  \\\.  who  served  in  the 
Civil  war  as  lieutenant  in  a  Michigan  cav- 
alry company  and  was  killed  in  the  cavalry 
charge  at  Marksburg,  A'irginia,  in  1864;  Ed- 
win, a  stock  dealer  in  Vinton,  Iowa;  Arthur 
A. ;  Albert,  a  stockman  of  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iowa;  Charlotte  A,,  who  became  the  wife 
of  E.  A.  Benson,  of  Omaha.  Nebraska,  and 
died  in  October,  1900:  Belle,  the  wife  of 
Theodore  Robinson,  of  Plankinton,  South 
Dakota';  and  Harriet,  who  died  in  early 
womanliood. 

Charles  Robinson  spent  his  boyhood 
days  with  is  oarents  and  attended  school 
until  the  spring  of  1862,  when,  at  the  early 
age  of  sixteen  years,  he  responded  to  his 
country's  call  for  assistance,  and  enlisted  in 
the  Twenty-fourth  Michigan  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, as  a  memljer  of  Company  I.  His 
command  was  a'^^ociated  with  the  Second, 
Sixth  and  Sevcir.ii  Wi-c^nsin  Infantries  and 
the  Nineteenth  Kj^iirtiu  rf  Indiana  Volun- 
teers, in  forming  the  h'irst  Brigade  of  the 
First  Division  of  the  First  Army  Corps. 
This  was  known  as  the  Iron  Brigade  and 
as  such  attained  fame  for  the  loyalty  and  un- 
daunted valor  of  its  members.  The  brigade 
t.i'^k  part  in  all  the  severe  battles  of  the 
Army   of    the    Potomac.      The    troops    saw 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


293 


service  at  Fredericksburg,  Chancellorsville 
and  Gettysburg,  and  at  the  last  named  Mr. 
Robinson  was  se\ereh'  wounded  by  a  gun- 
shot in  the  left  shoulder,  necessitating  his 
remaining  in  the  hospital  at  that  place  and 
Baltimore  and  in  a  convalescent  hospital 
from  the  ist  of  July  until  the  19th  of  De- 
cember, when  life  was  discharged. 

Mr.  Robinson  then  went  to  Colorado  to 
engage  in  business,  but  on  account  of  the 
Indian  trouliles.  supplies  could  not  be  pro- 
cured in  that  district  and  he  again  entered 
the  go\'ernment  ser\-ice,  with  which  he  was 
connected  from  January,  1865,  until  the 
following  November,  as  a  member  of  the 
Second  Colorado  Cavalry,  which  was  en- 
gaged in  guarding  and  protecting  the  stage 
routes  and  wagon  trails  from  Denver  east- 
ward to  Leavenv.'orth.  He  was  mustered 
out  of  the  volunteer  service  at  Leavenworth 
in  November,  1865,  but  remained  in  the 
►  government  employ  as  a  driver  of  supply 

I  trains,  proceeding  westward  from  Leaven- 

wdrth.  His  time  was  thus  passed  for  two 
.  r  three  years.  In  1866  he  came  to  old  Fort 
1-Jls\\(irtli.  where  he  remained  for  a  few 
im  nulls,  when  he  resumed  ilriving  on  the 
>anta  Fe  trail  t^-  I'nrt  Uniun  and  other 
-outhern  points,  also  going  to  Denver  on 
the  Denver  trail.  In  1868  he  returned  to 
Ellsworth  county,  which  has  practically 
been  his  home  since  1866.  He  took  up  a 
claim  in  1868,  on  section  12,  Empire  town- 
ship, where  he  secured  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  erected 
!  a  two-room-  log  house,  fourteen  by  sixteen 
feet,  with  an  "L"  twelve  by  twelve  feet. 
This  was  a  roomy  mansion  for  that  day  and 
continued  to  be  his  home  until  1875.  There 
he  engaged  in  handling  stock  in  connection 
-■  with  the  raising  of  cereals,  and  soon  made 
*  the  first  mentioned  branch  an  important  in- 
dustry, keeping  on  hand  between  one  and 
two  hundred  head  of  cattle.  In  1878  he 
left  the  farm  and  removed  to  Ellsworth, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  transfer  business, 
employing  a  number  of  teams  in  that  way. 
About  1 89 1  he  embarked  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness, buying,  feeding  and  shipping,  and  to 
this  enterprise  he  has  since  given  his  entire 
attention,  being  one  of  the  largest  shippers 


in  the  county.  He  has  feed  yards  con\-eni- 
ently  located  near  the  town  limits  on  the 
river  side,  where  he  constantly  feeds  large 
numbers  of  cattle.  He  ships  in  grain  for 
this  purpose  and  is  now  doing  an  extensive 
business,  which  yields  to  him  a  good  profit. 
Mr,  Robinson  has  been  twice  married. 
On  the  27th  O'f  April,  1873,  he  wedded  Sa- 
rah E.,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah 
Hudson,  prominent  pioneer  people  of  Ells- 
worth county.  She  was  born  in  Canada,  but 
came  with  her  parents  to'  this  locality  in 
1866.  Her  death  occurred  November  9, 
1875,  'ii^d  Mr.  Robinson  was  again  married 
May  9,  1877,  his  second  union  being  with 
Sarali  M.  Cunningham,  who  was  1>orn  May 
9,  1859,  in  Marshall  county,  Illinois.  By 
his  second  marriage  he  has  eight  children: 
Charles  A.,  who  is  associated  in  business 
with  his  father,  and  Clara  P.,  Belle,  Harry, 
Mary,  Irnia,  Nira  and  George.  The  Re- 
publican party  receives  his  loyal  support  and 
in  religious  faith  he  is  a  Presbyterian.  He 
belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, holding  membership  in  Ellsworth  Post, 
No.  22,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which  he  has  filled  all 
of  the  offices,  and  is  the  past  commander. 
He  also  belones  to  Ellsworth  Lodge,  No. 
109,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  which  he  is  past  noble 
grand;  to  Golden  Belt  Encampment,  No. 
47,  in  which  he  is  a  past  chief  patriarch,  and 
he  has  been  a  representative  to  the  grand 
lodge.  His  name  is  also^  on  the  membership 
rolls  of  Ellsworth  Lodge,  No.  186,  A.  O. 
U.  W.,  of  which  he  is  past  master  workman, 
and  on  the  membership  list  of  Select 
Knights.  His  long  residence  in  Kansas 
classes  him  among  the  honored  pioneers  of 
the  state,  and  he  has  aided  in  laying  the 
foundation  for  the  present  prosperity  and 
progress  of  this  portion  of  the  common- 
wealth. 


GABRIEL  LONG. 

Gabriel  Long,  who  follows  farming  on 
section  33,  Galesburg  township,  Kingman 
county,  and  whose  postoffice  is  Waterloo, 
ranks  among  the  honored  and  well  known 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


citizens  of  this  portion  of  Kansas.  He  came 
here  with  the  Missouri  Valley  settlement  in 
1878  and  took  up  his  abode  on  his  present 
farm  in  March.  1879,  it  being  a  part  of  the 
Osage  Indian  trust  land.  He  had  previously 
been  a  resident  of  Chariton  county,  Mis- 
souri, but  was  born  in  Caroline  county,  Vir- 
ginia, fifty  miles  from  Richjnond,  Novem- 
ber 13,  1833.  His  father,  Richard  Long, 
was  a  native  of  Spottsylvania  Virginia, 
born  in  1812.  and  was  a  son  of  James  Long, 
a  native  of  England.  The  latter  had  a  son, 
Gabriel,  who  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812,  and  it  was  in  his  honor  that  our 
subject  was  named.  Richard  Long  spent 
his  boyhood  and  youth  in  the  Old  Dominion 
and  there  married  Gabriella  Gale,  a  native 
of  Caroline  county,  Virginia,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  Gale,  who  was  born  in  England.  In 
1S38  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Long  made  the  journey 
overland  to  JMissouri  and  established  a  new 
home  in  the  far  west.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  sixteen  children,  of  whom  thirteen 
reached  vears  of  maturity,  namely :  James 
M.,  Gabriel.  Elizabeth,  'Sarah,  Margaret, 
John,  Richard,  Fanny,  Josiah,  William, 
George,  ]\Iollie  and  Lucius.  The  father 
was  a  surveyor  and  did  much  work  in  sur- 
veying the  new  country.  He  also  followed 
farming,  and  his  death  occurred  in  Mis- 
souri at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Democrat  and  from  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  until  his  death,  he 
was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 
His  wife,  who  belonged  to  the  same 
church,  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 

Gabriel  Lone  Avas  a  little  lad  of  five  sum- 
mers when  the  family  removed  to  Missouri, 
and  there  he  was  reared  to-  farm  work,  while 
in  the  public  schools  he  obtained  his  educa- 
tion. After  entering  upon  his  business  ca- 
reer, he  served  as  manager  of  a  tobacco  fac- 
tory for  two  years  and  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  brick  for  a  similar  period. 
Coming  to  Kingman  county  in  1878,  he 
took  up  his  abode  upon  his  present  farm  in 
March  of  the  following  year.  The  land  was 
wild  and  unimproved,  and  with  characteris- 
tic energy^  he  began  its  further  development, 
transforminp-  it  into  one  of  the  valuable 
p'-operties  in  this  portion  of  the  state.     It 


has  all  the  modern  improvements,  and  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  pro- 
ductive land,  which  annually  yields  to  him 
good  harvests. 

Mr.  Long  was  married  November  15, 
i860,  to  Margaret  Isabella  Stevenson.  She 
was  born  in  Kentucky  and  was  a  daughter 
of  James  R.  Ste\-enson,  also  a  native  of  that 
state,  where  occurred  the  birth  of  her  moth- 
er* whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Givens. 
They  had  eight  children,  and  in  1858  they 
removed  with  their  family  to  Missouri.  Mrs. 
Stevenson  died  October  8,  1901,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-one  years.  LTnto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Long  have  been  born  nine  chil- 
dren, seven  who  are  yet  living:  Edward  B., 
a  resident  of  Galesburg  township;  John  S. ; 
William  C. ;  Ernest,  a  well  known  editor 
of  the  Kingman  Journal ;  Effie  Smith ;  Wal- 
ter, who  is  now  a  clerk ;  Lee  L. ;  and  Cecil 

B.  Tliey  also  lost   two  children,   William 

C,  who  died  at  home  at  the  age  of  thirty 
years,  and  Joseph  R.,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  chil- 
dren. Three  of  the  sons,  Lee  L.,  Walter  and 
Ernest,  have  all  become  successful  teach- 
ers. The  mother  and  five  of  the  children  hold 
membership  in  the  Cumberland  Presb}'terian 
church.  Mr.  Long  gives  his  political  sup-; 
port  to  the  Democracy  and  is  deeply  inter- 
ested in  everything  pertaining  to  the  wel- 
fare and  progress  of  his  community  along 
lines  of  substantial  improvement.  His  home 
is  noted  for  its  hospitality.  He  is  frank  and 
genial  in  manner,  and  he  and  his  family  en- 
joy the  warm  regard  of  very  many  friends 
throughout  Kingman  county. 


LOUIS  WIEGEL. 


The  fatherland  has  furnished  to  Amer- 
ica many  of  her  valued  citizens,  and  among 
the  number  is  Louis  Wiegel,  who  owns  a 
valuable  and  highly  improved  farm  on  sec- 
tion 10,  Salb  Creek  township,  Reno  countv, 
Kansas.  He  was  born  in  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, February  2,  1836.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Louis  Wiegel,  was  a  tailor  by 
occupation,  and  was  the  father  of  one  son 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


^95 


and  a  daughter.  He  reached  the  age  of 
about  sixty  years  and  was  then  called  to  the 
home  beyond.  His  son,  also  named  Louis, 
and  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  about  iSo6,  and  his 
death  occurred  in  Pennsylvania,  in  about 
1886.  He  married  Anna  Crittenden,  the 
wedding  being  celebrated  in  ( k-rmany  in 
1832.  and  in  1846  they  left  their  little  home 
across  the  sea  and  sailed  fi.ir  the  new  world, 
landing  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  after  a  voy- 
age of  eight  weeks.  After  their  arrival  they 
resided  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  for 
about  a  year,  and  then  removed  to  what 
was  known  as  Locust  Grove  in  that  state, 
where  he  worked  in  the  coal  mines  for  two 
years.  He  then  moved  to  McKeesport, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained  for  six 
years  and  was  then  able  to  purchase  an 
eighty-acre  farm  in  Monroe  county,  Ohio, 
which  had  been  improved,  and  as  time 
passed  he  added  forty  acres  more  to  that 
tract,  becc^ming  the  owner  of  a  valuable  and 
desirable  home.  He  came  to  this  country 
with  but  little  capital,  but  by  taking  advan- 
tage of  opportunities  and  by  unabated  en- 
ergy and  good  management  he  won  a  hand- 
-nme  competence  and  was  numbered  among 
the  substantial  citizens  of  his  adopted  land. 
He  was  a  carpenter  in  Germany,  but  after 
his  arrival  here  he  worked  for  a  time  in  a 
foundry  in  Pennsylvania,  securing  any  em- 
]:)lo_\-ment  that  would  yield  him  an  honest  liv- 
ing and  assist  him  in  becoming  familiar 
with  the  English  lanpuage.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
W'iegel  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children 
who  grew  to  vears  of  maturity,  eight  sons 
and  four  daughters,  six  of  whom  were  born 
in  Germanv.  All  were  married  and  had 
families  of  their  O'wn,  and  nine  of  the  num- 
ber still  sur\'ive.  The  father  of  this  family 
died  at  the  home  of  a  younger  daughter  in 
Beaver  Falls,  Pennsyhania,  and  the  mother 
died  December  4,  iqoi,  in  her  eighty-ninth 
year. 

Louis  \\'iegel.  the  third  child  in  his 
lather's  family,  recei\-ed  !)ut  limited  school 
privileges  in  his  natixc  land,  and  at  tlie  early 
age  of  eleven  years  he  liegan  work  in  the 
coal  mines.      He  remained  under  the  parental 


rcjc.f  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
again  entered  the  coal  mines,  and  from  that 
time  until  his  majority  he  gavs  his  father  the 
benefit  of  hU  earnings.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  floated  government  coal  down  the 
Ohio  river  and  in  the  summer  of  1864  he 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Fi'fteenth  Penn- 
sylvania Cavalry  and  served  one  year.  He 
was  at  Chattanooga,  Nashville  and  in  the 
march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea,  and  his  reg- 
iment was  almost  constantl\-  on  the  move. 
He  was  married  when  twenty-two  years  of 
age.  in  the  fall  of  1858,  to  'Caroline  Balt- 
housen,  a  native  of  German)-.  This  union 
was  severed  bv  the  hand  of  death  on  the 
30th  of  October,  1868,  when  the  wife  was 
called  tO'  the  home  beyond,  her  death  oc- 
curring in  i\llegheny  county,  Pennsylvania, 
She  left  three  of  her  six  children,  namely : 
Louise,  the  wife  of  Samuel  Ivel,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  they  have  five  living  children ; 
William,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Cas- 
tleton,  Reno  county,  and  has  eight  children : 
and  Caroline  D.,  who  is  still  at  home.  Af- 
ter the  death  of  his  wife  and  mother  the 
father  was  again  married,  his  second  union 
being  with  Miss  Jane  Taylor,  alsoi  a  native 
of  the  Keystone  state  and  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Catherine  CBluebaker)  Taylor. 
The  father  was  killed  on  a  railroad  in  1900, 
at  the  O'f  seventy-six  years,  and  his  widow 
still  survives  him,  residing  with  one  of  her 
sons.  This  worthy  couple  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  but  one  son  is  now  de- 
ceased. The  .union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wiegel 
has  been  blessed  with  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows :  Edwin,  a  resident  of  Dallas,  Texas, 
and  the  father  of  one  son;  Katie,  wife  of 
Philip  Elliott,  who  resides  east  of  Nicker- 
son,  and  thejr  have  three  children :  John, 
who  is  serving  as  a  soldier  in  the  Philippine 
Islands;  Anna,  the  wife  of  George  Leonard, 
a  successful  physician  of  Hutchinson;  and 
Emma  May,  a  winsome  little  lady  of  eleven 
years.  The  son,  John,  is  a  member  of  the 
Fourth  United  States  Cavalry,  stationed  in 
the  Philippines,  and  has  participated  in 
many  fights  and  skirmishes,  the  principal 
one  being  at  the  bridge,  when  General  Law- 
ton  was  killed. 


196 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORl 


Mr.  \\'iegel  carried  on  his  mining  oper- 
ations in  Pennsylvania  until  1878,  when  he 
came  from  Allegheny  county,  that  state,  to 
Kansas.  He  took  up  his  abode  in  Hutchin- 
son, Reno  county,  and  the  first  week  after 
his  arrival  here  erected  a  little  board  shanty, 
sixteen  by  sixteen  feet,  which  now  forms 
the  kitchen  of  his  present  residence.  His 
first  purchase  of  land  consisted  of  eighty 
acres,  for  which  he  paid  three  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  after  the  first  year  had  passed  he 
added  another  eighty  acres  to  the  tract,  pay- 
ing four  hundred  dollars  for  the  last  pur- 
chase. He  went  in  debt  for  that  amount.  Up 
to  this  time  he  had  had  no  experience  what- 
ever in  farming,  but  by  watching  his  neigh- 
bors and  by  industry  and  capable  manage- 
ment he  mastered  the  work  of  the  farm  in 
all  its  departments  and  soon  succeeded  in 
paying  off  all  his  indebtedness.  Mr.  Wie- 
gel  began  life  in  Kansas  with  but  little  capi- 
tal, but  he  has  battled  energetically  and 
earnestly,  and  by  indomitable  courage  and 
integrity  has  achieved  both  character  and 
affluence.  His  first  team  was  a  yoke  of 
oxen,  and  he  has  many  times  walked  to  and 
from  Hutchinson,  a  distance  of  eleven  miles. 
In  the  struggle  for  existence  he  has  been  no- 
bly assisted  by  his  loving  wife,  who  has 
shared  with  him  the  joys  and  sorrows,  the 
adversity  and  prosperity  of  hfe.  She  has 
also  walked  to  jJutchinson  and  back  with 
her  basket  of  egP"s  many  times,  and  has  also 
walked  to  Nickerson,  a  distance  of  five 
miles.  By  their  united  efforts  they  have 
succeeded  in  winning  a  competence  which 
now  numbers  them  among  the  leading  and 
substantial  citizens  of  Reno  county.  During 
the  past  five  years  Mr.  Wiegel  has  lived  re- 
tired from  active  business  life,  owing  to  ill 
health,  and  in  their  pleasant  and  comforta- 
ble home  he  and  his  wife  are  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  their  former  toil.  Of  the  Lutheran 
church  both  are  active  and  worthy  mem- 
bers. His  political  support  ia  given  the  De- 
mocracy, and  although  he  keeps  well  in- 
formed on  the  issues  and  questions  of  the 
day  he  has  never  aspired  to  political  prefer- 
ment, although  for  eight  years  he  served  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board,  the  cause  of 
education  ever  finding  in  him  a  warm  friend. 


JACOB  JOHNSON. 

Mr.  Johnson  has  a  remarkable  record, 
and  through  the  study  of  his  life  history  one 
may  learn  valuable  lessons.  The  spirit  of 
self-help  is  'the  source  of  all  genuine  worth 
in  an  individual  and  is  the  means  of  bring- 
ing to  him  success  when  he  has  no  advan- 
tages of  wealth  or  influence  to  aid  him.  He 
illustrates  in  no  uncertain  manner  what  it 
is  possible  to  accomplish  when  perseverance 
and  determination  form  the  keynote  to  a 
man's  life.  Deparding  upon  his  own  re- 
sources and  looking  for  no  outside  aid  or 
support,  he  has  risen  from:  compara'tive  ob- 
scurity to  a  place  of  prominence  in  agricul- 
tural circles. 

Air.  Johnson  was  born  in  Rock  Island 
county,  Illinois,  July  20,  1842.  His  father, 
Moses  Johnson,  was  born  in  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  on  the  15th  of  May,  1801.  The  fam- 
ily is  of  German  lineage,  and  in  that  coun- 
try the  grandfather  of  our  subject  first 
opened  his  eyes  Ito  the  light  of  day.  He 
it  was  who  founded  the  family  on  Ameri- 
can soil.  His  son,  Moses,  having  arrived 
at  years  of  maturity,  married  Catherine 
^^"oods,  who  was  born  in  Switzerland,  in 
181 1,  and  when  sev^en  years  of  age  crossed 
the  Atlantic  on  a  sailing  vessel  to  Phila- 
delphia. Her  mother  died  on  the  voyage 
and  her  father  died  in  Pennsylvania  within 
two  weeks  after  their  arrival.  Thus  the 
three  children,  two  daughters  and  a  son, 
were  left  orphans.  Mrs.  Johnson  was  the 
}-oungest.  She  was  bound  out  and  therefore 
she  had  no  educational  privileges  and  very 
little  advantages  in  other  directions.  At  (the 
age  of  nineteen  she  gave  her  hand  in  mar- 
riage in  Galena,  Illinois,  to  Moses  John- 
son, and  they  took  up  their  abode  in  Rock 
Island  county.  The  father  served  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by 
trade  and  in  lalter  years  carried  on  agricul- 
tural pursuits  on  his  farm  of  eighty  acres. 
Eleven  children  were  born  unto  this  worthy 
couple,  of  whom  they  reared  six  sons  and 
two  daughters:  Alexander,  who  died  in 
Knox  county,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
one  years,  leaving  a  wife,  one  son  and  one 
dauehter:  D.  ^^^,  a  retired  farmer  now  liv- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


297 


ing  ill  Barstow.  Illinois;  E.  X..  a  stockman 
of  ■  Montana,  who  has  a  wife  and  one 
son :  Alary  Ann,  the  wife  of  Ephraini 
Lambert,  residing  in  Shannon  county. 
Iowa,  by  whom  she  has  a  son  and  tw"0 
daughters ;  Jacob,  of  this  review ;  Ebenezer, 
who  is  living  in  Montana  and  has  one 
daughter;  George  H.,  who  resides  on  the 
old  family  homestead  in  Illinois  and  has 
two  sons  and  three  daughters;  and  Cather- 
ine, the  wife  of  John  Sharp,  of  Reno  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  by  whom  she  has  two  sons  and 
one  daughter.  The  father  of  this  family 
died  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  March 
18,  1 87 1,  and  the  mother,  remaining  true  to 
his  memory,  lived  a  widow  for  twenty- 
eight  years.  Her  death  occurred  in  Mon- 
tana, where  she  was  taken  in  the  hope  that 
her  health  might  be  benefited.  She  passed 
away  January  20,  1899,  at  the  ripe  old  age 
of  eighty-seven  years. 

Jacob  Johnson  was  reared  upon  a 
farm  and  early  becaine  familiar  with  the 
work  necessary  to  its  cultivation  and  im- 
pro\ement.  He  was  thus  engaged  until  his 
enlistment  for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  in 
.Vpril,  1 86 1,  as  a  member  of  Company  H, 
Twelfth  Illinois  Infantr>\  The  call  was  for 
three  months*  troops,  and  on  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  service,  in  July,  1861,  he  re- 
enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  Fifty- 
first  Illinois  Infantry;  with  which  he  served 
as  a  private  until  September  26,  1862.  He 
then  enlisted  in  Company  K,  of  the  Fourth 
United  States  Cavalry,  and  served  for  three 
years.  He  received  bit  two  slight  wounds, 
although  he  was  in  thirty-five  battles  and 
his  comrades  fell  on  every  side.  At  Love- 
joy  Station,-  Georgia,  his  reg'iment  had  a 
hard  fight,  seventeen  men  from  his  company 
having  been  lost,  and  although  his  horse 
was  shot  under  him  and  he  was  obliged 
thereafter  to  go  on  foot,  he  was  not  in- 
jured. At  the  battle  of  Stone  River  seven 
of  the  boys  in  blue  wdio  stood  near  him 
were  killed.  He  now  receives  a  small  pen- 
sion of  twelve  dollars  a  month  as  a  com- 
pensation for  his  services  and  the  ill  health 
engendered. 

In  the  year  1870  Mr.  Johnson  married 
]\Iiss  Eliza  F.  Weslev,  of  Rock  Island  coun- 


ty, Illinois,  born  in  1848.  Her  parents,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Daniel  Wesley,  are  both  now  de- 
ceased. The  father  was  a  carpenter  and 
skilled  mechanic.  He  died  in  the  '70s  and 
his  wife  pased  away  six  years  later.  They 
left  two  sons  and  five  daughters.  Leaving 
lUinois,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  came  to 
Rice  county,  Kansas,  in  August,  1871,  and 
secured  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  tO'  which  our  subject  has  added, 
as  opportunity  came  to  him,  making  judi- 
cious investments.  He  now  has  nearly  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  one  body.  He 
grows  wheat,  having  from  one  hundred  to 
three  hundred  acres  planted  to  that  crop, 
harvesting  from  four  to  five  thousand  bush- 
els each  year.  He  has  two  hundred  acres  in 
corn  and  has  raised  as  high  as  from  five  to 
six  thousand  bushels  amnially.  He  also 
raises  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  Hereford 
cattle  and  he  has  some  fine  thoroughbred 
animals.  He  keeps  on  hand  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  head,  which  he  feeds 
and  ships,  and  in  both  departments  of  his 
business  he  is  meeting  with  good  success. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  has 
been  blessed  with  four  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, and  six  of  the  family  are  yet  living: 
Alice,  the  first  born,  became  the  wife  of  J. 
F.  Willie,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
tw<v  year-;,  leaving  twO'  sons;  George  D.. 
the  second  child,  is  at  home;  Mary  Eliza  is 
the  wife  of  Ernest  McCracken,  a  farmer  of 
this  vicinity,  by  whom  she  has  one  son ;  Ida 
May  is  at  home;  Frank  Jacob  is  a  substan- 
tial farmer  of  the  community;  Clyde  died 
at  'the  age  of  seventeen  years,  in  1898:  Phil 
Sheridan  and  Rosa  Hazel,  aged,  respective- 
ly, sixteen  and  twelve  years,  are  with  their 
parents.  Mr.  Johnson  exercises  his  voting 
privileges  in  support  of  the  men  and  meas- 
ures O'f  the  Republican  party  and  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  but  has 
never  sought  public  office.  He  belongs  to 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  his 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  churcli. 
His  is  a  creditable  record  and  the  salient 
features  of  his  career  has  been  unflagging 
industry,  which  has  enabled  him  to  over- 
come all  obstacles  and  work  his  way  steadily 
upward  to  success. 


298 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


M.  E.  ALLISON. 

One  of  the  men  of  note  in  central  Kan- 
sas is  M.  E.  Allison,  of  Hutcliinson,  who 
for  many  years  was  a  most  prominent  factor 
in  business  circles  in  this  portion  of  the  state, 
his  extensive  interests  bringing  tO'  him  a 
handsome  financial  return.  He  also  gained 
more  than  a  national  reputation  as  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  finest  greyhound  kennel  in  the 
world.  Ill  health,  however,  caused  his  re- 
tirement from  active  life,  "and  he  is  now 
quietly  living  in  his  beautiful  home  in 
Hutchinson.  On  account  of  the  acti\-e  part 
which  he  has  taken  in  advancing  the  prog- 
ress I  if  Kansas  thn:ugh  the  estalilishment  of 
im]  Mi-iaiu  hu-iiic-s  c  iiKcni-,  liis  life  history 
can  w'l  fail  tn  pi"'i\e  "i  wide-spread  interest. 

Mr.  .Vllist.n  was  born  in  Nicholas  coun- 
ty, Kentucky,  near  Blue  Lick  Springs,  in 
1841.  His  father,  J.  T.  Allison,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky,  was  born  about  the  year 
18 10  and  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Be- 
fore leaving  his  native  state  he  married 
Catherine  M.  Mains,  who  was  of  Pennsyl- 
vania-German lineage.  In  Kentucky  he 
■owned  and  conducted  a  large  farm  of  three 
.hundred  and  twenty  acres,  carrying  on  ag- 
ricultural and  horticultural  pursuits  and 
stock  raising.  He  also  operated  a  large  saw- 
mill and  manufactured  lumber  on  quite  an 
extensive  scale  for  the  local  trade.  In  pub- 
lic affairs  in  Kentucky  he  was  prominent 
and  influential  and  by  all  who  knew  him  was 
held  in  high  regard.  In  1852,  howe\'er,  he 
sold  his  farm  in  that  state  and  with  is  fam- 
ily removed  to  Rush  county,  Indiana,  where 
lie  purchased  land,  continuing  its  cultiva- 
tion for  three  years,  when  he  disposed  of  the 
prr.pert}-  and  went  tn  Decatur  ceiunty,  that 
state,  settling  near  (ireensln  m.  There  he 
purchased  a  half  scctinn  cf  land  and  engaged 
in  the  tilHng  uf  the  soil  for  five  years,  erect- 
ing sulistantial  buildings  and  making  many 
excellent  improvements  on  the  place.  At 
length  he  traded  this  fnr  two  or  three  thou- 
sand acres  of  land  in  \\'hite  county,  In- 
diana, and  in  Gentry  and  Harrison  counties, 
Missouri.  He  lived  in  White  county  for 
about  twelve  years,  following  farming 
throughout   the  time,    and    improving    his 


place  with  good  buildings  and  modern  ac- 
cessories. On  the  expiration  of  the  period 
he  removed  to  x\ndrevv  county,  Missouri, 
and  spent  his  remaining  days  upon  one  of 
his  farms  there.  His  wife  had  passed  awa}- 
se\"eral  years  previous,  while  they  were  liv- 
ing in  ^Vhite  county,  Indiana,  her  death  oc- 
curring wdien  she  w'as  fifty-four  years  of 
age.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  and  was 
a  consistent  memiber  of  the  Methodist 
church.  This  worthy  couple  w-ere  the  par- 
ents of  twelve  children,  of  whom  our  sub- 
ject was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  Eight 
(if  the  number  are  still  living,  namely:  X. 
T.,  a  resident  farmer  of  White  county,  In- 
diana :  Jnhn,  a  farmer  of  Council  Gro\-e. 
Kansas ;  Mar\'.  the  wife  of  Isaac  Snap,  an 
agriculturist  of  Andrew  county,  Missouri; 
Fannie,  \vho  married  ^^^  D.  McKee,  who 
is  bookkeeper  for  D.  J.  Fair,  a  lumberman 
of  Sterling,  Kansas;  Rosalie,  wife  of  John 
Brown,  a  farmer  of  South  Dakota ;  Emma, 
wife  of  William  Barber,  chief  clerk  in  the 
Pullman  office  in  Chicago,  Illinois ;  Charles, 
who  is  in  the  restaurant  business  in  Pekin, 
Illinois;  and  M.  E.,  of  this  review.  Those 
who  ha\'e  passed  away  are  Watson,  who  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Thirty-third  Indiana  In- 
fantry during  the  Civil  war,  and  died  in  the 
hospital ;  James ;  Reuben  and  Sallie. 

•M.  E.  Allison  spent  the  first  eleven  years 
of  his  life  in  Kentucky  and  then  accompa- 
nied his  parents  to  Indiana.  He  acquired 
his  education  in  the  schools  of  the  tw-o  states 
and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  entered  the  Col- 
lege of  Indiana,  wdiere  he  remained  for 
about  a  year,  when  the  war  of  the  Rebellion 
was  inaugurated  and  the  school  was  broken 
up  by  the  enlistnnents  of  the  students.  He 
then  entered  ^^'abash  College,  at  Craw- 
f''rds\ille,  Indiana,  where  he  continued  his 
studies  for  a  }-ear,  after  which  he  matricu- 
lated in  a  college  situated  on  the  old  Tipne- 
canoe  battle  ground.  At  that  place  he  con- 
tinued his  studies  for  two  years,  and  from 
there  he  went  to  Indianapolis,  Indiana, 
where  he  entered  commercial  college  and 
completed  the  course. 

About  this  time  his  father  traded  one 
of  his  farms  in  White  county  for  a  store 
and  stock  of  o-eneral  merchandise  in   Rev- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


299 


nokls,  In<l;ana.  and  AI.  E.  Allison  took 
charge,  conductino-  the  husiness  at  that 
point  for  a  while,  after  which  he  removed 
the  stock  to  Fairbnry,  Livingston  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  carried  on  business  for  five 
j-ears.  He  then  sold  out  and  reniij\-ed  to 
Riisendale,  Andrew  county,  Missduri.  where 
he  engaged  in  the  drug  busiiu-s^  fi  r  a  vear. 
He  next  went  to  Bolckow,  in  the  ,-,anie  coun- 
t_\-,  and  engaged  in  the  same  line  uf  Ijusiness, 
conducting  the  enterprise  for  three  years.  In 
the  spring  of  1875  he  went  west  as  far  as 
Colorado,  seeking  a  better  location  for  his 
business  and  being  much  pleased  with  the 
prirspect  at  Hutchinson  he  resolved  to  iden- 
tify his  interests  with  the  town  and  pur- 
chased a  stock  of  drugs  here.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Bolcko'W,  sold  his  store  there  and 
with  his  familv  returned  to  Hutchinson, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  alone 
for  a  year.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period 
he  admitted  a  partner  and  established'  a 
grocery  department,  the  business  being  car- 
ried on  under  the  firm  stvk-  ^t  Alli-^nn  & 
Devier.  After  about  four  <  r  ii\c  \i_ar>  the 
firm  sold  out,  but  again  entered  ihc  r^mmer- 
cial  field  under  the  name  nf  the  Allison-De- 
vier  ]\Iercantile  Cnnipany,  as  proprietors  of 
a  drug  and  wholesale  grocery  house,  busi- 
ness being  carried  on  much  more  extensively 
than  it  Iiad  previously  been.  In  fact  an 
encrmi.us  trade  was  built  up  and  lirdught  to 
the  partners  a  sple-.nlid  financial  return.  In 
the  meantime  Mr.  AlH-^ini  became  a  part- 
ner in  the  milling  business  of  West,  Allison 
&  Company,  wdiich  was  also  a  xtvy  profita- 
ble investment.  The  business  of  the  firm 
caused  a  large  annual  output  and  the  sales 
increased  continuouslv  owing  to  the  excel- 
lence of  the  product  and  the  reliable  business 
methods  of  the  house.  In  1892,  however, 
he  sold  out  and  previous  to  this  time  he  had 
disposed  of  his  drug  and  grocery  business. 
He  then  became  traveling  salesman  for  the 
Xewton  Milling  &  Elevator  Company  and 
also  for  the  Halstead  T^Iilling  &  Elevator 
Company,  representing  these  firms  in  both 
the  east  and  the  west.  After  a  time  his 
son.  Burton,  became  associated  with  liim  in 
the  business  and  had  charge  of  the  western 
territory,  while  Mr.  Allison  traveled  in  the 


cast.  He  was  thus  engaged  until  about 
1898,  when  he  became  disabled  from 
rheumatism  and  was  obliged'to  retire.  Since 
that  time  he  has  also  become  blind,  and  al- 
though he  has  had  two  operations  per- 
formed on  his  e_\'es,  they  have  proved  in- 
effectual. His  rheumatism,  too,  has  grown 
worse,  so  that  he  is  now  unable  to  walk. 

Mr.  Allison  was  married  April  18, 
1865,  in  Reynolds,  Indiana,  to  Martha 
Firth,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Firth;  of  Rey- 
nolds. The  lady  was  a  native  of  Rochester, 
New  York,  while  her  parents  were  natives 
of  England.  Her  father  was  very  wealthy 
and  owned  the  greater  part  of  the  town  of 
Reynolds.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allison  were 
born'  eight  children :  Burton,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  resides  in  Hutchinson;  Harry  F., 
also  of  Hutchinson,  who  is  married  and  is 
a  conductor  on  the  Southern'  Texas  railroad ; 
\V.  G.,  a  barber  of  this  city;  Lena,  the  wife 
of  Clif  Chappel,  a  cari>enter  of  Hutchinson; 
Flora  F.,  JNIabel,  Ouincy  and  Babe,  who  are 
still  at  home.  The  mother  died  October  22,, 
1886.  They  have  a  very  beautiful  residence 
in  Hutchinson,  of  which  Burron  Allison 
took  possession  in  1900. 

In  connection  with  his  other  business 
interests  Mr.  Allison  invested  in  city  and 
farming  property  and  had  some  valuable 
real  estate.  He  was  fonnerly  a  g^reat  hun- 
ter and  hiver  of  the  chase  and  also  a  well 
kni'wn  di  :g  fancier.  Beginning  in  the  year 
1883  with  the  magnificent  full-blc'oded  Eng- 
lish greyhounds,  Sandy  Jinn  and  Reno 
Belle,  he  established  a  kennel  which  in  time 
became  famous  throughout  this  country  and 
its  fame  also  spread  tO'  England,  the  pictures 
of  Sandy  Jim  and  Reno'  Belle  even  appear- 
ing in  London  papers.  ;\[r.  Allison  started 
his  kennel  entirel\-  fur  his  own  benefit,  but 
there  was  such  a  stri:ing  demand  for  his  dogs 
that  he  could  not  refuse  to  supply  his  friends 
and  in  time  his  stock  became  scattered  not 
only  over  Kansas  but  through  the  far  west 
as  well.  These  dogs  he  bred  simply  for  the 
chase  of  large  game — antelope,  deer  and 
wolves,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  as  per- 
fect siiecimens  of  these  animals  could  have 
been  found  anywhere  in  the  world  as  ]\Ir. 
.\llison  once  owned.     No  antelope  or  deer 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


was  so  swift  but  what  the  dogs  could  pull 
it  dowu  and  no  wolf  so  fierce  but  what  they  ' 
could  conquer  hini.  Accounts  of  many  of 
Mr.  Allison's  big  hunting  trips  have  been 
published  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  land,  appearing  in  such  periodicals 
as  Outing.  American  Field  and  Forest  and 
Stream.  For  the  last  two  years  Mr.  Alli- 
son has  written  many  interesting  articles. 

The  editor  of  the  Forest  and  Stream 
became  so  much  interested  in  Mr.  Allison's 
hounds  that  he  sent  two  representatives  to 
Hutchinson  to  go  with  Mr.  Allison  on  a 
hunting  trip  in  the  Indian  Territory  for 
wolves,  deei-  and  antelope,  and  the}-  spent 
two  mouths  there  with  the  hounds.  These 
gentlemen,  Mr.  Ricker,  a  sketch  artist  and 
'Sir.  Hough,  a  writer,  prepared  a  most  in- 
terestiqg  history  of  this  great  hunt  and  it 
appeared  in  a  long  serial  in  the  Forest  and 
Stream,  edited  bv  Mr.  Lowe. 

Mr.  Allison  has  the  proud  distinction  of 
being  the  first  man  to  organize  a  coursing 
club  in  America,  and  at  Great  Bend,  Kansas, 
the  first  meet  occurred.  He  afterward  es- 
tablished a  coursing  park  in  Hutchinson, 
stocking  it  widi  jack  rabbits,  and  the  fame 
of  this  locality  became  so  great  on  account 
of  its  coursing  hounds  that  people  came 
from  all  over  the  United  States  and  England 
to  enter  their  hounds  or  to  see  Mr.  Allison's 
kennel,  for  at  that  time  he  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  producing  the  finest  greyhounds  in 
the  world.  Among  the  number  of  distin- 
guished dog  fanciers  who  sent  their  repre- 
sentatives with  hounds  to  enter  the  coursing 
in  Mr.  Allison's  park  was  August  Belmont. 
For  five  years  Mr.  Allison  was  actively  con- 
nected with  the  coursing  club,  at  which  time 
its  headquarters  w-ere  removed  to  South  Da- 
kota. After  being  in  the  business  of  breed- 
ing fine  hounds  for  about  twenty  years  Mr. 
Allison  finally  sold  his  kennel  to  Mr.  Hig- 
gins,  a  ranchman  of  northern  Montana.  One 
of  Mr.  Allison's  famous  hunts  is  graphically 
described  in  that  interesting  volume  called 
Big  Game  in  America. 

Socially  Mr.  Allison  has  been  a  Md'son 
for  many  years,  having  taken  the  degree 
in  Reno  Lodge,  No.  140,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
Reno  Chapter,  Xo.  34,  R.  A.  M.     He  also 


becamie  a  charter  member  of  the  Vv'ood- 
men's  Camp.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat 
on  questions  of  state-  and  national  import- 
ance, but  at  local  elections  votes  independ- 
ently, supporting  the  men  whom  he  thinks 
best  qualified  for  office.  He  takes  ah  ac- 
tive interest  in  both  local  and  national  poli- 
tics, although  he  has  never  sought  or  de- 
sired office.  His  life  has  been  an  active, 
busy  and  useful  one  and  his  career  has 
gained  for  him  wami  regard  and  respect  by 
reason  of  his  genuine  worth. 


BURTON   ALLISON. 

Burton  Allison  was  born  in  Fairbury, 
Illinois,  January  16,  1866,  and  is  a-  son  of 
M.  E.  Allison,  whose  sketch  is  given  above. 
When  a  lad  of  only  nine  summers  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  the  Sunflower  state 
and  in  the  schools  of  Hutchinson  pursued 
his  education,  although  his  privileges  were 
somewhat  limited,  for  at  that  early  day  the 
school  system  of  the  city  had  not  reached 
its  present  high  standard.  In  his  earl\-  man- 
hood he  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  city 
property  and  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  has 
continued  to  deal  in  real  estate.  In  1893 
he  formed  his  present  business  relations, 
that  of  traveling  representative  for  the 
Halstead  Milling  &  Elevator  Company  and 
the  Newton  Milling  &  Elevator  Company, 
and  has  since  represented  those  houses 
throughout  the  western  portion  of  Kansas 
and  through  the  states  of  Colorado,  New 
Alexico,  Arizona  and  California.  Fie  is  the 
only  representative  of  the  two  companies  in 
this  vast  field. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1896.  Mr.  Allison 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Stella  M. 
Barclay,  a  native  of  Hutchinson  and  a 
daughter  of  George  B.  Barclay.  Both  her 
parents  were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allison  have  been  born  two 
children,  Corinne,  born  November  16,  1897, 
and  Gretchen,  born  July  24,  1899.  Mr.  Al- 
lison is  a  supporter  of  Democratic  princi- 
ples when  state  and  national  issues  are  in- 
volved, but  at  local  elections,  where  the  fit- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ness  of  the  ccandidate  depends  upon  his  abil- 
ity to  discharge  the  business  of  toAvn  or 
county,  he  does  not  consider  himself  bound 
l3y  party  ties  and  votes  independently.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Modern 
\\'oodmen  of  America  and  the  Court  of 
Honor. 


J.  A.  WILSOX.  ^I.  D. 

John  A.  Wilson,  the  local  surgeon  of  the 
Santa  Fe  railroad  at  Nickerson  and  one  of 
the  leading  practitioners  of  the  city,  was 
born  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  August  15, 
1 85 1.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Gibson 
Wilson,  was  a  native  of  Beaver  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
during  his  entire  life  and  died,  after  hav- 
mg  reared  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  all 
now  deceased.  One  of  his  sons,  James  Wil- 
son, was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  and  was  born  in  Beaver  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  October.  1812.  He  married 
Miss  Mary  Hutchinson,  of  Mercer  county, 
Pcunsy]\;uiia.  a  daughter  ( if  A>a  and  Rc- 
l)c<-r:i  '(  I'.atilus)  Hutchinson,  \\\\><  lixcd  in 
Nili->,  (  )liiii,  where  he  carried  nn  merchan- 
dising. They  were  the  parents  of  five  sons 
and  three  daughters,-  who  grew  to  years 
of  maturity,  and  oue  daughter  and  two  sons 
are  still  living.  The  grandparents  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  Pennsylvania  and  died 
at  a  ripe  old  age.  The  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject were  married  in  Pennsylvania  about 
1835  and  settled  in  the  woods  in  Trumbull 
county,  Ohio,  where  they  reared  their  five 
children :  William,  a  teacher  who  died  un- 
married at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years; 
James,  a  farmer  and  fruit  grower  of  Trum- 
bull county,  Ohio,  who  has  two  sons; 
George,  who  died  in  Ohio  in  1868,  Iea\dng 
one  daughter;  Mary,  who  makes  her  home 
with  her  brother  in  Ohio ;  and  John  A.  The 
father  of  this  family  died  in  Ohio-  in  1899 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  vears. 

John  A.  Wilson,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  reared  to  farm-  life,  early 
becoming  familiar  with  all  the  duties  that 
usually  fall  to  the  lot  of  farmer  lads.  In 
the  summer  months  he  assisted  in  the  work 


of  the  fields,  plowing,  planting,  sowing,  cul- 
tivating- and  harvesting  the  crops,  and  in 
the  winter  season  he  attended  the  district 
schools  and  the  academy.  When  he  had 
completed  his  literary  education  he  chose 
the  practice  of  medicine  as  his  life  work  and 
accordingly  he  began  to  read  medicine  in 
1877  with  Dr.  Henry  Parish,  in  Decatur, 
Iowa,  remaining  with  him  three  years.  He 
then  studied  in  the  medical  de]:artment  of 
the  University  of  Wooster  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  and  was  graduated  at  the  Kentucky 
'School  of  Medicine  at  Louisville,  on  the 
29th  of  June,  1881.  In-  September  of  the 
same  year  he  began  practice  at  Lucas,  Iowa, 
where  he  remained  until  June,  1887,  when 
he  went  to  Nickerson,  Kansas,  and  opened 
an  office  and.  although  there  were  alreadv 
four  physicians  there,  he  has  since  been  the 
leading  physician  of  the  citv. 

I  Dr.  ^^'ilson  has  befen  twice  married,  his 
first  union  being  with   Elizabeth   Earl,   of 

I  Decatur,  where  they  were  married  on  the 
24th  of  May,  1882.     She  was  the  daughter 

i  of  Daniel  and  Hannah  Earl,  and  after  a 
liapliy  married  life  of  ten  years,  she  died  at 
Inr  111  me  m  Xirkerson,  Kansas,  on  the  i6th 
I'r  Aii,i;u^t,   iSoj,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three 

,  years,  leaving  one  daughter,  IMabel.  now  se\-- 

I  enteen  years  of  age,  and  attending  college. 

'  The  Doctor  was  again  married  Januarj^  24, 
1896,  to  Miss  Emma  Sain,  of  Nickerson,  a 
daughter  of  Noah  and  Jane  (Wilson)  Sain, 
both  now  deceased.  She  has  one  sister  and 
four  brothers  living,  namelv:  George,  a 
former  employe  of  the  Santa  Fe  railroad, 
now  living  in  Nickerson.  Kansas :  \\'illiam, 
banker  and  hardware  dealer  of  X'eosho 
Falls,  Kansas;  John,  a  druggist  in  San 
Francisco.  California;  Benjamin,  who  went 
west  to  Washington ;  and  Addie,  wife  of 
Henry  Williams,  a  foreman  in  the  railroad 
shops  at  Elmoro,  Coloratln. 

Mrs.  Wilson  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
Bureau  counts',  Illinois,  and  was  educated 
in  the  district  and  high  schools.  In  1882  she 
left  her  home  in  Illinois  and  started  west- 
ward, locating  for  a  time  in  Earned,  Kan- 
sas, then  in  Orleans,  Nebraska,  and  Neosho 
Falls,  Kansas.  In  1885  she  spent  a  short 
time    with     her    brother.  Gei  rge    Sain,     in 


302 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Nickel  son,  Kansas,  and  in  1899  she  filed  a 
liomestead  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixt_y 
acres  in  Gove  county,  Kansas,  which  she 
still  owns.  She  was  assistant  postmistress 
in  Nickerson  for  seven  years  under  E.  W. 
Elliott  and  with  J.  W.  Claypool.  She  has 
great  artistic  talent  and  studied  art  with 
]\Irs.  Lillian  Hurd,  under  whose  instruc- 
tion she  has  painted  some  very  beautiful  pic- 
tures. She  is  devoted  to  her  art'  and  among 
the  works  of  her  brush  are  a  picture  of  Joe, 
a  beautiful  and  sagacious  Scotch  collie  dog 
and  a  former  pet  of  hers,  who  though  dead 
seems  ready  to  speak  from  the  can\'as.  so 
life-like  is  the  picture :  one  entitled  The  Set- 
ting Sun,  a  fine  landscape  scene  with  an  In- 
dian and  his  jaded  pony  in  the  foreground: 
another  unique  painting  is  done  in  raised 
work  that  seems  like  a  fine  carving,  a  lone 
stork  being  the  central  figure ;  and  the  walls 
of  her  home  are  hung  with  many  fine  spec- 
imens of  her  art  in  oil,  pastel,  etc.  While 
upon  the  farm  she  learned  to  love  animals 
and  she  now  has  a  beautiful  pet  horse  and 
raises  many  fine  varieties  of  poultry,  though 
their  beautiful  home  is  in  the  business  cen- 
ter. It  is  one  of  the  prettiest  places  in  the 
city  and  the  family  are  noted  for  their  hos- 
pitality, as  they  have  a  very  wide  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintances. 

Dr.  Wilson  is  a  Knight  Templar  Alason 
and  is  also  identified  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  As  a  loyal  citizen 
he  exercises  his  right  C'f  franchise  in  support 
of  those  whom  he  deems  best  fitted  for  the 
offices  for  which  they  are  nominated,  but 
has  never  sought  or  desired  political  office 
or  preferment  for  himself,  preferring  to  de- 
vote his  time  and  energies  to  his  profession, 
in  which  he  is  ^•ery  much  interested  and 
keeps  in  touch  with  the  most'  advanced 
thought  and  discoveries  in  the  medical  sci- 
ence by  reading  the  best  medical  journals 
of  the  days.  He  is  verv  skillful  as  a  sur- 
geon and  physician  and  has  a  very  large 
and  lucrative  practice  among  the  wealthy 
and  cultured  classes  of  society,  yet  is  ever 
ready  to  respond  to  the  call  of  the  poor  and 
needy  who  need  his  professional  services,  as 
he  is  very  kind-hearted  and  sympathetic. 
The  late  President  Garfield  was  a  frequent 


visitor  at  the  home  of  the  Doctor's  parents 
and  he  often  dandled  the  Doctor  on  his 
knee  and  put  on  his  stockings  and  shoes 
many  times  when  he  was  a  little  tow-headed 
toddler.  He  settled  in  his  present  beauti- 
ful residence  in  1895  and,  having  accumu- 
lated a  handsome  competence,  he  surrounds 
his  family  with  all  the  comforts  and  many 
of  the  luxuries  of  life.  He,  like  his  wife,  is 
very  fond  of  a  fine  horse  and  uses  three  in 
making  his  professional  visits.  He  is  also 
raising  some  very  fine  horses  of  high  grade. 
The  Doctor  is  \-ery  widely  known  through- 
out the  community  not  only  as  a  fine  physi- 
cian biit  as  a  genial  and  courteous  gentle- 
man of  unquestioned  integrity  and  sterling 
worth  and  has  the  confidence,  respect  and 
high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact  in  public  and  pri\-ate  life. 


EDWARD  KLOSE. 


"We  l_)uild  the  ladder  bv  which  we  rise" 
is  a  truth  which  is  certainlv  applicable  to 
Edward  Klose.  He  is  a  type  of  the  pro- 
gressive spirit  of  the  age,  a  spirit  which  has 
given  America  pre-eminence  along  its  va- 
rious business  lines :  and  the  undaunted  en- 
terprise, indomitable  perseverance  and  reso- 
lute purpose  which  have  characterized  him 
have  been  the  means  of  raising  him  from  a 
position  of  comparative  obscurity  to  one 
of  affluence. 

A  native  of  the  Buckeye  state  ^Mr. 
Klose  was  born  in  Seneca  county,  on  the 
22d  of  December.  1855.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, David  Klose,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and,  accompanied  b}-  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren, left  his  little  home  across  the  sea 
and  sailed  for  the  new  world,  the  year  erf  his 
arrival  being  1784.  Their  family  consisted 
of  six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. This  worthy  couple  now  lie  buried 
near  Three  Rivers.  ^Michigan.  Ephraim 
Klose,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  Marion  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  181 7, 
and  his  death  occurred  in  Ohio  in  1889. 
Plis  widow  still  resides  at  the  old  home 
there,  where  they  located  in  the  fall  of  1885, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


and  she  has  now  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  She  is  the  mother  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom  eight  are  now  liv- 
ing: Robert,  who  died  in  Ohio,  in  August, 
1896,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years,  leav- 
ing one  daughter;  Daniel  who  also  died 
there, a  the  age  of  two  years;  Christina,  wife 
of  Conrad  Hensinger,  and  resides  near  the 
old  home;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Anthony 
Harpster,  also  of  Ohio;  Amelia,  wife  of 
Martin  L^iose;  George  G.,  a  real  estate 
ilealer  of  Peabody,  Kansas,  and  he  has  two 
sons  and  two  daughters  by  his  first  mar- 
riage and  one  sun  by  his  present  wife;  Jo- 
seph, who  resides  with  his  mother  on  one  of 
her  two  farms;  Edward,  the  subject  of  this 
review;  and  Eli  D.,  who  resides  near  the 
old  home  and  has  two  daughters. 

Edward  Klose  received  a  common  school 
education  in  the  state  of  his  nativity.  He 
started  out  upon  his  business  career  at  the 
early  age  of  sixteen  years,  and  for  two  years 
worked  by  the  month,  giving  Iiis  father  the 
lienefit  of  his  wages.  In  1877  he  came  from 
the  Buckeye  state  to  Kansas,  settling  two 
and  a  half  miles  north  of  Sterling,  on  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  railroad  land, 
for  wliich  he  paid  seven  hundred  and  se\-en- 
five  dollars  in  cash.  He  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  there  for  six  )"ears, 
keeping  bachelor's  hall,  and  during  that  time 
he  placed  his  fields  under  a  fine  state  of  cul- 
tivation, making  his  farm  one  of  the  best 
in  the  locality.  He  first  worked  only  one 
team  of  horses  on  his  place,  but  later  two 
and  three  teams  were  needed  to  do  the 
work.  His  principal  crop  was  corn,  grow- 
ing from  two  to  six  thousand  bushels  of  that 
cereal,  and  he  also  raised  wheat  to  some. ex- 
tent. His  first  crop  was  ,n.iined  by  the  hail. 
Ijut  since  then  his  annual  sales  of  that  com- 
modity have  reached  as  high  as  three  thou- 
:;ai;d  dollars.  In  1897  he  left  his  farm  and 
came  tr  Xickerson.  where  he  embarked  in 
the  real  estate  business.  For  the  first  two 
\-ears  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Klose 
&  Dusliane,  but  during  the  past  v-xc  years 
he  has  been  alone  in  business.  He  deals 
]vrii.'cii;al!y  in  farming  property,  and  his  ef- 
forts in  the  line  of  his  chosen  vocation  have 
added  not  alone  to  his  individual  prosperity 


but  have  also  been   of  material  benefit   to 
Nickerson  and  the  surrounding  country. 

On  the  23d  of  September,  1883,  oc- 
curred the  marriage  of  Mr.  Klose  and  Miss 
Susan  B.  Leslie,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Leslie,  who  came 
from  that  state  to  Kansas  in  1882.  He 
died  at'  the  home  of  his  daughter  in  Rice 
county,  July  9,  1900,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
one  years,  leaving  six  of  his  seven  children. 
His  first  wife  died  in  Kentucky.  The  home 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Klose  is  brightened  by  the 
presence  of  one  daughter,  OTristine,  a  young 
lady  of  sixteen  years  and  a  graduate  of  the 
Nickerson  high  school.  Mr.  Klose  exercises 
his  right  of  ranchise  in  support  of  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
in  his  social  relations  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen.  His  life  has  been  char- 
acterized by  energy,  perseverance  and  hard 
work,  and  to  these  principles  his  success  is 
due.  Depending  upon  his  own  resources, 
looking  for  no  outside  aid  or  support,  he 
has  risen  from  comparative  (il>scurity  to  a 
place  of  prominence  in  the  business  world. 


JA^IES  V.  ^lOOX. 

James  \".  ]\Ioon,  wlio  is  prom'incntlv 
identified  with  the  building  interests  of 
Xickerson,  was  born  in  Clinton  county, 
Ohio,  on  the  14th  of  February,  1831.  His 
paternal  grandfather,  William  Moon,  was 
a  native  of  Tennesse,  born  in  1766,  and 
was  a  member  of  a  Quaker  family  from 
England.  The  great-grandfather  came 
from  England  to  South  Carolina,  afterward 
removing  to  Tennessee,  and  he  and  his  son 
and  grandson  were  gunsmiths  and  farmers. 
Our  subject  also  had  four  uncles  who  were 
gunsmiths.  William  ]\Ioon  was  twice  mar- 
ried, but  his  first  wife's  name  is  not  known, 
and  his  second  union  was  with  a  Miss  Hock- 
ett.  His  death  occurred  in  Clinton  county, 
Ohio,  in  1850,  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight 
years.  James  JMoon.  the  fatlier  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Tennessee,  in  1801.  and 
his  death  occurred  in  Riley  county,  Kansas, 
in    Xovember   or   December   of    1882.      He 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


was  married  in  Ohio  to  Miss  Sarah  Clark, 
a  rative  of  Pennsylvania,  but  when  a  child 
she  was  taken  by  her  parents  to  the  Buck- 
eye state.  She  was  nineteen  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  One  of  her 
three  brothers  was  killed  in  the  Civil  war, 
and  lier  father  is  thought  to  have  been 
killed  by  the  Indians  when  she  was  seven 
years  of  age.  Unto  James  and  Sarah  Moon ' 
were  born  sixteen  children,  eight  sons  and 
eight  daughters,  fourteen  of  whom  grew  to 
years  of  maturity,  eight  sons  and  si:; 
daughters.  All  of  the  sons  are  now  liv- 
ing with  the  exception  of  one,  and  the  seven 
were  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war,  one  of  whom, 
Daniel,  was  wounded  and  was  incarcerated 
in  a  rebel  prison.  Five  of  the  number 
served  in  Ohio  regiments,  and  one  was  a 
member  of  the  Ele\-enth  Kansas. 

James  V.  ^loon,  whose  name  forms  the 
caption  of  this  article,  lemained  on  a  farm 
until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  ap- 
prenticed himself  to  learn  the  millwright's 
trade,  but  he  afterward  became  a  sawyer 
and  miller.  In  1856  he  began  railroading 
on  the  Marietta  &  Cincinnati  railroad,  en- 
tering the  service  as  a  brakeman,  but  by 
his  close  application  to  business,  •  his  effi- 
ciency and  trustworthiness  he  was  success- 
ively promoted  to  the  positions  of  engineer, 
conductor  and  yard  master.  On  the  22d  of 
August,  1850,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
Avith  Tabitha  Stambrough,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  but  one  daugh- 
ter. Jessie  Mabel,  died  at  the  age  of  eleven 
years.  Those  living  are:  Nancy  Cora. 
widow  of  James  J.  Clough  of  Iowa,  and 
who  has  eight  children;  Hannah  Ann, 
w'idow  of  Benjamin  Cole  and  the  mother 
of  seven  children ;  Frank  O.,  who  is  living 
m  Xickerson  and  has  six  living-  children ; 
Mary  A.,  the  wife  of  James  M.  Vickers,  of 
Texas;  Joseph  H.,  a  residrat  of  Sterling, 
and  he  has  five  children;  Clara  R.,  the  wife 
of  E.  G.  Birdsey,  of  Barton  county,  Kan- 
sas, and  they  have  four  children,  and  Mrs. 
Linnetta  Carter,  who  resides  near  Nicker- 
son  and  has  one  child.  The  mother  of  this 
family  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  April. 
1890,  and  the  father  was  afterward  married 
to  a  widow   Fox.   whn   died   in    1895.      On 


the  26th  of  June,  1S97,  Mr.  Moon  was  a 
third  time  married,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Wyatt 
becoming  his  wife. 

In  the_  year   1873   Mr.   Moon  came  to 
]\Iedford  township,  Reno  county,  where  he 
was  the  first  settler,  and  his  daughter  was 
the  first  child  born  here.     During  the' many 
years  which  have  come  and  gone  since  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  this  locality  he  has 
j  participated  in  and  assisted  the  slow,  per- 
I  sistent    work    of    development  which   was 
I  necessary  to  produce  the  wonderful  change 
j  which  has  taken  place  here.    As  a  carpenter 
i  and    builder    he,    is   widely  and   favorably 
j  known  in   Nickerson  and  the  surrounding 
country  and  many  of  the    finest    buildings 
stand  as  monuments  to  his  skill  and  ability. 
His  political  support  is  given  the  Republi- 
can party,  and  during  the  troublous  times 
of  the  Civil  war  he  spent  five  months   in 
the  service  of  his  country,  being  a  member 
of  the  Twenty-fourth  Wisconsin  Infantry. 
He  now  maintains  pleasant  relations  with 
his  old  army  comrades  by  his  membership 
in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  in  wh.ich 
he  served  as  chaplain  for  five  years.    His  re- 
ligious preference  is  indicated  by  his  mem- 
bership in  the  ^Methodist  Episcoiial  churcli. 


^^TLLIAM  T.  CANNON. 

Prominently  identified  with  the  indus- 
trial activities  of  Kingman  county  for  a  long 
term  of  years,  one  who  has  left  a  distmct 
impress  upon  the  public  life  of  the  county 
and  state  and  has  been  a  power  for  good  in 
the  community,  Mr.  Cannon  must  be  ac- 
corded no  indefinite  recognition  in  a  work 
of  this  nature,  for  failure  to  re"ert  to  the 
more  salient  points  in  his  honorable  and  use- 
ful life  would  augur,  in  a  prima-facic  way. 
that  the  compilation  had  not  met  the  de- 
mands which  called  it  forth.  Our  subject 
ably  rq>resented  his  county  in  the  state  leg- 
islature, has  ever  maintained  the  deepest  .in- 
terest in  all  that  touches  the  public  welfare 
and  has  labored  vigorously  to  forward  the 
same  and  protect  it.  while  he  is  known  as 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stock-grow- 


WILLIAM   T.    CANNON. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


305 


ers  of  the  county  and  as  a  man  of  indubit- 
able probity  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  This 
brief  review  of- his  career  can  not  fail  to 
prove  of  interest  to-  his  many  friends,  and 
those  who'  know  of  his  sterling  caracter. 

In  Brown  county,  Illinois,  on  the  9th  of 
?»Iarch,  1854,  William  T.  Cannon  was  born, 
being-  one  of  the  eight  children  of  Levi  T. 
and  Sarah  (Kirkpatrick)  Cannon,  natives 
respectively  of  Delaware  and  Ohio.  The 
family  name  of  our  subject  has  been  long 
and  prominently  Identified  with  the  annals 
of  Delaware,  where  occurred  the  birth  of 
^Nlinas  Cannon,  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
and  also  that  of  his  great-grandfather,  so 
that  it  is  evident  that  the  family  is  of  old 
colonial  stock.  The  Kirkpatrick  family  is 
'f  Scotch-Irish  derivation,  and  representa- 
tives of  the  name  were  numbered  among 
the  pioneers  of  Pickaway  county,  Ohio.  As 
a  young  man  Levi  T.  Cannon  accompanied 
his  parents  on  their  removal  from  Delaware 
to  Ohio,  where  his  marriage  was  eventuallv 
solemnized.  In  1847  he  removed  to  Brown 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  accumulated  a 
large  landed  estate  and  became  one  of  the 
representative  citizens  of  the  locality.  He 
was  the  owner  of  about  five  hvnidred  acres 
of  land,  in  Brown  and  Adams  counties,  and 
was  a  successful  farmer  and  stock-grower. 
In  his  prtlitical  adherency  he  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  partv  from  the  time 
of  its  organization  and  has  been  an  ardent 
advocate  of  its  principles,  while  during  the 
crucial  epoch  -which  culminated  in  the  Civil 
war  he  was  an  uncompromising  abolition- 
ist. In  1887  he  removed  froin  Illinois  to 
Cunningham,  Kansas,  where  he  remained 
until  the  death  of  his  cherished  and  devoted 
wife,  who  passed  away  in  ]\Iay,  1901,  at  the 
age  rif  eighty-one  years,  and  since  that  time 
the  venerable  gentleman  has  resided  in  the 
home  of  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  review. 
Levi  T.  and  Sarah  (Kirkpatrick)  Cannon 
Ijecame  tlie  parents  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  two  died  in  infancy, — James  M.  and 
Luther.  Of  the  others  we  incorporate  the 
following  brief  record :  Abraham  W.  is  a 
farmer  of  Hancock  county,  Illinois;  IMilby 
S.    is   likewise   a    resident   of   Bowen,    that 


county;  Mary  J.  is  the  wife  of  David  Kemp, 
of  the  same  town,  where  also  resides  James 
M.  (2d)  ;  the  next  in  order  is  William  T., 
the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch;  and 
Joseph,  who  came  to  Kansas  in  1884,  in 
company  w^ith  our  subject,  was  \\q[\  known 
in  Kingman  county,  having  been  station 
agent  at  Calista  for  several  years,  but  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois  in  1890  and  now  resides 
in  Bowen. 

That  invigorating  discipline  which  at- 
taches to  the  wholesome  life  of  the  farm 
came  as  the  portion  of  William  T.  Cannon 
ni  his  boyhood  days,  and  it  is  gratifying  to 
note  that  he  has  never  faltered  in  his  alle- 
giance to  the  great  basic  art  of  agriculture. 
In  the  public  schools  in  the  vichiit\-  of  the 
old  homestead  in  Brown  county,  Illinois,  he 
laid  adequate  foundation  for  the  broad  gen- 
eral education  which  has  come  to  him 
through  wide  reading  and  active  association 
with  men  and  afifairs.  Mr.  Cannon  remained 
at  the  parental  home  until  the  spring  of  1884, 
when,  in  company  with  his  brother  Joseph, 
he  came  to  Kingman  county,  Kansas,  and 
pre-empted  a  claim  on  section  13,  Rural 
township,  improving  the  place  and  therg 
continuing  to  reside  until  November,  1894, 
when  he  removed  to  his  present  fine  home- 
stead, which  he  ha-d  purchased  in  1887,  the 
I  same  comprising  a  half  section  of  excellent 
j  land,  on  sections  13  and  24.  while  the  entire 
i  tract  under  his  control  reaches  the  notable 
aggregate  of  eight  hundred  acres.  Mr.  Can- 
non has  devoted  his  attention  to  agriculture 
and  to  the  raising  of  and  dealing  in  live 
stock  on  an  extensive  scale,  his  operations 
in  the  latter  lines  having  had  important  in- 
fluence on  the  industrial  development  of  this 
section  of  the  state.  In  1887  he  shipped  to 
Calista  the  first  car  of  hogs  to  be  unloaded 
at  the  Wichita  stock  yards.  He  is  conceded 
to  be  one  of  the  best  judges  of  stock  in  the 
county  and  is  known  as  one  of  the  state's 
progressive  and  public-spirited  men. 

A  man  of  marked  individuality  and 
strong  convictions,  j\Ir.  Cannon  proves  a 
stalwart  supporter  of  any  cause  which  he  es- 
pouses, and  thus  he  has  been  a  distinct  fac- 
tor in  the  political  affairs  of  the  county  and 


3o6 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


state,  giving  an  unequivocal  allegiance  to  the 
Republican  party  and  the  principles  for 
which  is  stands  sponsor.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  party  contingent  in  Rural 
township  and  has  been  from  iLs  start  an 
active  worker  in  the  cause.  In  1884  he  was 
chosen  as  a  member  of  the  county  central 
committee  of  his  party,  and  served  in  this 
capacity  for  a  decade  thereafter.  In  1886 
he  was  elected  chainnan  of  the  committee, 
and  he  has  been  called  upon  to  act  as  dele- 
gate to-  the  state  conventions  and  the  vari- 
ous congressional  and  senatorial  conven- 
tions,— in  fact,  since  he  attained  his  legal 
majority  he  has  attended  every  congressional 
convention  of  his  district  save  on  one  occa- 
sion. He  is  a  man  whose  life  and  character 
mark  hini'  as  one  worthy  of  unqualified  con- 
fidence and  esteem,  and  the  public  have  not 
failed  to  accord  this  in  due  measure.  In 
1887  Mr.  Cannon  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  county  commissioner  of  Kingman  coun- 
ty and  served  in  this  capacity  for  a  period 
of  three  years.  Higher  political  honors  were 
in  store  for  him,  and  in  1894  he  was  the 
nominee  of  his  party  for  representative  of 
his  county  in  the  legislature  of  the  state, 
rendering  able  and  effective  service  and 
making  a  record  which  reflected  much  credit 
upon  him  and  the  constituency  which  gave 
to  him  the  preferment.  He  was  renominated 
in  1898  and  was  defeated  by  only  three 
votes,  the  normal  Republican  majority  in 
the  county  being  greatly  reduced  on  thisi  oc- 
casion,— in  fact  to  a  decided^  minority, — by 
reason  of  the  Populist  movement  which 
swept  the  state.  Mr.  Cannon  rendered  sig- 
nal services  to  his  county  during  his  term 
in  the  legislature.  es];ecially  in  securing  the 
passage  of  the  act  legalizing  the  :emoval  of 
the  courthouse  outside  the  original  site  in  the 
city  of  Kingman.  During  his  term  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  county  commission- 
ers the  condition  of  the  affairs  of  Kingman 
county  impro\-ed  until  its  script  rose  in  value 
from  eighty-five  cents  to  par.  Mr.  Cannon 
has  ever  maintained  a  lively  interest  in  edu- 
cational affairs,  having  served  on  the  school 
boards  of  districts  Xos.  65  and  25,  which 
are  considered  the  most  progressive  in  the 
countv.     He  has  taken  an  advanced  stand 


in  this  important  field  and'  has  constantly 
used  his  influence  in  securing  ably  qualified 
instructors  and  in  providing  the  iDest  possi- 
ble accessories  for  forwarding  educational 
work,  believing  that  cheap  schools  stand  rep- 
resentative of  an  entirely  false  economy. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Cannon  is  a  ]\Iaster  Ma- 
son, retaining  m'embership  in  Kendrick 
Lodge,  No.  430,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  ^lound. 
Illinois ;  and  he  is  a  charter  member  of  Cun- 
ningham Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias. 

On  the  28th  of  Auguet.  1879,  was  sol- 
emnized the  marriage  of  Mr.  Cannon  to 
Miss  Emma  Shafer,  of  Mount  Sterling, 
Brown  county.  Illinois,  in  which  county  she 
was  lictrn,  Ijeing  the  daughter  of  Perry  and 
Rachel  (Shirley)  Shafer.  Mr.  and' Mrs. 
Cannon  became  the  parents  of  four  sons  and 
one  daughter,  their  names  in  order  of  birth 
being  as  follows:  Ralph  W.,  Leroy,  Shir- 
ley, Carlos  and  Winoiia.  All  of  the  children 
are  living.  The  family  are  prominent  in  the 
social  life  of  the  community  and  the  attrac- 
tive home  is  one  in  which  the  refined  ameni- 
ties are  ever  in  distinct  evidence. 

In  conclusion  we  may  well  say  that  Mr. 
Cannon  has  ever  wielded  a  beneficent  influ- 
ence in  furthering  the  welfare  of  his  hdme 
community,  his  county  and  his  state,  while 
he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Republican  party  in  this  section.  One  ser- 
vice of  particular  note  which  he  rendered  to 
his  township  was  in  connection  with  defeat- 
ing the  ends  of  the  proposed  movement  to 
bond  the  township  for  twenty  thousand  dol- 
lars to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  Wichita 
Western  Railroad,  this  measure  coming  up 
for  consideration  in  the  year  1885.  He  en- 
tered a  vigorous  protest  against  saddling 
;  this  inconsistent  burden  on  the  township,  op- 
j  posing  the  measure  in  timely  and  logical 
j  articles  which  appeared  in  the  newspaper 
press  of  the  county,  as  well  as  through  pub- 
lic speeches,  and  by  strenuous  and  persistent 
effort  the  measure  was  defeated,  by  a  ma- 
jority of  twenty-three  votes.  He  has  been  a 
tireless  worker  in  the  cause  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  liis  services  as  a  public 
speaker  are  in  requisition  in  the  various  cam- 
paigns. He  is  a  man  who  wins  lasting  friend- 
ships, and  his  sturdy  integrity  of  purpose  is 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


307 


never  questioned,  even  by  those  who'  oppose 
him  in  thought  or  action.  In  this  record  of 
the  representative- citizens  of  Kingman  coun- 
ty it  is  signally  fitting  that  Mr.  Cannon  be 
prominently  considered,  and  this  slight  trib- 
ute is  eminently  merited. 


JACOB  HAl'SCHILD. 

Nature  has  been  lavish  in  her  gifts  to 
America.  Each  section  of  the  country  has 
been  provided  with  at  least  one  rich  source 
of  income.  New  England  has  its  splendid 
lumber  regions,  Pennsylvania  its  coal  fields, 
the  south  produces  cotton,  the  west  has  its 
rich  mineral  deposits  and  the  broad  Missis- 
sippi valley  is  the  agricultural  district  of 
the  country,  and  it  is  upon  the  agriculturist 
more  than  any  other  class  of  citizens  that 
the  prosperity  and  upbuilding  of  the  coun- 
try depends.  Central  Kansas  is  one  of  the 
best  wheat  producing  portions  of  the  entire 
land.  Its  corn  crops  are  also  extensive 
and  the  rich  pasture  lands  afford  ample 
opportunity  to  the  stock-raiser.  ^Iv.  Haus- 
child  is  among  those  who'  are  devoting 
their  time  and  energies  to  farming,  his 
home  being  in  Washington  township.  Rice 
County,  upon  section  it,.  He  was  born 
in  Schleswig.  Cermany,  near  the  Den- 
mark line.  June  4,  1845.  His  father, 
John  Hauschild.  wedded  Eva  Thode,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  five  sons,  four 
of  whom  came  to  the  new  world,  the 
eldest,  John,  however,  remaining  in  his  na- 
tive land.  The  others  are :  Hans,  who  died 
upon  his  farm  at  the  age  of  forty-four 
years:  J.  P.,  an  enterprising  agriculturist 
of  ^^*ashington  township :  Jacob,  of  this  re- 
view:  and  Joseph,  who  owns  about  seven 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  this  township. 
George  Hauschild  was  the  first  of  the  name 
to  come  to  America,  crossing  the  Atlantic 
in  the  spring  of   1865. 

In  the  following  fall  our  suliject  made 
the  long  journey  across  the  Atlantic  and 
took  up  his  abode  in  Macoupin  c  anity.  Illi- 
nois, where  he  secured  employment  as  a 
farm  hand,  wrirking  for  seventeen  dollars 


per  month.  He  was  not  only  without  cap- 
ital when  he  arrived  but  was  indebted  to 
his  cousin  for  the  sum  of  seventeen  dollars. 
In  the  fall  of  1869  he  came  to  Kansas,  mak- 
ing his  way  to  Topeka,  and  in  that  locality 
he  secured  farm  work,  at  which  he  made 
twenty-fi\e  dollars  per  month.  He  was  em- 
ployed in  that  way  until  1872,  when  he  be- 
gan the  operation  of  his  homestead  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  which  he  had  entered  from 
the  government  on  the  17th  of  June,  1871. 
He  is  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Wash- 
ington township,  Rice  county,  and  is  fa- 
miliar with  the  early  history  of  this  section 
of  the  state.  He  li\-ed  alone  until  1878  and 
then  completed  his  arrangements  for  a 
home  by  his  marriage  to  Huldah  Jenkins, 
who  was  born  in  Johnson  county,  Ohio. 
They  began  their  domestic  life  in  a  little 
board  cabin  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet.  He 
owned  two  good  teams,  was  energetic  and 
determined  and  therefore  has  made  a  suc- 
cess of  farming.  He  mortgaged  his  home- 
stead for  seventeen  hundred  dollars  and 
added  this  to  one  hundred  dollars  which  he 
had  already  saved.  He  then  gave  the  entire 
amount  fur  a  quarter  section  of  land.  This 
he  afterward  traded  for  a  half  section  of 
raw  prairie  land  and  continuously  he  has 
added  to  his  property  until  his  landed  pos- 
sessions now  comprise  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres,  constituting  a  fine,  fertile 
farm,  which  is  under  a,  very  high  state  of 
cultivation.  It  is  fenced  and  im]>rM\eil  with 
all  modern  accessories.  1  fc  lia-  eiwicd  a 
large  farm  residence,  sulistantial  liaru:;  and 
outbuildings  and  has  planted  an  orchard 
and  shade  trees.  He  works  four  double 
teams  of  horses  and  mules  and  four  young 
ones.  He  raises  large  crops  of  corn  and 
wheat,  having  two  hundred  acres  planted  to 
wheat  and  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  to 
corn.  His  soil  is  rich  and  productive  and 
for  se\-enteen  consecutive  years  he  has 
raised  gi:nd  corn  crops  in  the  same  fields, 
producing  fr(  .m  twenty-fi\-e  to  thirty  bushels 
per  acre. 

Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Hauschild  have  nine  chil- 
dren, namel}- :  Eva,  Laura  May,  Anna, 
John,  Delia,  Dora,  Arthur,  Prederick  and 
Jacob,  and  they  also  lost  an  infant.     The 


308 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


father  is  identified  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to  both 
the'  subordinate  lodge  and  encampment. 
He  votes  with  the  Populist  party  and  he 
and  his  family  are  connected  with  the  Lu- 
theran church.  Coming  to  Kansas  without 
capital,  he  began  life  as  a  farm  hand  here, 
but  is  now  numbered  among  the  prosperous 
agriculturists,  a  fact  which  indicates  that 
his  life  has  been  a  busy,  active  and  useful 
one. 


WESLEY  B.  HELM. 

While  the  disposition  to  do  honor  to 
those  who  have  served  well  their  race  or 
their  nation  is  prevalent  among  all  the  en- 
lightened people  and  is  of  great  value  every- 
where and  under  all  forms  of  government, 
it  is  particularly  inappropriate  to,  and  to  be  ■ 
fostered  in,  this  country,  where  no  man  is 
born  to  public  ofifice  or  to  public  honor,  or 
comes  to  either  by  inheritance,  but  where  all 
men  are  equal  before  the  law,  where  the  race 
for  distinction  is  over  the  road  of  public 
usefulness  and  is  open  to  every  one  who 
chi:'Oses  to  enter,  however  humble  and  ob- 
scure he  may  be,  and  where  the  advan- 
tageous circumstances  of  family  wealth  in 
the  vast  majority  of  cases  count  for  little  or 
nothing.  According  to  a  true  democratic 
doctrine  they  should  never  count  for  any- 
thing at  all.  Under  our  system,  whose  very 
existence  depends  upon  the  virtue  of  the 
people  themselves,  who  are  not  only  the 
soL-.rce  of  all  political  power,  but  on  whom 
depends  the  very  existence  of  our  free  insti- 
tutions, those  who  have  distinguished  them- 
selves in  the  public  service,  whether  in 
statesmanship  or  in  arms  or  in  any  other 
s[iiierc  of  usefulness,  should  not  fail  of  rec- 
ognition :  and  this  is  not  only  in  justice  to 
the  peo]3le  who  should  not  seem  unmindful 
of  great  sacrifices  or  of  great  efforts  in  their 
behalf  or  of  notable  exhibitions  of  public 
spirit,  but  also'  in  the  interests  of  our  insti- 
tutions themselves.  In  honoring  those  who 
have  deserved  well  of  the  republic  the  peo- 
ple do  credit  to  tliemselves  and  also  supply 


a  powerful  stimulus  to  honorable  ambition 
to  incite  like  services  or  achievements  or 
sacrifices  for  the  public  good. 

V\'"esley  B.  Helm  is  one  of  the  leading 
and  influential  citizens  of  Ellsworth  coun- 
ty, and  has  left  the  impress  of  his  individ- 
uality upon  the  legislation  of  the  state,  for 
during  eight  years  he  served  in  the  senate. 
He  is  a  farmer  and  stockman,  residing  on 
section  ii.  Black  Wolf  township,  Ellsworth 
county.  A  native  of  the  Empire  sta4;e,  he 
was  born  in  Sullivan  county,  New  York, 
October  8,  1844,  and  traces  his  ancestry 
back  to  Michael  Helm,  who  was  a  native  of 
Holland  and  was  one  of  the  Knickerbockers 
who  settled  in  Xew  Amsterdam  in  the  ear- 
liest period  of  de\elopment  in  the  state  of 
Xew  York.  He  was  in  the  French  and  In- 
dian war  and  was  killed  by  the  red  men  at 
Summitville,  New  York,  on  the  old  Conti- 
nental road.  The  Indians  cut  off  his  hand, 
as  in  weighing  furs  he  used  that  hand  as  a 
balance  weight,  and  they,  thinking  that  they 
had  not  been  fairly  dealt  with,  cut  the  mem- 
ber off,  but  found  that  the  furs  had  weighed 
just  as  he  had  said.  His  son,  Peter  Helm, 
was  the  ne.xt  in  line  of  direct  descent  to  our 
subject  and  was  the  father  of  Daniel  Helm, 
the  great-grandfather  of  Wesley  B.  Helm. 
He  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and 
several  of  the  great-uncles  of  our  subject 
were  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  born  in' 
Sullivan  county.  New  York,  as  was  Jacob 
Helm,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject.  Rus- 
sell G.  Helm,  the  father,  was  likewise  a  na- 
tive of  that  locality  and  engage(i  in  farming 
and  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber.  When 
the  country  became  engaged  in  ci\il  war  he 
aided  in  the  defense  of  the  Union  which  his 
grandfather  had  helped  tO'  establish,  and  re- 
cruited a  portion  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-third  New  York  Infantry.  The  regi- 
ment was  transferred  from  the  Army  of  tjie 
Potomac  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland, 
but  as  this  quota  was  full  he  was  notified 
not  to  send  any  more  men.  He  acted  as 
lieutenant  of  his  company,  and  his  son. 
\\'esley  B.,  was  one  of  its  members.  Al- 
th(jugh  the  family  has  been  represented  in 
every  war  in  which  the  United  States  has 
been   engaged,   u-one  of  its  members-  liave 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


509 


e\er  received  a  foot  of  land  from  the  gov- 
ernment. 

Russell  G.  Helm  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  2klary  Travis.  Her  father, 
Joseph  Travis,  was  born  in  Paris  and  aftei'- 
ward  was  sent  to  the  Jesuit  College,  in 
[Montreal,  Canada,  but  disliking  the  way 
affairs  were  conducted  there  he  wrote  to  his 
father  that  he  wished  to  return  home,  but 
his  father  would  not  listen  to  this  plan  and 
bade  him.  to  stay,  threatening  to  disinherit 
him.  Mr.  Tra\is,  however,  conld  not  en- 
dure the  open  immorality  there  and  left  the 
school  and  came  to  the  United  States.  The 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Helm  was  blessed 
with  nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  review  is  the  eldest.  All  are  living  with 
two  exceptions  and  are  residents  of  New 
York  and'  New  Jersey.  The  parents  also 
survive,  and  the  father  has  reached  the  age 
(jf  seventy-eight  years.  Prior  to  the  Civil 
war  he  was  a  stanch  abolitionist  and  did 
e\  erything  in  his  power  to  thwart  the  cause 
I  if  slavery. 

Wesley  B.  Helm  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  and  when  seventeen  years 
of  age  began  teaching,  follcnvinii'  that  pro- 
fession through  the  winter  nimUhs,  while  in 
the  summer  season  he  worked  at  farming. 
He  remained  at  home  until  twenty-four 
years  of  age,  after  which  he  secured  a  po- 
sition as  assistant  engineer  on  the  Ontario 
«&  Western  Railroad,  remaining  in  that  serv- 
ice for  six  and  a  half  3'ears.  Subsequently 
he  was  for  five  years  employed  as  principal 
ijf  the  graded  schools  in  his  native  town  and 
on  the  expiration  of  that  period  resigned  his 
ixisition  in  order  to  come  to  the  west.  In 
1878  he  made  his  war  to  Ellsworth  county 
and  purchased  the  east  half  of  section  11, 
luwnship  15,  range  9.  Only  a  small  portion 
L'f  the  tract  had  been  broken  and  no'  im- 
provements had  been  made  thereon.  With 
characteristic  energy,  however,  he  began  the 
development  of  the  place  and  broke  the  sod 
with  wild  ponies  and  with  oxen.  He  erected 
a  small  house  and  experienced  all  the  hard- 
ships and  difficulties  incident  to  founding  a 
home  in  this  portion  of  the  coimtry  when 
central  Kansas  was  a  frontier  district. 
During  the  second  year  after  his  arri\-al  he 


engaged  in  teaching  in  the  school  one  mile 
south  of  his  present  home,  and  for  eight 
years  he  followed  that  profession  through 
the  winter  seasons  in  this  locality.  His  first 
residence  was  eighteen  by  twenty-four  feet. 
Gradually  he  wrought  a  transformation  in 
the  affairs  of  his  place,  which  has  become 
one  of  the  most  valuable  and  attractive  farms 
in  this  portion  of  the  county.  Pie  has  given 
most  of  his  attention  to  the  cultivation  of 
grain  and  has  raised  wheat  in  the  same 
fields  for  twenty-three  successive  years,  a 
fact  which  indicates  the  great  productive- 
ness of  Kansas  soil.  He  has  also  given 
some  attention  to  stock-raising  and  to  the 
production  of  fruit,  and  is  the  owner  of 
some  valuable  orchards. 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1868,  Mr. 
Helm  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ella  M. 
Tice,  a  daughter  of  John  N.  and  Huldah 
(Gumaer)  Tice.  Her  mother's  family 
were  early  settlers  here,  having  come  to 
America  with  the  Huguenots.  Her  father, 
Jacob  Gtimaer,  who  was  a  colonel,  g"a\-e 
Huldah  a  table  cloth  for  w'aiting  on  the 
table  at  one  of  the  meetings,  and  Mrs.  Helm 
now  has  that  clc:tli,  a  cherished  heirlnum. 
John  Tice,  Jr.,  was  a  farmer  Ijy  ■  jccu]iatii:.n 
and  was  pn/.minent  in  church  work,  Imlding 
membership  with  the  Methodist  denomina- 
tion. His  father,  John  Tice,  Sr.,  was  of 
Holland  descent.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Helm 
were  born  tlie  following  children:  Clair- 
mont  W.,  who  is  engaged  in  market  garden- 
ing in  Leavenworth  county,  Kansas:  an  in- 
fant deceased :  Annie,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  five  and  a  half  years;  Mamie  H.,  who 
is  engaged  in  teaching;  John  Russell,  who 
is  studying  preparatory  to  entering  the 
teacher's  profession;  Harriet:  Josephine: 
and  Elizabeth  M. 

Mr.  Helm  is  prominent  in  Republican 
circles  and  up  to  1890  there  were  fifty  voters 
in  the  family  at  one  time,  every  one  of 
whom  voted  the  Republican  ticket.  Since 
the  date  mentioned  Mr.  Helm,  of  this  re- 
view, has  acted  with  the  Populists,  believ- 
ing that  they  are  the  true  followers  of  the 
teachings  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  has 
been  honored  Avith  a  number  of  public 
offices.     He  was  first  elected  justice  of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


peace  antl  subsequently  was  township  treas- 
urer. In  1892  he  was  chosen  to  represent 
his  district  in  the  state  senate,  where  he 
served  for  two  terms  of  four  years  eacli. 
He  gave  to  each  cjuestion  that  came  up  for 
settlement  his  careful  thought  and  consid- 
eration and  labored  earnestly  to  advance  the 
best  interests  of  the  commonwealth.  He 
took  a  special  interest  in  railroad  legisla- 
tion, in  shipping  interests  and  in  the  legisla- 
tion concerning  mortgages,  whereby  eight- 
een months"  time  is  given  for  redemption. 
This  has  been  the  means  of  saving  many 
homes  to  owners  who  otherwise  would  have 
lost  them.  He  was  also  interested  in  secur- 
ing the  passage  O'f  the  acts  concerning  the 
adoption  of  text-books  in  the  schools,  and 
his  many  years  of  teaching  well  Cjualified 
him  for  his  labors  in  this  regard.  He  like- 
wise took  a  deep  interest  in  the  legislation 
concerning  insurance,  and  as  a  result  of 
this,  many  mutual  insurance  companies  have 
been  established  "in  the  state  and  have 
proven  of  great  value.  His  labors  proved 
of  great  practical  benefit  along  many  lines 
of  progress  and  reform.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  and  is  a  charter  member,  also  one 
of  the  oi^cers,  of  the  Kansas  Mutual  Hail 
Insurance  Association,  wdiich  was  estab- 
lished at  ]\IcPherson,  and  this  has  proven 
the  result  of  his  theories  concerning  the  im- 
mense good  that  can  arise  from  mutual  in- 
surance. In  1900  he  erected  his  present 
commodious  residence,  which  was  very 
thonjughly  constructed.  It  was  closelv 
sheathed  with  lumber,  then  covered  with 
sheet  steel,  making  it  impervious  to  heat  or 
cold.  Mr.  Helm  is  likewise  a  stockholder 
and  director  in  the  Ellsworth  Milling  and 
Elevator  Company,  and  his  co-operation 
has  been  accorded  in  many  business  inter- 
ests which  have  proven  of  public  benefit  and 
at  the  same  time  contributed  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  stockholders.  In  connection  with 
his  other  business  affairs  he  is  successfully 
and  extensively  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
pure-blooded  Leghorn  chickens.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  National  Aid  Association, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  hold  membership 
in  the  ^Methodist  church. 

A  strong  advocate    of    temperance,    he 


does  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  \velfare. 
and,  happening  to  be  in  Topeka  when  Airs. 
Carrie  Nation  went  to  give  bond,  he  was  one 
of  the  three  who  signed  the  bond.  He  has 
been  a  leading  factor  in  the  progress  of  his 
adopted  county,  and  educational,  church 
and  social  interests  owe  their  -promotion  in 
a  considerable  degree  to  him.  For  man}- 
years  has  Ellsworth  county  been  his  home. 
— years  largely  devoted  to  the  public  good. 
His  path  has  ever  been  upward,  both  in  the 
spiritual  and  temporal  sense.  As  this  re- 
view shows,  he  is  distinctively  a  self-made 
man, — one  of  nature's  noblemen,  and  one 
whom  no  force  of  circumstances  could  pros- 
trate or  draw  into  obscurity.  His  friends 
are  many  and  on  the  list  are  numbered  many 
of  the  representative  men  of  the  state. 


CLAUDE  D.  DAY, 


The  last  half  of  the  last  century  wit- 
nessed as  great  advance  in  dentistry  as  in 
any  other  field  of  human  endeavor.  The 
dentists  of  1901  are  as  much  superior  to 
the  dentists  of  1850  as  are  the  electric  lights 
of  the  present  day  to  the  candles  which  Avere 
burned  in  many  parts  of  our  country  at  that 
time.  One  of  the  most  up-to-date  dentists 
in  central  Kansas  is  Claude  D.  Day,  of  Ells- 
worth coimty. 

Dr.  Claude  D.  Day  was  born  in  Frank- 
lin, New  York,  a  son  of  Dr.  Clark  and  Clara 
(Tibbals)  Day.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  New  York  state  and  his  mother  was  born 
in  Connecticut.  Dr.  Clark  Day  took  his 
family  to  Ellsworth,'  Kansas,  in  1876,  and 
was  the  first  dentist  there.  He  practiced  his 
profession  continuously  until  1888,  when  he 
died.  Dr.  Clark  Day  was  popular  not  only 
profesionally  but  also  politically  and  soci- 
ally, and  the  Democrats  twice  elected  him 
mayor  of  the  city. 

Dr.  Claude  D.  Day  finished  his  primary 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Ellsworth, 
and  in  1888  he  entered  the  Dental  College  of 
Iowa,  at  Iowa  City,  where  he  was  a  student 
one  year.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
Dental  College  of  Kansas  Citv,  ;Missouri.  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


3" 


1S93.  and  immediately  afterward  entered 
uptn  the  practice  of  liis  prufessiun  at  Ells- 
worth, where,  in  a  sense,  he  is  the  successor 
of  his  father.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat; 
he  stands  high  in  Masonic  circles  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica. .He  stands  at  the  head  of  his  profession 
and  has  built  up  a  reputation  for  honest  and 
conscientious  work  which  goes  far  to  insure 
him  a  large  patronage.  He  was  married 
October  28,  1897,  to  Eveline  Sheriff,  whose 
father  was  an  early  settler  at  Ellsworth  and 
was  prominent  in  connection  with  educa- 
tiijnal  and  other  public  matters.  Dr.  and 
;\Irs.  Day  have  three  children, — Dorothy, 
Janet  and  Elizabeth. 


THOMAS  J.  HUEY. 

Thomas  J.  Huey,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Kingman,  was  for  many  years  active!}'  iden- 
tified with  agricultural  interests  in  central 
Kansas,  and  is  now  closely  associated  with 
progressive  movements  in  the  city  tending 
to  advance  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity. He  was  born  in  Robinson  county, 
Tennessee,  May  10,  1848.  His  father,  Car- 
roll Huey,  was  also  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
and  throughout  his  business  career  caried  on 
farming,  but  during  the  later  years  of  his 
life  he  rennived  to  town  and  there  lived  re- 
tired until  his  death,  which  occurred  when 
he  was  si.xty-six  years  of  age.  His  political 
support  was  given  the  Democracy.  He 
married  Miss  Caroline  Walton  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  two^  children,  Thomas 
J.  and' Joseph  \\'.,  the  latter  a  school  teacher 
in  Springfield,  Tennessee. 

Amid  primitive  surroundings  Thomas 
J.  Hue}-  acc|uired  his  education,  pursuing 
liis  studies  in  a  log  school  house  with  a 
puncheon  floor  and  crude  furnishings, 
iveading,  experience  and  observation,  how- 
ever, have  made  him  a  well-informed  man. 
He  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  there 
remained  until  his  health  seemed  to  demand 
a  change  of  climiate,  when  in  1878  he  \-is- 
ited  Kansas  on  a  prospecting  tour.  Being 
pleased  with  Kingman  c(iuntv  he  returned 


in  1879  and  secured  a  claim  in  Canton 
township.  He  had  one  neighbor  living  a 
i  mile  to  the  east,  but  no  settlement  had  been 
j  made  to  the  west.  He  broke  only  enough 
i  land  for  a  garden,  intending  to  devote  the 
I  greater  part  of  his  time  and  attention  to 
!  cattle-raising.  He  built  a  one-room  house, 
I  and  as  the  country  was  all  open  he  put  up  a 
corral  into  which  he  could  dri\-e  the  cattle 
at  night.  Success  attended  his  efforts  and 
as  his  financial  resources  increased  he  added 
to  his  landed  possessions  until  he  owned 
twelve  hundred  acres,  all  in  one  body.  He 
has  placed  one-half  of  this  under  cultivation, 
raising  corn  and  wheat,  and  he  also  has 
large  herds  of  cattle,  mostly  short-horns. 
He  made  many  excellent  improvements  upon 
his  farm,  includnig  the  erection,  in  188S, 
of  a  six-rM,  in  re-idence,  with  a  bay  window, 
a  wide  pi  rch  and  i-ther  attractive  and  mod- 
ern impru\ements.  He  also  planted  trees 
upon  the  place  and  added  many  of  the  mod- 
ern accessories  and  conveniences.  There  he 
resided  until  1900.  when  be  rented  his  farm 
and  removed  to  Kingman,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home,  purchasing  his  pres- 
ent residence  r,n  Avenue  C.  To  this  he  has 
added  imi)nivements  and  made  alterations, 
converting  it  into  an  attractive  home.  He 
has  also  become  interested  in  business  prop- 
erty and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Kingman  State  Bank,  in  which  he  has  since 
served  as  a  director. 

In  Tennessee,  in  1875,  was  celebrated 
the  marriage  of  J\Ir.  Huey  and  Miss  V.  E. 
Holland,  who  was  born  December  4.  1854, 
a  daughter  of  Daniel  Holland,  a  farmer  of 
that  state.  They  have  four  children:  Jo- 
seph C,  who  w^as  born  December  27,  1877, 
and  is  now  in  the  Kingman  State  Bank; 
Mary  C,  born  February  16,  1882;  Fred 
Holland,  born  April  26,  1884;  and  Henry 
Clay,  born  October  4,  1887.  In  his  polti- 
cal  affiliations  Mr.  Huey  has  always  been 
a  Democrat.  He  served  as  township  treas- 
urer for  a'  number  of  years,  but  has  never 
desired  office  or  been  a  politician  in  the  sense 
of  office  seeking.  As  a  member  of  the 
school  board  he  has  labored  earnestly  to 
gi\-e  an  impetus  to  educational  advancement 
in  this  localitv  and  with  his  co-v»'orkers  on 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


the  board  has  succeeded  in  establishing  ex- 
cellent schools.  He  is  also  deeply  interested 
in  everything  pertaining  to  the  substantial 
grouth  and  de\-elopnient  of  the  town  and 
was  instrumental  in  having  good  brick 
walks  laid  in  Main  street.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  belong  to  the  Baptist  church,  and  they 
are  people  of  the  highest  respectability  and 
sterling  worth,  enjoying  the  warm  friend- 
ship and  regard  of  many  acc^uaintances. 


ROBERT  McKINNIS. 

In  pioneer  days  in  the  development  of 
Rice  county  Robert  ]\IcKinnis  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  secured  a  homestead,  which  has  been 
his  place  of  abode  since  1871.  His  wife  was 
the  seventh  white  woman  within  the  borders 
of  the  county,  and  the  first  white  female 
child  born  in  the  county  came  to  them  in 
their  little  sod  home.  Great  changes  have 
occurred  during  the  years  which  have  since 
come  and  gone,  as  the  early  settlers  have 
coped  with  the  hardships  and  difficulties  of 
pioneer  life  in  transforming  the  wild  land 
into  richly  cultivated'  farms.  Good  homes 
have  been  erected,  churches  and  school- 
houses- built  and  the  work  of  progress  and 
civilization  has  been  carried  forward'  until 
Rice  county  now  occupies  a  foremost  posi- 
tion among  the  counties  of  the  common- 
wealth. 

Robert  McKinnis  is  a  native  of  Hancock 
county,  Ohio,  where  his  birth  occurred  Jan- 
uary 28,  1845,  and  upon  the  farm'  he  was 
reared  to  manhood,  while  in  the  common 
schools  he  was  educated.  His  parents,  James 
and  Lucy  (Wickham)  McKinnis,  were  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  re- 
spectively, and  their  marriage  occurred  in 
the  Buckeye  state.  The  McKinnis  family, 
however,  is  of  Scotch  lineage  and  was  found- 
ed in  America  by  Robert  McKinnis,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  who  On  coming 
to  the  new  world  settled  in  Pennsylvania. 
He  served  as  a  teamster  in  the  war  of  181 2 
and  later  removed  to  Ohio,  where  he  re- 
mained for  a  number  of  years.  There  his 
wife  died,  and  subsequently  he  went  to  Iowa, 


in  1849,  making  his  home  with  his  son 
James,  in  Dubuque  county.  There  he  passed 
away.  His  children  were  Philip.  Charles, 
James,  John.  Rachel,  Polly.  Sarah  and 
Eliza. 

James  McKinnis,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  the  Keystone  state,  but 
was  reared  in  Ohio,  and  a  number  of  years 
after  his  marriage  he  went  to  Dubuque  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  where  he  purchased  some  land  and 
also  entered  large  tracts,  improving  a  very 
extensive  farm.  He  carried  on  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  in  addition  to  the  production 
of  grain  engaged  in  raising  cattle.  He  was  . 
one  of  the  leading  and  influential  farmers  of 
the  community,  a  successful  business  man, 
an  excellent  financier,  and  by  persistent  la- 
bor and  diligence  accumulated  a  competence 

!  for  old  age.     He  was  a  broad-minded,  in- 

j  telligent  gentleman,  charitable  and  kindly, 
and  the  latchstring  of  his  pioneer  home  al- 
ways hung  out  so  that  the  wayfarer  might 
be  sure  of  a  welcome.  No  one  was  ever 
turned  from  his  door  hungry,  and  among 
his  friends  and  neighbors  he  was  held  in  the 
highest  esteem,  his  many  excellent  qualifica- 
tions winning  him  warm  friendship.  He 
voted  with  the  Whig  party  until  its  dissolu- 
tion, when  he  joined  the  Republican  party 
but  later  became  a  Democrat.  He  held  the  of- 
fice of  justice  of  the  peace  and  many  minor 
township  positions.  At  length  he  sold  his 
property  in  Dubuc^ue  county,  Iowa,  and  in 
1876  came  to  Rice  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm,  making  his  home  thereon  for 
twenty  years.     His  death  occurred  July  8. 

I  1896,  at  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety,  and 
his  wife  passed  away  November  20,  1900. 
at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.    They  were  Pres- 

I  byterians  in  religious  faith  and  their  Chris- 
tian belief  moulded  their  entire  lives  and 
won  for  them  unqualified  confidence.  They 
had  eleven  children:  Crayton,  of  Kansas; 
Lovina,  who  became  the  wife  of  J.  Pierce, 
who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  war  and 
went  to  California  in  1849,  soon  after  tlie 
discovery  of  gold :  John,  who  was  a  Union 
soldier  and  is  now  living  in  Colorado:  Bar- 
bara, the  wife  of  ^^^  H.  Kirk,  of  Rice  coun- 
ty, who  also  defended  the  stars  and  stripes : 
George,  who  served  for  over  four  vears  in 


MRS.    ROBERT  McKINNIS. 


ROBERT  McKINNIS  AND  GRANDCHILDREN. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


313 


the  war  of  the  Rebellion  and  died  in  Iowa; 
Robert,  of  this  review :  Fulton  and  ^^'illiam, 
who  have  passed  away;  Elizabeth,  the  wife 
of  L.  Wood;  Lydia,  whO'  married  T.  R.  Ba- 
som;  and'  James,  who  died'  in  childhdod. 

Upon  the  family  homesteatl  in  Iowa 
Robert  McKinnis  was  reared,  remaining 
under  the  parental  roof  until  eighteen  years 
of  age,  when  his  patriotic  spirit  was  aroused 
and  he  resolved  tO'  aid  in  the  defense  of  the 
Union,  enlisting  as  a  member  of  Company 
G.  Ninth  Iowa  Infantry,  for  three  years,  or 
during  the  war.  The  regiment  was  as- 
signed to  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  andi  he 
saw  some  hard  service.  He  was  with  Sher- 
man until  wounded  at  Atlanta,  on  the  22d 
of  July,  1864,  after  which  he  was  sent  home 
on  a  furlough.  When  he  had  sufficiently  re- 
covered he  rejoined  his  command,  at  Ra- 
leigh, North  Carolina,  and  was  detailed  as 
assistant  cook.  Prior  to  the  time  when  he 
■was  wounded  he  was  alwaj-s  found  with  his 
regiment  on  the  field  of  duty,  loyally  de- 
fending the  starry  banner  of  the  nation. 
^^'hen  Lee  surrendered  the  command 
marched  to  ^^'ashington  and  participatedi  in 
the  grand  re\-iew,  after  which  the  regiment 
was  transported  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
and  there  mustered  ou't.  Mr.  McKinnis  was 
then  sent  to  Clinton,  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
ceived an  honorable  discharge  and  was  paid 
off. 

Alaking  his  way  to  his  home  in  Dubuque 
county,  Iowa,  our  subject  resunied  farm 
work,  performing  such  duties  as  his  health; 
would  permit,  for  he  had  not  then  recovered 
from  his  wounds,  nor  has  he  ever  fully  re- 
gained his  original  health  and  strength.  He 
had  been  struck  by  a  minie  ball  in  the  left 
shoulder,  which  broke  his  collar  bone.  The 
ball  was  extracted  at  the  lower  part  of  the 
shoulder  blade,  and  he  yet  retains  the  piece 
of  rebel  lead  as  a  souvenir  of  his  army  ex- 
perience. Throughout  the  intervening  vears 
he  has  suffered -to  greater  or  less  extent 
from  his  wound,  which  seems  to  grow  worse 
as  the  years  advance. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  ]\fcKinnis  re- 
mained with  his  parents  for  two  years.  His 
marriage  was  celel?rated  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  1869.     In  1870  he  came  to  Kansas, 


spending  the  succeeding  winter  in  Crawford 
county.  In  the  spring  of  1871,  however,  he 
came  to  Rice  county  and  secured  a  home- 
stead. At  that  time  there  were  but 
'  few  settlers  within  its  Ijorders.  Only 
six'  white  Avomen  were  li\ing  in  the 
I  Cdunty  at  the  time  of  his  arrival.  He 
j  lirst  built  a  ,-miI  li,  ine,  with  a  dirt  floor,  and 
within  the  -uninier  his  wife  killed  upon  the 
table  a  rattlesnake  of  considerable  length. 
While  they  were  living  in  that  primitive 
pioneer  home  twins  were  born  unto  them,  a 
son  and  a  daughter,  the  latter  being  the  first 
baby  girl  born  in  the  county.  The  home- 
stead farm  comprised  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  the  \-alley  of  Cow  Creek,  and  with 
characteristic  energy  he  began  its  develop- 
ment and  impro\-ement.  Later  the  secretary 
of  the  interior  canceled  his  homestead  rights 
in  favor  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  Company.  He  then  began  a 
fight  for  the  recovery  of  the  property  and 
would  ultimately  have  won  it,  although  at 
ccnsideralile  c  st,  liut  he  effected  a  compro- 
mise by  paying  twn  dollars  and  a  half  per 
acre,  which  gave  liini  undisputed  title  to  pos- 
session. He  has  made  substantial  improve- 
ments, including  the  erection  of  a  good  house 
and  barn  and  other  substantial  outbuildings. 
He  has  also  planted  an  orchard,  and  every- 
thing about  the  place  is  thrifty  and  neat  in 
appearance.  The  fields  are  well  tilled,  and 
the  farm  is  pleasantly  located  two  miles  west 
of  Lyons.  Mr.  McKinnis  contiiined  the  ac- 
tive cultivation  of  the  land  until  a  few  years 
since,  when  he  rented  it.  He  is  familiar 
with  all  the  experiences  of  frontier  life  here, 
from  the  days  when  wild  game  was  plenti- 
ful and  wild  beasts,  including  buffalo,  elk 
and  antelope,  roamed  over  the  prairies.  Tur- 
keys and  prairie  chickens  furnished  many  a 
meal  for  the  settlers,  and  as  ^Ir.  McKinnis 
enjoyed  hunting,  wild  game  was  alwa3rs  to 
be  found  on  the  table.  He  has  killed  buffalo 
from  his  own  door-j-ard  and  his  wife  has 
driven  them  from  her  garden.  Roaming 
bands  of  Indians  on  hunting  excursions  fre- 
quently came  to  the  neighborhood,  but  they 
were  always  friendlw  although  at  one  time 
the  commimity  became  frightened  at  the  ap- 
proach of  the  red  men  and'  the  McKinnis 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


family  spent  two  days  from  home  on  this 
account,  bvit  no  harm  was  done.  For  sev- 
eral years  they  secured  supplies  from  Ells- 
worth, but  in  1876  Lyons  was  platted,  and 
after  the  county-seat  was  located  there  the 
rapid  work  of  development  and  progress  was 
continued,  so  that  Mr.  McKinnis  is  within 
easv  reach  of  the  advantages  of  the  city. 

Mr.  McKinnis  chose  as  a  companion  and 
helpmate  for  the  journey  of  life  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Collins,  who  was  born  in  Galena,  Illi- 
nois, June  19,  1845,  and  she  has  indeed  been 
a  valuable  assistant  to  him.  She  was  reared 
in  Iowa,  but  was  left  an  orphan  when  thir- 
teen years  of  age,  by  the  death  of  her  moth- 
er, her  father  having  passed  away  when  she 
was  three  years  of  age.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and, Vinson  (Ray)  Collins,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Boston,  Massachusetts.  When  four- 
teen years  of  age  her  father  left  his  home  in 
the  Keystone  state  and  came  west.  He  never 
returned,  so  that  little  is  known  concerning 
the  history  of  the  family.  He  devoted  his 
life  to  agricultural  pursuits.  His  wife  was 
a  Presbyterian  in  religious  faith,  and  their 
children  were:  Henry  W.,  who  was  starved 
to  death  in  Libby  prison  while  a  member  of 
the  Union  army ;  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  Mc- 
Kinnis:  and  William  H.,  who  entered  the 
army  but  never  returned,  sO'  that  his  where- 
abouts are  not  known.  After  the  death  of 
Iter  first  husband  Mrs.  Collins  became  the 
wife  of  F*  Farrell,  and  they  had  three  chil- 
dren,— Samuel.  Francis  and  Thomas.  The 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKinnis  has 
been  blessed  with  three  children  :  James  \\'.. 
who  was  born  in  Iowa  and'  is  now  a  black- 
smith of  Lyons ;  and  George  A.  and  Laura 
A.,  twins,  who  were  born  in  the  sod  house 
on  the  old  family  homestead.  The  former 
is  now  a  farmer  and  the  latter  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  E.  ]\Ioody,  an  agriculturist  living  in 
the  Indian  Territory.  Thev  also  have  three 
grandchildren,  George  K..  Frank  L.  and  Ira 
D.,  sons  of  James  W.  McKinnis. 

The  subject  of  this  review  is  in  religious 
faith  a  Universalist.  and  in  political  faith 
is  a  stalwart  Populist.  He  has  been  called 
upon  to  fill  some  township  offices,  but  has 
never  been  a  seeker  for  political  preferment. 


He  has  desired  rather  to  give  his  time  and 
attention  to  his  business  affairs  and  has 
therein  prospered.  As  one  of  the  honored 
pioneers  of  the  county  he  certainly  deserves 
niention  in  this  volume,  and- with  pleasure 
we  present  his  record  to  our  readers. 


WILLIAM  HODGSOX. 

Natives  ijf  England  ha\-e  proxen  good 
American  citizens  and  have  become  known 
in  all  parts  (jf  our  country  for  their  industry, 
integrity  and  patriotism.  A  prominent 
Eiiglish-born  American  citizen  of  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  is  William  Hodgson,  a 
farmer,  stock-raiser  and  fruit-grower  on 
section  20.  Reno  township,  whose  post- 
office  address  is  Hutchinson. 

\\'illiam  Hodgson  was  born  in  Cumber- 
land county,  in  the  north  of  England,  De- 
cember 25,  1842,  a  son  of  Attherington 
Hodgson,  also  a  native  of  Cumberland 
county,  who  took  his  given  name  from  his 
mother's  family.  Attherington  Hodgson 
was  a  son  of  William  Hodgson,  w^ho  in  his 
day  was  an  immensely  wealthy  land  pro- 
prietor, and  was  given  an  excellent  educa- 
tion in  English  universities  and  became  a 
man  of  fine  scholarly  attainments  and  pow- 
erful intellect.  He  was  married  in  England 
to  Rebecca  Smithson,  also  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, where  they  resided  some  time  after 
they  were  married.  Eventually,  owing  to 
some  disagreement  with  his  relatives, 
Attherington  Hodgson  came  to  America, 
and  not  long  after  his  departure  the  subject 
of  this  sketcli  was  born.  A  year  after  he 
went  away  liis  wife,  who  then  had  three 
small  children,  followed  him  and  the  family 
located  in  Taunton,  Massachusetts.  L'p  to 
that  time  Mr.  Hodgson  had  never  found  it 
necessary  to  follow  any  occupation  and  he 
then  took  up  the  work  of  block-printing,  a 
trade  'connected  with  the  manufacture  of 
.\merican  cotton  prints.  He  was  thus  em- 
ployed until  about  1856.  when  he  moved 
with  his  fajuily  to  Steele  county,  Minnesota, 
where  he  and  Thomas  Smithson,  his 
In-i'tlier-in-law,  each  loftited  on  a  quarter 
section  of  government  land. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


3'5 


Tlie  part  of  ]\linnesota  to  which  reler- 
ei:ce  has  been  made  was  at  that  time  one 
of  the  extreme  outposts  of  civilization  on 
our  western  frontier  and  \vas  on  th&  border 
of  a  wilderness  infested  by  Sioux  and  Win- 
nebago Indians,  who  while  not  hostile  to  the 
whites  were  constantly  engaged  in  tribal 
warfare  and  once  fought  a  desperate  battle 
near  Mr.  Hodgson's  homestead.  The  fam- 
ily encountered  many  trials,  hardships  and 
privations  in  that  new  country  and  there 
came  a  time  when  they  were  compelled  to 
seek  the  wild  jjroducts  of  the  woods  near 
their  home  in  order  to  eke  out  an  existence ; 
but  as  the  years  went  by  their  fortunes  im- 
prf5ved  and'  Attherington  Hodgsou  became 
a  ]n-oniinent  man  in  that  part  of  the  country 
and  filled  many  local  offices.  He  was  long 
active  in  the  promotion  of  public  education 
and  .influential  in  tow^nship.  county  and 
state  affairs.  He  was  an  earnest  abolition- 
ist, and  once  said  in  a  public  speech : 
■■■'J'here  is  one  law  that  I  will  break — I  will 
protect  runaway  slaves."  Such  unfor- 
tunates were  often  sheltered  under  his  roof 
and  on  one  occasion  lie  harljored  two  slaves, 
a  man  and  a  wi^man  ^f  ]in  miincnce,  who 
had  made  llicir  way  thi>  far  fr- m  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina.  The  wi;nian  -was  a 
daughter  of  Ex-Senator  Reeves,  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  the  man  was  known  as  Craft ; 
and  they  played  the  role  of  mistress  and 
servant  so  cleverly  that  they  had  escaped  all 
suspicion,  for  she  was  nearly  white  and  was 
educated  and  of  refined  appearance  and  man- 
ners, and  at  times,  to  keep  up  appearances, 
she  would  cut  her  companion  severely  with 
a  whip,  to  which  indignity  he  submitted 
with  the  deference  due  to  a  ser\-ant  from  his 
mistress.  The  pair  left  Islw  Hodgsou"? 
place  at  twelve  o'clock  at  night  and  arrived 
safely  in  Canada,  and  the  man,  who  had 
struck  Mr.  Hodgson  as  being  remarl<a1)ly 
inteIHgent,  was  afterward  heard  fri:im  as  a 
lecturer  in  England.  Originally  an  old-line 
Wiiig,  Mr.  Hodgson  naturally  gravitated 
into  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  was 
an  ardent  meiuber  from  its  organization  un- 
til the  end  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  had 
both  been  baptized  into  the  English  church. 
The  latter  died  in  1861,  and  ^Ir.  Hodgson 


remained  on  his  farm  in  ^Minnesota  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  188O. 

William  Hodgson  was  the  third  in  or- 
der of  birth  of  his  parents'  family  of  eight 
children,  seven  of  whom  are  living.  Rich- 
ard ETodgson,  M.  D.,  a  retired  physician  of 
Stonham,  a  suburb  of  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, pursued  his  professional  studies  at^ 
Heidelburg,  Germany,  and  received  three 
diplomas  and  during  the  years  of  his  active 
practice  was  known  as  one  of  the  ablest 
physicians  in.  southeastern  Massachusetts. 
Elizabeth  n/iarried  E.  J.  Crandle,  a  promi- 
nent citizen  and  farmer  of  Deerfield,  Steele 
count).  Minnesota.  Miss  Jennie  Hodgson 
lives  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  W.  J.  Sponsler, 
in  Reno  township.  Attherington  Hodgson, 
now  living  retired  at  Chicago,  Illinois,  was 

'  formerly  engaged  extensively  in  the  stock 
business  in  Kansas,  Montana  and  Indian 
Territory.  Thomas  Hodgson,  M.  D.,  gained 
his  medical  diploma  in  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, and  since  1S73  has  been  practicing  his 
profession  successfully  at  Middleborough, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  is  very  popular, 
Mary  married  W.  J.  Sponsler,  a  farmer, 
stockman  and  fruit-grower,  who  lives  in  the 
south  half  of  section  20,  Reno  township. 
Sarah,  while  on  a  visit  in  Massachusetts, 
contracted  a  severe  cold,  froni  the  effects  of 
which  she  ne\-er  recovered  and  died  in  Reno 
township  aljout  1879. 

Mr.  Hc'dgson  recei\ed  the  rudiments  of 
his  education,  in  [Massachusetts  and  finisiied 

I  his  schooling  in  the  little  log  school  house 
near  the  family  home  in  Steele  county,  Min- 

i  nesota.  When  not  attending  school  or 
working  on  the  farmi  he  amused  himself  by 
hunting  or  fishing  with  the  Indians.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  his  patriotic  spirit 
impelled  him  to  enlist  in  the  service  of  his 
country  and  his  father  permitted  him  to 
choose  between  going  to  war  or  going  to 
college.     Without  any  hesitation  he  enlisted 

1  in  Company  E,  Fourth  Regiiuent,  Minne- 

j  sota  Volunteer  Infantrj,  at  Fort  Snelling. 
Minnesota,  October  i,  1861.  His  regiment 
was  sent  tO'  the  frontier  to  relieve  regular 
troops  who  were  .going  south  and  did  gar- 
rison duty  there  until  April  20,  1862,  when 
it  was  sent  to  tlie  seat  of  war.     It  was  at 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


the  battle  cf  Farniingtcn,  the  siege  of  Cor- 
inth and:  participated  in  the  battle  of  luka, 
Sep-tember  19,  1862,  in  the  battle  of  Cor- 
inth, October  4  and  5  following,  and  was  in 
the  overland  expedition  which  had  for  its 
object  the  capture  of  Vicksburg,  when 
Grant's  base  of  supplies  were  broken  up. 
Then  the  regiment  returned  to  Memphis  and 

"during  the  winter  cf  1862-63  it  assisted  to 
guard  the  railroad  line  between  ^Memphis 
and  La  Grange. 

March  i.  1863,  Mr.  Hodgson's  regiment 
left  Memphis  in  company  with  Ross"  and 
Buford's  brigades  of  Quimby's  division 
of  the  Thirteenth  Army  Corps  on  the  his- 
toric expedition  to  Yazoo  pass.  A  squad  of 
cavalry  from  this  command,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  two  gunboats  and  the  ram  India- 
nola,  cut  the  Mississippi  levee  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi side  seven  miles  below  Helena,  Ar- 
kansas, and  then  the  expedition  proceeded 
as  far  as  Greensburg,  on  the  Yallabusha 
river,  and  from  there  returned  to  Helena. 
From  there  the  regiment  was  sent  to  Milli- 
ken's  Bend  and  formed  a  part  of  the  army 
engaged  in  the  campaign  which  resulted  in 

'the  capture  of  Vicksburg;  and  during  that 
campaign  it  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Fort 
Gibson,  Forty  Springs,  Raymond,  Jackson 
and  Champion  Hills- and  in  the  assault  on 
Vicksburg,  May  22,  1863.  in  which  Com- 
pany E  was  terribly  cut  up.  Mr.  Hodgson 
and  one  comrade  being  the  only  ones  of  its 
members  who  reached  the  most  ad\-anced 
point  in  its  forward  movement.  In  the  as- 
sault on  Fort  Pemberton  the  Fourth  Minne- 
sota was  held  in  reserve,  but  Mr.  Hodgson 
seized  his  musket  and  joined  the  attacking 
force  and  received  a  gunshot  wound  in  the 
forehead,  which  rendered  him  unconscious 
for  two  horn-s,  his  life  being  saved  only  by 
the  heavy  visor  of  his  cap  which  had  only 
a  few  minutes  before  been  lowered  to.  pro- 
tect his  eyes  from  the  rays  of  the  sun  which 
was  shining  in  his  face.  Though  his  skull 
was  slightly  fractured,  he  sprang  up  as  soon 
as  he  recovered  consciousness  and  noting 
the  fact  that  the  fight  was  still  raging 
grasped  his  musket  and  fought  desperately 
for  perhaps  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  until 
he  fainted  from  pain  and  exhaustion.     He 


lay  en  the  field  until  almost  morning,  then 
recovering  consciousness  he  dragged  him- 
self to  the  Union  lines  and  there  lay  in  a 
bomb-proof  for  two  or  three  days  until  he 
was  able  to  report  for  duty. 

In  recognition  of  his  gallantry  the 
Fourth  Minnesota  was  designated  as  the 
first  tO'  march  into  Vicksburg  after  the  sur- 
render of  that  Confederate  stronghold,  and 
there  it  was  stationed  until  after  the  battle 
of  Chickamauga,  when  the  command  to] 
which  it  was  attached  was  ordered  to  Mem- 
phis. From  ]\Iemphis  it  was  sent  on  a  four- 
hundred-mile  march  across  the  mountains 
to  the  relief  of  General  Thomas,  who  was 
shut  up  at  Chattanooga  besieged  by  the 
Confederate  General  Bragg'.  On  this  long;, 
weary  march  the  army  suffered  terrible 
hardships.  On  reaching  Lookout  Moun- 
tain it  skirted  that  eminence  at  nighj  and 
during  all  of  its  slow  progress  over  a  dis- 
tance of  thirteen  miles  not  a  member  of  the 
command  was  permitted  to  speak  or  light 
a  match.  It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing when  the  river  was  reached,  and  Colonel 
Tourtellotte  volunteered  to  cross  over  with 
his  regiment  and  capture  the  Confederate 
picket  line  on  the  other  side,  and  Company 
E,  of  the  Fourth  Minnesota,  led  the  advance 
in  canvas  boats.  The  fog  was  so  dense  that 
at  the  time  nothing  could  be  seen,  and  Mr. 
Hodgson,  who  was  an  expert  riverman. 
stood  in  the  foremost  boat  holding  his  hand 
in  the  water,  feeling  the  force  of  the  current 
to  determine  the  direction  it  should  take. 
When  a  landing  was  made  the  Confederate 
camp  fires  were  visible  and  the  entire  force, 
which  constituted  the  Confederate  picket 
line,  extending  for  a  distance  of  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile,  was  captured,  the  prisoners 
numbering  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine.  At 
daylight  pontoons  were  thrown  across  the 
ri\'er  and  the  army  was  soon  crossing.  The 
next  day  Mr.  Hodgson  fought  gallantly  in 
the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge.  The  regi- 
ment wintered  at  W'hitesburg,  on  the  Ala- 
bama river,  and  as  \\'heeler's  cavalry  was 
stationed  on  the  opposite  shore  there  were 
mjany  skirmishes. 

March  20.  1864.  Mr.  Hodgson  was 
granted  a  \eteran  furlough  for  thirty  days, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


and  after  he  rejoined  his  command  he  took 
part  in  the  campaign  against  Atlanta,  and 
when  the  Federal  forces  reached  that  point 
liis  regiment  was  ordered  to  the  railroad 
line. between  Chattanooga  and  the  front. 
Tb.e  fourth  Minnesota,  the  Eighth  Wiscon- 
sin and  the  Ninety-third  Illinois  were  sta- 
tioned' at  Allatoona  Pass,  to  guard  that  im- 
portant point,  when  they  were  attacked  by 
French's  division  of  Hood's  army  and  a 
desperate  fight  ensued,  which  lasted  fro5T) 
•  ten  A.  M.  until  two  P.  M.  It  was  to  the 
Federal  soldiers  engaged  there  at  that  time 
that  General  Sherman  sent  his  famous  mes- 
sage, "Hold  the  fort  for  I  am  coming." 
yir.  Hodgson  was  color  bearer  but  he  stuck 
the  stafT  of  his  flag  in  a  crevice  in  the  ra:-> 
part  of  the  fort  and  got  a  gun  and  fired 
(  round  after  round  at  the  enemy  until  com- 
''  pelled  to  return  tO'  his  colors  by  his  superior 
officers,  aand  then  as  soon  as  he  was  no 
longer  under  restraint  he  climbed  a  persim- 
mcn  tree  which  grew  within  the  fort  and 
fired  rapidly  for  half  an  li'  ur.  dui-ing  wliic'i 
time  he  was  a  target  for  luimlrcN  i  f  (_'('ii- 
federate  sharpshooters,  the  lialls  f r< 'in  whose 
guns  struck  the  trees  but  did  not  injure  him. 
Soine  idea  of  the  fierceness  of  this  fight  will 
be  afforded  by  the  statement  that  of  a  Fed- 
eral force  of  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty- 
three  seven  hundred  and  fifty-twO'  w"ere 
killed  and  wounded,  while  the  Confederate 
loss  was  twenty-two  hundred.  After  that 
I  Mr.  Hodgson  fought  under  General  Sher- 
man until  after  the  fall  of  Savannah.  He 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bentonville,  South 
Caiolina,  and  in  the  final  movement  which 
resulted  in  the  surrender  of  Johnston's  army 
and  his  reginient  had  marched  back  as  far 
as  Raleigh  when  news  was  Ijrought  to  the 
victorious  Federals  of  the  assassination  of 
President  Lincoln.  In  the  granrl  review  at 
\\'ashington.  District  (  f  Columbia,  after  the 
confederacy  had  lieen  overthrown,  the  gal- 
lant Fourtii  Minnesota  was  the  first  in  line 
in  Sherman's  army  and  Mr.  Hodgson  was 
the  first  colcr-bearer  in  that  regiment.  He 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service  July  19, 
1865,  and  a  month  later  his  regiment  was 
dislianded  at  St.  Paul.  Minnesota,  and  two 


weeks  after  th.at  he  received  bis  final  (h— 
charge  anil  was  paid  off. 

Returning  to  his  old  home  in  Steele 
county,  Minnesota,  he  remained  with  his 
father  until  November  8,  1865,  when  he 
married,  at  Deerfield,  that  county,  Mi>> 
Ellen  Ware,  a  native  of  Pennfield,  Monroe 
county.  New  York,  born  October  18,  1846, 
a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  and  Sophia 
(Mixer)  Ware.  Mrs.  Hodgson's  grand- 
father in  the  maternal  line  was  a  veteran  of 
the  war  of  1812.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Ware 
was  descended  from  Scotch  covenanters  and 
was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland.  He  was 
pastor  of  ihe  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
and  died  at  Owatouna,  Steele  county,  ]\Iin- 
nesota,  September  17,  1884,  while  his  wife 
died  at  the  same  place  September  13,  1896. 
For  some  time  before  her  marriage  }.Irs. 
Hodgson  taug'ht  school  successfully  in  Min- 
nesota. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Hodgson  liought 
an  eighty-acre  farm  in  Minnesota  from  his 
father-in-law  and  lived  upon  it  until  1867, 
wiuMi  he  rcni'^\eil  tn  Springfield,  Missouri, 
wiicrc-  tor  a  }'ear  he  was  engaged  in  land- 
scape gardening.  Then  he  located  in  Jas- 
I)er  coiunty.  in  southwest  Missouri,  where 
he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1S73,  when 
he  settled  in  Reno  township,  Reno"  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  had  taken  up  a  soldier's 
homestead,  which  he  has  since  improved 
into  the  fine  farm  on  which  he  now  lives. 
He  and  bis  wife  and"  their  babe  made  the 
jo'urney  from  Missoiuri  in  a  wagon,  arri\-- 
ing  April  14.  He  erected  a  ten-by-sixteen- 
foot  hon.se,  a  mere  makeshift,  for  a  resi- 
dence, and  broke  forty  acres  of  his  land  and 
planted  it  to  corn.  The  next  year  he  planted 
sixty  acres  to  corn  and  raised  a  good  quan- 
tity of  wheat  and  oats^  but  most  of  his  crop 
was  destroyed  by  grasshoppers  and  drought. 
In  1894  he  added  to  his  farm  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  20,  and  now  owns  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  has  an  or- 
chard of  forty  acres,  about  three  acres  of 
which  is  devoted  to  peaches,  the  remainder 
to  apples,  his  apple  trees  being  from  eight 
to  twenty-five  years  old.  In  1901  he  had  a 
hundred  acres  cf  wheat,  one  hundred  and 


3i8 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


twenty  acres  of  corn  and  fifteen  acres  of 
alfalfa,  and  he  usually  keeps  from  forty  to 
fiftv  head  of  cattle  and  does  considerable 
business  in  breeding,  buying  and  selling 
good  stock. 

j\Ir.  Hodgson  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  has  often  been  a  delegate  to  county  con- 
ventions of  his  party.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security  and  of 
Joe  Hooker  Post,  Xo.  17,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  of  Hutchinson.  He  has  filled 
the  office  of  township  trustee  and  has  been 
a  member  of  his  township  school  b,Gi3rd  ever 
since  his  settlement  in  Kansas.  To  ]Mr.  and 
]\Irs.  Hodgson  have  been  born  children  as 
follows:  Minnie  R.,  the  wife  of  Charles 
Theiss,  a  farmer,  who  lives  a  mile  and  a  half 
east  of  Nickerson,  Reno  county;  Alice  and 
Ella,  who  died  in  infancy  in  Jasper  county, 
Missouri;  Edward  R.,  who  operates  a  part 
of  his  father's  farm ;  Herbert  C,  who  lives 
with  his  father  and  assists  him  in  the  man- 
agement of  all  his  important  business 
affairs;  William,  who  is  a  member  of  his 
parents'  household  and  belongs  to  the  Sec- 
ond Regiment,  Kansas  State  Guards. 

On  the  section  on  \\hich  Mr.  Hodgson 
has  his  homestead  six  hundred  wagon  loads 
of  buffalo  bones  were  gathered  up  after  the 
buft'aloes-had  become  extinct  in  that  locality, 
and  during  the  hard  times  of  the  pioneer 
period  the  people  made  them  a  source  of 
revenue.  During  the  summer  following 
j\Ir.  Hodgson's  settlement  in  Kansas  a  buf- 
falo was  killed  on  ]Main  street  in  Hutchin- 
son. There  were  many  wild  horses  in  the 
country  and  sometimes  some  of  them  would 
ccax  off  team  horses  and  mules.  In  the  fall 
and  winter  of  1873  Mr.  Hodgson  went  out 
with  hunting  parties  to  a  distance  of  twenty- 
five  miles  and  assisted  in  kiling  inany 
buft'aloes  for  their  meat  and  hides, 
and  on  one  occasion,  from  a  knoll 
whicli  commanded  a  wide  view,  he 
saw  a  herd  cA  buffaloes  that  ex- 
tended even  beyond  the  limit  of  his  vision. 
Sometimes  a  single  herd  passing  over  a 
farm  would  trample  and  totally  ruin  a 
whole  crop,  thoug^h  the  animals  never 
paused  to  eat  corn  i;r  other  grain.  After 
the  buft'aloes  were  gone  people  hunted  their 


bones  for  years.  Mr.  Hodgson  has  many 
interesting  reminiscences  of  early  days  in 
Kansas  and  of  the  dangers  and  perils  of  the 
Civil  war,  but,  so  modest  is  he,  he  cannot 
be  induced  to  talk  for  publication  about 
many  events  in  which  he  was  conspicuous 
and  not  at  all  about  certain  ones  in  which 
his  neighbors  say  he  played  the  part  of  a 
hero.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  his  war 
record  is  as  good  as  that  of  any  man  in  Kan- 
sas, and  he  is  an  earnest,  patriotic  citizen  of 
the  most  substantial  personal  w-orth,  a  gen- 
tle and  benevolent  man,  whose  sense  of  hon- 
or is  high  and  whose  deportment  in  all  re- 
lations of  his  busy  and  useful  life  has  been 
admirable  and  in  all  ways  worthy  of  emula- 
tion by  young  men. 


RICHARD  H.  HOLTOX. 

The.  name  of  Richard  H.  Holton  is 
deeply  engraved  on  the  pages  of  Reno 
county's  history,  for  througli  many  years  he 
has  been  a  most  important  factor  in  the 
agricultural  and  financial  interests  of  this 
section  of  the  state.  The  splendid  success 
which  has  come  to  him  is  directly  traceable 
to  the  salient  points  of  his  character.  With 
a  mind  capable  of  planning,  he  has  combined 
a  will  strong  enough  to  execute  his  well- 
formulated  purposes,  and  his  great  energy, 
keen  discrimination  and  perseverance  have 
resulted  in  the  accumulation  of  a  handsome 
property,  which  places  him  among  the  lead- 
ing and  substantial  citizens  of  southern  Kan- 
sas. 

^Ir.  H^olton  was  born  in  Hancock  coun- 
ty. Illiriois,  on  the  4th  of  May,  1870,  and  is 
cf  Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  paternal 
grandfather  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  the  Prairie  state,  having  been  one  of  the 
first  to  locate  in  the  vicinity  of  Plymouth, 
Hancock  county,  and  during  the  entire 
period  of  his  residence  there  he  was  engaged 
in  the  tilling  of  the  soil.  His  death  there 
occurred  many  years  ago.  He  was  the  fa- 
ther of  three  sons, — Charles,  a  minister  of 
the  Baptist  church ;  Wallace,  a  prominent 
farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Hancock  county, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


319 


Illinois,  of  which  place  his  brother  Charles 
is  also  a  resident ;  and  Wesley,  the  father  of 
our  subject.  The  latter  also  claimed  Illi- 
nois as  the  state  of  his  nativity,  and  he  was 
reared  tO'  manhood  on  his  father's  farm  near 
Plymouth.  During  the  war  of  the  Rebel- 
lion he  ciffered  liis  services  to  the  Union 
cause,  his  military  career  covering  a  period 
of  a  year  and  a  half,  and  after  his  return 
from  the  war,  about  1868,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Hattie  Polite,  a  native  of  Ohio. 
When  a  child  she  was  taken  by  lier  parents.  I 
Richard  and  Xancy  (McElhaney)  Polite, 
also  natives  of  the  Buckeye  state,  tO'  Illinois,  ! 
the  .family  locating  in  Hancock  county. 
She  has  two  brothers  and  two  sisters  liv- 
ing: R.  H.,  a  prominent  stockman  of  Guth- 
rie, Oklahoma ;  Levi,  a  farmer  of  Osawat- 
omie,  Kansas :  Sadie,  wife  of  J.  J.  Samp- 
son, a  farmer  and  stockman  of  Lacygne, 
Kansas;  and  Nancy,  wife  of  Sol  Fry,  a 
brick-mason  of  Carthage,   Missouri. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  rfol- 
ton  located  on  a  farm  in  Hancock  county, 
Illinois,' and  there  the  former  died  in  1883. 
He,  too,  followed  farming  as  a  life  occupa- 
tion, and  in  political  matters  he  gave  an  un- 
faltering support  to  the  Republican  party. 
The  mijther  was  a  second  time  married, 
.wedding  P.  C.  Reger,  and  shortly  afterward 
they  reniL  ved  to  tlie  west,  locating  first  in 
Linn  county,  Kansas,  and  from  there  they 
renro\-ed  to  Jefferson  county.  Nebraska. 
Their  next  place  of  residence  was  in  Kins- 
ley county,  Kansas,  thence  removing  to 
Larned,  next  to  Reno  and  finally  they  lo- 
cated in  South  Hutchinson,  where  Mr. 
Reger  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  stock. 
By  her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Reger  became 
the  mother  of  two  children. — Richard  H.. 
the  subject  of  this  review ;  and  Lilly,  the 
\vife  of  C.  W.  Granson,  a  prominent  farmer 
if  \'alley  township.  Reno  county. 

The  first  twelve  years  of  cur  subject's 
life  were  spent  in  Hancock  county.  Illinois, 
his  native  place,  where  he  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools.  On  the  expiration  of  that 
peril  (1  he  rem0'\-ed  with  his  mother  to  Linn 
ci  untv,  Kansas,  and  after  remaining  with 
her  fi  r  a  time  spent  a  year  in  Bates  county, 
where  he  again  attended  school.     The  'suc- 


ceeding four  years  were  spent  in  various  lo- 
calities in  Missouri,  Kansas  and  Nebraska, 
during  a  part  of  which  time  he  made  his 
home  with  his  uncle,  R.  H.  Polite,  in  Bates 
county,  Missouri.  During  those  years  he 
was  engaged  at  farm  labor,  in  taking  care 
of  cattle  and  at  various  other  occupations. 
Returning  to  Larned,  Kansas,  Mr.  Holton 
was  there  employed  on  the  stock  farm  of  a 
Mr.  Ripley  for  one  year,  and  in  1888  he 
came  to  Reno  county,  Kansas,  locating 
eight  miles  south  of  Hutchinson,  and  dtu'- 
ing  the  following  season  he  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  with  his  stepfather, 
P.  C.  Reger.  The  following  year  was  spent 
by  Mr.  Holton  south  of  Hutchinson,  and  he 
then  took  up  his  abode  four  miles  east  of 
that  city,  where  he  remained  for  a  short  tinie. 
In  the  spring  of  1893,  in  company  with 
Sanruel  Spickard,  whose  history  will  be 
found  on  another  page  of  this  volume,  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  cvf 
partially  improved  land  where  he  now  re- 
sides, and  soon  this  enteqjrising  firm  began 
to  do  an  enormous  business  in  buying  and 
selhng  stock.  They  also  began  adding  ti> 
their  landed  possessions,  purchasing  the 
quarter  section  of  land  now  included  in  yir. 
Holton's  present  farm,  and  in  the  course  of 
a  few  years  they  added  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  7,  next  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  8  and  later  the  north  half  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  7,  all  in  Valley 
township.  Their  next  purchase  of  land  con- 
sisted of  the  southeast  (|uarter  of  section  12 
in  Clay  township,  after  which  they  became 
owners  of  the  m  rtheast  quarter  of  section 
7  and  also  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
17,  all  having  been  purchased  about  the 
same  time;  next  they  bought  three-quarters 
O'f  the  north  half  and  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  27,  Sumner  township;  and  after- 
ward the  northwest  quarter  and  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  15,  also  in  Sumner 
township. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  firm  of  Hol- 
ton &  Spickard  became  owners  of  a  mag- 
nificent tract  of  land,  but  on  the  12th  of 
December,  1901,  this  partnership  was  dis- 
solved and  since  that  time  Mr.  Holton  has 
carried  on  o-ncrations  alone.     He  now  owns 


320 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


aljout  one  thousand  eiglit  hundred  and  fi.rty 
acres  of  land,  located  in  Clay.  \'alley  and 
Sumner  townships,  about  one  thousand 
acres  of  which  is  under  cultivation  and  the 
remainder  is  devoted  to  pasturage.  On  this 
magnificient  estate  he  has  erected  a  beau- 
tiful ten-room  house,  twenty-eight  by 
twenty-eight  feet,  with  a  kitchen  fourteen 
by  sixteen  feet,  the  latter  haying  been  built 
in  1897.  He  also  has  a  large  barn,  forty- 
eight  by  sixty-two  feet ;  two  cribs,  each  one 
hundred  and  fort}-  l>y  one  hundred  and 
sixty  feet;  a  mill  house,  sixteen  by  twenty- 
four  feet;  an  engine  house,  sixteen  by 
twenty  feet;  and  a  blacksmith  shop,  in 
which  he  has  a  fifteen-ton  scale,  worth  five 
hundred  dollars.  Three  years  ago  he  pur- 
chased a  threshing  outfit,  with  a  Nicholas 
&  Shepherd  engine  and  a  J.  I.  Case  sepa- 
rator. His  immense  shed  for  storing  his 
farm  implements  is  one  hundred  and  sixty 
feet  in  length,  and  is  entirely  filled  with  the 
latest  and  Ijest  improved  machinery  used  in 
his  extensive  farming  and  stock-raising  in- 
terests. Among  them  may  be  mentioned  ten 
wagons,  four  binders,  corn  shellers  and 
many  other  conveniences  for  facilitating  his 
work.  During  the  past  year  Mr.  Holtcm 
devoted  three  hundred  and  ninety  acres  of 
land  to  the  raising  of  wheat,  and  the  re- 
mainder was  planted  with  oats,  alfalfa  and 
corn,  which  yielded  bountiful  returns.  Dur- 
ing the  present  year  he  has  eight  hundred 
acres  planted  with  wheat  and  rye.  Since 
1889  Mr.  Holton  has  also  devoted  a  part  of 
his  time  and  attention  to  the  raising  of 
stock,  and  in  his  pastures  at  the  present 
time  ma}'  be  found  about  one  thousand  head 
of  cattle,  one  hundred  and  fifty  hogs,  fifty 
mules  and  twenty-five  horses.  Until  recent 
years  he  mainly  confined  this  line  to  buy- 
ing, feeding  and  selling,  but  a.  few  years  ago 
he  began  the  raising  of  cattle,  and  he  now 
has  a  fine  grade  of  short-horns  in  his  pas- 
tures in  Sumner  township.  His  plan  in  the 
past  had  been  to  purchase  yearlings,  which 
he  would  hold  until  about  three  years  old 
and  then  sell,  and  in  this  way  he  consumed 
about  five  hundred  bushels  of  corn  annu- 
ally. From  1897  until  1898  he  did  an  enor- 
mous   stock    business.    ha\-ing    as    higl:    as 


three  thousand  head  of  cattle  in  his  pastures. 
During  the  present  season  he  expects  to 
winter  about  one  thousand  head.  He  has 
steadily  worked  his  way  upward  to  a  posi- 
tion of  wealth  and  affluence,  overcoming 
many  difficulties  and  obstacles  in  his  path, 
and  step  by  step  he  has  advanced  steadily 
along  the  tried  paths  of  honorable  effort  un- 
til he  has  reached  the  goal  of  prosperity. 
I\Ir.  Holton  has  never  married,  and  his 
home  is  presided  o\-er  by  INIrs.  Wilbert,  whu. 
with  her  husband,  B.  E.  Wilbert,  make  their 
home  with  him.  In  his  political  affiliations 
he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  although  he 
is  public-spirited  to  an  eminent  degree  he 
has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  political  hon- 
ors, as  his  enormous  business  interests  claim 
his  entire  time  and  attention.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  famous  elevator  at  Haven,  and. 
is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Park  Associ- 
ation of  Hutchinson.  In  his  fraternal  re- 
lations he  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 
No  one  in  the  community  enjoys  a  better 
reputation  for  integrity  of  word  and  deed, 
and  his  true  worth  and  kindly  life  have  en- 
deared him  to  all  who  know  him. 


I  CAPTAIN  FREDERICK  J.  GRIFFITH. 

:  Captain  F.  J.  Griffith,  a  descendant  of 
an  aristocratic  family  of  England  and 
^^'ales,  and  an  honored  pioneer  of  Kansas, 
was  born  at  Longtown,  ^^'ales,  February  2, 
1820,  a  son  of  James  and  Charlotte  (Pros- 
ser)  Griffith,  the  former  a  native  of  Eng- 
land and  the  latter  of  \yales,  where  they 
were  married.  Doth  families  had  landed 
estates  in  Wales  and  had  farming  conducted 
extensively.  Thus  when  his  ancestors  died 
James,  the  father  of  our  subject,  inherited" 
large  landed  estates  in  Wales,  a  portion  of 
which  yet  remains  his  undivided  estate.  Dur- 
ing the  war  between  England  and  France 
he  was  in  the  commissary  department  and 
I  made  heavy  purchases  of  cattle  and  other 
I  supplies.  Inn  was  a  hea\-v  loser  bv  the 
I  transactions.  In  1S24  his  wife  diecj  and 
left  him  with  seven  children,  namely :  Char- 
lotte,   the   wife   of    P.    Steiihens;    Elizaljeth. 


CAPT.    F.    |.   GRIFFITH. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


who  married  \\'illiam  Harris  aiiJ  vet  re- 
sides in  Lengtown.  \\'ales :  Caroline,  who 
liecame  the  wife  of  George  Lingham :  James 
J.,  Jr..  who  died  ifi  Wales;  John,  who  died 
in  Battle  Creek.  Michigan:  Frederick  J.,  the 
suhject  of  this  sketch;  and  ^^'illianl.  a  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  now 
li\ing  in  Ohio.  The  father  of  this  family 
was  a  man  of  considerable  political  influ- 
ence, was  a  Chartist,  and  usedi  his  influence 
to  (lestn:\-  llic  ;i]i|i-iiUr.  r  ]■,  wer  of  tlic  .q-ov- 
ernment,  liclic\  iiil;  in  :'  ,U'  \  ernment  Iw  the 
people  and  that  the  Hiiii.-c  >  I'  Lnrds  sluHild 
ije  elected  by  the  peojile.  Tlie  -ox-ernment 
took  action  against  all  these  a.i^itators  and'  he 
with  others  was  banished  from  Wales,  and 
in  1828  he  brought  his  family  to  America. 
One  of  his  daughters,  who  had  married,  re- 
mained in  Wales  and  took  charge  of  her 
father's  estates  and  interests  there,  where 
she  died.  He  landed  at  New  York  city, 
where  he  remained  a  few  years  and  then 
came  to  Ohio,  locating-  in  Lorain  county. 
He  was  reared'  in  the  faitli  of  the  church  of 
England  but  after  coming-  to  America  uni- 
ted with  the  :\Ietli(u;list  church.  He  had 
plent\-  of  nione\-  and  was  not  compelled'  to 
engage  in  anv  Inisiness.  Ele  never  married 
again,  and  after  lii^  ^'  n.  tlie  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  marrKMl  lie  made  his  home  with 
him.  and  died  in  I'itt^l'una.  Pennsylvania. 

Captain  Frederick  J.  Griffith,  whose 
name  introduces  this  review,  came  to  Amer- 
ica when  about  eight  years  of  age.  went  to 
Ohio  when  thirteen  years  of  age  and  soou 
afterward  apprenticed  himself  to  a  shoe- 
maker. Later  he  joined  a  journeyman  shoe- 
niaker.  traveled  with  him  and  so  learned  the 
trade.  They  went  to  Canada,  working  at 
London,  Chatham  and  other  towns  in  the 
Dominion  for  a  number  of  years.  AMiile 
thcA-  were  in  Canada  the  rebellion  broke  mit 
and  our  subject  \-i)lunteered.  was  made  lieu- 
tenant of  his  C"m|)an\-  and  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Fighting  Island,  where  he  and  all 
of  the  forces  had  to  retreat.  He  buried  his 
sword  and  returned  to  America,  but  after- 
ward returned,  secured  his  sword  and  then 
\\-ent  to  Detroit,  where  he  was  employed  at 
his  trade  for  some  time,  and  there  he  wa- 
married.     He  then  returned  to  Ohio,  where 


he  joined  his  father  and  family,  remaining 
with  them  until  1847,  when  he  moved  to 
Pittsburg,  where  he  followed  his  trade  for 
a  time  and  then  worked  in  a  r(jlling  mill. 
He  was  converted  to  Christianity  before  lie 
was  twenty  years  of  age.  and  soon  afterward 
began  exhorting.  Later  he  was  licensed  to 
preach,  and  in  September,  i860,  he  was  or- 
dained a  minister  by  the  Ohio  confereuce. 
In  1883  he  was  made  elder  of  scuthvvest 
Kansas.  He  was  under  several  conferences, 
traveled  a  circuit  containing  twenty-one  dif- 
ferent charges,  and  his  ministry  was  blessed 
by  the  conversion  .:f  m.iny  souls.  About 
1 897,  on  account  r,f  liis  .age,  he  left  the  cir- 
cuit and  has  since  given  less  time  and 
strength  to  ministerial  work,  only  occasion- 
ally filling  vacancies.  When  he  left  Pitts- 
burg he  moved  hia  family  to  Hanging  Rock. 
Ohio,  where  he  engaged  as  a  clerk  on  a 
steamboat  for  eighteen  months,  during 
which  time  he  preached  e\erv  Snmlav.  From 
that  place  he  went  to.  Piirtsnn  utli,  wliere  he 
engaged  as  a  tra\-eling  salesman  for  a  whole- 
sale house,  in  wliicli  p(!sitiou  he  continued 
two  years,  preaching  e\cr\  Sunday.  In  1871 
he  mo'ved  i<<  Kan'-a-.,  I.  rated  in  Rice  countv, 
entered  tlic  ci  aii'crcncc.  )\w]\^:<\  a  charge 
an<l  tra\'ele(l  one  }'ear,  recening  fur  his  ser- 
vices only  sixteen  dollars  and  ;i  half,  and  as 
he  had  to  furnish  his  own  con\-eyance  and 
pay  his  own  hotel  expenses  he  could  not 
afiford  tO'  continue  the  work  longer.  He  was 
then  elected  to  represent  his  county  in  the 
legislature,  serving  in  187 1-2.  and  was 
chiefly  instrumental  in  efifecting  the  organ- 
ization cif  Rice  ci'unty.  The  governor  had 
proclaimed  Atlanta  as  the  county  seat,  and 
there  consideralile  Inisiness  had  been  done, 
atifl  Captain  ( iriftith  secured  the  passage  of 
the  bill  wliicli  legalized  all  transactions.  He 
alsd  intri  winced  and  secured  the  passage  of 
a  liill  nipniing  every  section  to  establish  a 
pulilu-  111  lanl.  Later  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment fri  111  the  g'  \crnor  as  mail  agent  on  the 
Santa  Fc  Kaih-i  ad.  running  west  from 
Hutchinsi  n.  wliich  iiosition  he  filled  for 
eight  years,  after  which  he  again  entered 
conference  and  continued  preaching  until 
1807.  when  he  retired. 

\\'hile  at   Portsmouth.   Ohio,  he  helped 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


raise  a  company  of  volunteers,  entered  the 
service  as  a  pri^•ate,  but  upon  its  organiza- 
tion was  made  captain  of  Company  C,  Fifty- 
third  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was 
consigned  to  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps, 
Second  Division.  He  saw  much  hard  ser- 
vice, being  engaged  in  seventeen  hotly  con- 
tested battles  and  many  minor  engagements 
and  skirmishes.  At  the  battle  of  Shiloh  he 
lost  many  of  his  men.  They  were  next  en- 
gaged in  the  battle  of  Corinth,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Missionary  Ridge  he  was  severely 
wounded,  a  minie  ball  piercing  'his  right 
shoulder,  where  it  yet  remains,  causing  him 
much  suffering.  He  was  too  patriotic  ro 
leave  the  field  and  ne\-er  went  to  the  hos- 
pital, but  although  he  continued  with  his 
command  he  was  disabled  for  active  sersice 
and  took  charge  of  the  camp.  Later  he  re- 
ceived from  General  Grant  a  furloiigh  of 
thirty  days,  which  was  later  extended.  Dur- 
ing his  furlough  the  temi  of  enlistment  of 
the  regiment  expired,  the  men  were  honor- 
ably discharged  and  returned  home.  Soon 
afterward,  however,  most  of  the  "regiment 
veteranized  and  Captain  Griffith  was  made 
chaplain  of  the  regiment,  in  which  position 
he  continued  to  the  close  of  the  war.  The 
government  recognized  his  valuable  service 
and  gave  him  a  pension. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  he  took  up  a 
homestead  claim  in  Rice  county  and  im- 
proved a  good  farm,  which  he  conducted  as 
long  as  his  age  would  pennit.  He  built  a 
commodious  residence  at  Chase,  where  he 
yet  resides,  enjoying  a  well  earned  rest  and 
having  retired  from  all  active  labor.  In  1840 
he  was  married,  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  to 
Miss  !Mary  Wood,  a  native  of  England, 
wlience  her  father  emigrated  to  America, 
settling  in  New  York  state,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  and  he  and 
his  wife  died  in  the  faith  of  the  Baptist' 
church.  Their  children  were  :  Esther,  who 
became  tlie  wife  of  Henry  Clay :  Lydia ; 
]\Iary,  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  review ; 
Jane,  who  married  John  Morgan  :  and  Ann, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Hiram  ^^■ing.  The 
marriage  of  our  subject  audi  his  wife  was 
blessed  with  the  following  children :     James 


J.,  who  died  when  nineteen  years  of  age; 
Julia,  who  married  H.  Dodridge  and  died 
in  1897;  Matilda  M.,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Oliver  and  died  in  1874;  Fred- 
erick J.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years;  Amelia  J.,  wife  of  W.  Nichols;  Ar- 
ietta M.,  wife  of  Oscar  Noyes ;  and  Eugenia, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Albert  James,  and 
now  resides  at  the  homestead  and  cares  for 
her  father.  On  the  26th  of  September,  1899, 
the  mother  was  called  to  the  home  beyond, 
after  she  had  spent  sixty  years  of  loving 
and  faithful  companionship  with  her  hus- 
band. Him  she  ably  assisted  in  all  bis  min- 
isterial labors  for  the  conversion  and  ele\a- 
tion  of  men,  as  she  was  a  very  intelligent 
and  cultured  Christian  woman,  and  one 
whose  death  was  deeply  mourned-  by  her 
many  friends  and  the  entire  community, 
while  to  her  sorrowing  husband  and  chil- 
dren the  thought  of  her  loving,  self-sacri- 
ficing devotion  to  them  is  a  sweet  and  hal- 
lowed memory  and  her  earnest  Christian  life 
of  helpfulness  to  others  is  a  constant  incent- 
ive and  inspiration  to  them  to'  emulate  her 
noble  example. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Captain  Grif- 
fith was  fonnerly  a  \\'hig,  but  when  the  Re- 
publican party  was  formed  he  joined  its 
ranks  and  does  all  in  his  power  to  secure  the 
growth  and  promote  the  success  of  the  party. 
As  a  citizen  he  takes  a  deep  and  active  in- 
terest in  all  measures  for  the  advancement 
and  upbuilding  of  the  community  along  ed- 
ucational, material  and  moral  lines,  and  he 
commands  the  highest  respect  and  confidence 
of  his  fellow-  men,  by  whom  he  has  lieen 
chosen  and  elected  to  many  positions  of  pub- 
lic trust,  all  of  which  he  filled  with  great 
credit  to  himself  and  entire  satisfaction  of 
his  constituents.  He  served  as  postmaster 
of  Chase  for  four  years,  in  a  prompt,  busi- 
nesslike and  acceptable  manner,  and  was  a 
progressive,  practical,  energetic  and  enter- 
prising business  man  while  engaged  in  the 
active  duties  of  life,  while  in  the  quiet  retire- 
ment oi  old  age  he  is  still  much  beloved  for 
his  sterling  traits  of  character  and  is  well 
worthy  of  representation  in  a  work  de\-(;ited 
til  biography. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


323 


WILLIAM  S.  GROSVENOR. 

Great,  indeed,  have  been  the  changes 
which  time  and  man  have  wrought  since 
\\'illiam  Shelton  Grosvenor  arrived  in  Kan- 
sas, and  nO'  one  man  had  been  more  actively 
identified  with  the  work  of  improvement 
in  Kingman  county  than  he.  In  the  front 
rank  O'f  the  cohnnns  which  have  advanced 
the  civihzation  of  the  northwest  he  has  led 
the  way  tO'  the  substntial  development, 
progress  and  upbuilding  of  the  central  por- 
tion of  the  state,  being"  particularly  active 
in  the  growth  of  Kingman,  where  he  still 
makes  his  home. 

Mr.  Grosvenor  was  born  in  Bufifalo, 
New  York,  February  21,  1854,  and  is  de- 
scended from  one  of  the  old  American  fami- 
lies, the  first  of  the  name  in  this  country 
being  Richard  Grosvenor.  who  settled  at 
Pomfret,  Connecticut,  in  1640,  crossing  the 
Atlantic  from  England.  The  great-great- 
grandfather and  the  great-grandfather  of 
our  subject  both  participated  as  loyal  Amer- 
ican soldiers  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
while  Tliomas  Grosvenor,  who  entered  the 
service  as  captain,  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  colonel.  Abel  Moore  Grosvenor,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  the  first  of 
the  family  to  leave  the  Atlantic  coast  for 
regions  westward,  removing  to  Bufifalo, 
New  York,  in  1804.  He  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising there,  the  goods  being  trans- 
ported by  sloop  to  Troy,  New  York,  and 
thence  hauled  across  the  country,  for  not 
not  even  a  canal  had  been  dug  through  in 
those  days.  He  was  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Buffalo  and  his  letters  containing 
his  impressions  of  the  country  are  now  in 
possession  of  our  subject.  He  owned  lots 
that  are  now  in  the  center  of  the  city  and  he 
built  the  first  cotton  mill  that  was  operated 
in  that  part  of  the  crjuntry.  lie  served  as 
captain  of  a  militia  cunipany  in  the  war  of 
1 81 2  and  was  shut  at  the  time  Buft'alo  was 
captured  by  tlie  English,  the  wound  he  thus 
sustained  causing  his  death  several  years 
later.  He  married  Serene  Heacock,  also  a 
representative  of  a  prominent  family  of 
BufYalo. 

Seth  Heacock  Gros^-enor.  the  father  of 


our  subject,  was  born  in  Buffalo,  in  1810, 
and  after  arriving  at  man's  estate  engaged 
in  manufacturing,  staves  on  an  extensive 
scale.  He  also  owned  a  number  of  vessels 
and  engaged  in  the  shipping  business  be- 
tween points  on  the  Great  Lakes  and  tlie 
island  of  Cuba.  His  business  interests  were 
important  and  profitable.  In  his  political 
views  he  was  first  a  Whig  and  afterward  a 
Republican.  Throughout  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  he  was  a  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's 
cathedral  in  Buffalo  and  took  a  deep  inter- 
est in  everything  that  tended  to  promote  the 
material,  social  and  moral  welfare  of  the 
city.  He  married  .Miss  Jane  W^ey,  a  daugli- 
ter  of  Dr.  William  Wey,  a  physician  of  Cats- 
kill,  New  York,  at  which  place  Mrs.  Gros- 
venor was  born.  They  became  the  parents 
of  three  children,  who  are  yet  living,  Will- 
iam S.,  Abbie  and  Lucretia,  and  they  also 
lost  four  children.  The  father  died  at  the 
age  of  fifty-four  years,  while  the  mother 
reached  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-eight. 
In  the  public  schools  of  Buffalo  William 
Shelton  Grosvenor  began  his  education, 
whicli  was^ontinued  in  De  Veaux  College, 
at  Niagara"  Falls,  New  York.  He  studied 
mechanical  engineering  and  followed  that 
.vocation  for  several  years  in  Buffalo,  but 
determining  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  west 
he  left  the  Empire  state  in  1880  and  came 
to  Kingman  county,  Kansas,  proving  up 
land  in  Ninnescah  township,  where  he 
erected  a  roller  flouring  mill,  the  second  of 
the  kind  built  in  the  state.  The  mill  was 
erected  in  1881  and  the  machinery  was 
shipped  from  Buffalo  to  Hutchinson  and 
thence  hauled  to  Kingman  county  by  team. 
Everything  was  placed  in  shape  so  that  op- 
erations were  begun  in  January,  1882.  Mr. 
Grosvenor  built  tlie  mill  race  and  thereby 
gave  empl(jyment  to  many  of  the  early 
farmers  here,  who,  needing-  ready  money, 
took  this  method  of  acquiring  it.  As  there 
was  no  railroad  here  at  that  time  and  the 
county  was  but  thinly  settled,  the  products 
of  the  mill  were  sold  mostly  through  the 
south  and  west,  chiefly  to  large  ranchers. 
jVs  this  was  the  first  roller  mill  in  this  part 
of  the  state  his  goods. attained  a  reputation 
whicli  made  the  demand  tax  the  capacity  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


the  mill  to  the  utmost.  For  seven  years  'My. 
Grosvenor  successfully  conducted  his  enter- 
prise and  then  sold  out,  but  later  he  again 
came  into  possession  of  the  mill,  Avhich  he 
still  owns,  although  he  does  not  operate  it. 
As  the  years  had  passed  he  had  invested  in 
land  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  real 
estate  business.  He  has  erected  in  the  city 
both  residence  and  business  property,  but 
has  given  his  time  mostly  to  the  latter  and 
many  of  .the  fine  structures  of  the  county 
seat  now  stand  as  monuments  to  his  enter- 
prise and  labor.  He  has  charge  of  the  farm 
property  for  the  North  American  Trust 
Company  of  New  York  and  manages  the 
rental  of  this  in  addition  to  controlling  his 
own  extensive  real-estate  interests  here. 

Mr.  Grosvenor  is  a  man  of  resourceful 
business  ability  and  his  labors  have  been  ex- 
tended to  many  lines  of  activity,  whereby  he 
has  not  only  advanced  his  individual  suc- 
cess but  has  also  promoted  the  general  pros- 
perity. He  aided  in  sinking  the  first  salt 
shaft  in  Kingman  county,  previous  to  which 
time" there  was  no  knowledge  among  the 
people  that  there  were  any  salt  deposits  in 
this  part  of  the  state.  He  has  taken  an  act- 
ive part  in  the  development  of  all  enterprises 
for  the  advancement  of  the  community  and 
his  wise  counsel  and  sound  judgment,  com- 
bined with  his  energy,  have  proven  im- 
portant factors  in  the  successful  conduct  of 
many  business  interests. 

In  .St.  Catherine's,  Canada,  in  1875,  Mr. 
Grosvenor  married  iMiss  JuHetta  Frazier,  a 
daughter  of  W'illiam  J.  Frazier,  a  promi- 
nent contractor  and  builder  of  that  city. 
Three  children  were  born  unto  them,  of 
^\•llom  two  are  living.  ]Mabel  having  died  at 
the  age  of  eight  years.  Lucretia  S.  is  the 
wife  of  B.  -Anawalt,  of  Wichita,  Kansas ; 
'  and  Jane  W.  married  Clarence  L.  Barron, 
of  Kingman.  Mv.  and  Mrs.  Grosvenor  are 
communicants  of  the  Episcopalian  church  of 
Kingnian.  of  which  he  has  served  as  vestry- 
man and  is  now  treasurer.  In  politics  he  is 
a  stalwart  Repuljlican  and  has  several  times 
served  as  alderman  and  mayor  of  the  city, 
in  which  offices  he  has  used  his  prerogatives 
to  advance  the  best  interests  of  the  city  along 
all    lines    of    substantial    developiuent    and 


progress.  He  is  a  prominent  ]\Iason,  being 
one  of  the  firsf  tc  be  initiated  in  Ninnescab. 
Lodge.  No.  230,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  whic^  he 
has  served  as  trustee.  He  has  also  been 
iiigh  priest  of  Kingman  Chapter,  No.  71, 
R.  A.  M.,  and  commander  of  Kingman 
Commandery,  No.  34,  K.  T.  He  likewise 
has  membership  connection  with  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America,  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Ancient  Or- 
der oi  United  Workmen.  His  life  has  been 
one  of  nnabating  energy-  and  activity,  and  in 
the  channels  of  legitimate  business  he  has 
achieved  success,  being  now  the  possessor 
of  a  handsome  competence. 


j  FRANK  HARLO\\'. 

Frank  Harlow,  who  is  serving  as  post- 
master of  Kingman,  is  one  of  the  leading 
representatives  of  the  Republican  party  in 
this  portion  of  Kansas  and  is  a  prominent 
and  influential  citizens,  well  known  in  biisi- 
>ness  circles  as  well  as  in  political  councils. 
The  width  of  more  than  half  the  continent 
divides  him  from  his  birthplace — Portland, 
Maine.  His  natal  day  was  in  October.  1S50, 
and  he  is  a  repreaentative  of  the  family  in 
the  eighth  generation  in  America.  The  first 
of  the  name  to  come  to  this  country  was 
Sergeant  William  Harlow,  who  crossed  the 
Atlantic  from  England  in  1643  anl  located 
nt  Plymouth,  IMassachusetts,  where  mem- 
bers of  the  family  make  their  home  to  this 
day.  The  great-grandfather  of  cur  subject 
was  the  first  to  leave  that  locality,  removing 
thence  to  Portland,  IMaine.  At  that  time 
'there  was  a  heavy  trade  between  that  point 
'and  the  West  Indies  and  the  family  became 
interested  in  shipping.  Lazarus  Harlow,  the 
granfl father,  and  William  Harlow,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  were  both  born  in  Port- 
land. The  latter  while  not  a  politician  in 
'the  sense  of  office  seeking,  was  an  earnest 
Republican,  giving  an  unfaltering  supfoort 
-to  the  party  from  the  time  of  its  cfganiza- 
■tion.  In  1 86 1  he  left  his  native  state  and 
for  a  number  of  years  resided  in  Syracuse, 
New  York,  but  silent  his  last  days  in  Con- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


325 


necticut.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian 
church  and  attained  the  good  old  age  of 
se\'eiU}-ii\e  _\£ars.  His  wife  died  in  185 1. 
She  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Louisa  H. 
Daniels  and  was  a  daughtr  of  Ebenezer 
Daniels,  an  old  sea  captain  who  was  engaged 
in  trade  between  Portland  and  the  West  In- 
dies, owning  the  ship  which  he  commanded. 
In  the  Harlow  family  were  three  children, 
a  brother,  of  Tibbe.  Connecticut,  and  a  sis- 
ter, of  Seattle,  \\'ashing"ton. 

Frank  Harlow-,  whose  name  forms  the 
caption  of  this  review,  pursued  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Syracuse,  Xew  York, 
being  graduated  in  the  high  school.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  he  left  home  and  went  to 
Texas,  remaining  for  a  little  more  than  a 
year  upon  the  plains  of  the  Lone  Star  state. 
He  then  went  to, Missouri  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  in  teaching,  following  the  latter 
profession  through  the  winter  season  for 
twelve  years.  In  1884  he  came  to  Kansas 
and  secured  a  claim  in  Kingman  township, 
Kingman  county.  It  was  a  tract  of  wild 
prairie,  but  he  at  once  began  to  break  and 
placed  one-half  the  place  under  cultivation. 
He  resided  thereo-n  for  five  years  and  then 
came  to  the  city,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home.  He  first  became  deputy  in  the 
"ffice  of  the  district  court  clerk.  He  had 
served  on  the  township  board  of  supervisors 
and  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
local  politics.  In  1-888  he  was  nominated 
for  county  superintendent  of  schools.  Imt  his 
opponent  was  the  nominee  of  both  the  Union 
Laljor  and  the  Democratic  parties  and  thus 
he  was  defeated,  losing  the  election  by  only 
thirty  votes,  and  receiving  the  greatest  num- 
ber'of  votes  given  to  any  candidate  on  the 
ticket.  After  his  retirement  from  the  otfice 
of  tlie  district  clerk  JNIr.  Harlow  embarked 
in  the  real-estate  blisiness  and  has  handled 
some  valuable  and  imi>ortant  property.  He 
is  also  engaged  in  loaning  money  belong- 
ing to  himself,  and  then  selling  the  leans  to 
eastern  parties.  This  business  he  now  con- 
ducts and  is  making  it  a  profitable  venture. 
On  the  TOth  of  January,  1898,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  McKinley  to  the  posi- 
tion of  postmaster  of  Kingman,  and  in  1902 
he  was  reappointed  by  President  Roosevelt. 


and  since  his  incumbency  the  business  ui  the 
office  has  steadily  increased,  his  administra- 
tion of  its  affairs  being  satisfactory  to  the 
government  and  to  the  local  public. 

Mr.  Harlow  has  long  been  active  in  poli- 
tics and  his  opinions  carry  weight  in  the 
councils  of  his  party.  He  has  served  on  the 
county  cciural  committee  at  different  times 
for  the  pa-i  iwclw  years  and  in  1892  he 
became  a  nienibcr  nf  the  congressional  con- 
vention, of  which  he  was  elected  chairman 
in  1894.  He  has  aided-  largely  in  effectively 
organizing  the  working  forces  of  the  party 
in  his  district  and  his  capable  management 
and  sound  judgment  have  been  important 
factors  in  Republican  successes  in  this  lo- 
cality. 

In  February,  1879,  "^  Bates  county,  Mis- 
souri, Mr.  Harlow  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Ballard,  a  daughter  of 
John  Ballard,  a  farmer  of  that  county.  They 
now  have  five  children :  Gertrude,  Grace, 
Louise,  Florence  and  Eugene,  and  the  fam- 
ily circle  yet  remains  unbroken.  Socially 
Mr.  Har](j\\  is  CMimected  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  fraternity,  and  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen.  He  has  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance in  his  adopted  county  and  has 
gained  many  friends.  Dominated  by  the  en- 
terprisini^  -]iirii  wf  the  west  he  has  become 
a  successful  Imsjness  man  and  as  a  citizen 
is  the  emljodiment  oi  loyalty  to  his  honest 
convictions  and  progressiveness  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  welfare  of  the  community. 


DAVID  BIRXEY. 

David  Biniey.  who  owns  a  valuable  and 
highly  ciiltixated  farm  on  section  22,  Hoos- 
ier  township.  Kingman  county,  has  made 
bis  home  in  the  Sunflower  state  almost  since 
1879.  when  he  located  near  Lyons.  Rice 
countv.  He  claims  Pennsylvania  as  the 
state  of  his  nativity,  his  birth  having  there 
occurred  in  Cambria  county  on  the  24th  of 
April.  1848.  His  father,  James  Birney.  was 
born  in  County  Donegal,  Ireland,  an-d  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent  and  a  protestant  in  his 
religious  views.     He  was  married  in  Phila- 


326 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


delphia.  Pennsylvania,  to  Jane  Elliott,  a  na- 
ti\e  of  County  Fermano,  Ireland.  After 
coming  to  this  country  the  father  and  mother 
located  in  Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil. 
On  the  loth  of  December.  1855,  ^Ir.  Birney 
ranoved  with  his  family  to  Scott  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  followed  agricultural  pur- 
suits near  Davenport,  and  there  he  passed 
away  in  death  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
vears.  His  wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest  in 
December.  1896.  Unto  this  worthy  couple 
were  born  six  children,  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  namely:  Margaret:  Man-  A., 
now  Mrs.  Duncan;  David,  the  subject  of  this 
review ;  John,  who  resides  near  Avoca,  Iowa ; 
Jane,  now  Mrs.  Fletcher,  of  Scott  county; 
and  Henry,  also  a  resident  of  that  county. 

David  Birney,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  assisted  his  father  in  the  work 
of  the  home  farm  during  his  youth  and 
eaxly  manhood,  while  the  educational  ad- 
vantages which  he  enjoyed  were  those  af- 
forded bv  the  common  schools  of  his  neigh- 
borhood. In  1873  h^  removed  to  Pottawat- 
tomie  county.  Iowa,  locating  near  Avoca, 
where  he  made  his  home  for  five  years.  In 
1879  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Kansas,  pur- 
chasing three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  on  section  16,  Center  township.  Rice 
county,  which  he  improved  and  operated 
until  1894.  when  he  sold  his  possesions  there 
and  located  in  Jasper  county,  purchasing  a 
farm  near  Carthage,  Missouri,  which  contin- 
ued to  be  his  home  for  the  following  four 
years.  Selling  his  possessions  in  that  state 
he  then  returned  to  Kansas,  since  which  time 
he  has  made  his  home  in  Kingman  county, 
and  his  landed  possessions  now  consist  of 
eleven  hundred  acres,  located  in  Hoosier 
township,  where  he  is  extensively  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising.  His  efiforts  in 
the  line  of  his  chosen 'vocation  have  been  at- 
tended with  a  high  degree  of  success  and 
he  now  occupies  a  leading  position  among 
the  business  men  of  Kingman  county. 

In  Scott  county,  Iowa,  in  1872,  was  cele- 
brated the  marriage  of  Mr.  Birney  and  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Patterson.  She  was  born  in  Lee 
county.  Iowa,  but  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Scott  county.     She  is  a  daughter  of  Jo- 


seph A.,  and  Mary  (Jameson)  Patterson. 
The  father  passed  away  in  death  in  Ida  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  in  1896,  but  is  still  survived  by  his 
widow,  who  makes  her  home  in  that  county. 
Ten  children  have  been  born  unto  this  union, 
nine  of  whom  are  still  living, — James  A., 
David  F.,  Eva  J.,  now  Mrs.  Hoofnagle, 
John  H.,  Joseph  W.,  Yerdie  A..  Elmer  R., 
Robert  C.  and  Sarah.  The  second  child  in 
order  of  birth,  a  daughter,  died  at  the  age  of 
six  months.  ]\Ir.  Birney  is  independent  in 
his  political  views  and  support.  He  is  em- 
phaticallv  a  man  of  enterprise,  positive  char- 
acter, indomitable  energy  and  liberal  views, 
and  is  thoroughly  identified  in  feeling  with 
the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  locality 
which  for  so  many  years  has  been  his  home. 


SA^IUEL  MATHEWS. 

One  of  the  most  progressive  and  enter- 
prising business  men  of  Hutchinson  is  Sam- 
uel Mathews,  a  member  of  the  well  known 
firm  nf  Collins  &  Mathews.  That  the  plenti- 
tude  of  satiety  is  seldom  attained  •  in  the 
affairs  of  life  may  be  considered  a  beneficial 
deprivation  for  where  every  desire  is  satis- 
fied ambition  and  effort  would  cease  and  ac- 
complishment would  have  little  place  in  the 
world,  but  men  of  enterprise  and  determina- 
tion push  forward  the  wheels  of  progress 
with  the  result  that  individual  success  is  not 
onlv  won  but  the  general  prosperity  is  aug- 
mented and  improvanent  is  seen  along  many 
lines.  Mr.  Mathews,  by  his  progressive 
spirit  and  unflagging  energy,  has  contrib- 
uted in  large  measure  to  the  business  activ- 
ity and  upbuilding  of  Hutchinson  and  is  re- 
garded as  a  man  of  force  and  worth  in  the 
business  world.  The  firm  of  Mathews  & 
Collins  owns  and  operates  the  Hutchinson 
Pure  Salt  Works,  which  is  a  leading  in- 
dustry of  this  locality. 

Mr.  Mathews  was  born  in  the  county  of 
Tyrone,  in  the  province  of  Ulster.  Ireland, 
in  1845,  ^'"'d  is  a  son  of  William  Alathews, 
also  a  native  of  the  same  county  and  one  of 
the  prominent  landed  proprietors  of  that 
province,    owning    and    superintending    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


327 


jperation  of  a  large  farm.  He  was  origin- 
allv  (  i  Scotch  lineage  and  was  a  leading 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  In  his 
native  province  he  wedded  Miss  Mary  Knox, 
whii  was  also  of  Scotch  descent  and  was  a 
direct  descendant  of  the  illustrious  John 
Knox,  the  apostle  of  Christianity  in  Scot- 
land. W'illiam  Mathews  died  in  county  Ty- 
rone when  our  subject  was  only  eighteen 
months  old,  and  his  wife  survived  him  until 
1870.  remaining  a  resident  of  her  native 
county  through  the  intervening  years.  Like 
her  husband  she  lived  and  died  in  the  Pres- 
byteriau  faith.  In  their  family  were  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  five, are  now  livin"-  \\'illiam, 
the  third  in  order  of  birth,  having  passed 
away  in  1871.  The  others  are:  Robert, 
who  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  Ireland ; 
James,  a  wealthy  ranchman  of  New  Zea- 
land, located  at  H^oucks  Bay,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  cattle  and  sheep; 
Hugh,  an  extensiv^  real-estate  owner  of  city 
property  in  JBelfasff  Ireland  ;  Samuel,  of  this 
review :  Dora,  the'  wife  of  William  Irvin, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business  in 
Belfast.  Ireland. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Londonderry, 
Ireland,  Samuel  Mathews  liegan  his  educa- 
tion which  was  continued  in  the  high  school 
and  latei;  in  the  Royal  Academy.  When  his 
education  was  completed  he  became  connect- 
ed with  the  grocery  trade  of  Belfast.  Ire- 
land, where  he  in  time  became  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Mathews  &  Company, 
wholesale  grocers.  Almost  phenomenal  suc- 
cess attaided  the  enterprise.  He  built  up 
an  enormous  business,  the  volume  of  which 
amounted  to  five  hundred  thousand  dollars 
per  annum  and  thirty  employes  were  required 
to  aid  in  conducting  the  enterprise.  In  this 
line  Mr.  Mathews  continued  until  1882, 
when  he  detennined  to  ally  his  interests  with 
those  of  the  new  world  and  sailed  for  Amer- 
ica. On  landing  in  this  countr}'  he  made  his 
way  to  Topeka.  Kansas,  and  after  a  short 
time  came  to  Hutchinson.  He  brought  with 
him  from  the  Emerald  Isle  thirty  thousand 
dollars,  a  part  of  which  he  invested  in  a 
ranch  of  twenty-four  hundred  acres,  located 
■  in  Troy  township,  Reno  county,  about  twen- 
tv  miles  southwest  of  Hutchinson  ai:d  em- 


bracing sections  9,  17  and  21  and  about 
three-fourths  of  section  16,  all  of  which  he 
purchased  from  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Com- 
pany. He  proceeded  to  stock  his  ranch  with 
about  four  thousand  sheep  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  for  four  years 
he  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  on  the  ex- 
piration of  which  period  he  sold  his  farm 
ard  stock  to  J.  \\".  High  and  came  to 
Hutchinson,  where  for  a  period  of  eight 
years  he  engaged  in  the  loan  business,  rep- 
resenting an  English  compr.ny,  known  as 
the  ^^'estern  ]\Iortgage  &  Investment  Com- 
pany, loaning  money  on  both  city  and  farm- 
ing property  to  the  amount  of  several  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  About  1898  the 
company  he  represented  appointed  him  man- 
ager of  the  Hutchinson  Pure  Salt  Works, 
which  they  owned  at  that  time,  and  he  occu- 
pied the  position  until  the  latter  part  of 
1900  when  in  connection  with  Charles  Col- 
lins, of  Hutchinson,  he  purchased  the  plant, 
which  he  has  since  been  operating.  The 
plant  was  erected  about  1889  at  a  cost  of 
eleven  thousand  dollars  and  at  present  fif- 
teen employes  are  upon  their  pay  roll,  at- 
tending to  the  various  departments  of  the 
work.      Their  capacity  is;  about  forty  car- 

!  loads  per  month  and  shipments  are  made  to 

.  Missouri,  California,  Nebraska,  Indian  Ter- 
ritory,   Oklahoma   and   Utah.      Since   pur- 

I  chasing  the  plant  the  present  owners  have 
made  and  are  making  many  improvements 
and  their  plant  is  now  equipped  with  mod- 
ern machinery  and  all  accessories  for  facili- 

'  tating  the  work  and  rendering  the  product 
of  value  on  the  market  by  reason  of  its  ex- 
cellent qualitv. 

In  Belfast.  Ireland,  in  1868,  Mr.  Math- 
ews was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Annie 
F.  Leece,  wdio  was  born  in  Liverpool,  Eng- 
land, a  daughter  of  George  and  Jane  (Kel- 
ly) Leece,  the  former  a  native  of  England, 
while  the  latter  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ire- 
land. Mrs.  Mathews  is  connected  with 
some  of  the  most  prominent  and  aristociatic 
people  of  the  British  isles,  including  mem- 
bers of  the  nobihty.  She  was  the  youngest 
of  four  children :  Elizabeth,  the  eldest,  is 
the  widow  of  Charles  Wilson,  who  was  at 
one  time  the  leading  ranchman  in  Australia. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


He  went  to  that  country  nearly  sixty  years 
ago  and  accumulated  an  enormous  amount 
of  land,  extending  over  a  broad  area  equal 
in  size  to  almost  the  whole  of  Reno  county, 
Kansas.  He  kept  thereon  millions  of  sheep 
and  won  a  vast  fortune.  About  1870  he  re- 
turned to  England  and  took  up  his  residence 
at  Ciieltenham,  the  place  where  many  people 
of  okl  and  aristocratic  families  live.  There 
his  death  occurred.  His  son  Harold  inher- 
ited a  part  of  the  great  estate  in  Australia 
and  also  owns  a  ranch  of  two  hundred  thou- 
sand acres  in-  New  Mexico.  His  winter 
home  is  located  at  Norfolk.  luisland.  and 
his  summer  Inonths  are  spent  at  St.  An-^ 
drews,  Scotland,  where  he  has  a  palatial 
residence.  John,  the  second  miember  C'f  the 
Leece  family,  is  now  deceased.  He  was  at 
one  time  an  extensive  ranchman  of  Xcav 
Zealand,  ow^ning  about  forty  thousand'  acres 
there,  whereon  he  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
sheep.  Fannie  resides  at  Cheltenrham.  Eng- 
land, and  Mrs.  Mathews  is  tlie  youngest  of 
the  family.  She  is  an  aunt  of  Sir  George 
Baden  T'owell.  new  ileceased,  and  also  of 
Baden  Powell,  his  brother,  who  won  fame  in 
connection  with  the  events  whereby  Mafe- 
king  has  become  celebrated. 

Mrs.  Mathews  is  ;i  I.-hK  ^f  superior  cul- 
ture arid  refinement,  ^.i|  alilc  ..i  -racing  any 
circle  of  S(x:iety,  and  her  lioirc  hi  Hutchin- 
son is  celebrated  for  its  gracioiis  and  pleas- 
ing ho>pitality.  The  family  occupy  a  beau- 
tiful residence  in  one  of  the  most  fashion- 
able districts  of  the  city.  It  is  a  large  mod- 
ern house  and  was  erected  in  1889  at  No.  526 
Sherman  street,  east'.  They  have  three 
daughters,  Frances  Adeline/  Mary  Emily 
and  Anna  Lynette.  The  daughters  have  all 
attended  the  cit\-  schools  of  Hutchinson  and 
the  college  at  Emporia,  and  the  eldest  is  an 
accomplished  musician,  having  studied  under 
the  best  instructors  in  Chicago.  Mr.  and 
JNIrs.  Mathews  hold  membership  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church  in  Belfast  aiid  he  was  fonn- 
erly  an  elder  in  the  church  'm  Belfast.  In 
politics  he  has  always  been  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican and  has  never  sought  or  desired  office, 
but  has  given  an  unwavering  support  to.  the 
principles  in  which  he  believes  and  the  cause 
which  he  thinks  right  and  just.     His  char- 


acter has  been  molded  along  such  lines,  his 
business  policy  shaped  in  accordance  there- 
with and  as  man  and  citizen  he  commands 
the  highest  respect  and  confidence. 


ISAAC  N.  SMITH. 

Isaac  N.  Smith  is  one  of  the  intelligent 
and  enterprising  farmers  of  Rice  county, 
whose  entire  life  has  been  passed  in  the  Mis- 
si-si])|)i  \alley.  and  be  was  liorn  in  Morgan 
ciiunly,  llliniiis.  ,  ,n  tlie  joth  of  ]\Iay,  1843. 
Mis  father  was  James  Jih  Smith,  who  came 
to  Rice  county  in  1873.  He  was  born  in 
Cumberland  county,  Kentucky,  in  181 3,  and 
was  a  son  of  James  Smith,  who  removed  to 
North  Carolina  during  the  boyhocd  of 
James  Smith.  The  latter  was  there  reared 
and  married,  Miss  Mary  E.  Job  becoming 
his  wife.  She  was  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina. A  few  years  after  their  marriage  they 
started  on  horseback  over  the  mountains  to 
Kentucky,  with  their  two  children,  and  set- 
tled in  Cumberland  coiunty.  that  state.  They 
became  the  parent-  nf  nine  cliildreii,  namely  : 
Samuel,  Jane,  Hiumas.  Le\i.  Ruth,  James 
Job,  William  and  Elijah.  In  1829  James 
Smith  removed  to  Morgan  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  until  1845,  when  he  went 
to  Cass  county,  that  state.  Subsequently 
they  took  up  their  abode  in  Madison  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  where  both  the  grandparents  of 
our  subject  died,  their  death  being  occa- 
sioned by  a  fever,  when  they  were  seventy- 
three  years  of  age. 

James  Job  Smith,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  married  in  Morgan  county,  Illi- 
nois, at  the  age  of  twenty-twoi  years,  to  Eve 
Miller,  wdio  was  born  in  Indiana,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Miller,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  Hoosier  state,  who  was  forced  to  flee  to 
the  fort  in  order  to-  seek  protection  from  the 
Indians.  He  had  come  to  the  west  from 
Pennsylvania  and  was  oi  German  ancestry. 
His  deadi  occurred  in  Indiana.  His  wife, 
Hester  Miller,  died  in  Illinois.  In  1843  the 
parents  of  our  subject  removed  to  Cass 
county,  Illinois,  where  they  resided  until' 
1S53,  when  they  became  residents  of  Ipwa, 


^^^M-^^^  c/^.  .J-i>om/C 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


329 


settling-  in  IMahaska  county.  At  a  later 
date  they  removed  to  Madison  county,  Iowa, 
taking  up  tlieir  abode  twelve  miles  east  of 
\\interset,  among-  the  pioneer  residenta  of 
that  locality.  There  the  father  carried  on 
farming  until  1873.  when  he  came  to  Rice 
county,  Kansas,  making  his  home  in  Lincoln 
township,  where  he  resided  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1896  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  passed  away  at  the 
ag-e  of  eighty-five  years  and  twenty  days. 
They  had  lived  together  as  man  and  wife 
for  sixty-two  years,  sharing-  with  each  other 
in  the  joys:  and  sorrows,  the  adversity  and 
prosperity  oif  life,  their  mutual  love  and  con- 
fidence increasing  as  the  years  went  by.  She 
wasi  a  member  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal 
church,  loved  and  respected  by  all  for  her 
many  good  qualities  of  heart  and  mind.  This 
worthy  couple  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, who  are  yet  living,  ^n  his  political 
views  the  father  was  in  early  life  a  Whig 
and  afterward  joined  the  Repiiblicani  party, 
and  all  of  his  sons;  have  adhered  to  the  same 
faith.  He  too  is  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  in  which  he  has  served  as 
class-leader  for  fifty  years,  and  his  children 
have  been  brought  up  in  the  church  and  have 
become  honored  and  respected  members  of 
society.  They  are:  Elizabeth,  wdio  died'  at 
the  age  of  eighteen :  J.  P.,  -who  served  a&  a 
soldier  in  the  Fourth  Iowa  Infantry  and  is 
now  living  in  Lincoln  township.  Rice  coun- 
ty; F.  M.,  who  was  also  a  Union  soldier  and 
is  now  a  resident  of  Lyons;  Isaac  Newton, 
of  this  review;  Elijah  T.,  who  makesi  his 
home  in  Douglas  county,  Kansas: ;  and  Will- 
iam Thomas,  and  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Summers, 
both  of  Lyons. 

Isaac  Newton  Smith  spent  his  early 
youth  in  Illinois  and  afterward  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Madison  cotiuity,  Iowa,  where 
he  assisted  in  the  work  of  clearing  and  de- 
\eloping-  a  farm.  His  education  was  ac- 
quired in  the  schools  oi  two  states,  and  on 
the  2 1st  of  March,  1864,  about  the  time  he 
attained  his  majority,  he  offered  hisi  services 
to  the  government  as  a  defender  of  the 
Union  cause,  enlisting  in  the  Fourth  Iowa 
Infantry,  under  Captain  A.  J.  Tisdale,  who 
comma-ndefl  Company  F.     He  served  until 


the  close  of  tlie  war  and'  was  engaged  in  ac- 
tive duty  with  General  Sherman's  army.  He 
was  in  the  battle  in  which  General  McPher- 
son  was  killed.  He  participated  in  the  en- 
gagements at  Resaca  and.'  Atlanta,  and  went 
with  Sherman  on  the  memorable  march  to 
the  sea.  He  also  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Savannah  and  Golds'boro,  ■  marched  on  to 
Richmond  and  thence  to  Washington,  D. 
C,  to  participate  in  the  grand  review,  the 
most  celebrated  military  pageant  ever  seen 
on  the  western  hemisphere.  He  was.  then 
honorably  discharged'  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  Iowa. 

In  the  year  1873  Mr.  Smith  came  to 
Rice  county,  where  he  took  up  a  claim,  and 
in  1876  he  further  completed  his  arrange- 
ments for  a  home  by  his  marriage  to  Miss 
Amanda  M.  Young,  an  intelligent  and  cul- 
tured: lady,  w'ho  was  born  in  Harrison  coun- 
ty. Missouri,  and  was  there  reared  and  edu- 
cated. Her  father,  Jeremiah  Young,  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  oif  Harrison  co'Un- 
ty,  but  is  now  deceased.  The  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  has  been'  blessed  with 
three  children :  Claude  J.,  who  is  engaged 
in  farming  on  the  old  humestead  in  Lincoln 
township;  Paul  Palmer;  and  Anna  Maud. 

Mr.  Smith  owns  a  very  valuable  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  forty-six  acres,  well  im- 
proved and  equipped  with  all'  modern  con- 
veniences. His  attention,  is-  de\-i:)ted  to  its 
cultivation,  and  the  rich  fields  annually  yield" 
to  him  golden  harvests.  His  political  sup-- 
poit  is  given  the  Republican  party,  and  both: 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episco]>aI  church,  in  which  he  lias  served 
as  steward  and  class-leader.  The  causes  ofi 
education,  of  temperance  and  of  the  right  in 
e\-ery  form  find  in  him  a  \\-ann'  friend  and 
he  heartily  endorses  every  movement  that  is 
calculated  to^  benefit  the  community  and  up- 
lift his  fellow  men. 


MARTIN  CRO\\'. 

Martin  Crow  was  born  in  Noble  county. 
Ohio,  August  22,  1835.  His  father  was  Ja- 
cob Crow  and  his  grandfather  was  Freder- 
ick Crow,   and   thev  were  both   natives  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Pennsylvania,  where  in  early  days  Freder- 
ick Crow  achieved  fame  as  an  Indian  fighter, 
lacob  Crow  began  his  active  life  as  a  farmer 
in  Pennsylvania,  bnt  early  sold  his  interests 
there  and  with  relatives  and  other  emigrants 
went  to  Ohio.  He  bonght  a  half  section  in 
Noble  connty.  then  densely  timbered,  and  in- 
fested by  hostile  Indians  and  dangerous 
wild  animals.  For  many  years  his  life  was 
one  of  toil,  hardship  and  peril  and  he  was  , 
freqnentlv  engaged  in  desperate  fights  with 
savages,  in  one  of  which  his  brother  was 
killed.  He  was  an  earnest  worker  in  the 
jMethodist  Episcopal  church  and  as  a  Demo-  i 
crat  was  active  and  prominent  in  political  j 
work.  A  man  of  forceful  character  and  1 
ready  resource,  he  came  to  be  known  as  the  ! 
leading  citizen  of  Noble  county.  In  all  re-  i 
spects  he  was  a  model  farmer.  He  cleared 
and  fenced  his  farm  property,  planted  or- 
chards and  erected  necessary  buildings,  and 
when  he  died,  about  fifty  years  ago,  the 
propertv  which  he  had  redeemed  from  the 
wilderness  was  worth  at  least  five  thousand 
dollars.  He  married  INIary  Lasher,  whose 
■  parents  came  early  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylva- 
nia and  who  survived  him  many  years,  until 
she  was  more  than  eighty  years  old.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years,  a  victim 
of  a  disease  known  in  tliat  locality  at  that 
time  as  black  tongue  fever. 

The  subject  (^f  this  sketch  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm  and  when  scarcely  more 
than  a  youth  began  farming  on  his  own -ac- 
count on  a  portion  of  the  family  homestead, 
for  which  he  paid  rent  to  his  mother.  His 
earlv  educational  advantages  were  limited  to 
tlios'e  afforded  by  the  public  schools  near  his 
home,  but  by  reading  and  observation  he 
has  become  a  well  informed  man.  After 
farming  several  years,  as  stated,  he  went  to 
Clark  county,  Illinois,  where  for  a  year  he 
was  employed  by  John  Briscoe,  a  leading 
farmer.  Returning- to  Noble  county,  Ohio; 
he  located  at  Frederick,  where  he  opened  a 
drv  -goods  sture,  which  he  disposed  of  one 
year  later  and  resumed  farming.  \\'hile  he 
-\vas  engaged  in  trade  at  Frederick  he  mar- 
ried Martha  Ray,  of  that  town. 

In  1859  Mr.  Crow  sold  his  possessions 
in  Noble  county,  Ohio,  and  rano\-ed  to  Gen- 


try county,  Missouri,  where  he  bought  a 
fann  of  two  hundred  acres,  bi  t  in  that  bor- 
derland country,  where  the  coniiniunity  was 
divided  between  union  and  southern  senti- 
ments and  where  war  seemed  imminent,  pub- 
lic feeling  ran  so  high  that  residence  there 
was  almost  impossible  to  one  who  w'as  in- 
clined to  be  at  peace  with  his  fellow  citizens, 
and  Mr.  Crow  soon  sold  his  farmi  and  re- 
turned to  Ohio,  where  he  fanned  until  the 
summer  of  1862.  August  20  of  that  year  he 
enlisted  in  Company  K,  Ninety-second  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  leaving 
I  a  fine  crop  awaiting  the  harvester  went  to 
the  seat  of  war.  His  regiment  was  sent  to 
j  West  Virginia,  where  it  participated  in  the 
!  work  of  driving  the  Confederate  force  out  of 
i  the  Kanawha  valley,  a  movement  which  cul- 
niinated  in  a  severe  engagement  at  Loop 
creek  late  in  the  fall.  The  weather  was  ex- 
tremely cold  for  the  season,  storms  were 
frequent  and  the  regiment  was  without  tents 
and  as  a  consequence  of  such  exposure  Mr. 
Crow  and  others  became  ill.  He  contracted 
a  fever  which  shattered  his  health  to  such 
an  extent  that  he  was  deemed  unfit  for  fur- 
ther military  service  and  was  honnrably 
discharged  January  i,  1863. 

On  his  return  to  Ohio  Mr.  Crow  was  still 
too  feeble  to  again  take  up  the  arduous  work 
I  of  the  farm  and  he  engaged  in  cabinet-mak- 
ing and  in  undertaking  until  1878,  pros])er- 
ing  in  a  material  way  and  gradually  regain- 
ing his  health  to  a  considerable  extent.  In 
the  year  last  mentioned  he  went  to  Kansas 
and  bought  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
I  J,  in  Reno  township,  Reno  county.  Dur- 
ing the  first  spring  after  his  arrival  he  broke 
about  eleven  acres  oi  his  groimd  and  planted 
it  with  corn,  also  erected  a  frame  house,  a 
stor}''  and  a  half  high,  covering  a  ground 
space  of  eighteen  by  twenty-two  feet.  For 
several  years  thereafter  he  devoted  himself 
successfully  to  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  building  outbuildings  and  an  addi- 
tion to  his  house,  adding  three  hundred 
acres  to  his  farm  and  improving  his)  property 
in  every  way.  About  1886  he  removed  to 
Hutchinson,  where,  in  company  with  his  son, 
J.  W.  Crow,  he  engaged  in  important  real- 
estate  transactions,  buying  ninet\-  lots  in  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


tonn,  which  became  known  as  the  fourth  ad- 
dition to  Hutchinson  and  selHng  them  after 
tliree  months  at  an  advance  of  eight  thou- 
sand dollars  on  the  purchase  price.  After 
that  they  bought  eight  thousand  acres  of 
land!  in  Rice  and  Reno  counties  for  forty 
thousand  dollars,  which  they  later  sold  at  a 
handsome  profit.  Since  then  Mr.  Crow  has 
not  dealt  much  in  farm  propert}-,  but  from 
time  to  time  he  has  handled  other  real  estate 
to  good  tdvantage.  He  bought  f(.-ur  lots  at 
North  ]\Iain  and  Fourth  streets  in  Hutchin- 
son for  six  thousand  dollars  and  subsequent- 
ly sold  them  several  times  and  in  each  case 
they  reverted  to  him  with  some  profit  in 
money,  and  eventually  he  sold  two  of  them 
for  seven  thousand  dollars,  reserving  the 
other  tAvo  as  building  lots  for  himself  and 
sou.  In  1887  he  had  practically  gone  out 
of  business  and  considered  that  he  had  re- 
tired permanently,  but  later  opportunity  was 
presented  for  profitable  real-estate  transac- 
tions on  quite  a  large  scale  and  he  took  ad- 
\-antage  of  it,  bu\iing  three  fine  business 
houses  in  Hutchinson  fromi  hisi  son,  J.  W. 
Crow,  and  trading  them  for  a  large  hotel 
at  Clinton,  Iowa,  which  had  been  built  at  a 
cost  of  eighty  thousand  dollar?,  but  which 
was  traded  to  Mr.  Crow  at  a  valuation  of 
only  forty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Crow  later 
•disposed  of  that  property  advantageously 
through  his  son,  who  was  his  agent  in  the 
transaction. 

His  reputation  for  business  integity  and 
honesty  is  beyo-nd  reproach  and  he  is  known 
as  a  man  whose  word  is  literally  "as  good  as 
his  bond."  He  bought  his  present  home:  in 
Hutchinson  five  years  ago.  I17'  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat  until  1888.  when  he  cast  his 
vote  with  the  Republican  party  for  President 
Harrison  and  since  then  he  has  been  a  zeaJ- 
cuis  Republican.  Since  he  was  fourteen  years 
old  he  has  been  a  faithful  and  active  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  is 
a  member  of  Joe  Hooker  Post.  No.  17, 
Grand.  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  for  two 
years  he  has  been  its  junior  vice  commander. 

Jacob  and  Mary  (Lasher)  Crow  had 
twelve  children,  as  follows :  Isaac,  who  is  a 
farmer  in  Reno  township,  Reno  county,  Kan- 
sas; Martin,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Rob- 


ert, who  lives  at  the  National  Military  Home 
at  Dayton.  Ohio;  Diantha,  who  married 
Joht  Long,  and  is  living  in  Wyandot  coun- 
ty, Ohio;  Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Jor- 
dan, and  died  in  Noble  county,  Ohio;  Mary 
and  Rhoda,  both  of  whom;  died  in  Noble 
county;  Ann,  who  married  William  Mast- 
ers and  died  in  Washington  county,  Ohio; 
Nanc}^,  who  became  the  wife  of  John  Cald- 
well and  died  in  Ohio;  Jaculi,  wlm  died  at 
the  Belle  Isle  Confederate  jiris. m  duriiig  the 
Civil  war;  Jane,  who  inarneil  a  Mr.  ller- 
rqn,  who  was  killed  in  battle  during  the 
Civil  war,  and  she  died  in  1S66;  and  George, 
who  died  in  Kansas.  Martin  and  Martha 
(Ray)  Crow  had  seven  children :  John  W. 
Crow,  who  is  a  railway  land  agent  with 
headquarters  at  Chicago,  Illin(is:  IMartin, 
Jr.,  who  lives  in  Kentucky:  lluinpluey,  a 
farmer  in  Reno  county,  Kansas ;  Sarah  El- 
len, wdio  died  in  Ohio;  Columbus,  who  died 
in  Reno  county,  Kansas ;  Eveline,  who  mar- 
ried R.  Coggsdfell  and  died'  in  Hutchinson, 
Kansas;  and  Jane,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Alexander  Miller  and  died  in  Reno  county, 
Kansas.  Mrs;.  Crow  died  in  May,  1871. 
December  13,  1876,  Mr.  Crow  was  married, 
in  Noble  county,  Ohio,  to  Linda  Hallett, 
daughter  of  Orlena  and  Lucy  (Blake)  Hal- 
lett. 


JOHN  YUST. 

There  will  be  found  in  this  work  a  liio- 
graphical  sketch  of  Frederick  Yust,  father 
of  John  Yust.  Tlie  latter  is  a  prominent 
farmer  of  Hayes  township,  Reno  county, 
Kansas,  and  his  farm  is  located  on  section 
20.  His  postoffice  address  is  Plevna  and  he 
lives  on  a  rural  delivery  route.  For  much 
that  is  interesting  concerning  his  family  his- 
tory the  readers  are  referred  to  the  bio- 
graphical sketch  mentioned  above. 

John  Yust  was  born  in  Mis.souri.  August 
31.  1857,  and  passed  his  boyhood  there  and 
attended  the  public  schools  until  he  was  sev- 
enteen years  of  age.  In  1875,  with  his 
mother  and  sister,  he  removedl  to  Haves 
township,  Reno  county.  Kansas,  where  his 
father  and  three  of  his  brothers  had  located 


33: 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


the  pre\'ious  fall.  He  was  a  membeT  of  his 
father's  household  until  he  was  twenty-two 
warsi  old  and  did  his  full  share  in  improv- 
ing the  land  and  putting  it  under  cultiva- 
tion. January  21,  1880.  he  nmrried  Eliza 
J.  Groseclose,  a  native  of  Missouri,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Adam  and  Mildred  Ann  (Asher) 
Groseclose.  Mrs.  Yust's  father  was  a  native 
of  Virginia  and  her  mother  of  Kentucky, 
and  they  were  early  settlers  in  Missouri, 
where  they  prospered  as  farmersi  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Yust  began  domestic  life  in  a  fourteen 
by  eighteen  foot  sod  house,  which  Mr.  Yust 
built  on  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  oif  home- 
stead land  in  Hayes'  township.  He  began 
farming  there  oni  new  prairie  land  and  now 
has  six  hundred  acres  all  connected,  which 
he  devotes  to  mixed  husbandry.  One  hun- 
dred and  thirty-seven  acres  is  given  to  wheat 
and  one  hundred  acres  to  corn.  He  has 
about  forty  acres  oif  shade  and  fruit  trees 
and  twenty  acres  of  timber,  including  five 
acres  of  fine  black  walnut  trees.  He  keeps 
about  forty-five  head  of  high-grade  Here- 
ford cattle,  about  .twenty  horses'  and  from 
sixty  to  seventy-five  Poland-China  hogs. 
In  1881  he  moved  out  of  his  old  sod  house 
into  a  part  of  his  present  modern  dwelling, 
which  is  an  attractive  residence,  homelike  in 
all  its  appiiintnxenls,  including  a  well  fur- 
nished parlor.  His  large  red  barn,  which  is 
one  of  the  landmarks  of  bis  part  of  the  town- 
ship, was  built  in  1892.  Politically  Mr.  Yust 
is  a  Republican.  He  served  his  fellow  citi- 
zens two  years  as  township  trustee  and  also 
filled  the  office  of  school  director.  He  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren church,  in  which  he  fills  the  office  01 
trustee  and  Sunday-school  superintendent. 
He  is  progressive,  prosperous,  generous  and 
public-spirited,  a  man  of  exceptionally 
broad  information,  and  his  counsel  is  sought 
])}•  all  who  know  him. 

John  and  Eliza  J.  (Groseclose)  Yust 
have  had  children  as  follows:  Robert  J.,  born 
October  14,  1880,  is  a  young  man  of  de- 
cided literary  and'  musical  ability.  He  has 
given  much  attention  to  musical  culture  and 
is  an  accomplished  performer  on  the  cornet 
and  organ.  When  not  studying  at  home  or 
at  school  he  assists  his  father  abr.iut  the  work 


of  the  fann.  Their  daughter,  Minnie  E., 
married  Edward  Kiemel.  a  farmer  of  Hayes 
township.  Mildred  A.  is  a  charming  girl  of 
seventeen  years,  who  is  preparing  to  teach 
music.  Ross  M.  is  fifteen  years  old.  Al- 
bert M.,  fourteen  years  of  age,  Lorin  P., 
eleven,  and  Earl  E.  is  nine.  Their  daugh- 
ter Pearl,  twin  sister  of  Earl  E.,  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  their  daughter,  Ruth  E.,  is  five 
years  old. 


ISAAC  A.  HOPKINS. 

All  those  valuable  traitsi  of  character 
which  contribute  to  the  success  of  a  high- 
minded  man  in  one  walk  of  life  will  as  sure- 
ly advance  the  interests  of  a  first-class  man 
in  an  entirely  different  walk  of  life;  hence 
thbse  qualities  which  enable  a  man  to  achieve 
distinction  in  our  geat  cities  will  as  surely 
make  a  man  prominent  and  honored  amid 
other  surroundings.  In  any  case,  character 
is  the  keynote  of  success,  and  it  is  character 
that  has  enabled  the  subject  of  this  sketch  to 
win  the  esteem,  and  confidence  of  those  with 
whom  his  lot  is  cast  and  with  whose  public 
interests  he  has  much  to  do. 

Isaac  A.  Hopkins,  chairman  of  the  board 
of  county  commissioners,  was  hern  at  Na- 
chusa.  Lee  county.  Illinois.  October  15, 
1846.  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Polly  (Edson) 
Hopkins.  His  father  was  born  in  Connecti- 
cut in  180Q,  and  his  mother  was'  a  native  of 
Massachusetts.  His  grandfather  in  the  pa- 
ternal line  was  George  W.  Hopkins,  who  was 
bom  in  Rhode  Island.  His  great-grand- 
father, Samuel  Hopkins,  also  a  nati\'e  of 
Rhode  Island,  was  a  brother  of  Stephen 
Hopkins,  who  attained  undying  fame  as  one 
of  the  signers:  of  the  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence. In  1778  Samuel  Hopkins  organ- 
ized a  company  for  service  in  the  Conti- 
nental army,  which  was  assigned  to  the 
Nineteenth  Regiment  of  Continental  troops. 
That  patriot,  who  lived  to  be  nearly  one 
hundred  years  old,  died  about  1820.  By 
trade  he  was  a  blacksmith.  He  had  twelve 
sons  and  two  daughters.  One  of  his  sons 
was  impressed  and  compelled  to  serve  in  the 
British   navy,   and   Eseck  Hopkins,   a   near 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


relative,  was  the  first  admiral  of  the  Ameri- 
can na\-y.  George  Hopkins,  born  February 
20,  1775,  just  before  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
became  a  seafaring  man  and  was  a  soldier 
in  the  United  States  service  in  the  war  oi 
18 12.  He  married  Sarah  White,  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  removed  to  Pennsylvania  and 
thence  to  Lee  cuuntw  llliiio'is,  about  1846, 
after  his  son,  wlm  was  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  lia<l  settled  there.  His 
br(  tlier.  A\"ihiam,  was  a  ])ioneer  settler  in 
La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  and-  operated  the 
ferry  at  Ottawa  for  years,  until  he  came  to 
his  death  by  drowning. 

Thomas  Hopkins,  father  of  Isaac  A. 
Hopkins,  was  born  in  Connecticut.  February 
4.  i8o<).  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  went 
til  Susquehanna  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  log  and  lumber  busi- 
ness. He  is  described  as  having  been  a 
strong,  rugged  and  athletic  man,  who  conld 
do  an  extraordinary  amount  of  work  with- 
out much  fatigue.  From  Pennsylvania  he 
removed  to  Cataraugus  county.  New  York, 
where  he  foillowed  lumbering  until  1844, 
when  he  located  in  Lee  county.  Illinois, 
there  ]xn-chasing  land  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. In  1850  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Cali- 
fornia, as  wagon  master  for  a  party  who 
Avent  there  with  ox-teams.  After  two  years 
he  returned  to  Illinois  by  the  Nicaraugua 
route.  In  1870  he  went  to  Union  county, 
Iowa,  and  he  died  im  Afton,  that  county, 
December  7.  1892.  and  his  wife  passed  away 
in  1878.  Thomas  andi  Polly  (Edson)  Hop>- 
kins  had  six  children,  four  sons  and  two 
daughters :  Alary,  who  married;  Captain  J. 
T.  Hale,  .if  Cnmpany  B,  Twelfth  Regiment, 
Illinois  A'olunteer  Infantry,  who  fell  while 
leading  a  charge  at  Fort  Donelson;  Russell 
D..  if  \\"ilson.  Kansas,  a  veteraii'  of  the 
Civil  war.  and  has  been  twice  elected  to  the 
office  of  treasurer  of  Russell  county,  Kansas, 
and  for  seven  years  his  daughter,  Minnie, 
has  been  deputy  treasin-er :  Franklin  E.,  a 
farmer  in  :\Iadison  ci unity,  Nebraska;  Isaac 
A.,  the  next  in  1  nler  nf  birth;  Emily  F.. 
who  married  Joseph  Mostoller,  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war,  and  lives  in  Union  county, 
Iowa;  Thomas  H..  a  contractor  of  railway 


construction,  and  is  operating  in  the  north- 
western states  and  territories. 

Isaac  A.  Hoipkins  was  reared  toi  the  life 
of  a  farmer  boy  of  ah  work  and  gained  a 
primary  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Lee  county.  Illinois,  and  was  for  a  time  a 
student  at  Lee  Center  Academy,  one  of  the 
oldest  edUcatio'nal  institutions  in  northern 
Illinois.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  began  in 
the  winter  months'  to  organize  and  teach 
country  schools,  and  he  wasi  thus  employed 
during  a  portion  of  the  year  for  some  time, 
devoting  himself  tO'  farming  during  the 
spring,  summer  and  fall  months.  In  1868, 
when  he  was  twemty-twoi  years  old.  he  went 
to  Uninn  cnunty,  Iowa,  where  he  taught  and 
fanned  initil  the  fall  of  1877,  when  he  re- 
moxed  to  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  and 
took  up  a  homestead  in  what  is  now  Sher- 
man township.  He  improved  his  farmi  and 
added  to  its'  acreage  until  he  owned  four 
hundred  acres,  on  which  he  made  his  home 
for  ten  years.  For  five  years  after  he  came 
to  Kansas  he  taught  schixil  during  a  portion 
of  each  year  and  in  1882  he  was  elected 
county  superintendent  of  public  schools, 
which  office  he  filled  two  years. 

In  1887,  Mr.  Hopkins  removed  from 
his  farm  tO'  Ellsworth,  where  for  three  years 
he  wasi  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade,  but 
gave  a  portion  of  his  time  tO'  agricultural  in- 
terests. In  1890  he  returnedi  to  his  farm  and 
remained  there  until  March,  1897,  wdien  he 
moved  back  to  Ellsworth.  He  is  now  the 
owner  of  twelve  hundred  acres  and  raises 
and  sells  one  hundred  head  of  cattle  each 
year,  and  while  he  lived  on  his  farm  he  made 
a  specialty  of  breeding  full  lilooded  Pcrcher- 
on  horses.  He  made  his  start  as  a  stcck- 
maii  in  buying,  selling  and  trading  such 
stock  as  he  believed  he  could  handle  profit- 
ably. His  homestead  place  is  well  situated 
in  section  34*.  township  16,  range  8,  and  is 
well  equipped  with  everything  essential  to 
successful  farming. 

.Since  liis  vdung  mariiliiood  Mr.  Hopkins 
has  been  active  in  public  affairs,  especially 
in  connection  wath  educational  matters,  and 
he  has  for  four  yearsi  been  a  member  of  the 
school    board    of   Ellsworth    countv   and   a 


334 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


member  of  the  board  of  examiners  of  that 
body.  In  1888  he  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  county  commissioner  from  the  second 
district  of  Ellsiworth  county  and  has  been 
four  times  re-elected  to  that  office,  in  which 
he  is  now  serving  his  fifthi  tei-m;  and  for 
nine  3^ears  he  has  been-  chairman  oif  the 
board.  He  has  also  served!  as  clerk  of  the 
township  board  one  term,  and  altogether  he 
has  tilled  offices  for  seventeen  years  during 
the  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  lived  in  Kan- 
sas. Politically  he  is  a  strong  Republican 
and  he  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  county 
central  committee  andl  as  delegate  to  the 
county  and  congressional  conventions.  He 
was  received  as  an  Entered  Apprentice, 
passed  the  Fellow  Craft  degree  and  was 
raised  to  the  sublime  degree  of  Master  Ma- 
son in  Afton,  Iowa,  Lodge  No.  151,  A.  F. 
&  A.  J\I..  and  sen-ed  as  past  commander  of 
Elmer  Ellsworth  Po'St,  No.  22,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  He  enlisted  in  the  Third 
Regiment,  Illinois  Cavalry,  in  1864,  after 
having  been  several  times  refused  by  recruit- 
ing officers  on  account  o^f  his  youth.  A  com- 
rade, who  enlisted  with  him  and  who  was 
his  messmate  during  active  ser\-ice  in  Ala- 
bama. ]\Iississippi,  Tennessee  and  Missouri, 
was  Colonel  O.  Summers,  cf  r(;rtland,  Ore- 
gon, who  went  to  the  Philippines  with  the 
rank  mentioned  and  gained  promotio'n  to 
l;rigadier  general.  In  the  fall  of  1865  Mr. 
Hopkins  took  part  in  the  campaigns  against 
the  Sioux  Indians  in  Dakota,  and  was  dis- 
charged from  the  service  October  10  of  that 
year,  at  Fort  Snelling. 

]\Ir.  Hopkins  was  married  at  Afton, 
Iowa,  November  18,  1869,  to  Effie  K.  Sum- 
mers, a  daughter  of  John  and  Annie  (Don- 
nell)  Summers  and  a  sister  of  General  Sum- 
mers. The  following  facts  concerning  their 
children  will  be  found  interesting  in  this 
connection.  Their  daughter  Kate  I.,  is  the 
wife  of  Harold  Johnson,  official  stenograph- 
er of  the  circuit  court  of  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri. Annie  taught  school  ten-  years  in 
Ellsworth  county,  five  years  of  the  time  in 
the  city  of  Ellsworth  and  is  now  a  teacher  in 
the  Ellsworth  high'  school.  She  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  state  normal  school  and  is  consid- 
ered one  of  the  most   efficient  teachers  in 


Ellsworth  county.  Eugene  O.  was  gradu- 
ated in  the  Ellsworth  high  school  and  in 
the  Southwestern  Business  College,  of  St. 
Lnuis,  ^Missouri,  and  is  chief  clerk  for  Colo- 
nel A.  S.  Towar,  assistant  paymaster  gen- 
eral of  the  United  States  army.  Stephen  I. 
was  graduated  in  the  Ellsworth  high  school 
and  in  the  Soiuthwestern  Business  College  of 
St.  Louis,  MissouH,  and  is  an  efficient  sten- 
ographer and  bookkeeper.  He  is  private  sec- 
retary for  J.  W.  McKee,  of  Little  Rock.  Ar- 
kansas, who  is  superintendent,  of  the  St. 
Louis  &  Iron  Mountain  Railway  Company. 
Bessie  was  gradiuated  in  the  high  school  at 
Ellsworth  and  has  since  been  tlie  housekeep- 
er for  her  father.  Mr.  Hopkins'  first  wife 
died  in  August,  1887.  In  December,  1888, 
he  married  Jessie  Brough.,  who  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1896.  He  had  one  daughter  by  his 
second  marriage,  Louise  M.,  who  is  now  in 
school.  Mr.  Hopkins  first  came  to  Kansas 
when  the  country  around  Ellsworth  was 
prairie  land  and  only  two  houses  were  to  be 
seen  there;  and  he  has  not  only  grown  up 
with  the  country'  but  as  a  public-spirited  cit- 
izen he  has  greatly  assisted  the  county  in  its 
wonderful  development. 


JOEL  M.  ANDERSON. 

Joel  M.  Anderson  is  one  o-f  the  hi m^  ired 
veterans  of  the  Civil  war,  one  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  Reiw  county  and  now  one  of  the 
j  reliable  and  -enterprising  business  men  of 
I  Hutchinson,  where  he  conducts  a  real-estate, 
rental  and  loan  agency.  He  was  born  in 
Guilford  county,  North  Carolina,  April  16, 
1841,  a  son  of  William  D.  and  Sarah  (Loud- 
er) Anderson,  who  were  also  nati\-es  of 
North  Carolina  and'  were  of  Scotch  ancestry. 
The  fatlier  was  a  pioneer  minister  of  the 
Wesleyan  Methodist  church:.  Reared  in  a 
locality  where  slavery  existed,  the  wrongs  of 
the  system  appeared  strongly  before  him  and 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  openly  and  fearlessly 
express  his  disapproval  thereof.  In  fact  he 
talked  so  strongly  against  it  that  his  neigh- 
bors denounced  him  and  he  prudently  left 
the  south,  going  to  Henry  count}',  Indiana. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


335 


About  1858  he  removed  toi,  Decatur  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  remaiiTed  througli  the  resi- 
due of  liis  days,  giving  his  time  and  energies 
to  ministerial  work.  His  death  occurred  in 
February,  1890,  and  his  wife  survived  him 
less  than  a  weel<:.  Their  influaice  was 
strongly  felt  for  good'  in  every  con'Miiiunity 
witli  which  they  were  identified  andi  their 
memory  remains  as  a  blessed  benediction  to 
all  who  knew  them.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eigiU  c'liildren,  (^ne  of  whom  has  now 
passed  awav  —  Snlmiion,  wIto  was  a  member 
of  the  Tliiiil  biwa  Cavalry  in  the  Civil  war 
and  die;!  in  the  service  in  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky. Tho'se  still  living  are:  Rhoda,  the 
widow  of  W.  H.  Sanford,  of  Leon,  Iowa; 
John  C,  a  farmer  of  Kennard,  Indiana; 
Isaac  B.,  a  farmer  oi  Cadiz,  Indiana;  Joel 
M. ;  Alary  A.,  the  wife  of  J.  P.  Dunn,  a  mer- 
chant of  Abbeywille,  Kansas;  William  S.,  a 
farmer  of  Ringgold,  Iowa;  Irene,  the  wife 
of  Peter  Deck,  an  agriculturist  of  Abbey- 
ville.  Kansas. 

Joel  M.  Anderson  was  about  eleven 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  ranoved  from 
North  Carolina  tO'  Indiana,  locating  upon  a 
farm  on  which  he  was  reared.  In  the  primi- 
tive schools  oif  the  time  he  obtained  his.  ed- 
ucation, remaining  at  home  until  he  had  ob- 
tained his  majority  when  he  started  out 
upon  an  independent  business  career  as  a 
farmer,  renting  land  in  Decatur  county, 
Iowa.  Soon  afterward  he  purchased  a  small 
farm  in  that  locality  and  continued  its  culti- 
vation until  hie  came  toi  Reno-  county,  Kan- 
sas, in  the  fall  of  1873.  Four  horses  were 
used  in  drawing  a  covered  wagon  in  which 
were  his  wife  and  three  children,  together 
with  some  household  effects.  Mr.  Ander- 
son located  a  homestead  claim  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  34,  township  23. 
range  8,  and  during  the  fall  and  winter 
broke  sod.  In  the  spring  he  rented  some 
land  which  had  been  broken  the  past  year 
and  planted  forty  acres  in  coim,  but  lost  his 
entire  crop  on  account  of  the  grasshopper 
scourge  of  1874.  All  vegetatioai  was  de- 
stroyed, and  having  nothing  remaining  to 
live  upon  he  again  loaded  up  his  effects  and 
returned  tO'  Iowa,  where  he  spent  the  winter, 
earning  a  living  for  his  family  bv  working 


for  a  dollar  per  day  with  his  team.  By  his 
first  experience  he  was  "silenced  but  not  sub- 
dued." and  in  the  spring  of  1875  he  again 
started  for  Kansas,  once  moire  to  face  the 
difficulties  and  trials  of  pioneer  life.  That 
}-ear  he  planted  only  a  small  crop  of  wheat 
for  he  did  not  have  money  enough  to  pur- 
chase the  seed.  His  first  home  was  a  one- 
story  house,  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet,  in 
which  he  lived  for  several  years,  when  he  en- 
larged and  improved  it.  He  engagied  in 
general  fanning  and  stock-raising  and  soon 
had  a  good  herd  of  cattle.  He  ren^ained 
upon  his  farm  until  September.  1888,  when 
he  purchased  his  ])resent  rc>ideiit'e  and  re- 
moved tO'  Hutchinsi  11  in  assiure  tiu'  iluties  of 
the  office  of  county  Ireasurer. 

Mr.  Anderson  had  been  elected  to  that 
office  on  the  Repuljlican  ticket  in  the  fall  of 
1887  and'  served  for  two  successive  terms  of 
two  years  each,  being  re-elected  in  the  fall 
of  1889.  In  1885  he  had  been  elected  county 
commissioner  from  the  third  ilistrict  to  serve 
one  year,  filling  out  an  unexpired  term,  and 
on  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  was  re- 
elected for  the  full  term  of  three  years  but 
resigned  the  office  when  elected  cixmty  treas- 
urer. In  1895  he  was  elected  pi:lice  judge 
of  Hutchinson  and  acted  in  that  capacity  for 
twn  years.  He  was  also  township  trustee 
for  three  \ears  and  was  one  of  the  organiz- 
ers of  school  district  No.  58  and  served  as 
treasurer  of  the  school  board  for  nine  years. 
He  has  thus  taken  a  very  active  _part  in  pub- 
lic affairs  and  no  trust  reposed  in  him:  has 
been  betrayed  in  the  slightest  degree.  In 
the  discharge  of  his  duties  he  has  been 
prompt  and  reliable  and  his  official  record  is 
without  reproach.  He  is  a  leading  Repub- 
lican of  the  county,  has  served  on  the  Re- 
publican central  committee  and  has  fre- 
c|uently  been  a  delegate  to-  the  conventions' 
of  his  party.  His.  public  honors  liave  come 
to  him  unsought,  his  fellow  townsmen  call- 
ing him  to  office  because  they  recognized 
his  trustworthiness  and  ability. 

On  another  occasion  'Sir.  Anderson  man- 
ifested his  loyalty  to  his  cmmtry  and  that 
was  during  the  dark  days  of  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion.  On  the  8th  of  August.  1863.  he 
enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  C,  Ninth 


336 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Iowa  Cavalry,  under  command  of  Colonel' 
Drummond,  of  Cedar  Rapids.  The  regiment 
was  assigned  to  the  western  division  and  he 
saw  two  years"  hard  service,  doing  much 
scouting  and  escort  duty,  guarding  wagon 
trains  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  At  length 
he  was;  mustered  out  on  account  o-f  disabil- 
ity- in  1865  with  the  rank  of  corporal.  Since 
his  retirement  from  office  his  business  in- 
terests have  been  confined  to  real-estate  deal- 
ing, to  renting  property  and  making  loans, 
and.  he  has  also  been  administrator  of  es- 
tates and  guardian  of  children.  He  is  a  man 
of  superior  business  judgment  and  unques- 
tioned honesty  in  whose  hands  public  and 
private  interests  are  perfectly  safe.  He  has 
in  charge  the  renting  and  care  of  some  forty 
residences   in   Hutchinson. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  July  31, 
1862,  in  Iowa,  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Chambers, 
a  daughter  of  Daniel  E.  and  Elizabeth 
(  Brenneman  )  Chambers.  She  was  born  in 
Pennsyh-ania,  and  by  her  marriage  has  be- 
come the  mother  of  four  childl-en:  William 
A.,  who  operates  the  old  homestead  in  En- 
terprise township,  Reno  county^;  Ida  L.,  tlie 
wife  of  M.  Wilmott;  Cora,  who  married 
John  S.  Dueber.  a  miller  of  Whitewater, 
Kansas;  and  Bertha,  the  wdfe  of  Walter 
Meade,  a  ciganuaker  of  Hutchinson.  Mr. 
Anderson  is  an  active  and'  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in 
which  he  has  served  as  trustee  and  elder, 
while  in  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school  he 
has  been  an  important  factor.  He  has 
served  as  teacher  and  Sunday  school  super- 
intendent while  residing  iu'  the  countn'  and 
his  interest  in  the  church  work  has  never 
abated.  His  life  is  in  hannouy  with  his 
profession — honorable  and  straightforward 
'and  crowned  with  the  high:  degree  of  success 
which  is  ever  accorded  sterling  worth. 


EDWARD  L.  SMITH. 

To  trace  the  sipecific  outcome  of  practi- 
cal genius  must  ever  prove  profitable  indul- 
gence.     It   is  conceded,   however,   that   the 


luere  subjective  possession  of  this  almost  in- 
definable attribute  will  not  of  itself  insure 
either  success  or  an  application  of  practical 
value  to  the  world.  There  must  be  a  men- 
tality that  will  direct  genius  into  the  fields 
where  good  may  be  accomplished  and  pre- 
vent digression,  or  the  turning  of  the  power 
into  abnormal  or  clandestine  channels.  ^Ir. 
Smith,  however,  has  directed  his  efforts 
along  the  lines  of  practical  business  activ- 
ity, wherein  he  has  won  a  handsome  compe- 
tence, his  path  leading  him  to  a  position 
among  the  most  prominent,  trustwcrtliv  and 
representati\e  citizens  df  Barti  n  c 'uni\.  lie 
is  now  president  of  the  Citizen^'  Hank,  in 
Ellinwood. 

His  birth  occurred  in  Edwardsville.  Illi- 
nois, and  he  is  a  son  of  Christian  P.  Smith 
and  grandson  of  Phillip  Schmidt.  The 
grandfather  was  a  native  of  Germany  and 
at  an  advanced  age  came  to  America,  locat- 
ing near  Edwardsville,  where  he  spent  his 
remaining  days  upon  a  farm.  Since  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  family  in  America,  the 
name  has  undergone  a  change  to  its  present 
form.  Christian  P.  Smith,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Marienhagen  Kreis 
Vohl,  Germany,  and  was  sixteen  years  of 
age  when  he  came  with  his  father  to  the 
United  States.  For  a  time  he  worked  at  any 
honest  employment  which  would  yield  him 
a  good  living.  The  family  made  their  resi- 
dence in  a  very^  primitive  home  without  a 
wooden  floor  and  endured  many  hardships 
in  gaining  a  start  in  the  new  world.  When 
twenty-one  years  of  age  Christian  P.  Smith 
was  the  possessor  of  a  blind  horse  and  about 
eighty  dollars  in  money,  and  his  cash  cap- 
ita] he  invested  in  land  which  was  hea\ily 
timbered;  but  he  converted  the  timber  into 
money  as  fast  as  possilile,  selling  it  fnr  use 
in  the  constructiom  of  plank  rijads.  which 
were  then  very  common  but  are  now  almost 
unknown.  In  this  way  he  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  his  later  prosperity.  After  a  time 
he  erected  a  sawmill  and  devoted  a  part  of 
his  attention  to  farming.  During  the  war 
he  received  three  dollars  per  bus-hel  for 
wheat,  for  prices  were  very  high  at  that 
time.     His  ardent  labor,  unflagging  energy 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


and  o'oocl  business  maoagement  liave  enaljled 
him  to  wrest  fortune  from  the  hands  of  an 
adverse  fate,  and  to-day,  in  addition  to  his 
beaiitifvil  home  fama  of  six  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  he  is  alsri  the  owner  of  seven 
hundred  and  thirty  acre-  <  i  nther  valuable 
land,  while  he  also  has  imich  nii>ney  loaned 
in  Kansas.  In  all  his  business  dealings  he 
has  been  not  only  just  but  very  considerate, 
and  although  his  loans  ha\e  lieen  extensive, 
he  has  never,  with  one  exceplit-n.  1)een  oblig- 
ed to  foreclose  on  a  nion-a.^jc  At  that  time 
the  boirrower  had  become  discouraged  and 
had  ran  away.  The  farm  which  Mr.  Smith 
took  in  payment  for  the  debt  is  now  very 
valuable.  In  1889  Christian  P.  Smith,  asso- 
ciated with  Edward  L.  Smith  :  C.  M.  Hanna, 
of  St.  Louis;  S.  H.  Chatten,  of  Kansas 
City:  C.  O.  Williams,  and  J.  L.  Ruddick,  of 
Barton  county,  established  the  Citizens' 
Bank  of  Ellinwood,  beginning  business 
where  the  restaurant  is  no\v  located  north 
of  their  present  business  block.  In  April, 
1899,  the  bank  wasi  reorganized  under  the 
name  of  the  Citizens'  State  Bank,  by  C.  P., 
E.  L.  and  Mrs.  M.  S.  Smith,  H.  P.  S.  Smitli 
and  G.  H.  Kaiser,  and  was  capitalized  for 
fifteen  tho-usand  dollars.  It  has  a  surplus  of 
one  thousand  two  hundred  ami  fifty  dollars, 
and  an  average  depnsit  '^t  niie  hundred  and 
eight  thousand  dollars.  This  indicates  very 
clearly  that  the  institution  has  enjoyed  a 
splendid  career  and  has  been  one  of  the  re- 
liable financial  concerns  of  the  county.  In 
1893  there  was  erected  a  fine  brick  bank 
building,  two  stories  in  height  and  twenty- 
five  by  sixty  feet.  It  is  supplied  with  Hall 
burglar  and  fire-pro-of  \-aults  and  is  splen- 
didly equipped  for  carr>-ing  on  the  banking 
business  along  progressive  lines. 

In  his  early  manhood  Christian  P.  Smith 
was  united  in  marriage  to  ]\Tiss  Frances 
Kaiser,  and  they  now  have  six  li\ing  chil- 
dren: Henry  P.  S.,  of  IlHnois  :  luKvard  L., 
of  this  review :  Mrs.  Emma  Bohm  and  Mrs. 
Clara  Kriege,  both  of  Illinois:  Ida.  atliome; 
and  Louis,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Chicago 
Musical  Conservatory  and  is  now  taking  a 
three  years'  course  in  piano  music  in  Ger- 
many, ha\ing  splendid  ability  in.  that  direc- 


tion. The  family  is  one  of  prominence  in 
central  Kansas,  and  Mr.  Smith  has  contrib- 
uted in  large  measure  to  the  substantial  im- 
provement and  development  of  this  jxirtion 
of  th.e  state  through  his  extensive  business 
interests  and  at  the  same  time  his  labors 
have  brought  to  him  merited  success.  His 
life  illustrates  the  possibilities  that  lie  before 
young  men  of  detennined  purpose  who*  have 
the  resolute  will  to  dare  and  to  do,  and  who 
are  actuated  by  sound  principles  that  will 
bear  the  closest  inspection. 

Edward  L.  Smith,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  record,  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Edwardsville.  Illinois.  As  his  health  was 
somewhat  impaired,  he  came  to  Kansas  when 
a  young  m.an,  lioping  to  be  benefited  by  the 
change,  and  was  so  favorably  impressed  with 
the  climate  that  in  1889  he  accepted  a  posi- 
tion as'  assistant  cashier  in  the  Citizens' 
State  Bank,  of  Ellinwood.  Afterward  he 
was  made  cashier  and  then  president,  and 
thus  he  stands  at  the  head  of  the  institution, 
successfully  conducting  its  affairs.  He  is 
now  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  banking 
business  in  all  of  its  departments  and  his 
labors  have  been  nf  marked  practical  value 
in  the  continued  pr(is])erity  of  the  institu- 
tion of  which  he  is  tlie  chief  executi\-e. 

Mr.  Smith'  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Mattie  S.  Harrison,  a  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin L.  Harrison,  of  Bailon  county,  and 
their  home  is  now  blessed  with  two  children; 
Edward  Aubrey  and  Elbert  Francis.  He  has 
erected  a  very  fine  residence  and  the  home 
is  one  of  the  attractive  and  pleasant  ones  of 
Ellinwood.  Socially  he  is  connected  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  is  a  public- 
spirited  and  progressive  man,  and  his  aid  is 
alwavs  sought  in  behalf  of  any  measure  or 
movement  for  the  general  good,  for  it  is 
known  that  he  will  give  his  foearty  support 
to  e\-ery  activity  that  will  result  to  the  bene- 
fit of  the  community.  He  has  served  as 
mayor  of  the  city  and  as  president  of  the 
school  board,  and  in  public  office  he  has  been 
found  loyal  and  faithful.  His  genial  man- 
ner and  unfailing  courte.sv  render  him  a  pop- 
ular citizen  and  one  well  worthy  of  repre- 
sentation in  this  volume. 


338 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


FREDERICK  BETTEXBROOK. 

As  the  owner  of  one  of  tlie  finest  fanns 
in  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  Frederick  Bet- 
tenbrook,  is  justly  considered  one  of  the 
substantial  agriculturists  of  this  section.  His 
land  is  located  in  a  most  desirable  locality, 
in  section  15,  Sherman  township. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Bettenbrook  occurred 
in  Hanover,  Germany,  on  February  28, 
1845,  ^"d  li^  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and  Mary 
Bettenbrook,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
farmer  in  that  country,  although  the  condi- 
tions there  were  never  so  favorable  as  in  this 
land.  Our  subject  began  to  take  care  of  him- 
self from  the  tender  age  of  six  years,  remain- 
ing with  the  family  until  1872,  when;  he  came 
came  to  the  United  States.  His  first  work 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  Vandalia  railroad. 
Terre  Haute.  Indiana,  where  he  continued 
until  he  came  to  Kansas,  in  the  same  year, 
and  he  jjought  a  claim  of  one  hundred  sixty 
acres,  on  Buffalo  creek.  About  forty  acres 
of  land  had  been  l)roken,  and  a  small  house, 
twehe  l.>y  sixteen  feet  was  standing,  and  in 
this  tiny  home  be  lived  for  two  years  and 
then  erected  a  comfortable  frame  house. 

Almost  all  of  the  early  settlers  in  Kan- 
sas had  much  to  contend  with,  and  the  case 
of  our  subject  was  no  exception,  the  differ- 
ence being  that  he  had  endurance  and  cour- 
age and  did  not  succumb  to  privation  and 
misfortune  as  so  many  did.  Bv  1885  he  was 
able  to  buy  the  north  one-half  section  where 
he  now  resides,  and  immediately  made  his 
home  here.  This  was  wild,  prairie  land  and 
he  broke  all  of  the  sod  himself,  made  all  the 
impiovements  and  now  deserves  to  enjoy 
the  benefits.  There  is  not  a  building  here 
that  he  did  not  erect,  and  not  a  tree  that  he 
did  not  plant. 

-Mr.  Bettenbrook  now  owns  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  10,  and  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  15,  and  has  five  hundred 
acres  under  the  plow,  and  the  rest  in  orchards 
and  pasture,  and  he  raises  great  herds  of 
Durham  cattle,  this  breed  being,  according 
to  his  opinion,  the  best  suited  to  this  climate. 

In  his  native  land  in  i866,  Mr.  Betten- 
brook was  married  to  Miss  Louisa  Brummed 
and  to  this  union  have  been  born  nine  chil- 


dren, as  follows:  Frederick,  deceased; 
Henry,  who  resides  on  the  old  place  on  Buf- 
falo creek ;  Louisa,  deceased  ;  William,  who 
resides  in  Garfield  township,  married  Miss 
Mattie  Plinsky,  and  they  have  two  children ; 
John ;  Frank ;  August :  Emma,  deceased ;  and 
a  babe  that  died  at  birth,  Mrs.  Bettenbrook 
passing  away  in  1888.  She  had  been  a 
good.  Christian  woman,  a  devoted  mother 
and  an  admirable  helpmate  for  her  husband. 
In  politics  Mr.  Bettenbrook  always  votes 
with  the  Republican  party  in  national  affairs, 
but  locally  he  exercises  his  judgment  and 
supports  men  and  measures  rather  than 
holding  to  close  partisan  lines.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  a  leading  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  His  residence  in  Kansas 
has  led  Mr.  Bettenbrook  to  the  belief  that 
this  state,  like  any  other,  must  be  studied  as 
to  location  and  climate  and  that,  like  any 
other,  must  not  be  expected  to  yield  every 
advantage  in  the  wide  range  of  states,  and 
that  the  time  is  coming  when  it  will  take 
its  place  far  toward  the  front  among  the 
sisterhood  of  states.  His  own  success  is 
easily  explained,  as  it  is  due  to  his  energy, 
perseverance  and  honest  economy,  the  lack 
of  these  elements  explaining  the  disappoint- 
ment of  manv  settlers. 


GEORGE  M.  FRISBIE. 

George  M.  Frisbie.  one  of  the  leading 
agriculturists  and  stock  men  of  Kingman 
county,  was  born  in  Bradford  coimty,  Penn- 
sylvania, on -the  loth  of  August,  1861,  a 
son  of  George  C.  and  Huldah  (Kuykendall) 
Frisbie.  Chauncey  Frisbie.  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Burlington, 
Hartford  county,  Connecticut,  on  the  i6th 
of  November,  1787,  the  eldest  in  the  family 
of  five  children  of  Levi  and  Phebe  (Gaylord) 
Frisbie,  natives  also  of  that  state  and  of  Eng- 
lish descent.  Levi  Frisbie  was  a  loyal  sol- 
dier during  the  Re\olutionary  war,  and  in 
1800  he  located  in  Bradford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, which  was  then  a  wild  forest.  His 
wife  was  a  sur\-ivor  oi  the  Wyoming  mas- 
sacre, in  which  her  father  was  killed.     For 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


339 


many  generations  the  family  have  been 
stanch  Presbyterians.  Chauncey  Frisbie 
was  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  local- 
ity in  that  early  day,  both  socially  and  po- 
litically, and  for  many  years  he  served  as  a 
justice  of  the  peace,  while  his  brother,  Zeb- 
ulon  Frisbie,  held  the  office  of  associate 
judge. 

George  C.  Frisbie,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Orwell,  Bradford  county, 
Pennsylvania.  March  i,  183 1,  and  has  there 
spent  his  entire  life.  For  many  years  he 
followed  the  tilling  of  the  soil  as  a  means  of 
livelihood,  but  is  now  living  in  quiet  re- 
tirement, enjoying  the  rest  which  he  so  truly 
earned  and  richly  deserves.  He  has  ever 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  public  life  of 
liis  locality  and  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Democracy,  while  religiously  he  is  a  life- 
long member  of  the  Pres'-yterian  church. 
As  a  companion  on  the  journey  nf  life  he 
chose  Huldah  Kuykendall,  a  native  of 
Orange  county.  New  York,  but  in  an  early 
day  her  parents  removed  from  that  state  to 
Pennsylvania,  where  she  gave  her  hand  in 
marriage  to  Mr,  Frisbie.  She  is  also  still 
living,  and  has  now  reached  the  sixtv-eighth 
milestone  on  the-journey  of  life.  Unto  this 
worthy  couple  were  born  eight  children, 
namely :  Fred  V.,  who  for  fifteen  years  was 
the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Belloort,  New  York,  and  is  now  stationed  at 
Webster,  that  state;  Hector  H.,  treasurer 
under  Commissioner  Mitchell  in  the  excise 
office  for  the  port  of  New  York;  George  M., 
the  subject  of  this  review;  Frank  C,  whose 
home  is  at  Brighton  Beach,  New  York, 
\\'here  he  is  well  known  in  connection  with 
tlie  turf :  Virginia,  the  wife  of  Horace  Jordan 
who  is  employed  in  the  congressional  library, 
while  Mrs.  Jordan  is  the  stenographer  and 
secretary  for  the  Hon.  S.  B.  Elkins.  a  sena- 
tor and  an  ex-secretary  of  war;  \\'illiam  K., 
who  resides  on  the  old  homestead  in  Brad-j 
ford  county.  Pennsylvania,  which  was  im- 
proved by  his  grandfather,  and  he  takes  a 
\'ery  pniminent  part  in  local  affairs:  Ben- 
jamin L.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  millins'  busi- 
ness in  the  town  of  Orwell,  Penns}'lvania ; 
and  Hanson,  who  died  in  infancy. 

George  ]\I.  Frisbie,  the  immediate  sub- 


ject of  this  review,  was  reared  in  his  native 
town  of  Orwell,  and -his  youth  and  early 
manhood  was  spent. on  the  farm  and  in  the 
schoolroom.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
he  graduated  in  the  graded  school  of  Orwell, 
and  for  three  years  thereafter  fdUrnved  the 
teacher's  proifession  in  Pennsyh'ania  and 
New  Jersey.  His  intention  was  to  enter 
Lafayette  College  and  there  prepare  him- 
self for  professional  life,  but  on  account  of 
impaired  eyesight  he  was  obliged  to  abandon 
his  cherished  plans,  and  for  several  months 
he  was  confined  to  a  dark  room.  After 
spending  one  winter  in  the  so-uthern  states 
in  order  to  regain  his  health  he  returned  to 
the  home  of  his  youth,  and  for  a  short  time 
thereafter  was  engaged  in  driving  a  stage 
from  Camipton,  Pennsylvania,  to  Nichols, 
New  York,  a  distance  of  twenty-seven  miles. 
He  next  accepted  a  jjositiun  with  the  Hum- 
phrey Homeopathic  3*Iedicine  C(jnvpany,  in- 
troducing their  remedies  in  various  cities  in 
New  York.  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey, 
and  while  thus  engaged  he  began  the  study 
of  veterinary  surgery,  intending  to-  make  it 
his  life  occupation,  but  failing  eyesight  again 
compelled  him  to  change  his  plans  and  in 
the  spring  of  1882  he  went  to  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois, there  remaining  for  three  months.  In 
December.  1882,  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Topeka,  Kansas,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  until  the  following 
August,  and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period 
he  secured  a  quarter  section  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 9,  Peters  township.  Kingman  county, 
which  he  pre-empted  and  improved,  and 
there  made  his  home  until  1890,  extensively 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  In 
that  year  he  became  1  iwner  of  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  Union  townsip.  Kingman 
county,  to  which  he  afterward  added  another 
quarter  section,  but  in  1893  he  left  that  land 
to  join  the  "boomers''  in  opening  the  strip, 
where  he  secured  a  claim,  but  not  being  fa- 
vorably impressed  w^ith  the  country  he  re- 
turned to  Union  township.  In  tlie  spring  of 
1899  he  located  on  the  farm  which  is  still  his 
home  and  which  had  been  purchased  the  pre- 
vious year. 

Since  coming  to-  this  county  Mr.  Frisbie 
has  made  stock-raising  his  chief  occupation. 


340 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


buying-  and  shipping  not  onl}-  to  the  local 
markets  but  also  to  outside  points.  He  was 
formerly  extensively  efigaged  in  shipping 
cattle  and  hoigs  to  Kansas  City,  while  his 
horses  were  sent  to  the  eastern  markets,  to 
New  York  city  and  Pennsylvania.  He  often 
relates  an  amusing  incident  which  occurred 
while  in  Washington,  D.  C.  ^^'hile  \-isit- 
ing  the  treasury  building,  being  attired  in  a 
white  sombrero  and  other  stockman's  garb, 
he  was  mistaken  by  his  guide  for  Buffalo 
Bill,  who  was  then  in  the  city  with  his  wild 
west  show,  and  J\Ir.  Frisbie  enjoyed  his  bor- 
rowed glory  for  a  time  to  the  fullest  extent. 
As  a  judge  of  stock  he  has  few  ecpials  and 
no  superiors  in  this  portion  of  the  state,  and 
has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  improving  the 
grade  of  stock  raised  in  Kingman  county. 
He  now  has  in  his  pastures  about  one  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  and  twenty-five  horses, 
also  fronii  fifteen  to  twenty  milch  cows.  Two 
hundred  and  ten  acres  of  his  land  is  under 
an  excellent  state  of  cultivation,  containing 
a  beautiful  grove  and  orchard  of  fifteen 
acres,  and  the  remainder  of  his  section  is 
devoted  to  pasturage.  In  April,  1900,  Mr. 
Frisbie  sustained  a  most  terrible  injury. 
While  roping  a  wild  mule  one  oif  his  feet  was 
caught  in  a  loop  of  the  lariat  and  he  was 
dragged  through  a  dense  grove  of  liarge 
trees  and  around  the  pasture  until  the  ani- 
mal was  exhausted.  Mr.  Frisbie  had  one 
limb  broken  in  two  places  between  the  knee 
and  ankle,  the  bone  protruding  through  the 
flesh  and  the  other  knee  was  dislocated.  His 
life  was  saved  only  by  his  great  presence  of 
mind  in  sliding  himself  as  best  he  could 
while  he  was  being  dragged  and  by  his  de- 
termined will  during  the  months  of  his  con- 
finement. He  sustained  an  injury  which 
few  could  have  survived,  but  his  great  for- 
titude and  determination,  which  have  been 
his  most  marked  characteristics  throughout 
life,  doubtless  insured  his  recover}-,  and  to^ 
day,  though  a  cripple  for  life,  he  attends  to 
his  farming  interests  with  the  same  good 
judgment  as  before. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Frisbie  and  Miss 
Ella  A.  Dark  was  celebrated  in  Harper.  Kan- 
sas, on  the  qth  of  December,  1885.  She  was 
born  at  London,  Ontario,  and  is  a  daughter 


of  James  \\'.  and  Sarah  (Scott)  Dark,  of 
English  ancestry.  The  father  came  to 
Kingman  county,  Kansas,  in  1883,  and  at 
the  "opening"  went  to  Oklahoma,  where  he 
now  resides  at  Hawley.  Mrs.  Frisbie  was 
the  eldest  of  her  parents'  eight  children,  six 
of  whom  are  now  living.  The  union  of  our 
subject  and  wife  has  been  blessed  with  seven 
children, — Chauncey  W.,  Nellie  V.,  J.  Han- 
son, Coral  B.,  Glen  W.,  Frank  and  Ralph. 
The  third  child,  J.  Hanson,  died  when  a  year 
and  a  half  old.  Mr.  Frisbie  has  ever  taken 
an  active  and  commendable  interest  in  the 
public  affairs  of  his  locality  and  is  a  support- 
er of  the  People's  party.  For  four  consecu- 
tive tenns  he  served  as  a  trustee  and  assessor 
of  his  township,  was  clerk  of  the  township 
board  for  several  years,  and  throughout  most 
of  his  residence  in  Kingman  countv  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  In 
his  social  relations  he  is  a  m'ember  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  has  long 
been  accounted  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  progressive  citizens  of  the  community, 
and  has  earned  for  himself  an  e:-iviable  rep- 
utation as  a  careful  man  of  business,  always 
knoAvn  for  his  prompt  and  honorable 
method's  of  dealing,  which  have  won  \v.m  the 
deserved  and  unbounded  confidence  of  his 
fellow  men. 


CLARK  L.  DANXER. 

If  those  who  claim'  that  fortune  has  fa- 
vored certain  individuals  above  others  will 
but  investigate  the  cause  of  success  and 
failure,  it  will  be  found  that  the  former  is 
largely  due  tO'  the  improvement  of  oppor- 
tunities, the  latter  to  the  neglect  of  them. 
Fortunate  environments  encompass  nearly 
every  man  at  some  stage  in  his  career,  but 
the  strong  man  and  the  successful  man  is 
he  who  realizes  that  the  proper  moment  has 
come,  and  that  the  present  and  not  the  fu- 
ture holds  his  opportunity.  The  man  who 
makes  use  of  his  now  and  not  the  to  he  is 
one  who  passes  on  the  highway  of  life 
others  who  started  out  ahead  of  him,  and 
reaches  the  goal  of  prosperity  far  in  ad- 
\-ance  of  them.     It  is  this  quality  in  ^Ir. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Daniier  tliat  has  made  him  a  leader  in  the 
Inisiiiess  world  and  that  in  connection  with 
commercial  interests  has  won  him  a  name 
ll;at  is  widely  known. 

Clark  Leal  Banner,  now  treasurer  of 
Ellsworth  county,  is  a  memiber  and  man- 
ager of  the  extensive  business  in  Wilson 
conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  G.  L. 
Leavitt  &  Company.  He  is  a  native  of 
Illinois,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Farmer 
City,  that  state,  June,  8,  1870.  His  father, 
I.  M.  Banner,  followed  farming  in  early 
life  and  later  gave  his  attention  to  mer- 
chandising, which  he  carried  on  in  Wilson 
from  1871;  until  1888.  He  served  as  a 
member  of  the  city  council,  but  was  never  an 
acti\e  politician,  preferring  to  devote  his 
attentinn  to  his  business  afTairs.  While  in 
Illinois  he  married  Miss  Mary  F.  Stans- 
bury,  of  Farmer  City,  and  they  becam,e  the 
parents  of  six  children,  twO'  sons  and  four 
daughters,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  eld- 
est. He  and  his  sister  Bertha,  now  the  wife 
of  A.  T.  Carhart,  who  is  with  the  firm  of 
G.  L.  Levitt  &  Company,  are  the  onlv  ones 
living  in  Ellsworth  county.  The  father  re- 
tired from  acti\^e  business  life  in  1888  and 
located  in  Oskaloosa,  Kansas.  He  super- 
intends some  farming  interests,  but  has  prac- 
tically put  aside  business  cares  in  order  tO' 
enjoy  a  well  desei^ved  rest.  His  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church.  At  the 
time  of  the  Civil  ^\*ar  he  manifested  his 
loyalty  to  the  government  by  enlisting,  in 
1 86 1,  as  a  member  of  the  Eighth  Iowa 
Ca\-alry,  with  which  he  served  until  hos- 
tilities had  ended.  He  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Lookout  Mountain.  ^Missionary 
Ridge.  Cliickamauga  ancl  se\eral  minor  en- 
gagements, was  several  times  struck  with 
bullets  lint  was  never  so  severely  injured 
as  to  make  it  necessary  for  him  to  go  to  the 
hospital. 

Clark  L.  Banner  was  only  two^  years  of 
age  when  the  family  came  to  Kansas  and 
on  the  old'  home  farm  he  was  reared,  pursu- 
ing his  education  under  Ballas  Grover  and 
Professor  Crover,  the  present  superintend- 
ent of  the  city  schools.  Li  early  life  he 
started  out  to  acquire  a  good  business  edu- 
catii)n,  being  employed  in  his  father's  store 


when  only  eight  years  of  age.  hi  1885  he 
became  connected  with  the  dry-goods  trade 
as  an  employe  of  the  firm  of  Le\-itt  Broth- 
ers, and  for  the  past  sixteen  years  has  de- 
voted hs  time  and  attention  to  this  depart- 
mient  of  commercial  activity.  From  1894 
until  1898  he  did  the  work  of  three  men. 
He  acted  as  bookkeeper  for  the  firm  of 
Levitt  Brothers,  and  at  half  past  nine  each 
morning  he  went  to  Ellsworth  to  serve  as 
deputy  county  treasurer,  returning  in  time 
for  supper  and  then  spending  the  evening 
as  bookkeeper  for  the  Wilson  Milling  Com- 
pany. This  covered  a  period  of  four  years 
of  hard  work,  but  opened  the  way  for  him 
to  a  succesful  business  career.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  was  elected  county  treas- 
urer and  located  in  Ellsworth,  w  here  he  re- 
mained for  about  six  months,  but  his  lean- 
ing for  mercantile  life  was  too  strong  to 
permit  him  to  remain  out  of  that  line  for  a 
long  period.  On  the  ist  of  October,  1899, 
he  became  one  of  the  members  of  the  firm 
of  G.  L.  Levitt  &  Company,  who  purchased 
the  business  of  Levitt  Brothers.  They 
carry  a  large  line  of  general  merchandise, 
including  clothing,  dry  goods,  boots  and 
shoes,  groceries,  hardware,  furniture, 
paints  and  oils.  Their  stock  is  very  com- 
plete and  is  the  largest  west  of  Salina,  being 
valued  at  about  thirty-five  thousand  dollars. 
The  business  is  carried  on  in  a  store  thirty- 
seven  and  a  half  by  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  in  dimensions,  and  both  stories  and 
the  basement  of  the  building  are  occupied. 
There  are  nine  people  employed  in  clerking, 
and  the  business,  which  is  constantly  .grow- 
ing in  volume  and  importance,  brings  to- 
the  owners  a  good  financial  return. 

This  was  the  pioneer  general  store  in 
the  town.  Mr.  Banner  has  the  manage- 
ment of  the  business,  while  his  brother-in- 
law,  W.  H.  Carhart,  acts  as  deput\-  county 
treasurer  and  has  charge  of  the  treasurer's 
office  in  Ellsworth.  Li  addition  to  his 
store  Mr.  Banner  is  interested  in  farming 
and  is  also  one  of  the  stockholders  in  the 
mill  of  Wilson.  He  owns  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land  in  Russell  connty,  and 
this  he  rents.  This  land  is  underlaid  with 
coal  fields  and  he  receives  a  royaltv  from 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


the  mines  as   well  as  the  rental   from  the 
farm. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  1895,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Danner  and  Ziba  Carhart, 
a  daughter  of  \\'.  H.  Carhart,  of  Wilson, 
Kansas.'  They  now  have  one  son,  Van 
Earl.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Danner  is 
an  ardent  Republican  and  is  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  success  and  growth  of  his  party, 
but  his  timse  is  too  fully  occupied  to  permit 
of  his  giving  much  active  attention  to  po-- 
litical  work.  Fraternally  he  is  identitied 
with  Samaria  Lodge,  No.  298,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M. ;  Ellsworth  Chapter,  No.  54,  R.  A.  M. ; 
Ellsworth  Council,  No.  9,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  St. 
Aldemar  Commandery,  No.  33,  K.  T. ;  and 
Wichita  Consistory,  No.  2,  S.  P.  R.  S.,  of 
the  southern  jurisdiction.  He  is  also  iden- 
tified w"ith  Spartacus  Lodge,  No.  248,  K. 
P.;  with  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Se- 
curity; with  the  Sons  of  Veterans  and  the 
Select  Knights  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen.  The  business  policy 
which  he  has  always  followed  has  been 
most  commendable;  he  is  methodical,  care- 
ful and  thorough,  requiring  that  the  strict- 
est honesty  must  prevail  in  his  establish- 
ment, and  this  course  has  won  him  the  re- 
spect of  the  business  associates  and  all  with 
whom  he  has  dealings. 


JOHN  B.  HOLMES. 

Li  a  comipilation  of  a  biographical  his- 
tory of  Rice  county  mention  should  cer- 
tainly be  accorded  John  B.  Holmes,  for  he 
belonged  to  the  substantial  class  of  citizens 
who  confer  honor  and  dignity  upon  the 
community  which  they  represent  by  reason 
of  their  high  worth  of  character.  He  was 
prominent  and  popular,  and  as  one  oif  the 
early  settlers  of  the  county  he  bore  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  work  of  progress  and 
improvement. 

Mi".  Hohnes  was  born  in  Lawrence 
county,  Ohio,  March  28,  1836,  a  son  of 
Isaac  and  Anna  Eliza  (Bennett)  Holmes. 
The  father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
was  of  English  lineage.     The  mother  was 


born  December  10,  1816,  and  died  May  y. 
1836,  when  her  son  John  was  only  six 
weeks  old.  The  father  afterward  married 
again  and  died  in  Rice  county,  Kansas,  in 
October,  1871.  He  was  a  tanner  and  farm- 
er by  occupation  and  in  politics  was  a  Re- 
publican, while  in  religious  belief  he  was 
connected  with  the  Christian  church. 

John  B.  Holmes  was  reared  in  Law- 
rence county,  Ohio,  spending  his  youth 
upon  a  farm,  where  he  early  became  fa- 
miliar with  the  labors  of  field  and  meadow. 
In  the  common  schools  he  acquired  a  good 
education,  which  was  supplemented  by 
further  study  in  Middleton,  Pennsylvania. 
When  he  entered  upon  his  business  career 
he  secured  the  position  of  bookkeeper  for 
the  Union  Iron  Company,  with  which  he 
remained  for  fifteen  years,  a  most  capable 
and  trustworthy  employe  of  the  firm.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  assisted  in  organizing  a  com- 
pany for  the  service,  which  became  Com- 
pany D,  of  the  Thirty-sixth  Ohio  Infantry. 
He  was  urg-ed  to  accept  the  captaincy,  but 
declined ;  however,  he  went  to  the  front  and 
participated  in  a  number  of  engagements, 
where  his  personal  bravery  on  the  field  won 
him  promotion,  first  to  the  rank  of  second 
lieutenant.  He  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga  and  in  many  other  important 
engagements.  He  was  always  found  at  his 
post  of  duty,  faithfully  defending  the  old 
flag  and  the  cause  it  represented.  For  a 
time  he  lay  near  death's  door  in  the  hos- 
pital and  at  length  was  discharged  on  ac- 
count of  physical  disability  in  1864,  having 
been  in  the  hospital  at  Covington,  Ken- 
tucky,  for  some  time  previous. 

When  he  had  sufficiently  recovered  his 
health  to  resume  business  life  Mr.  Holmes 
secured  his  old  position  with  the  Union  Iron 
Company,  but  on  account  of  his  health  he 
came  to  Kansas,  securing  a  citizen's  claim 
or  homestead  in  Atlanta  township.  Rice 
county,  in  April,  1871.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  to  locate  within  its  borders  and 
from  that  time  until  his  death  he  was  an 
active  factor  in  the  work  of  general  im- 
provement and  progress.  He  succeeded  in 
transforming  his  wild  lands  into  fertile 
fields  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Iracle  at  Atlanta,  establishing  there  a  gen- 
eral mercantile  store.  Later,  when  the 
tuwn  was  renio\'ed  to  Lyons  he  went  to 
that  place  and  was  identified  with  its  com- 
mercial interests.  Init  all  the  time  made  his 
home  upon  his  farm. 

^Ir.  Holmes  was  united  in  marriage  on 
the  11th  of  May,  1865,  to  Miss  Irene 
TragO',  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  a  repre- 
sentative of  a  good  family.  She  was  born 
in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  but  was  reared  and  ed- 
ucated in  Jackson,  that  state.  Her  par- 
ents were  William  and  Mary  (Harvey) 
Trago,  the  former  a  native  of  Fredericks- 
burg, Pennsylvania,  while  the  latter  was 
born  in  Wales.  The  motli^r  died  in  1850, 
at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years,  and  the  fa- 
ther passed  away  in  1872,  at  Gallia  Station. 
Ohio,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  They 
held  membership  with  the  Baptist  church 
and  were  people  of  the  highest  respectabil- 
ity. Three  of  their  children  are  yet  living, 
namely :  Mrs.  Mary  Walden,  of  Colum- 
]>[]<.  (  )liii'.  whose  husband  was  a  captaim  in 
the  Tliirt) -.ixth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  after- 
ward engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  but  is 
now  deceased:  Mrs.  Irene  Holmes;  and 
Mrs.  Emiina  Morrow,  of  Hancock  county, 
Virginia.  Those  who  have  passed  away 
are :  Elizabeth,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years ;  John  H.,  who  was  born 
April  24,  1826,  and  died  August  7,  1833; 
W.  D.,  who  was  born  March  12,  1829,  and 
died  in  Jackson,  Ohio,  in  1891,  leaving  a 
widow  and  four  children;  Ben,  who  was 
born  July  15,  183 1,  and  died  August  13, 
1897;  David,  who  was  born  September  12, 
1833,  and  died  July  31,  1834:  and  Mary 
A.,  who  was  born  July  9,  1836,  and  died 
■on  the  13th  of. August  following.  Of  this 
family  W.  D.  was  a  soldier  in  an  Ohio  bat- 
tery during  the  Civil  war  and  Ben  was  a 
secind  lieutenant  of  the  Seventh  Ohio  Cav- 
alry. He  participated  in  twenty-fimr  en- 
gagements. 

Unto  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Holmes  were  born 
five  children:  Chester  W.,  who  married 
Lvdia  Sfahl,  is  now  an  engineer  in  Mace, 
Idaho-  Alva  Curtis,  who  married  Miss 
Sarah  dladys  Day  and  resides  in  Atlanta 
"township:  John  Clyde  and  Carl  B.,  young 


men  of  twenty-three  and  twenty-one  years, 
respectively,  are  at  home  v\ith  their  mother 
and  operate  the  farm ;  and  one  child,  Ar- 
ligton,  who  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth, 
died  at  the  age  of  six  weeks. 

John  B.  Holmes  held  membership  in  the 
Christian  church  of  Lyons  and  was  one  of 
its  most  active  workers.  He  was  an  earnest 
soldier  of  the  cause  as  well  as  a  loyal  de-, 
fender  of  his  country  uprm  the  liattlcfields 
of  the  south.  He  lett  tlic  rccnrd  nf  a  pure 
and  upright  life.  He  was  widely  kudwn  as 
a  devoted  husband  and  father,  a  faithful 
friend  and  neighbor  and  a  good  citizen,  and 
to  his  family  he  left  the  priceless  heritage 
of  an  untarnished  name.  He  died  Septem- 
ber 8,  1892,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six,  and  the 
entire  community  mourn  his  loss.  Mrs. 
Holmes  still  rcMdes  upon  the  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  Mxty  acres,  where  with  her 
husliand  she  took  up  her  abode  thirty  years 
agn.  She  has  borne  her  part  in  the  estab- 
lishinenl  of  a  home  and  has  been  a  faith- 
ful and  loving  wife  and  mother,  rearing  a 
familv^of  children  who  do  credit  to  her 
teachings  and  her  good  name.  Her  many 
good  qualities  of  heart  and  mind  lia\e  won 
her  the  love  and  friendship  of  a  wide  circle 
of  acquaintances  and  among  the  worthy 
pioneer  people  of  the  community  she  well 
desen-es  mention. 


J.  C.  DAVIS. 

J.  C.  l)a\is  is  engaged  in  the  real-estate 
and  abstr;ict  iiumul-ss  in  Lyons.  For  twen- 
ty-six years  he  lias  been  a  resident  of  Kan- 
sas and  is  deeply  interesterl  in  everything 
pertaining  to  the  progress  and  welfare  of 
his  adopted  state.  He  was  born  in  Peoria, 
Illinois,  on  the  2d  of  December,  1859,  and 
the  progressive  and  enterprising  spirit 
which  has  wrought  the  wonderful  develop- 
ment in  the  Mississippi  valley  has  been  ex- 
emplified in  his  career.  His  father,  R.  C. 
Davis,  became  a  resident  of  Peoria  in  1856, 
emigrating  westward  from  Wheeling.  West 
\'irginia,  his  birthplace.  He  represented 
one  of  the  honored  families  of  that  locality 


344 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


and  was  a  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  After 
remaining  in  Illinois  for  a  time  he  returned 
to  West  X'irginia  for  his  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Margaret  Keyser  and  was 
bom  in  that  state,  of  German  lineage.  For 
a  time  the  parents  resided  upon  their  farm 
and  Air.  Davis  won  a  handsome  com- 
petence through  his  capable  management 
and  business  ability.  At  length  he  put  aside 
active  duties  of  business  life  and  is  now  liv- 
ing retired  at  his  home  in  Elmwood,  Illi- 
nois. He  had  eight  children,  five  sons  and 
three  daughters,  but  Mr.  Davis  of  this  re- 
view is  the  only  one  now  in  Kansas.  One 
son  was  killed  by  accident  in  an  elevator ; 
Elmer  E.  died  in  Lake  City.  Illinois :  and 
the  other  members  of  the  family  are  now 
living. 

J.  C.  Davis  was  reared  to  farm  life, 
early  becoming  familiar  with  all  the  duties 
and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agri- 
culturist. He  worked  in  the  fields  from  the 
tune  of  early  spring  planting  to  the  garner- 
ing of  the  harvests.  His  education  was 
acc[uired  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
state,  and  in  1876  he  came  to  the  wesf.  mak- 
ing his  way  to  Rice  county,  where  his  fa- 
ther owned  a  farm.  For  four  years  he  de- 
voted his  attention  to  the  management  and 
cultivation  of  this  property  and  then  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  where  for  a  year  he  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  in  Yates  City.  On 
the  expiration  qf  that  period  he  again  came 
to  Kansas,  where  he  was  connected  with  a 
store  for  a  time,  after  which  he  spent  one 
year  as  a  traveling  salesman,  representing 
a  Chicago  firm.  His  next  venture  was  in 
the  abstract  and  land  business,  which  has 
since  claimed  his  attention.  He  has  an  ex- 
cellent set  of  abstract  books  and  has  a  good 
clientage  in  the  real-estate  department  of  his 
business. 

In  1893,  in  Stafford  county,  Kansas, 
was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Air.  Davis 
and  Aliss  Edna  Scott,  a  daughter  of  the 
well  known  Judge  H.  W.  Scott,  who  has 
a  wide  acquaintance  in  the  Sunflower  state 
and  in  Oklahoma.  Mrs.  Davis  is  a  lady  of 
natural  culture  and  refinement  and  prior  to 
her  marriage  was  a  successful  and  popular 
teacher  in  Earned.  Kansas,  for  some  time. 


Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  three 
children, — Margaret,  Charlotte  and  Philip. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  are  people  of  the  high- 
est respectability,  and  owing  to  their  ster- 
ling worth  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes 
of  Lyons  is  extended  to  them.  Mr.  Davis 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
his  wife  holds  membership  in  the  Cliristian 
church.  Socially  he  is  identified  with  the 
Knights  oi  Pythias  fraternity,  and  in  his 
political  belief  is  a  Republican,  giving  his 
support  to  the  men  and  measures  of  the 
party.  Public-spirited  and  progressive,  he 
co-operates  with  measures .  for  tlie  general 
good  and  possesses  those  qualities  which 
render  him  a  valued  and  esteemed  resident 
of  his  adopted  dty. 


JOHN  L.  AIcDAVITT 

One  of  the  most  prosperous  and  exten- 
sive farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Kingman 
county  is  John  L.  AIlcDavitt,  who  resides  on 
section  28,  Kingman  township.  He  was 
born  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois,  June  24, 
1852.  The  family  is  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage 
and  Notley  McDavitt,  the  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  probably  a  native  of  \'ir- 
ginia,  where  he  was  reared.  Throughout 
his  aitire  life  he  carried  on  farming.  In  the 
Old  Dominion  he  was  married  and  there  re- 
sided until  1838,  when  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Edgar  coimty,  Illinois,  locating 
on  a  farm  about  ten  miles  from-  Paris,  mak- 
ing it  his  home  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred some  time  after  the  Mexican  \\ar. 
His  wife  survived  him  for  a  number  of 
years  and  our  subject  still  retains  a  vivid 
recollection  of  her.  In  their  family  were 
six  children :  James  R. ;  Van  Meter,  who 
was  accidentally  killed  in  Illinois  while 
riding  a  horse;  Joseph,  a  farmer  of  Bates 
county,  Alissouri ;  Ann,  who  was  the  wife  of 
James  Zimmerman  and  died  in  Coles  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  in  Alarch,  1901 ;  Jehu,  who  was 
a  twin  brother  Oif  Ann  and  followed  farming 
in  Coles  county  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred Alarch  15,  1899;  ^"d  John,  who 
died   in   Edg|ar  countv,   Illinois.   December 


MRS.  JOHN   L.  McDA\  ITT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


345 


8,   1899,  on  the  old  homestead,  where  his 
father  had  Hved. 

James  R.  ^IcDavitt.  who  was  the  eldest 
of  the  family  and  became  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  \'irginia,  January  4, 
1825,  and  when  thirteen  years  of  age  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  Illinois.  Soon  af- 
terward he  left  home,  and,  making  his  way 
to  Bloomington,  Illinois,  secured  work  on  a 
faumi  near  that  place.  At  that  time  lots 
could  have  been  purchased  in  the  city  for 
eight  dollars  eaxh.  For  two  years  he  re- 
mained on  the  farm,  and  during  that  period 
often  hauled  wheat  to  Chicago,  for  rail- 
roads affording  shipping  facilities  had  not 
then  been  built.  On  the  expiration  of  two 
years  he  returned  to  Edgar  county,  and  dur- 
ing the  Mexican  war  he  enlisted  as  a  sol- 
dier, sei-\-ing  under  General  Scott.  He  was 
married,  in  Edgar  county,  to  Miss  Wood- 
ard,  who  lived  for  only  a  year  afterward. 
He  later  wedded  Seleta  A.  Combs,  who  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  October  17,  183 1,  a 
daughter  of  Pleasant  M.  and  Mary  (Prince) 
Combs,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee, whence  they  removed  to  Edgar 
county,  Illinois,  where  they  spent  their  re- 
maining days.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  ]Mc- 
Davitt  engaged  in  farming  in  Edgar  coun- 
ty for  several  years,  and  about  1859  he  re- 
moved to  the  town  of  Kansas,  where  he 
established  a  hoteil,  which  he  conducted  un- 
til 1 86 1.  He  then  traded  his  town  prop- 
erty for  a  farm  in  Coles  county,  Illinois, 
near  \\'estfield,  and  after  residing  tliereon 
for  six  years  returned  to  Edgar  county,  pur- 
chasing a  tract  of  land  near  the  cild  family 
homestead,  making  it  his  place  of  residence 
until  1890,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed 
to  California,  hear  Chico.  There  he  en- 
gaged in  fruit  raising  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  June,  1898.  His  second  wife 
had  died  April  8,  1876,  and  he  had  wedded 
Mrs.  Mary  Houghman,  who  passed  away  in 
1898.  Mr.  McDavitt  was  a  Democrat  in 
his  political  views  and  for  several  j-ears 
served  as  treasurer  of  Grandview  township, 
Edgar  county,  Illinois.  Socially  he  was 
identified  wath  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
both  the  parents  of  our  subject  were  consist- 
ent members  of  rhe  Presb\i;erian  church,  in 


the  work  of  which  they  took  an  active  part. 
They  had  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing, namely  :  John  L. ;  Mary  C,  who  was 
born  October  29,  1853,  and  is  the  wife  of 
Harrison  B.  Thompson,  proprietor  of  a 
restaurant  in  Brockton,  Illinois;  Chester  R., 
who  was  born  August  21,  1855,  and  is  a 
farmer  living  near  Kiowa,  Kansas;  Notley 
P.,  who  was  born  February  17,  1862,  and  is 
an  insurance  agent  at  Bridgeport,  Iowa,  but 
is  no'w  traveling  for  his  health;  and  Nora 
AL,  who  was  born  October  4,  1869,  and  is 
the  wife  of  Samuel  Huffman,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, California. 

In  the  district  schools  of  his  native  coun- 
ty John  L.  McDavitt  pursued  his  education 
and  remained  upon  his  father's  farm  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was 
married  January  14,  1875,  to  Frances  E. 
Thompson,  wdio  was  born  in  Guernsey 
county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (Jones)  Thompson.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Culpeper  county,  Virginia,  Janu- 
ary 30,  181 1,  and  her  mother  in  Maryland, 
January  21,  1820.  The  Thompson  family 
was  of  English  lineage.  Thomas  Thomp- 
son was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  having 
been  Anna  Kinsey,  by  whom  he  had  three 
children :  Emily,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Brill, 
a  farmer  living  near  Windsor,  Illinois; 
Louisa,  the  wife  of  William  H.  McCord,  an 
agriculturist  of  Edgar  comity,  Illinois;  and 
Edward,  a  farmer  of  the  same  locality. 
After  the  death  of  his  firs-t  wife  Mr.  Tliomp- 
son  was  married,  August  25,  1835,  in 
(^iuernsey  county.  Ohio,  to  Mary  Jones,  a 
daughter  of  Andrew  Jones,  who  was  a 
cooper  by  trade  and  died  in  Guernsey  coun- 
ty, OhiO',  about  twelve  years  ago.  By  the 
second  marriage  there  were  also  three  chil- 
dren; Harrison  B.,  proprietor  of  a  restau- 
rant in  Brockton,  Illinois;  Anna  E.,  the  wife 
of  John  N.  Combs,  of  Edgar  county;  and 
]\Irs,  McDavitt.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  also  conducted  a  hotel 
in  Salesville,  Ohio.  In  1864  he  removed  to 
Edgar  county,  Illinois,  where  he  purchased 
a  farm,  which  he  operated  until  his  death, 
October  12,  1890,  his  wife  surviving  him 
until  Miarch,  1896,  when  she,  too,  passed 
awav.     Both  were  members  of  the  Metho- 


346 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


dist  church  and  took  an  active  part  in  its 
work.  His  pohtical  support  was  gi\-en  the 
Republican  party. 

For  two  years  after  his  marriage  Mr. 
McDavitt  foillowed  carpentering  in  Grand- 
view,  Illinois,  and  then  rented  a  farm  near 
by,  operating  it  for  a  year.  Subsequently 
he  resided  on  his  father's  farm  for  a  time, 
then  lived  in  the  town  of  Dudley,  and  froiii 
there  went  to  Redmon,  Illinois.  Later  he 
resided  east  of  Walnut  Grove  for  a  year  and 
then  removed  to  a  farm  one  mile  south  of 
the  town  of  Kansas,  continuing  its  cultiva- 
tion for  six  years.  A  year  was  also  spent  on 
a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  north  uf  Charles- 
ton, Coles  county,  Illinois,  and  in  April. 
1886,  he  removed  to  Wellington,  Kansas, 
but  after  a  short  residence  there  came  to 
Kingman  county,  locating  on  the  Hamilton 
ranch,  when  all  he  had  in  the  world  in 
mioney  was  fifty-five  cents,  while  his  other 
resources  were  represented  by  two  cows  and 
a  few  household  goods, — he  did  not  even 
have  a  team.  There  he  remained  for  one 
}-ear,  and  then  removed  to  the  town  of 
Bross,  but  after  a  few  weeks  came  to  his 
present  home,  purchasing  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  on  which  a  few  improve- 
m'ents  had  beeir  made.  That  fall  he  built 
a  ho'use,  twenty-eight  by  sixteen  feet,  and 
later  he  put  up  a  good  barn  and  a  five-ton 
wagon  scale.  His  farm  is  now  all  under 
fence  and  he  has  an  excellent  orchard  and 
ninety  acres  planted  with  the  cereals  best 
adapted  to  this  climate.  The  remainder  of 
his  home  farm  is  devoted  to  pasturage  pur- 
poses and  he  rents  about  eight  hundred 
acres  of  pasture  land,  for  he  has  a  fine  herd 
of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  graded  short- 
horn and  Hereford  cattle. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDavitt 
has  been  blessed  with  four  children:  Claud 
W.,  who  is  in  the  railroad  service  and 
makes  his  home  in  Zenda,  Kingman  county ; 
Myrtle,  the  wife  of  William  H.  Boots,  a 
farmer  and  carpenter  of  Portland,  Oregon ; 
Thomas  R.,  who  ably  asists  his  father  on 
the  farm:  and  Frances  L.,  who  is  attending 
school. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  McDavitt 
is  a  Democrat,  and  for  twO'  terms  he  capably 


ser\'ed  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  has  been 
a  delegate  to  the  county  conventions  and 
was  made  a  delegate  tO'  the  state  convention 
at  Ft.  Scott,  but  business  prevented  his  at- 
tendance. He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  since  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  at  which  time  he  joined  Kansas 
Lodge,  No.  280,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  Illinois. 
He  is  noAv  a  member  of  Spi^•ey  Lodge,  No. 
347,  and  he  also  belongs  to  Nashville  Lodge, 
No.  383,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  which  he  has  filled 
all  the  chairs,  while  tO'  the  grand  lodge  he 
has  been  sent  as  a  delegate.  He  holds  mem- 
bership in  Magnolia  Cami),  No.  3394,  M. 
W.  A.,  of  Nashville,  Kansas,  and  is  its  ven- 
erable consul.  ,\11  that  he  pnssesses  in  life 
has  been  acquired  through  liis  own  efforts, 
— industry,  perseverance  antl  capal^le  man- 
agement being  the  foundation  upon  which 
he  has  built  his  success.  He  is  honored  and 
respected  by  his  neighbors  and  many 
friends  in  the  county,  and  well  deserves  to 
be  acconnted  a  leading  citizen  of  his  portioii 
of  the  state. 


WILLIAM  M.  PORTER. 

William  M.  Porter  was  born  in  Pella, 
Marion  county.  Iowa,  in  October,  1855,  his 
parents  being  Joseph  and  ]\Iary  (Cheesman) 
Porter,  the  former  a  native  of  Delaware  and 
the  latter  of  Indiana,  in  which  state  they 
were  married.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Joseph  Porter,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent 
and  his  wife  was  a'relative  of  Henry  Clay 
Dean,  of  world-wide  reputation.  The  grand- 
father died  in  Delaware,  and  Joseph  Porter 
left  his  native  state  after  he  had  attained  to 
early  manhood  and  traveletl  on  foot  to  In- 
diana, where  he  secured  work  as  a  farm  hand 
and  thus  entered  upon  an  independent  busi- 
ness career.  He  had  no  money  save  that 
wdiich  he  earned  through  his  own  labor.  He 
purchased  a  horse,  which  was  almost  his 
only  possession  at  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
then  rented  land  and  began  farming  on  a 
small  scale,  following  agricultural  pnrsuits 
in  the  Hoosier  state  for  two  years,  when  he 
started  for  Iowa,  taking  with  him  his  fam- 
ily and  all  of  his  earthly  possessions.  He  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


347 


one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Marion  county, 
where  he  entered  land  from  the  government. 
After  making  some  improvements  upon  it 
he  sold  that  property  and  erected  the  first 
grist  and  saw  mill  in  M'arion  county,  the 
products  of  which  he  had  to  haul  tO'  market, 
selling  the  goods  mostly  in  Burlington.  Sub- 
sequently he  traded  his  mill  property  for  a 
large  tract  of  land,  on  which  a  few  improve- 
ments hadi  been  made,  but  they  were  of  very 
poor  character.  With  resolute  will  he  be- 
gan work  and  soon  transformed  the  field  into 
a  good  fami.  thereon  spiending  his  remain- 
ing days.  He  was  an  excellent  financier, 
was  diligent,  progressive  and  enterprising 
and  thus  won  success.  He  became  an  ex- 
tensive land  owner  and  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous and  prominent  men  of  the  county.  In 
his  y<;utli  he  was  deprived  of  all  advantages. 
His  educatiun  was  practically  acquired  under 
the  direction  of  his  wife  after  they  were  mar- 
ried, but  by  reading,  study  and  observation 
he  became  a  well  informed  man  and  capable 
of  conducting  many  branches  of  business. 
His  political  support  was  gi\-en  the  Demo- 
cracy, jjut  he  reserved  the  right  to  vote  foT 
anv  man  whrmi  he  preferred  at  local  elec- 
tions. He  filled  many  township  and  county 
offices  and  was  also  chosen  to  represent  his 
county  in  the  state  legislature,  where  he 
served  with  honor  and  credit  to  himself  and 
satisfaction  to  bis  constituents.  A  leading 
member  of  the  Meth<H.list  Epi-opal  church. 
he  also  took  an  active  part  in  Sunday-school 
work  and  did!  everything  in  his  power  to 
promote  the  moral  advancement  of  the  peo- 
ple among  whom  he  lived.  The  poor  and 
needv  ever  f(  und  in  him  a  friend  and  he 
was  always  willing  to  give  of  his  time  and 
means  to  assist  others.  His  many  excellent 
qualities  made  him  widely  and'  favorably 
known  and  he  commanded  the  uniform  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  all  by  reason  of  his 
sterling  integrity  and  honor.  He  was  a  man 
above  the  a.verage  height.  >  t  an  athletic 
build  and  when  young  he  worked  xcrx  hard. 
He  possessed  natural  mechanical  aliility  and 
was  a  mJllwright  by  trade.  In  later  years 
his  attention  was  given  exclusively  tO'  his 
farn"!  work,  and  his  enterprise  and  diligence 


wen  for  him  a  competence  that  enabled  him 
to  surround  his  family  with  all  of  the  ne- 
cessities and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  He 
had  an  able  assistant  in  his  wife,  who  was 
a  most  estimable  lady.  His  death  occurred 
August  8,  1882,  and  Mrs.  Porter  died  ]\Iay 
II,  190 1,  having  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-twO'  years.  Her  parents  were  Scotch 
Irish  and  were  early  settlers  of  Indiana, 
where  her  father  was  a  prominenit  farmer. 
After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Porter 
became  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Woody,  also  from 
Indiana.  Unto'  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter  were 
bom  eleven  children :  John,  who  died  in 
childhood ;  James,  of  Iowa ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Millison :  George,  who  diedl  at  the  age  of 
twehe  years;  Marion,  of  Iowa;  Mrs.  Nancy 
Wray ;  William,  of  this  review  ;  Charles,  who 
is  living  in  the  Hawkeye  state ;  Mary,  de- 
ceased; Frank,  a  twin  brother  of  Mary  and 
now  a  farmer  of  Iowa ;  and  Katy,  deceased 
wife  of  Joe  Kelly. 

William  Porter  was  born  and'  reared  in 
Iowa,  and  he  remained  in  hisi  parents"  home 
until  twenty-five  years  of  age.  He  was. 
trained  to  the  work  of  the  farm:  in  its  various 
departments  and  in  the  schools  of  the 
neighlxThocd  he  mastered  some  of  the 
branches  of  English  learning.  In  1881 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Clara 
Bitting,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  although 
the  wedding  was  celebrated  in  Iowa.  The 
lady  was  a  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Hannah 
(Redman)  Bitting,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania  and  were  of  German 
descent.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  me- 
chanic and  removed  tO'  the  Hawkeye  state 
where  he  departed  this  life.  They  were 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  in 
that  faith  reared  their  family  of  six  children, 
namely:  Josephi;  Mrs.  Porter;  Charles,  of 
Iowa;  Alvin;  Emma,  the  wife  of  T.  Baker; 
and  Mary.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter 
was  born  a  daughter.  Bertha,  oit  the  28th 
of  November,  1881.  The  wife  and  mother 
died  April  5,  1883.  She  was  an  earnest 
Christian  woman,  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
her  family,  and  her  loss  was  deeply  felt. 
Subsequently  Mr.  Porter  was  again  married, 
his  second  union  being  with  Miss  Martha 


348 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


J.  Aliller,  who  was  boriT  at  Pella,  Iowa, 
April  17,  1859,  her  parents  being  J.  H.  and 
]\Iartha  (Liter)  MiUer,  both  of  whomi  were 
natives  of  Ihinois.  Their  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  Marion  county,  Iowa,  Her  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Isaac  Miller,  represented 
a  family  of  Pennsylvania  .Germani  lineage. 
He  married  Jane  Smith,  a  sister  of  Job 
Smith,  of  Lyons,  Kansas.  The  father  of 
;\jrs.  Porter  was  a  successful  farmer  and  is 
now  living  retired  at  Truro,  Iowa,  yet  own- 
ing the  old  family  homestead  in  that  state. 
He  formerly  supported  the  Demucrac}-,  but 
is  now  an  advocate  of  the  P(.l)^li•^l:  ]iLirt\'. 
and  was  chairman  of  his  township  crgani- 
zation  for  that  party  for  some  time.  He  is 
a  very  prominent  and  successful  farmer  and 
a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  honor.  His 
wife  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years,  leav- 
ing four  children,  namely:  John  L. ;  Martha 
J.,  now  Mrs.  Porter;  Sarah  C,  the  wife  of 
\\'.  Zimmerman;  and  Mary  J.,  the  wife  of 
S.  Miller.  After  the  death  oif  the  first  wife 
the  father  wedded  Miss  Mary  Millard,  and 
had  five  children :  Cora,  now  the  wife  of 
E.  Bennett;  Lora,  who  married  E.  Atkinson; 
Frank,  who  is  operating  the  home  farm; 
Anna,  the  wife  of  F.  Knott;  and  William, 
of  Rice  county.  The  parents,  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  church.  The  home  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Porter  has'  been  blessed  with  two 
children, — Bessie,  who  died  in  infancy ;  and 
Clarence,  born  June  18,  1888. 

After  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Porter  rent- 
ed a  farm  and  thus  made  a  start  in  life.  Sub- 
sequently he  purchased  a  small  tract  01  land, 
which  he  afterward  sold  and  then  bought 
another  farm.-  Prior  to  his  marriage  he  had 
engaged  in  operating  a  threshing  machine, 
but  subsequently  to  that  event  he  devoted 
his  time  exclusively  to  farming.  After  the 
death  of  his  wife  he  rented  lids  farm  and 
made  a  tour  oif  the  west,  going  to  Colo'rado, 
where  he  spent  a  few. months.  Subsequent- 
ly returning  to  Pella,  Iowa,  he  there  engaged 
in  merchandising  for  a  short  period.  In 
1885  he  was  again  married,  and  then  sold 
his  Iowa  property,  after  which  he  came  to 
Kansas,  locating  in  Rice  county,  where  he 
first  purchased  the  quarter  section  of  land 


upon  which  he  yet  resides.  It  was  improved 
with  a  smiall  house,  but  the  place  was  in  poor 
condition,  yet  his  marked  determination  and 
and  energy-,  however,  enabled  him  to  readily 
take  up  and  carry  on  the  work  and  in  a  short 
space  of  time  he  was  enabled  to  pay  off  the 
indebtedness  upon  the  place  and  add  many 
,siubstantial  improvements.  Not  afraid  of 
work,  he  took  contracts  for  various  kinds, 
of  labor,  and  his  marked  dilig>;nce,  deter- 
mination and  enterprise  thus  enabled  him  to 
alter  his  surroundings  and  conditions  and  to 
conquer  an  adverse  fate.  In  the  course  of 
time  he  stocked  his  farm  with  good  grades 
of  cattle,  horses  and  hogs,  and  in  addition 
carried  on  general  farming,  harvesting  good 
crops.  He  has  always  had  good  corn  crops, 
and  in  later  years  he  has  ptuxhased  curn 
and  other  products,  gaining  a  good  financial 
return  from  the  investments.  As  his  finan- 
cial resources  have  increased  he  has  added 
to  his  landed  possessions  until  he  now  has 
eight  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  all  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  the  place  be- 
ing located  four  miles  northeast  of  Lyons. 
He  is  a  very  energetic,  determined  man,  and 
his  resolute  will  has  enaliled  him  to  conquer 
all  difficulties  and  obstacles.  He  is  an  ex- 
cellent judge  of  property  and  of  stock,  buys 
cattle  in  bunches  and  alwaysi  has  a  bunch  of 
cattle  for  sale.  His  fellow  townsmen  rec- 
O'gnize  his  business  ability  and  reliable  judg- 
ment and  feel  that  in  trade  transactions  he 
is  ever  straighforward  and  just.  His  place 
is  improved  with  a  gOod  two-story  residence, 
a  large  barn  and  splendid  outbuildings. 
There  is  also  an  orchard  and  gvoxe  and  all  of 
the  attractive  features  found  upon  a  model 
farm  of  the  twentieth  century  are  here  seen. 
By  hard  work  and  honest  dealing  he  has  be- 
come one  of  the  most  prosperous  agricultur- 
ists of  the  community,  and  in  his  business 
career  he  has  ever  followed  the  honorable 
precepts  laid  down  by  his  father,  thus  sus- 
taining an  irreproachable  charaeter.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Democrat  and  has  filled  many 
township  offices,  at  the  present  time  acting 
as  township  treasurer  of  Harrison  township. 
Botli  he  and  his  wife  hold  membership  in 
the   Methodist   Episcopal   church. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


349 


JOHN  WIGGINS. 

Mr.  Wiggins  was  born  in  Coshocton 
county,  Ohio,  November  13,  1847,  his  par- 
ents being  Benjamin  and  Jemimah  (Mag- 
ness)  Wiggins,  botli  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Ohio.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Ed- 
ward Wiggins,  was  l^orn  in  West  Virginia, 
and  in  1S07  removed  to  Ohio,  where  he 
entered  land  and  improved  a  farm  from  the 
heavy  timber.  There  he  reared  his  family, 
living  in  the  plain,  old-fa'shioned  style  of  the 
time,  yet  traming  his  sons  and  daughters  to 
habits  of  industry  and  integrity.  He  evel' 
commanded  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
his  fellow  men  and  all  who  knew  him  recog- 
nized his  sterling  worth.  His  death  oc- 
curred on  the  old  Ohio  homestead.  His 
son,  Benjamin  W'iggins,  was  born  July  13, 
1820,  on  that  farm,  wdiere  he  has  always 
lived  and  where  his  children  were  also  born. 
He  yet  owns  the  old  homestead,  which 
came  into-  his  possession  after  the  death  of 
his  father  and  which  was  secured  by  the 
family  from  the  government.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Whig,  and  when  the  Republican 
party  was  formed  he  advocated  its  issues 
and  supported  its  platform.  He  has  never 
faltered  in  his  allegiance  thereto  and  has 
done  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth 
and  insure  the  success  of  Republican  meas- 
ures. He  held  a  number  of  township  offices 
and  has  frequently  been  called  upon  to  act 
as  guardian  to  estates,  being  widely  known 
for  his  competent  business  ability  and  his 
irreproachable  honesty  and  integrity.  He 
is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  well  spent 
and  useful  life,  but  in  April,  1S90,  he  was 
called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife. 
This  worthy  couple  w^ere  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  as  follows :  Edward,  who 
is  living  in  Ohi' j ;  Seth,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty  years,  leaving  one  child:  Samuel, 
who  is  living  on  the  old  homestead;  John, 
of  this  review:  Harvey,  who  also  resides 
in  Rice  coimty;  iMary,  the  wife  of  John 
Williams :  and  An^anda,  who  married  T. 
Workman. 

In  the  old  home  which  was  the  birth- 
place of  his  father.  John  Wiggins  of  this 
review  was  born  and  reared,  and  under  the 


parental  roof  he  remained  until  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  During  that  period  he 
acquired  a  commpn-school  education  and 
became  familiar  with  all  departments  of 
farm  work,  for  he  .assisted  in  the  labors  of 
field  on  the  old  place.  In  October,  1864, 
although  but  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  en- 
listed for  one  year's  service  as  a  member 
of  Conipany  H,  Eightieth  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  with 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  He  went  with 
Sherman  on  his  celebrated  march  to  the 
sea  and  took  part  in  other  long  marches 
and  in  many  skirmishes,  but  was  never 
wounded.  At  the  time  of  General  Lee's 
surrender  he  was  in  North  Carolina,  after 
which  the  regiment  proceeded  to  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  and  there  participated  in  the 
grand  review,  the  most  celebrated  military 
pageant  ever  seen  in  the  new  world.  He 
was  then  sent  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and 
later  to  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  where  he 
was  mustered  out  and  returned  to  Colum- 
bus. Ohio,  and  there  received  an  honorable 
discharge  and  was  paid  for  his  services. 

On  reaching  home  Mr.  AViggins  re- 
sumed farming  operations  and  continued 
upon  the  old  homestead  until  his  marriage, 
which  occurred  in  1875,  Miss  Ellen  ]\IcCune 
becoming  his  wite.  She  was  born  Januarv 
20,  1850,  in  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Sarah  (McDowell)  McCune,  natives  of  the 
Buckeye  state  and  of  Scotch  descent,  their 
ancestors  having  located  in  Ohio'  in  pioneer 
days.  John  McCune's  father  served  in  the 
war  of  1812  and  died  in  the  state  of  his  na- 
tivity. John  McCune,  the  father  of  i\Irs. 
Wiggins,  was  a  farm'er  by  occupation  and 
passed  away  in '1892.  His  political  sup- 
port was  given  tlie  ncnucracy  ami  he  filled 
a  number  of  ti'wnsliii)  ^  IVr-c^  with  credit  to 
him(self  and  ?ati>l:icti.  mi  tn  his  c  n^tituents. 
In  1857  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  his  first  wife,  and  later  he  married 
Miss  Nancy  Glenn.  The  children  of  his 
first  marriage  were :  Mary,  now  Mrs.  D. 
Craig:  James,  of  Ohio;  Nathaniel,  who 
died  in  Missouri  and  left  a  family :  JMar- 
tha.  deceased;  Salina.  the  wife  of  Dr.  A. 
Jackson :  and  Ellen,  wife  of  Mr.  AA'iggins. 
Bv  his  second  marriage  ]\Ir.   AlcCune  had 


350 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


two  children :  John,  now  of  Ohio,  and 
Robert,  who  is  hving  on  the  old  homestead. 
The  parents  of  Mrs.  Wiggins  were  consist- 
ent and  lo'val  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  1  he  marriage  of  our  subject  and 
his  wife  has  been  blessed  with  seven  chil- 
dren, namely :  May,  who  mariried  F.  Wol- 
ford;  Seth,  Cecil,  Maggie,  Delia,  Benja- 
min and  Lowell.  After  his  marriage,  in 
1S75.  ]\Ir.  Wiggins  came  to  the  west  with 
his  brother,  first  locating  in  southern  Ne- 
braska, where  they  purchased  teams,  rented 
land  and  planted  a  crop.  After  their  corn 
was  matured  and  disposed  of  in  the  autumn 
they  came  tO'  Kansas,  our  subject  purchas- 
ing a  squatter's  claim  and  later  homestead- 
ing  the  land  comprising  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  Only  a  small  amount  had  been 
broken  and  a  little  house  of  cheap  work- 
manship was  the  only  improvement  upon 
the  place.  Since  that  time  he  has  carried 
forward  the  work  of  progress  here  and  now 
has  a  splendidly  developed  farm,  the  fields 
being  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
while  excellent  barns-  and  outbuildings  fur- 
nish shelter  for  grain  and  stock.  There  is 
a  bearing  orchard  and  a  beautiful  grove, 
and  the  home  is  a  commodious  and  tasteful 
residence.  In  his  work  Mr.  Wliggins  has 
been  successful  and  has  added  another  quar- 
ter section  of  land  to  his  farm.  Although 
occasionally  the  crops  have  not  been  good, 
the  farm'  has  always  been  self-supporting 
and  usually  his  labors  have  been  crowned 
with  abundant  harvests.  He  makes  a  spe- 
cialty of  the  raising  of  wheat  and  he  also' 
raises  some  stock  and  buys  in  bunches 
young  cattle.  When  he  first  came  to  his 
farm  it  was  necessary  to  "do-  his  trading  at 
Sterling,  but  with  the  growth  of  the  county, 
markets  have  been  established  much  nearer. 
His  first  vote  after  coming  to  Rice  cotmty 
was  cast  in  behalf  O'f  establishing  the  coun- 
ty seat  where  the  town  of  Lyons  now 
stands.  He  has  witnessed  all  of  the  ad- 
vancement and  development  of  this  portion 
of  the  state  and  has  had  no  occasion  to  re- 
gret his  decision  to  make  his  home  within 
the  borders  of  Rice  comity,  for  here  he  has 
met  with  creditable  success  and  has  gained 
manv  warm  friends.     He  was  reared  in  the 


Repnl)lican  party  and  for  many  years  ad- 
hered to'  its  principles,  but  recently  has  affil- 
iated with  the  Reform  party,  believing  that 
its  men  best  serve  the  welfare  of  the  ma- 
jority. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  town- 
ship board  for  ten  years,  was  also  township 
treasurer,  trustee  and  assessor,  and  his  pul> 
lie  service  has  ever  been  commendable. 


CHAUNCEY  C.  SPARIvS. 

Chauncey  C.  Sparks,  proprietor  of  the 
Sparks  stock  farm,  consisting  of  thirteen 
liundred  and  twenty  acres,  is-  one  of  the 
most  prominent  farmers  and  stock-raisers 
ini  Kingiiian   county.  He  was   born   in 

Clay  county,  Lidiana,  on  the  3d  of  August, 
1864,  and  is  a  member  of  a  prominent  and 
well-known  family  of  the  Hoosier  state. 
His  grandfather,  Owen  Sparks,  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  of  French  and  Welsh  ancestry, 
and  his  son  and  the  father  of  our  subject, 
David  Sparks,  was  a  native  of  Vigo  county, 
Indiana.  He  was  miarried  in  the  state  of 
his  nativity  to  Mary  Welsh,  also  a  native 
of  Vigo  county,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  the  following  children :  Charlotta  Isa- 
dora, of  Co'les  county,  Illinois ;  Enola  J., 
deceased;  Rev.  Charles  C,  a  resident  of 
Kingman  county;  Chauncey  C,  the  subject 
of  this  review ;  Albert,  a  resident  of  Jasper 
county,  Illinois;  Sallie,  who  makes  her 
home  in  Coles  county,  Illinois ;  Fred,  of  Illi- 
nois ;  and  Owen,  who  died  at  the  age  cf  four 
}"ears.  The  parents  of  these  children  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  both  passing 
away  in  the  faith  of  the  Baptist  church,  of 
which  they  were  worthy  and  consistent 
members. 

Chauncey  C.  Sparks  remained  in  his  na- 
tive state  until  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  he 
then  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  re- 
moval to  Jasper  county,  Illinois,  and  in  both 
the  Hoosier  and  Prairie  states  he  was 
reared  tO'  agricultural  pursuits.  Remaining 
at  home  until  his  twenty-first  year,  he  then 
came  to  this  state,  where  for  one  year  he 
was  employed  by  his  uncle,  William  Sparks. 
In  1887  he  removed  to  western  Kansas,  se- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


351 


curing-  a  guverninent  claim  in  Stanton  coun- 
ty, but  a  short  time  afterward  he  sold  his 
possessions  there  and  returned  to-  Kingman 
county,  Kansas,  purchasing  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  improved  land  where  he 
now  lives.  As  the  years  have  passed  by  and 
success  has  come  tO'  him  as  the  result  of  in- 
domitable energy  and  unfaltering  persever- 
ance, he  has  added  tO'  his  landed  possessions 
until  he  now  owns  thirteen  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  in  Xinnescah  town- 
ship, Kingman  county,  four  miles  south- 
east of  the  city  of  Kingman.  His  residence, 
which  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  one  thousand 
dollars,  is  situated  on  a  natural  building  site 
and  is  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  grove  and 
orchard,  while  his  barns  and  outbuildings 
are  w^ell  built  and  neat  in  appearance.  The 
Ninnescah  river  furnishes  an  abundance 
of  pure  water  to  his  stuck,  ut  which  he 
keeps  about  two  hundred  head. 

On  the  24th  of  Xo\-ember.  1889,  'Sir. 
Sparks  was  united  in  marriage  to  Addic 
Wymore,  who  has  proved  to-  him  a  loving 
and  devoted  companion.  She  was  born  in 
Iowa,  but  was  reared  and  educated  in  Kan- 
sas, and  is  a  daughter  of  Ben  and  Florence 
Wymore,  the  former  now  deceased.  After 
the  father's  death  the  mother  was  again 
married,  being  now  Mrs.  Isaac  Newton  and 
a  resident  of  Ninnescah  township.  Four 
children  have  brightened  and  blessed  the 
home  of  JMr.  and  Mrs,  Sparks. — Effie,  Ellis. 
Clifford  and  Florence,  aged  respectively 
eleven,  seven,  five  and  two  years.  They 
were  also  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of 
one  whoi  died  in  infancy.  The  Populist 
party  receives  Mr.  Spark's  active  support 
and  co-operation,  and  he  takes  an  active  in- 
terest in  public  affairs.  He  is  progressive 
and  public-spirited,  and  never  withholds  his 
support  from  any  enterprise  which  he  be- 
lieves will  prove  of  public  benefit  or  will  in 
any  way  advance  the  interests  of  the  com- 
munity. 

A.  O.  YEOAIAX. 
A.  O.  Yeoman,    one   of    the    successful 
and     extensive     agriculturists     and     stock- 
raisers  of  Kinsrman  countv,    was    born    in 


Fayette  county,  Ohio,  near  Washington 
Court  House,  on  the  loth  of  Septenuber, 
1850.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Walter 
Yeoman,  was  born  in  England,  of  English 
parentage,  and  his  father,  Eli  Yeoman,  was 
a  native  of  Ohio.  The  latter  was  reared  to 
years  of  maturity  on  a  farm  in  that  state, 
and  was  ihere  married  t'  Rdiecca  Jane 
Knox,  :i1mi  a  natixc  ni  tlic  I'.uckeye  state 
and  a  cnusin  ni  James  Knnx  i'olk,  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  In  1856  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Yeoman  removedi  to  a  farm  near 
Rensselaer,  in  Jasper  county,  Indiana, 
where  they,  became  well  and  favorably 
known  for  their  many  excellencies  of  char- 
acter. Tliere  the  father  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight  years.  He  was  a  Democrat  in 
his  political  views,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  zealous  memlbers  of  the  Baptist 
church.  She  reached  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
years.  Ten  children  were  bnrn  unto  this 
wxirthy  couple,  nine  sons  and  due  daughter, 
as  follows:  Andrew,  a  resident  of  Indiana; 
Robert,  also  of  that  state;  Jennie,  deceased; 
Alfred  O.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  L.  K., 
who  w'as  killed  in  a  railroad  accident  at 
Rossville,  Illinois,  in  1901 ;  James  A.,  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  of  Kingman  county ;  Charles, 
of  Newkirk.  Oklahoma;  D.  F.,  also  of  that 
territory;  Marcus  M.,  of  Kingman  county; 
and  Joseph,  deceased. 

\\'hen  six  years  of  age  A.  O;  Yeoman, 
of  this  re\iew,  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  Jasper  county,  Indiana, 
and  on  a  farm  in  that  county  he  was  early 
taught  the  farm  work  in  all  its  departments. 
The  educational  advantages  which  he  en- 
joyed in  his  youth  were  those  afforded  by 
the  schools  of  Rensselaer.  In  1878,  one 
year  after  his  marriage,  he  cast  in  his  lot 
with  the  early  settlers  of  Kingman  county, 
Kansas,  first  securing  a  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  on  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  section  34,  Ninnescah  township, 
His  first  residence  in  this  state  was  a  dug- 
out, twelve  by  fourteen  feet,  in  which  the 
family  made  their  home  for  a  time.  Here 
thev  experienced  all  the  hardships  and  pri- 
vations familiar  to  rtie  early  frontiersmen, 
but  they  bravely  met  and  overcame  the  ob- 
stacles  and   difficulties    which    beset    their 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


path,  and  in  this  favored  section  they  are 
now  enjoying  the  comforts  "and  conveni- 
ences known  to  the  older  east.  As  the  years 
have  passed  Mr.  Yeoman  has  added  to  his 
original  purchase  until  he  is  now  the  pos- 
sessor of  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land,  four  hundred  acres  of  which  is  un- 
der a  high  state  of  cultivation,  while  the  re- 
mainder is  devoted  to  pasturage.  The  large 
and  comfortable  residence  which  now 
adorns  the  place'  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
thirteen  hundred  dollars,  and  he  has  also 
erected  large  barns  and  other  outbuildings. 
In  Jasper  county,  Indiana,  .in  1877,  was 
celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Yeoman  and 
Miss  Mary  E.  Moore,  a  native  of  that  lo- 
calitv  and  a  daughter  of  W.  E.  and  Dianna 
(Evans)  ISIoore,  well-known  and  highly 
esteemed  people  of  Jasper  county.  Four 
children  have  graced  the  marriage  of  our 
subject  and  wife, — Mattie,  a  successful  and 
popular  teacher  of  Kingman  county,  Edna, 
Jennie  and  John  Knox.  ]Mr.  Yeoman  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party,  and  for 
eighteen  years  he  served  as  treasurer  of  his 
tcnvnship,  vvhile  for  a  number  of  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  school  board.  In  his 
social  relations  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Mrs. 
Yeoman  is  a  member  of  tlie  IMethodist 
church. 


WILBUR  H.  RICE. 

The  industrial  and  commercial  history 
of  Kansas  would  be  very  incomplete  and  un- 
satisfactory without  a  personal  and  some- 
what extended  mention  of  those  whose  lives 
are  interwoven  sO'  closely  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  state.  The  subject  of  this  re- 
view finds  an  appropriate  place  in  the  his- 
tory of  those  business  men  whose  force  of 
character,  whose  sterling  integrity,  whose 
fortitude  amid  discouragement,  whose  good 
sense  in  the  management  of  complicated  af- 
fairs and  whose  marked  success  in  estab- 
lishing large  industries  and  bringing  to 
completion  business  enterprises,  have  con- 
tributed in  an  eminent  degree  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  best  resources  of  this  com- 


monwealth. His  career  has  not  been  helped 
by  accident  or  luck,  wealth  of  family  or 
powerful  friends.  In  the  broadest  sense  of 
the  term  he  is  a  self-made  man,  being  the 
architect  and  builder  of  his  own  fortune. 

Mr.  Rice  was  born  in  Holliston,  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1844,  a  son  of  Professor  Gard- 
ner Rice,  who  devoted  his  entire  life  to  edu- 
cational work  and  was  very  successful  as  a 
teacher,  gaining  prominence  in  that  line. 
His  son,  our  subject,  therefore  received  an 
excellent  education  and  became  especially 
proficient  in  music.  Believing  that  he  would 
find  shoe  manufacturing  a  congenial  line  of 
business,  he  started  to  learn  it,  but  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years  he  put  aside  business  cares 
and  enlisted  in  his  country's  service,  joining 
Company  F,  Thirteenth  Massachusetts  In- 
fantry, on  the  29th  of  July,  1861.  He  was 
transferred  to  Battery  C.  of  the  First  New 
York  Artillery,  and  sen-ed  for  three  years, 
on  the  expiration  of  which  period  he  was 
honorably  discharged,  in  1864.  He  took 
part  in  all  of  the  engagements  with  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  but  was  never 
wounded. 

On  his  return  to  the  north  Mr.  Rice  en- 
tered into  the  reformation  business  and  had 
charge  of  the  musical  department  in  several 
reform  schools  in  New  York  city  and  state. 
This  he  followed  until  1887,  when  the  men- 
tal strain  became  too  great  a  tax  on  his  con- 
stitution and  he  decided  to  enter  a  line  of 
business  which  would  not  involve  so  severe 
a  tension  upon  his  mental  energies.  Accord- 
ingly he  made  his  way  westward  to  Kan- 
sas, locating  in  Albion  township.  Barton 
comity,  upon  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 8.  township  17,  range  14.  Here  he 
erected  a  small  frame  house,  sixteen  by 
eighteen  feet,  and  later  built  an  addition,  yet 
it  was  a  very  diminutive  structure  compared 
to  his  present  home.  He  had  to  pay  forty 
dollars  per  thousand  feet  for  lumber  in  the 
rough.  Here  he  began  to  break  prairie  and 
improve  the  land.  During  the  first  year  he 
broke  fifty  acres  and  raised  an  average  of 
thirty  bushels  per  acre  of  sod  corn.  After 
making  substantial  improvements  upon  this 
place,  including  the  erection  of  a  good  home 
and  barn,  he  purchased  the  southeast  quarter 


MR.   AND  MRS.  WILBUR  H.   RICE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


of.  section  8  and  the  east  half  of  the  south- 
east quarter  and  the  east  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter,  thus  becoming  owner  of  one 
of  the  finest  ranches  in  the  county.  It  is 
improved  with  all  modern  accessories  and 
equipments  and  is  a  most  desirable  country 
seat.  The  house  is  seventy  by  thirty-eight 
feet,  the  barn  fifty  by  thirty  and  the  gran- 
ary forty  by  fourteeen  feet,  with  a  capacity 
of  five  thousand  bushels.  He  also  has  other 
similar  buildings  for  grain  and  stock  and 
has  an  abundant  supply  of  pure  cold  water. 
He  owns  the  largest  portable  well  drill  in 
the  county  and  has  drilled  more  wells  than 
any  other  one  man  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
His  work  in  this  direction  has  given  entire 
satisfaction.  He  is  now  an  extensive  land 
owner  and  grain  and  stock  raiser,  and  his 
farming  interests  have  been  of  marked  per- 
sonal benefit  and  have  also  contributed  in 
large  measure  to  the  progress  of  the  com- 
munity. The  development  and  improvement 
of  any  section  increases  the  value  of  sur- 
rounding territory,  and  in  this  way  Mr.  Rice 
has  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  community. 

In  1866  Mr.  Rice  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Eliza  S.  ^\'ilson,  a  daughter  of 
James  Wilson,  of  Shrewsbury,  Massachu- 
setts, and  they  have  one  child,  Sarah  Jane, 
who  is  now  the  wife  of  D.  M.  Southwick, 
of  Plumerville,  Arkansas.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Rice  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
in  1880-6  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  was  also  a  rq>resentative  to  the  state 
legislature,  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket. 
Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  in  whicli  he  has  attained  the 
thirty-'^econd  degree  of  the  Scottish.  Rite. 
His  ]ylasnnic  affiliations  are  as  follows: 
Hiiisington  Lodge,  No.  331;  Mount  Nebo 
Chapter,  Xo.  36;  Ellsworth  Council.  No.  9; 
St.  Omar  Ccmmandery,  No.  14:  ^^'ichita 
Consistory.  No.  2 ;  Una  Chapter,  No.  1 19 ; 
and  Isis  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine.  He  also 
holds  membership  in  the  auxiliary  organi- 
zation, the  Order  of  Eastern  Star.  He 
maintains  pleasant  relations  with  his  old 
army  comrades  through  his  membership 
with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
is  past  commander  of  his  pest.     His  fellow 


townsmen  have  rejoiced  in  the  political  hon- 
,1  ors  which  he  has  won,  knowing  his  worth 
'  and  ability,  and  in  the  community  where  he 
resides  he  occupies  a  leading  position  as  one 
I  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential  citi- 
zens. 


ja:\ies  ^i.  dillman. 

James  !M.  Dillman,  one  of  the  represen- 
tative and  well-known  agriculturists  of 
Kingman  county,  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
favored  section  since  1886,  and  during  the 
years  which  have  since  come  and  gone  he 
has  nobly  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of 
progress  and  advancement  which  has  here 
taken  place.  A  native  of  the  state  of  Indi- 
ana, his  birth  occurred  near  Bloomington. 
in  Monroe  county,  in  1856.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  Andrew  Dillman,  claimed 
Pennsylvania  as   the  state  of  his  nativity, 

I  and  he  became  a  millwright  by  trade.  In 
the  state  of  his  birth  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Elizalieth  Ijfuwner,  a  native  daugh- 
ter of  that  commonwealth,  and  both  she  and 
her  husband  were  of  good  old  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  descent.  Later  in  life  they  left  the 
home  of  their  childhood  for  Kentucky,  and 
still  later  took  up  their  abode  in  Indiana, 
wher;  they  both  passed  away  in  death  in 
Monroe  county. 

Jijhn  Dillman,  the  fatlier  of  him  whose 
name  introduces  this  review,  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  but  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Indiana.  In  the  latter  state  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Martha  Perry,,  a  native 
daughter  of  Indiana,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  six  children, — M'elvin,  Susan 
Emiy,  James  M.,  Andrew  G.,  William'  S. 
and  Clara  E.  The  wife  and  mother  of  this 
family  passed  away  in  death  at  the  early 
age  of  thirty-nine  years.  She  was  a  noble 
Christian  woman    and    was    loved  for  her 

I  many  estimable  traits  of  character.  She 
was  snr\i\eii  by  her  husband  for  many 
yeir-.  'tc  '-nx-ng  departed  this  life  at  the  age 
(if  I  .Ts.  and  both  were  zealous  and 

C'  ■  liers  of  the  Christian  church. 

T'-  ;    ,e  his  political  support  to  the 

Repuhiican  party,  and  in  all  matters  pertain- 


354 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ing  to  the  welfare  of  his  county  and  state  he 
took  an  active    and    commendable  interest. 

James  M.  Dillman,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  biographical  record,  was  reared 
to  years  of  maturity  on  an  Indiana  farm, 
where  he  was  early  taught  the  value  of  in- 
dustry and  honesty  as  a  preparation  for  the 
active  duties  of  life,  and  the  educational 
privileges  which  he  enjoyed  in  his  yoiith 
were  those  afforded  by  the  common  schools 
of  his  neighborhood.  In  1880,  shortly  after 
his  marriage,  he  located  with  his  bride  in 
Liberty  township,  Lucas  county,  Iowa, 
where  they  made  their  home  for  the  follow- 
ing six, years,  and  on  the  expiration  of  that 
period,  in  1886,  cast  in  their  lot  with  the 
settlers  of  Rural  township,  Kingman  coun- 
ty, Kansas.  After  his  arrival  here  ^Ir.  Dill- 
man  became  the  owner  of  three  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land,  but  he  afterward 
sold  that  tract  and  in  igoo  purchased  his 
present  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  one  of  the  valuable  and  well  improved 
farms  of  Kingman  county.  A  beautiful 
residence,  which  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
thirteen  hundred  dollars,  is  one  of  the  at- 
tractive features  of  the  place,  and  a  beauti- 
ful grove  and  orchard  also  adds  to  its  value 
and  charming  appearance.  ^Mr.  Dillman's 
occupation  through  life  has  been  the  tilling 
of  the  soil,  and  in  this  honorable  vocation 
he  has  met  with  a  high  and  well  merited  de- 
gree of  success. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  was  cele- 
brated in  1880,  in  Indiana,  when  Miss  Delia 
E.  Bodkin  became  his  wife.  She  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  Indiana,  a  daughter 
of  Josiah  and  Priscilla  (Thresher)  Bodkin. 
The  father,  who  was  a  native  of  West  Vir- 
ginia, has  been  called  to  his  final  rest,  but 
the  mother  still  survives  and  makes  her 
home  in  Indiana.  They  became  the  parents 
of  five  children,  only  three  of  whom  sur- 
vive,— Delia  E.,  Louisa  and  Charles.  The 
father  was  a  brave  and  loyal  soldier  during 
the  Civil  war,  serving  as  a  member  of  the 
Twenty-first  Indiana  Infantry.  Mrs.  Dill- 
man  was  a  popular  and  successful  teacher 
prior  to  her  marriage  and  is  a  lady  of  ex- 
ceptional refinement  and  culture.  Three 
children  have  brightened    and    blessed    the 


home  of  our  subject  and  wife, — Arthur 
RaymcMid,  who  is  eighteen  years  of  age; 
Wright,  a  lad  of  thirteen  years ;  and  Cloe,  a 
bright  little  daughter  of  six  years.  Mr. 
Dillman  casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  Both  he  and  his 
wile  are  members  of  the  Qiristian  church. 


\\ILLIA:\I  F.  -MURRAY. 

\\"illiani  F.  Murray,  county  superintend- 
ent of  schools  in  Kingman  covinty  has  spent 
nearly  his  entire  life  in  this  locality,  as  he 
was  only  two  years  of  age  when  he  was 
brought  here  by  his  parents.  A  native  of 
Trenton,  New  Jersey,  he  was  born  on  the 
23d  of  October,  1875,  a  son  of  James  ]\Iur- 
ray,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  volume.  William  F. 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
locality,  graduating  therein  in  the  Latin 
course.  Immediately  after  his  graduation, 
in  1S93,  he  took  up  the 'task  of  instructing 
the  young  along  lines  of  mental  advance- 
ment, teaching  first  in  the  country  schools 
and  afterward  in  the  schools  of  this  city, 
his  time  being  thus  employed  until  the  fall 
of  1898,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  position 
he  now  holds,  having  been  the  first  Repub- 
lican superintendent  elected  in  this  coimty 
for  ten  years.  At  his  first  election  his  op- 
ponent was  the  incumbent  of  the  office, 
but  Mr.  Murray  made  a  good  canvass 
throughout  the  county  and  received  a  ma- 
jority of  seventy-three  votes.  At  his  sec- 
ond election  a  lady  was  placed  on  the  op- 
posing ticket,  but  our  subject  won  the  elec- 
tioji  by  two  hundred  votes.  Since  assuming 
the  duties  of  this  responsible  position  he  has 
labored  untiringly  to  build  up  the  attend- 
ance of  the  schools  of  the  county  and  to  ad- 
vance the  standard  of  teachers.  He  now 
has  ninety-three  districts  under  his  charge, 
each  of  which  is  visited  twice  a  year.  The 
school  population  of  Kingman  county  num- 
bers four  thousand  and  eighty-nine  pupils, 
with  an  enrollment  outside  of  the  citv  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


355 


Kingman  of  two  thonsand  eight  hundred 
and  sixty-four  and  a  daily  attendance  of  one 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy-nine, 
while  ninety-nine  teachers  are  given  em- 
ployment. The  average  salary  paid  toi  male 
teachers  is  thirty-eight  dollars  and  ninety- 
four  cents,  and  to  femjale  teachers,  thirty- 
six  dollars  and  fifty-four  cents,  and  the 
\aluation  of  the  school  property  is  now  esti- 
mated at  sixty-tive  thousand  dollars,  while 
the  bended  debt  on  June  30,  1901,  was  eight 
tiiousand  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars.  The 
amount  recei\-ed  for  all  school  purposes 
from  the  state  and  county  in  1901  was 
forty-three  thousand  three  hundred  and 
thirteen  dollars  and  fifteen  cents,  while  the 
monev  paid  out  for  all  necessary  school  pur- 
puses  amounted  to  thirty-five  thousand  one 
hundred  and  three  ilnlhirs  and  sixty-six 
cents.  lea\-ing  a  li;il:iiice  >.i  n\-<jv  ciyiit  tlmu- 
sand  dollars.  Since  ^Ir.  }vlurray  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  i>resent  position  five 
schijol  houses  have  been  erected,  costing 
aljcait  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 
Yearly  institutes  are  held  during  the  sum- 
mer months,  the  attendance  during  the  past 
year  numbering  one  hundred  and  twenty, 
and  for  this  purpose  five  special  instructors 
were  furnished,  Mr.  Murray  paying  for  the 
same  three  Inmdred  and  ten  dollars,  besides 
furnishing  his  own  service.  Monthly  teach- 
ers" meetings  are  also  held  in  Kingman  and 
at  different  points  in  the  county,  and  able 
mstructors  are  oftentimes  secured  to  ad- 
dress these  meetings. 

On  the  23d  of  May,  1900,  Mr.  ^Murray 
was  united  in  marriage  to  ]\Iary  Haitley,  a 
daughter  of  Mrs.  S.  A.  Westfall,  of  this 
city.  ]Mrs.  Murray  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Kingman  high  school,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  prior  to  her  marriage  was  also  an 
efficient  teacher  in  the  city  and  coimty 
schools.  Since  attaining  hi.s-  majority  our 
subject  has  given  his  political  support  to 
the  Republican  party,  but  has  never  sought 
or  desired  the  honors  of  office  outside  of  his 
own  line  of  work.  He  is,  however,  a  loyal 
and  patriotic  citizen  and  an  efficient  worker 
for  the  Repulilican  party.  In  1900  he  made 
many  speeches  throughout  the  county  in 
fax'or  of  that  grand  old  party,  and  he  has 


many  times  served  as  a  delegate  to  conven- 
tions. His  fraternal  relations  connect  him 
with  the  Modern  Woodmen,  in  which  he  is 
holding  the  high  office  of  worthy  advisor. 
His  religious  preference  is  indicated  by  his 
connection  with  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  for  the  past  four  years  he  has  served  as 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school.  ^Mr. 
Murray  is  a  man  of  high  intellectuality, 
broad  human  sympathies  and  tolerance,  and 
imbued  with  fine  sensiljilities  Aid  clearly  de- 
fined principles.  He  is  now  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  eminent  educators  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  Sunflower  state,  and  his  marked 
ability  has  gained  him  prestige. 


CHARLES  A.  RYKER. 

Among  the  prominent  men  of  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  wdio  have  become  well 
known  through  good  citizenship  and  effi- 
cient public  service  is  Charles  A.  Ryker,  the 
present  treasurer  of  Reno  county.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  county  since  1887 
and  a  citizen  of  the  state  since  1879. 

The  birth  of  Charles  A.  Ryker  occurred 
in  Jefferson  county,  Indiana,  on  January 
21,  1859,  and  he  came  of  an  ancestry  which 
originated  in  Prussia,  Germany,  members 
of  the  family  having  located  in  Xew  York. 
Gehard  Ryker  was  the  first  settler  in  Indi- 
ana and  was  one  of  the  first  white  men  to 
make  a  home  there.  His  son,  who  was  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  burn  in  In- 
diana, as  was  also  J.  H.  Ryker,  the  father 
of  Charles  A.  The  father  died  in  1881.  hav- 
ing been  a  man  much  respected  in  his  lo- 
cality and  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was 
Eliza  (McLelland)  Ryker,  also  of  Indiana, 
where  she  still  resides,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years.  She  liecame  the  mother  of 
seven  chiklren,  our  subject  and  his  brother, 
Clifton  J.  Ryker,  being  the  only  two  who 
reside  in  Kansas. 

The  early  life  of  Charles  A.  Ryker  was 
spent  in  Hanover,  Indiana,  where  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  and  .later  Hanover 
College.    At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  first 


356 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


came  to  the  west  and  for  four  years  engaged 
in  a  mercantile  business  at  Burlington,  Cof- 
fey county,  Kansas,  later  embarking  in  the 
lumber  business,  which  he  most  successfully 
manag'ed  in  CofTey  county,  and  also  pros- 
pered in  the  same  after  locating  in  Hutchin- 
son, in  1887.  From  early  years  he  has 
shown  a  taste  and  capacity  for  politics,  and 
has  long  been  a  member  of  the  Republican 
party  in  his  state.  In  all  the  various  dis- 
turbances and  controversies  on  leading  ques- 
tions he  has  never  once  wavered  in  his  alle- 
giance and  has  boldly  supported  the  candi- 
dates and  measures  of  his  party.  In  a  small 
way  his  services  have  been  recognized,  se- 
curing his  election  in  1899  as  county  treas- 
urer. He  has  so  simplified  and  systematized 
the  business  of  his  office  that  when  he  is 
called  to  higher  honors  his  successor  can 
take  charge  with  comparative  ease.  Some 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars  passes 
through  his  hands  during  a  year,  the  office 
being  one  greatly  desired  by  local  politi- 
cians. 

The  marriage  of  Charles  A.  Ryker  oc- 
curred in  1883,  to  Miss  Eva  Dickinson,  a 
daughter  of  G.  H.  Dickinson,  of  Burling- 
ton, Kansas,  and  tO'  this  union  has  been 
born  one  daughter,  Miss  Cornelia.  The 
family  residence  is  on  F  street,  in  Hutchin- 
son, built  here  by  our  subject  in  1889,  and 
is  a  comfortable  little  home,  and  here  Mr. 
Ryker  delights  to  show  hospitality  to  his 
friends. 

Xot  all  of  our  subject's  time  is  occupied 
in  the  duties  of  his  office,  as  he  is  socially 
inclined  and  -is  a  valued  member  of  the 
Commercial  Club  and  the  orders  of  Modern 
Woodmen  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United- 
Workmen.  He  is  secretary  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club,  in  which  he  has  taken  much 
interest,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Park 
and  in  the  Fair  Associations.  It  is  that 
class  of  citizens  which  Mr.  Ryker  so  worth- 
ily represents  which  ha\'e  made  tlie  Kansas 
of  to-day.  Thcv  have  ])Ut  their  energies  and 
best  endeavor  into  tlie  uplmikling  rif  the  sec- 
tion in  which  they  located,  and  by  precept 
and  example  stand  for  progress,  law  and 
order.  Air.  Ryker  has  long  been  one  of  the 
leading     members     of     the      Presbyterian 


church  and  is  a  deacon  in  the  Hutchinson 
congregation  and  one  of  the  most  liberal 
supporters  of  its  various  lines  of  extension 
work. 


XAVER  WERXET. 


Xaver  Wernct,  who  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  on  section  14,  Rockville  town- 
ship. Rice  county,  is  one  of  the  worthy  citi- 
zens that  Germany  has  furnished  to  the  new 
world,  and  he  possesses  the  sterling  char- 
acteristics of  his  race,  being  persevering, 
energetic  and  determined.  He  was  born  iu 
Baden,  Germany,  Octoljer  20,  1849,  ^"d  is 
a  sen  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Boden)  Wernet, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  that  localitv, 
where  they  spent  their  entire  lives.  They 
were  people  of  honesty  and  industry  and 
reared  a  family  of  nine  children,  seven  sons 
and  two  daughters,  who  do  credit  to  the  un- 
tarnished family  name.  The  members  of 
the  family  are  Xaver,  of  this  review ;  Her- 
man, a  prominent  citizen  of  Rockville  town- 
ship, Rice  county:  and  Albert,  who  is  also- 
living  in  the  same  township.  These  are  the 
only  ones  living  in  Rice  county. 

In  accordance  with  the  laws  of  his  na- 
tive land  Mr.  Wernet  acquired  a  good  edu- 
cation in  Germany,  attending  school  until 
fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  began  learn- 
ing the  baker's  trade,  with  which  he  was 
connected  for  several  years.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  bade  good  bye  to  Ijome  and 
friends  and  sailed  from  Havre,  France,  to 
the  new  world,  being  upon  the  broad  At- 
lantic for  eleven  days.  After  reaching  the 
American  harbor  he  made  his  way  west- 
ward to  McHenry  county,  Illinois,  locating 
near  Harvard,  where  he  remained  for  eight- 
een months  upon  a  farm.  He  then  went  to 
Andrew  county,  Missouri,  where  the  fol-" 
lowing  year  and  a  half  was  passed.  On 
the  expiration  of  that  period  he  came  to 
Kansas,  taking  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm 
which  is  now  his  home.  In  1873-4  he  en- 
gaged in  a  big  buffalo  hunt  and  brought  in 
eighty-two  hides.  He  to-day  owns  thirteen 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  much  of 
which  is  rich  bottom  land,  vielding  excel- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


357 


lent  harvests  of  corn,  wheat  and  other 
grains.  The  farm  is  one  o-f  the  most  at- 
tractix'e  in  this  portion  of  the  county,  its 
large  residence  built  in  modern  style  of  ar- 
chitecture being-  tastefully  adorned  and  fur- 
nished, giving  evidence  of  the  successful 
business  career  of  the  owner.  He  has  also 
erected  a  large  barn,  with  a  rock  basement, 
for  the  horses  and  cattle,  and  upon  his  place 
he  keeps  two  hundred  head  of  cattle,  two 
hundred  hogs  and  thirty  horses,  all  good 
grade  of  stock,  having  some  of  the  best 
horses  in  the  township.  Upon  the  place  is 
:i  l.icautiful  grove,  a  bearing  orchard,  tracts 
if  wundland  and  pastures  and  the  farm  in 
11-  thrifty  appearance  indicates  the  ener- 
:^'-tic  nature  of  the  owner. 

In  1897  Mr.  Wernet  returned  to  Baden, 
I  .ermany,  on  a  visit  to  friends. 

He  was  united  in  marriage,  in  McPher- 
Mii  county,  Kansas,  in  1878,  to  Miss  Lo-uisa 
Lueck,  who  was  born  in  Hamburg,  Ger- 
many, and  has  been  to  her  husband  a  faith- 
ful companion  and  helpmeet  on  the  journey 
of  life.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  seven  sons  and  two  daughters, 
namely;  William,  George,  Fritz,  Ed, 
John.  Charlie,  Frank,  Rosa  and  Mary.  In 
his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Wernet  is  a  Re- 
publican and  has  served  upon  the  school 
board,  but  has  never  been  a  politician  in 
the  sense  of  office-seeker,  preferring  to  de- 
vote his  time  and  eregies  to  his  business  in- 
terests, in  which  he  has  met  with  creditable 
success. 


DA\TD  HERYER. 


The  gentleman  whose  name  appears 
above,  whose  residence  is  at  No'.  216  Fifth 
avenue,  Hutchinson,  Reno  county,  Kansas, 
and  who  is  a  traveling  salesman  for  the 
Hutchinsqn  Wholesale  Grocery  Company, 
is  as  well  known  throughout  the  territory 
tributary  to  that  enterprising  city  as  any 
other  man. 

David  Heryer  is  a  native  of  Boonville, 
Missouri,  and  was  born  January  17,  1849. 
His  parents  were  Jacob  and  Eliza  (Snyder) 
Heryer.     The  father  came    from    Germany 


with  his  father  in  1836  to  meet  his  brother, 
Philip  Heryer,  and  landed  at  New  Orleans, 
where  Mr.  Fleryer's  grandfather  died  of 
yellow  fever.  Jacob  then  started  for  the 
the  north  to  find  his  brother  Philip  at  Belle- 
ville, Illinois,  but  the  latter  died  three  days 
before  his  arrival,  and  he  then  went  to 
Boonville,  Cooper,  county,  Missouri,  where 
he  set  himself  up  in  business  as  a  barber. 
Having  some  knowledge  of  surgery,  he  was 
often  called  upon  to  bleed  people  in  accord- 
ance with  an  obsolete  medical  practice,  and 
in  time  made  that  operation  a  distinct 
feature.  ^Vhen  David  Heryer  was  nine 
years  old  his  fatlier  moved  to  Brimfield,  Illi- 
nois, and  there  established  a  large  depart- 
ment store,  in  the  management  of  which 
he  was  successful  and  in  which  Mr.  Heryer 
was  employed.  Jaciib  Her\cr  died  at  Briui- 
fieid,  Illinois,  aboui  11  it  ton  years  ago  and  his 
widow  died  there  al»iut  sc\xn  years  ago. 
Mrs.  Heryer  was  in  her  maidenhood  Eliza 
Snyder,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  As  far 
as  is  known  our  subject  ancl  his  descendants 
are  the  only  Heryers  now  living. 

David  Heryer  received  a  common-school 
education  at  Boonville,  Cooper  county,  Mis- 
souri, and  at  Brimfield,  Illinois,  and  having 
a  liking  for  books  he  has  studied  since  in  his 
spare  moments  and  thus  by  travel  and  by 
association  with  his  fellow  men  has  become 
exceptionally  well  informed.  He  began 
working;  in  his  father's  department  store  at 
Brimfield,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  sntl 
was  soon  put  in  charge  of  the  books  of  the 
concern  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  was  taken 
into  partnersliip  with  his  father.  He  was 
married  in  Brim-field,  Illinois,  in  1874,  to 
Lizzie  Guyer,  of  Jewish  extraction  and  a 
native  of  that  state,  who  bore  him  three  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Ralph,  a  bookkeeper  in 
the  employ  of  the  Armour  Packing  and 
Provision  Com/i)any,  of  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri;  Olive  L.,  a  member  of  her  father's 
household;  Fred  W.,  a  traveling  salesman 
for  the  firm  of  Ford  &  Doane,  of  St.  Louis. 
Missouri. 

On  account  of  the  illness  of  his  first  wife 
Mr.  Heryer  went  to  Kansas,  and  there  en- 
gaged in  business  at  Lyons,  and  there  his 
wife  died  and  was  buried.     June  17,  1888, 


358 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


he  married  Ida  !\Iay  Sperry,  daughter  of 
Samuel  A.  Sperry,  a  biographical  sketch  of 
whom  appears  in  this  work.  By  his  second 
marriage  he  has  two  children,  Madalina 
IMarie,  who  was  born  August  15,  1889,  and 
E\-erett,  who  was  born  July  27,  1891.  Mr. 
and  ^Irs.  Heryer  both  inherited  decided 
musical  talent,  which  has  been  highly  culti- 
vated and  some  of  which  has  been  trans- 
mitted to  their  children,  who  manifested  it 
at  an  early  age.  Miss  Madalina  was  able  to 
play  pieces  on  the  piano  when  she  was  so 
small  that  she  was  obliged  to  stand  on  tip- 
toe to  reach  the  keys,  and  she  played  a  con- 
test piece  in  the  Musical  Jubilee  held  at 
Hutchinson  in  1901.  i\Irs.  Heryer  was  edu- 
cated in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  and  her 
education  in  music,  received  at  Akron, 
Ohio,  and  at  Peoria,  Illinois,  is  comprehen- 
sive and  complete  and  she  is  highly  accom- 
plished both  in  vocal  and  instrumental 
music.  Her  fine  soprano  voice  is  of  such 
remarkable  range  that  she  is  able  easily  to 
sing  as  high  as  C  sharp.  In  part  her  ex- 
perience as  teacher  of  music  covers  a  period 
of  about  twenty-five  years  in  Fulton  county, 
Illinois,  and  McPherson  comity,  Kansas, 
devoted  to  the  organ  and  the  piano.  She 
became  known  as  a  sole  singer  through  her 
appearances  at  Hale  chapel,  at  Peoria,  Illi- 
nois, and  her  reputation  as  a  soloist  was 
established  in  Kansas  by  her  notable  sing- 
ing in  the  Methodist  and  Baptist  churches 
at  McPherson.  Her  husband  has  sung 
much  in  choruses  and  is  an  accomplished 
cornetist. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Heryer  disposed 
of  his  business  interests  in  Lyons,  Kansas, 
and  removed  to  Hutchinson,  where  he  ac- 
quired a  financial  and  working  interest  in 
the  Hutchinson  Wholesale  Grocery  Com- 
pany. That  connection  was  formed  in 
1889,  and  during  the  past  five  or  six  years 
he  has  traveled  for  the  firm  throughout  its 
trade  territory.  In  politics  he  has  voted  the 
Republican  ticket  from  his  first  vote  to  his 
last.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Hutch- 
inson. While  a  resident  of  Illinois  he  took 
an  active  interest  in  politics  and  held  several 
important  offices,   including  that  of  treas- 


urer of  Peoria  county,  representing  that 
county  as  a  member  of  the  state  legislature 
in  the  thirty-second  assembly.  He  took  an 
active  interest  in  temperance  movements 
while  a  resident  of  Illinois,  which  he  has 
kept  alive  since  he  has  been  a  citizen  of 
Kansas.  He  has  been  active  in  church 
work  and  was  a  trustee  of  the  Methodist 
church  at  Brimfield,  Illinois,  and  superin- 
tendent of  its  Sunday-school.  He  is  a  Ma- 
son, a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  a  Select  Knight  and  a 
member  of  the  Degree  of  Honor,  a  Modern 
\\''oodman  and  a  member  of  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security.  He  bought  his 
home  place  in  Hutchinson,  consisting  of 
three  lots  lying  side  by  side,  on  which  he 
has  a  modern  residence,  a  fine  garden  and 
numerous  fruit  and  shade  trees.  A  man  of 
much  public  spirit,  he  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  his  city,  county  and  state  and  to  the  ex- 
tent of  his  ability  advances  every  movement 
which  in  his  good  judgment  promises  to 
benefit  his  fellow  citizens. 


M.  L.  AIcALILLY,  M.  D. 

Dr.  McAlilly  has  devoted  his  life  to  one 
of  the  most  exacting  of  all  the  higher  lines 
of  occupation  to  which  a  man  may  lend  his 
energies.  Tlie  most  scrupulous  preliminary 
trainings  is  demanded  and  a  nicety  of  judg- 
ment little  understood  by  the  laity.  Then 
again  that  profession  brings  its  devotees  into 
almost  constant  association  with  the  sadder 
phases  O'f  life — those  of  pain  and  suffering 
— so  that  a  mind  capable  of  great  self-con- 
trol and  a  heart  responsive  and  sympathetic 
are  essential  attributes  to  those  who  would 
assay  the  healing  art.  Thus  when  profes- 
sional success  is  attained'  in  any  instance  it 
may  be  taken  as  certain  that  such  measure  of 
success  has  been  not  an  accident  but  a  logi- 
cal result.  Dr.  McAlilly  is  one  who.  has  at- 
tained to  a  distinctive  position  among  the 
leading  members  of  the  medical  fraternity 
in  central  Kansas  and  is  now  enjoying  a 
large  and  lucrative  patronage  in  Reno 
county,  where  he  has  made  his  home  for 
eleven  vears. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


The  Doctor  is  a  native  of  Highland, 
Madison  county,  Illinois,  born  February  23. 
1S32,  and  on  both  the  paternal  and  maternal 
^ide  is  descended  from  ancestry  long  con- 
nected with  America,  the  McAlillys  being 
among  the  pioneers  of  Kentucky.  Samuel 
McAlilly,  the  grandfather  of  the  Doctor, 
was  the  first  to  lea\-e  the  Blue  Grass  state, 
renmving  thence  to  Illinois,  before  the  ad- 
mission of  the  latter  state  into  the  Union. 
He  settled  in  the  edge  of  the  timber  but  had 
a  farmi  of  prairie  land,  which  he  placed  un- 
der a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  was 
actively  interested  in  the  formation  of 
schuols  and  churches,  and  left  the  impress 
of  his  indi\iduality  upon  the  substantial  de- 
velopment and  improvement  of  the  coimty 
in  which  he  made  his  home.  He  .was  mar- 
ried in  Kentucky-,  and  when  he  went  with 
his  family  tc  Ill'm.  is  William  C.  McAlilly, 
the  father  of  the  Doctor,  was  only  a  year 
old.  There  amid  the  wild  scenes  of  fron- 
tier life  he  was  reared,  pursuing  his  edu- 
cation in  an  old-time  subscription  school,  to 
which  he  had  to  walk  about  five  or  six 
miles.  The  building  in  which  the  sessions 
were  held  was  ci  nstructed  of  logs  and  the 
furnisliings  were  nidst  primitive,  while  the 
methods  cf  instruction  were  also  somewhat 
crude.  \\'illiam  C.  McAlilly  received  am- 
ple training  in  farmi  work  and  throughout 
his  entire  life  carried  on  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  Madison  county,  Illinois,  becoming 
one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  his  com- 
munity. He  was  deeply  iirterestedi  in 
church  and  educational  work  and  in  every- 
thing that  pertained  to  intellectual  or  moral 
progress  and  was  a  gentleman  of  the  high- 
est respectability  and  worth.  Long  a  mem- 
ber (if  the  Methodist  church,  throughout  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  he  served  as  one  of 
its  officers.  He  was  married  in  Fayette 
count}',  Illinois,  to  Catherine  \\'ren,  a 
daughter  of  B.  G.  Wren,  a  farmer  of  that 
locality.  Several  of  her  brothers  were 
loyal  Union  soldiers  during  the  Civil  war. 
Of  the  three  children  born  to  \\'illiam  C. 
and  Catherine  McAlilly  the  Doctor  is  the 
youngest  and  the  only  son.  a  fact  that  is 
peculiar  to  the  family — there  being  only  one 
son  of  the  dififerent  families  thrc-)ugh  manv 


generations.  The  daughters  are  ]\Iary,  the 
wife  of  William  Bryant,  of  Dixon,  Alis- 
souri;  and  Martha,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years.  The  father  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-nine  and  the  mother  was  seventy 
years  of  age  when  called  to  her  final  rest. 

In  the  public  schools  Dr.  McAlilly  pur- 
sued his  early  education  and  then  entered 
McKendree  College,  in  which  he  was  grad- 
uated with  the  class  of  1873.  ^^^  pursued 
this  course  as  a  preparation  for  his  medical 
education  and  then  entered  the  Missouri 
Medical  College,  at  St.  Louis,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1880.  Immediatel}-  after- 
ward he  began  practice  in  Illinois,  remain- 
ing there  until  1885.  when  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas, opening  an  office  in  Nickerson,  Reno 
county.  During  the  early  davs  of  his  resi- 
dence there  he  had  to  take  long  dm  c-  acri  iss 
the  country  and  endure  other  haiiMnp-  inci- 
dent to  a  country  practice  in  a  p.ewly  settled 
region,  but  in  cotu'se  of  time  he  built  up  a 
good  practice  and  the  hope  of  widening  his 
practice  in  the  line  of  his  specialty  was  all 
that  led  him  to  leave  Nickerson  for  Hutch- 
inson. In  1900  he  came  to  the  latter  city, 
and  while  he  has  a  large  general  practice  he 
also  does  a  large  amount  of  business  as  a 
specialist  on  the  diseases  of  w^omen  and 
children.  He  has  made  a  thorough  study 
along  those  lines  and  his  knowledge  is  pro- 
found and  accurate,  indicated  bv  the  excel- 
lent success  which  has  attended  his  efforts 
in  treating  the  diseases  which  come  under 
that  classification. 

On  the  5th  of  June.  1875.  in  Illinois.  Dr. 
McAlilly  was  united  in  mai'riage  to  Miss 
Alice  Stuart,  a  daughter  of  S.  D.  Stuart, 
a  merchant  of  Greenville,  Illinois.  Unto 
them  were  born  two  children,  but  both  are 
now  deceased.  Their  home  is  a  pleasant 
residence  at  No.  618  Avenue  A  east,  and  the 
improvements  wdiich  the  Doctor  has  made 
since  he  purchased  the  property  render  it  a 
very  desirable  home.  In  his  political  views 
he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  the  duties  of 
his  profession  leave  him  no  time  for  office 
holding.  Socially  he  is  connected  with  the 
Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  and  the  Mod- 
ern Tonties.  and  in  religious  faith  he  is  ? 
Methodist,     holding     membership     in     the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


cliurch  of  that  denomination  in  Hutchinson. 
His  advancement  to  a  foremost  position  in 
the  ranks  of  the  medical  fraternity  of  cen- 
tral Kansas  is  due  to  marked  ability,  enter- 
prise and  close  attention  to  business,  and 
wide  confidence  is  reposed  in  him  by  his 
fellow  townsmen  who  accord  him  a  leading 
position  in  social  as  well  as  professional 
circles. 


WILLIA^I  S.  DeWEESE. 

William  S.  De\\'eese  resides  on  section 
3,  Liberty  township,  Kingman  county,  and 
is  regarded  as  a  most  progressive  and  en- 
terprising agriculturist.  He  was  born  De- 
cember 10,  1865,  in  Darke  county,  Ohio, — 
a  state  that  furnished  so  many  of  the  hon- 
ored and  valued  early  settlers  of  central 
Kansas.  It  is  thought  that  the  family  is  of 
French  descent,  and  the  name  certainly  gives 
proof  of  this.  John  DeWeese,  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Virginia, 
about  1805,  and  when  in  the  prime  of  life 
emigrated  with  his  family  to  Ohio,  in  1833, 
locating  in  Darke  county,  where  he  entered 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  government 
land,  and  lived  there  fifty-five  years, — the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  that  part  of  the  state, 
where  he  "entered  land  in  a  region  where  the 
work  of  improvauent  had  not  yet  been  be- 
gun and  where  all  kinds  of  wild  game  were 
found  in  abundance.  He  cleared  a  farm  in 
the  midst  of  the  forest,  increased  his  pos- 
sessions and  became  a  well-to-do'  man,  hav- 
ing extensive  landed  and  stock-raising  in- 
terests. He  was  one  of  the  best  known  and 
most  highl)^  respected  citizens  of  his  dis- 
trict. In  early  life  he  voted  with  the  Whig 
party,  but  later  became  a  Republican.  His 
death  occurred  in  Darke  county  in  the  '80s, 
and  he  was  then  eighty  3-ears  of  age.  He 
was  twice  married  and  by  the  first  union 
had  four  children :  Barnabas,  the  father  of 
our  subject;  and  Peter,  John  and  George, 
all  of  whom  became  prosperous  farmers  of 
Darke  county.  John  was  made  a  cripple 
in  his  boyhood  by  his  brother  Barnabas, 
who  accidentallv  hit  him  in  the  leg  when 


they  were  chopping  wood  in  the  forest. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  the  grand- 
father married  again,  his  second  union  being 
with  a  Mrs.  Dorman,  and  they  also  had  four 
children:  Thomas,  who  spent  his  life  in 
Darke  county  and  died  about  1865 ;  Dennie, 
also  a  farmer  of  Ohio ;  Carey,  a  prominent 
and  successful  farmer  and  stock-raiser  of 
Rural  township,  Kingman  county,  Kansas ; 
and  Joseph,  who  is  proprietor  of  a  saloon 
in  Ohio. 

Barnabas  DeWeese,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Virginia,  April  17, 
1829,  and  was  reared  upon  the  old  home- 
stead, which  he  had  aided  in  reclaiming 
from  the  wilderness  for  purposes  of  civiliza- 
tion. He  remained  on  the  old  home  place 
until  1850,  when  he  married  Elizabeth  Dor- 
man,  a  daughter  of  his  stepmother  by  her 
first  marriage.  He  then  carried  on  farming 
operations  in  Ohio  until  about  1867,  when 
he  removed  to  Coles  count}-,  Illinois,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil  until  _ 
1873,  in  which  year  he  went  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Harvey  county,  Kansas,  settling  about 
two  miles  east  of  Newton.  There  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  passed  through  the 
disastrous  grasshopper  pJague,  which  left 
him  in  very  reduced  financial  circumstances. 
In  1875  he  removed  to  Reno  county  and  se- 
cured a  homestead  and  a  tree  claim  in  the 
southwestern  district,  gaining  the  title  to 
both.  Buffalo  and  anteloi>e  were  numerous 
and  were  hunted  in  the  winter  time,  for  the 
first  four  or  five  years,  by  the  father  and  his 
older  sons,  for  the  meat  and  hides,  with- 
out which  it  is  difficult  to-  understand  hov.- 
many  of  the  early  settlers  could  have  man- 
aged to  live  through  those  first  years  when 
hardships  and  privations  of  every  descrip- 
tion were  to  be  endured.  The  meat  fur- 
nished many  a  meal  and  the  skins  were  a 
source  of  revenue  when  the  country  pro- 

j  duced  little  else  that  could  be  "sold.  Our 
subject  then  was  a  small  lad  of  ten  years, 
and  being  eager  to  engage  in  hunting,  he 

I  often  accompanied  his  father    on    his    e.x- 

I  petitions  after  game.  He  did  not  kill  any 
buffalo  but  he  shot  several  antelope  and  also 

I  aided  in  catching  wild  horses.  When  the 
buffalo  had  disappeared  from  this  section  of 


ja^ 


t 


j^ 


^b^-P^-^ 


MR.   AND   MRS.  W.   S.    DEWEESE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


361 


the  country  he  aided  in  searching  for  their 
bones,  and  many  were  the  wagon  loads  which 
were  gathered  on  the  plains  and  hauled  to 
Wichita  and  Hutchinson  for  sale.  Mr.  De- 
\\'eese  estimated  that  his  family  alone  took 
at  least  two  hundred  and  lifty  loads  to  mar- 
ket, the  last  load  being  gathered  on  Eagle 
Chief,  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and  hauled 
to  Wichita,  where  they  received  eight  dol- 
lars per  ton  for  the  bones. 

Barnabas  DeWeese  resided  in  Reno 
county  until  1880,  when  he  came  to  King- 
man county,  locating  on  the  Ninnescah,  in 
Rural  township,  where  he  pre-empted  a 
claim  which  he  transformed  into  a  irne  farm, 
3s  he  'had  done  with  his  Reno  county  land. 
He  was  offered  sixty-five  hundred  dollars 
for  his  property  here  and  finally  sold  it  in 
1884.  removing  then  to  Union  township,  in 
liie  same  county.  There  he  purchased  an- 
other farm  and  residence,  which  he  sold 
after  two  years,  removing  thence  to  the  city 
of  Kingman,  where  he  lived  for  several 
}-ears,  after  which  he  went  to  Oklahoma, 
where  he  located  a  claim  nine  miles  west  of 
Alvia.  Later  he  rented  this  property  and 
resided  in  the  town  of  Alvia  until  he  traded 
his  property  there  for  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  Douglas  county,  Missouri, 
where  he  now  resides.  His  wife  died  Janu- 
ary 12,  1892,  and  he  has  since  married 
Elizabeth  Woodford.  During  the  Civil  war 
Mr.  DeWeese  responded  to  his  country's 
call  for  aid,  ser\-ing  for  three  years,  six 
months  and  five  days  in  the  Twenty-first 
Ohio  Infantry.  He, has  always  been  promi- 
nent in  public  affairs  in  the  various  com- 
nuinities  in  which  he  has  resided  and  while 
living  in  Reno'  county  served  as  trustee. 
Of  the  Christian  church  he  has  long  been 
a  leading  and  active  member  and  he  also 
belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Our  subject  is  one  of  ten  children,  eight 
of  whom  are  now  living:  Sarah  A.,  the 
wife  of  W.  W.  W'o'lfe,  a  retired  farmer  re- 
siding in  Kingman;  Benjamin  F.,  a  leading 
farmer  and  stockman  of  Union  township, 
Kingman  county ;  Noa'h,  proprietor  of  a  ho- 
tel in  Kansas  City.  Missouri;  Barney,  who 
is  engaged  in  railroad  work  and  makes  his 
home  in   Mound,   Utah,   ninetv  miles   from 


Salt  Lake  City;  William  S.,  of  this  review; 
Catherine,  the  wife  of  Robert  Elliott,  a 
blacksmith  of  Sugar  Ridge,  Ohio ;  John,  an 
engineer  in  the  mines  at  Cripple  Creek,  Col- 
orado; and  Mattie,  who  lives  in  Salt  Lake 
City. 

William  DeWeese  was  only  two  years 
old  when  the  father  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Illinois  and  was  a  youth  of  nine  when 
they  came  to  Kansas.  He  assisted  his  fa- 
ther in  the  development  of  the  new  farm- 
until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  found 
1  employment  in  herding  cattle  and  sheep  for 
Patrick  McCurdy,  and  was  thus  engaged 
until  his  marriage.  In  Rural  township, 
Kingman  county,  September  2,  1884,  he 
won  as  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  the 
journey  of  life  Miss  Mary  M.  Grett,  a  native- 
of  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a 
daughter  of  Jonas  J.  and  Emma  (Fry) 
Grett,  who  were  of  Penns}-lvania-German 
ancestry.  They  were  married  in  the  Key- 
stone state,  where  the  father  folloAved  farm- 
ing until  Mrs.  DeWeese  was  four  years  old,, 
when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Michi- 
gan, locating  in  St.  Joseph  county,  whence- 
five  years  later  he  went  to  Missouri.  Soorii 
afterward,  however,  he  returned  to  Michi- 
gan, where  he  resided  for  a  number  of  years, 
when  he  went  to  ^\'oods  count  v.  (Oklahoma, 
settling  twelve  miles  south  of  Ki.jwa.  Mr. 
Grett  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  having 
been  in  the  ninety-days  service.  He  had., 
eight  children,  but  Johnnie,  Benjamin  R_ 
and  Henrietta  are  all  now  deceased.  Those- 
still  living,  besides  Mrs.  DeWeese,  are:; 
Sarah,  the  wife  of  Herbert  Hopkins,  who- 
is  engaged  in  the  boat  service  on  Lake.- 
Michigan  and  resides  in  the  state  of  Michi- 
gan; x\bbie,  the  wife  of  Henry  Phillips,  a 
farmer  and  stock-raiser  of  Eureka  township, 
Kingman  county;  Hettie,  the  wife  of  B.  F. 
DeWeese,  of  Union  township,  Kingman 
county;  and  Elmer  G.  Unto  'Sir.  and  Mrs. 
DeWeese  were  born  six  children  :  Milfred, 
Laura,  Vera,  Harry,  Leora  and  Lottie. 

After  his  Marriage  William  De^Veese 
engaged  in  conducting  a  ranch  in  Reno 
county,  where  .Alcott  now  stands,  the  place 
being  owned  by  ^Vatson  Wolf.  This  he 
managed  for  a  year,  and  during  that  time. 


36: 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


he  pre-empted  a  homestead  claim.  On  the 
expiration  of  the  year  he  came  to  Kingman 
connty  and  conducted  a  hotel  in  the  town  of 
^laucl  lor  a  year.  He  then  removed  to  his 
farm  and  engaged  in  its  cultivation  for  two 
years,  alter  which  he  conducted  a  hotel  in 
Calista  for  a  year,  while  for  a  period  of  three 
years  he  foilowed  railroading.  His  next 
place  of  residence  was  Viola,  Sedgwick 
county,  where  he  followed  railroading  for 
two  years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Nash- 
ville, which  was  his  place  of  residence  for 
five  years.  Much  of  the  time  spent  in  the 
railroad  service  he  was  employed  as  section 
boss.  In  the  fall  of  1894  he  removed  to  his 
present  farm,  which  he  had  owned  for  two 
\ears  previously.  There  were  few  improve- 
ments on  the  place  when  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence here,  a  small  house  having  been  built, 
wiiile  seventy  acres  had  been  broken.  With 
characteristic  energ}',  however,  Mr.  De- 
\\'eesc  began  the  further  development  and 
improvement,  and  his  persistent  efforts,  in- 
telligently directed,  have  made  his  farm 
famous  throughout  this  portion  of  the  coun-' 
try.  It  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  show  places 
of  the  district  and  the  Colonization  Com- 
pany brings  visitors  here  to  demonstrate  the 
possiljilities  of  this  portion  of  Kansas.  Mr. 
Dc  \\'eese  has  enlarged  his  home,  built  large 
barns  and  sheds  for  the  shelter  of  grain  and 
stock  and  has  planted  an  orchard  contain- 
ing fifty-two  varieties  of  trees,  all  now  in 
bearing  condition  and  yielding  abundantly. 
The  farm  is  all  under  fence  and  ninety  acres 
<jf  the  land  is  richly  in  culti\-ation.  While 
Mr.  DeWeese  gives  some  attention  to  the 
raising  of  other  stock,  he  is  principally  en- 
gaged in  raising  horses  and  mules  for  the 
market.  He  likewise  has  a  fine  drove  of 
sixtv  Durcc  hogs  and  almost  every  kind  of 
domestic  aninral  can  be  found  upon  his  place, 
including  horses,  cattle,  asses,  sheep,  goats, 
liogs  and  all  kinds  of  chickens  and  other 
fowls,  turkeys,  ducks,  geese  and  a  fine  flock 
of  beautiful  peafowls. 

Since  coming  to  this  county  ^Ir.  De- 
Weese has  frequently  been  called  upon  to 
serve  in  positions  of  public  trust,  being  twice 
elected  township  trustee,  once  as  township 
clerk  and  as  roadmaster,  and  for  eight  years 


he  has  been  clerk  of  the  school  board.  In 
his  political  views  he  is  a  stalwart  Republi- 
can and  has  never  been  anything  else,  nor 
is  it  known  that  any  member  of  the  family 
ever  gave  support  to  any  other  party.  He 
attends  the  primaries  and  conventions  of  the 
party  and  does  all  in  his  power  tO'  insure  its 
success.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  Nashville 
Lodge,  No.  383,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  which  he  has 
filled  all  the  offices,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
AJagnolia  Camp,  No.  5394,  M.  W.  A.,  of 
Nashville,  in  which  he  has  also  filled  many 
offices.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Sons  of 
\'eterans  camp  in  Kingman  until  it  was 
disbanded,  and  he  enjoys  in  high  degree  the 
regard  of  his  brethren  of  these  organiza- 
tions. He  deserves  great  credit  for  his  suc- 
cess in  life,  and  his  farm  is  the  \'isible  evi- 
dence of  his  industrv  and  business  abilitv. 


W'lLLIA^I  L.  JOHNSON. 

William  L.  Johnson,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  undertaking  business  in  Hutchinson 
and  is  one  of  the  recognized  leaders  in  his 
line,  over  a  wide  extent  of  territory,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Boston,  i\Iassachusetts.  born  Decem- 
ber 17,  1848.  His  father.  Patrick  Johnson, 
removed  to  Lockport,  New  York,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  contracting,  and  later  went 
to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  he  took  a 
contract  on  the  Croton  viaduct.  Subse- 
quently, however,  he  returned  to  Lockport, 
where  he  remained  until  1890,  when  he 
came  to  Hutchinson,  where  he  made  his 
home  until  1894.  In  that  year  he  went  to 
Topeka,  and  was  a  resident  of  that  city  luitil 
his  death,  which  occurred  after  be  had 
reached  the  extreme  old  age  of  one  hundred 
and  two  years.  His  mother  was  one  hun- 
dred and  three  years  of  age  at  the  tinre  of 
her  death. 

William  L.  Johnson  was  one  of  a  family 
of  twelve  children.  He  pursued  his  literary 
education  in  the  schools  of  Lockport.  New 
York,  and  then  learned  the  cabinet-maker's 
trade,  after  which  he  engaged  in  the  furni- 
ture and  undertaking  business  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Johnson  &  Company.    He 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


363 


attended  the  Rochester  School  of  Embahn- 
ing  in  187S  and  in  the  fall  of  1879  he  dis- 
ix)sed  of  his  business  interests  in  Lockport. 
In  addition  to  his  store  he  was  engaged  in 
boating",  owning  a  couple  of  boats  with 
which,  in  the  winter  season,  he  would  go  to 
New  York,  where  he  received  ten  dollars 
l^er  day  for  the  use  of  the  boats.  He  con- 
tinued in  that  business  until  1886,  when  he 
sold  out  and  came  to  Hutchinson.  Here 
he  spent  about  six  months  in  the  employ  of 
a  firm  eng-aged  in  the  furniture  and  under- 
taking business,  after  which  he  purchased  a 
half  interest  in  the  sam'e,  but  in  1889  he  sold 
his  share  and  began  the  undertaking  busi- 
ness. Owing  to  his  broad  knowledge  and 
his  experience  he  has  been  successful  from 
the  start,  and  has  seen  nine  or  ten  who  em- 
barked in  the  sajne  line  give  up  the  business. 
His  trade  extends  over  a  large  territory,  his 
services  being  in  demand  as  far  as  Coffey- 
ville,  Osawatomie  and  all  the  towns  ad- 
jacent to  Hutchinson.  He  and  his  two  sons 
are  licensed  embalmers  and  perform'  that 
part  of  the  work  when  it  is  necessary  to  ship 
a  body.  They  carry  a  large  stock  of  caskets 
of  all  modern  designs,  their  couch  caskets 
being  the  finest  of  the  kind  made.  Their 
stock  of  metallics  is  also  complete  and  they 
are  even  prepared  to  furnish  the  Baker 
burglar-proof  vault,  which,  once  closed,  can- 
not be  unfastened.  By  reason  of  their 
straightforward  dealing,  systematic  meth- 
ntls  and  earnest  desire  to-  please  their 
patrons  they  have  built  up  a  large  business. 

In  Lockport,  New  York,  in  1869,  Mr. 
Johnson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Cunningham,  and  unto  them  have 
been  born  four  children,  of  whom  three  are 
living,  namely :  Ida  Frances,  who  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  high  school  and  the  Empire  Col- 
lege and  is  now  a  teacher  in  the  high  school ; 
William  H.  and  Stephen  T.,  who  are  asso- 
ciated with  their  father  in  business,  while 
the  latter  also  engages  in  teaching  dancing 
in  the  winter.  Bot'h  sons  are  graduates  of 
the  Cincinnati  School  of  Embalming. 

He  is  identified  with  various  social  and 
fraternal  organizations,  including  Byron 
Lodge,  No.  197.  K.  P.;  Dewitt  Temple,  No. 
24,  Rathbone  Sisters ;    Hutchinson    Lodge, 


No.  jj,  A.  O.  U.  W. ;  Crystal  Lodge,  No. 
41,  Degree  of  Honor;  Hutchinson  Camp,  No 
566,  M.  W.  A.;  Sunflower  Camp,  No.  16, 
Royal  Neighbors  of  America;  Hutchinson 
Council,  No.  34,  Sons  and  Daughters  of 
Justice;  Supreme  Court  of  Honor;  Hutch- 
inson Council,  No.  137,  Fraternal  Aid  As- 
sociation; Winnebago  Tribe,  No.  11,  I.  O. 
R.  M. ;  Daughters  of  Pocahontas,  and  is  a 
noble  patriarch  in  the  Royal  Mystic  Tie. 
His  fraternal  relations  are  many  and  all  his 
brethren  entertain  for  him  high  regard.  He 
is  not  only  just  but  considerate  in  all  his  re- 
lations with  his  fellow  men,  and  rather  than 
slight  any  one  or  perform  an  action  that 
could  be  turned  against  any  one  in  even  the 
smallest  degree  he  will  sacrifice  his  own  in- 
terests and  convenience.  His  friends  are 
many  and  by  all  with  whom  he  has  become 
accptainted  he  is  held  in  high  esteem. 


W.  H.  HILYARD. 


Tiiig  well  known  farmer  and  honored 
citizen  of  Reno  county,  was  born  in  Fair- 
field county,  Ohio,  on  the  23d  of  September, 
1846,  and  is  of  German  descent.  His  pa- 
ternal grandfather,  Thomas  Hilyard,  was 
born  and  married  in  that  country,  and  after 
coming  to  America  he  located  in  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania,  but  after  a  time  there 
spent  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Fairfield  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  where  he  was  among  the  early  pio- 
neers. He  followed  farming  in  that  locality 
until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death, 
in  1853.  -^^  became  the  father  of  twenty 
children,  but  only  the  folldwing  can  be  re- 
memljered :  ^Martha.  wIki  liecame  the  wife 
nf  a  Mr.  Steman,  and  her  death  occurred  in 
Allen  county,  Ohio:  Catherine,  the  wife  of 
Andy  Sawmiller,  a  farmer  of  Allen  coamty; 
Mary,  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  McDougal,  and 
when  last  heard  from  they  were  living  in 
Casis  county,  Indiana;  David,  a  merchant  of 
Lancaster,  Fairfield  county.  Ohioi;  \\'ilson, 
who  was  a  soldier  in  l)rith  the  Mexican  and 
Civil  wars,  serving  in  the  Se\-enteenth  Ohio 
Volunteers  during  the  latter  struggle,  and 
he  is  now  living  a  retired  life  in  ^[onroe 


564 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


county,  Ohio;  Elizabeth,  who  died  in  Col- 
umbus, that  state;  ^Margaret,  whose  death 
occurred  in  Allen  county,  Ohio ;  Jacob,  who 
was  a  Baptist  minister,  and  death  claimed 
him  very  suddenly  one  morning  while  he  was 
asking  the  blessing  at  the  breakfast  table  at 
his  home  in  Fairfield  county;  Simon,  who 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion  and 
now  makes  his  home  in  ^^'infield,  Kansas; 
and  Emily,  who  was  the  youngest  of  the 
family.  She  was  an  inmate  of  the  home  of 
General  Sherman  during  the  war,  and  re- 
mained with  the  family  for  many  years,  until 
after  the  GeneraFs  death,  when  she  was  mar- 
ried to  a  Frenchman,  and  now  makes  her 
home  in  Paris. 

T.  J-  Hilyard.  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania, 
November  22,  1822,  and  when  twelve  years 
of  age  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Fair- 
field county,  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years,  in  that  coimty,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Jemima  Springer,  a  native  of 
that  locality.  About  the  year  1850,  with  his 
wife  and  four  children,  our  subject  being 
then  in  his  fourth  year.  'Mv.  Hilyard  left  his 
home  in  Fairfield  county  and  located  in  Van 
\\'ert  county,  Ohio,  where  he  entered  a  heav- 
ily timbered  tract  of  land  from  the  govern- 
ment, niaking  his  home  thereon  until  1857. 
In  that  year  he  remo^-ed  with  his  family  to 
Adams  county,  Indiana,  where  he  purchased 
an  improved  farm  of  eighty  acres.  There 
this  worthy  couple  resided  for  many  years, 
it  being  their  place  of  abode  until  the  wife 
and  mother  was  called  to  her  home  beyond 
in  1898,  and  since  her  death  the  father  has 
made  his  home  with  his  children.  He  has 
been  a  life-long  farmer,  and  during  the  pe- 
riod of  the  Civil  war  he  held  the  position  of 
assistant  provost  marshal.  During  his  life- 
time he  has  been  honored  with  a  number  of 
public  offices,  and  in  the  various  communi- 
ties in  which  he  has  made  his  home  he  has 
ever  won  the  love  and  esteem  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  his  noble  characteristics  winning 
for  him  many  friends.  In  political  matters 
he  has  ever  taken  an  active  part  in  the  work 
of  the  Republican  party,  and  socially  he  holds 
membership  relations  with  the  Odd  Fellows 
fraternitv.     ^Irs.  Hihard  was  a  member  of 


the  Albright  church,  and  in  her  daily  life 
she  exemplified  its  ennobling  teachings. 
Unto  this  couple  were  born  four  children : 
W.  H.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Margaret 
E.,  who  died  in  Adams  county,  Indiana; 
Edwin  H.,  an  engineer  of  that  county;  and 
Joseph  P.,  v.-ho  follov-.-s  agricultural  pursuits 
in  the  same  county. 

W.  H.  Hilyard  is  indebted  to  the  public 
school  system  of  the  Buckeve  state  for  the 
educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed  in 
his  youth,  attending  school  in  both  \'an  Wert 
and  Adams  counties,  and  during  a  part  of 
the  time  he  was  obliged  to  walk  a  distance  of 
three  and  a  half  miles  to  the  school-house. 
Remaining  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age,  he  then  secured  employ- 
ment in  a  store  at  Decatur,  Indiana,  but  after 
two  years  thus  spent  he  entered  the  railroad 
shops  at  Fort  Wayne,  same  state,  where  he 
remained  until  1867,  and  on  the  12th  of  De- 
cember, of  that  year,  he  became  a  brakeman 
on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  S:  Chicago 
Railroad,  his  run  being  from  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana,  to  Crestline,  Ohio.  In  January, 
1868,  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
fireman,  which  he  continued  to  fill  until  in 
November,  1870,  and  from  that  time  until 
1872  he  had  charge  of  a  freight  engine.  Dur- 
ing his  career  as  a  railroad  employe  jNIr. 
Hilyard  was  in  six  wrecks.  At  Elida,  Ohio, 
while  he  was  filling  the  position  of  brake- 
man,  an  axle  on  the  engine  broke,  and  sev- 
eral cars  were  thrown  into  the  river,  the 
water  at  that  point  being  seven  feet  deep, 
and  on  another  occasion,  while  filling  the 
same  position,  the  train  fell  through  a 
bridge,  ]\lr.  Hilyard  sustaining  a  broken 
arm.  His  next  two  wrecks  occurred  when 
he  was  an  engineer  and  were  caused  bv  an 
open  switch,  and  in  the  last  one  he  had  two 
ribs  liroken.  In  an  accident  occasioned  by 
a  bri  ken  rail  he  had  his  right  arnii  broken  and 
his  wrist  put  out  of  place.  The  last  accident 
in  which  he  was  in  was  caused  by  the  spread- 
ing of  the  rails,  overturning  the  engine  and 
completely  bur\-ing  Mr.  Hilyard  beneath  the 
wreckage,  where  he  lay  for  about  three 
hours.  He  was  terribly  scalded  and  had  his 
left  leg,  four  ribs  and  his  right  hand  broken, 
an<I  for  many  hours  he  lay  unconscious.     In 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


365 


spite  of  these  man}-  accidents,  liowever,  he 
was  an  efficient  and  careful  raih'oad  man, 
and  his  services  were  highly  prized  by  his 
superiors. 

After  abandoning  railroad  work  Mr. 
Hilyard  had  charge  of  a  stationary  engine  in 
a  sawmill  until  1876,  and  in  that  year  he 
came  to  the  Sunflower  state,  locating  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  i.  Haven  town^ 
ship,  Reno  county,  securing  his  land  from 
the  railroad.  At  the  time  of  the  purchase 
his  property  was  wild  prairie  land,  and  not 
a  stick  of  timber  could:  be  found  upcm  the 
place.  He  soon  erected  a  small  Imuse,  fnur- 
teen  by  eighteen  feet,  and  at  once  began 
work  by  the  month,  receiving  twenty  dol- 
lars a  month  in  compensation  for  his  serv- 
ices, while  at  the  same  time  he  hired  others 
to  place  his  fields  ready  for  cultivation.  Late 
in  the  following  fall  he  became  the  owner 
of  two  cows,  and  during  the  next  season  he 
began  the  operation  of  his  fields,  where  he 
has  ever  since  followed  general  farming  and 
stock-raising.  During  the  year  1878  he  set 
out  about  two  thousand  shade  trees  upon  his 
place,  and  two  years  later  he  planted  five 
hundred  apple  trees,  and  his  beautiful  grove 
and  orchard  are  now  among  the  finest  to  be 
found  in  this  section  of  the  state.  For  the 
past  se\-eral  years  ]\Ir.  Hilyard  has  made  a 
specialty  of  the  raising  of  thoroughbred 
short-horn  cattle,  of  which  he  now  has  a  herd 
of  about  fifty.  Since  locating  on  this  place 
he  has  made  many  additions  to  his  residence, 
and  in  1882  he  erected  a  fine  large  barn, 
while  four  years^  later,  in  1886,  a  commodi- 
ous building  was  erected  for  the  shelter  of 
his  cattle.  Everything  about  his  place  is  neat 
in  appearance  and  is  suggestive  of  a  practi- 
cal and  progressive  owner.  During  the  past 
year  fifty  acres  of  his  place  was  planted  with 
wheat,  fifty  acres  with  corn  and  the  remain- 
der was  devoted  to  the  raising  of  alfalfa,  a 
large  orchard  and  to  pasturage.  Since  his 
residence  in  the  Sunflower  state  Mr.  Hil- 
yard has  met  with  many  privations  and  hard- 
ships. Shortly  after  his  arrival  here  the 
grasshoppers  came  in  such  terrible  num- 
bers, and  in  1898,  about  four  o'clock  on  a 
May  day.  the  locality  was  visited  bv  a  disas- 
trous hail  storm,  which  destroved  much  of 


his  fruit  and  wheat,  killed  about  one  hun- 
dred chickens,  broke  man}-  of  the  windows 
of  his  dwelling  and  in  many  other  ways  did 
nuich  damage  to  his  property.  On  another 
occasion,  while  hauling  a  load  of  hay,  he 
was  caught  in  a  whirlwind  and  had  his  col- 
lar bone  and  several  ribs  broken,  and  later, 
while  watching,  a  game  of  baseball  at  INIount 
Hope,  Kansas,  he  received  a  "foul  tip"  from 
the  ball,  which  broke  his  cheek  bone. 

On  the  7th  of  Sq>tember,  1872,  in  Adams 
county,  Indiana,  our  subject  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Florence  Babcock,  who  was 
born  in  Portage  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of 
Hear}-  and  Jane  (Ferguson)  Babcock.  both 
also  natives  oif  the  Buckeye  state,  the  father 
born  on  the  loth  of  December,  1822,  and  the 
mother  on  the  26th  of  April,  1823.  In 
1876  they  joined  their  daughter  in  the  Sun- 
flower state,  and  here  the  father  died  on  the 
24th  of  March,  1877,  but  he  is  still  sun-ived 
by  his  widow,  who  makes  her  home  with 
our  subject,  having  reached  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-eight years.  By  her  niarriage  with  Mr. 
Babcock  she  became  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren :  Amelia,  who  was  born  September  14, 
1844,  in  Franklin,  Ohio,  and  died  in  Adams 
county,  Indiana,  on  the  17th  of  October, 
1848-  Florence,  who  was  born  on  the  2d  of 
May,  1847,  i"  Portage  county,  Ohio,  and 
became  the  wife  of  our  subject :  Ethan,  who 
wag)  born  July  19,  1849:  Harriet  E.,  bom 
July  19,  1849,  and  died  July  19,  1849;  '^H'd 
Marvin,  born  March  10.  1861,  and  died  De- 
cember 22,  1862.  The  son,  Ethan  Babcock, 
ser\-ed  during  the  Civil  war  as  a  member 
of  the  Eleventh  Indiana  Cavalry,  and  his 
death  occurred  at  Larkinsville,  Alabama,  on 
the  24th  of  September.  1864.  Mr.  Babcock 
has  lieen  a  life-long  Republican,  andi  dur- 
ing the  war  he  also  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Eleventh  Indiana  Cavaln,-,  which  he 
joined  at  Decatur  on  the  19th  of  October, 
1863.  During  the  struggle  he  was  employed 
as  a  teamster  and  was  with  his  command  at 
the  attack  on  Decatur,  Alabama,  where  a 
l>all  passed  through  his  whiskers.  Our  sub- 
ject has  also  been  a  life-long  Republican,  has 
alwa}-s  taken'  an  acti\-e  part  in  the  work,  of 
his  part}-,  and  for  the  past  twenty-five  years, 
with  but  two  exceptions,  he  has  been  made 


366 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


either  clerk  or  iudge  at  every  fall  election. 
In  1880  he  was  elected  census  enumerator 
of  Haven  township,  to  which  he  was  re- 
elected itT  1890  and  again  in  1900,  and  in 
1886  was  the  choice  of  his  party  for  the  of- 
fice of  township  clerk.  For  many  years  he 
has  served'  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  during  a  part  of  the  time 
he  served  as  its  clerk.  In  his  social 
relations  he  is  a  member  of  the  M'a- 
sonic  fraternity;  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow 
for  twenty-seven  years,  in  which  he  has 
filled  all  the  chairs  of  his  order,  and  for 
twelve  years  has  been  a  member  of  the 
grand  lodge;  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  for  twelve  years,  in 
which  he  has  also  filled  all  of  the  offices  and 
has  been  a  member  of  the  grand  lodge;  is 
a  member  of  the  Elks,  his  connection  being 
with  Hutchinson  Lodge,  No.  453 ;  and  is  a 
niember  of  the  Rathbone  Sisters  and  of  the 
Daughters  of  Rebekah.  Thus  it  will  be  seen 
that  Mr.  Hilyard's  life  has  been  a  success, 
but  all  his  achievements  are  the  result  of 
patient  effort,  unflagging  industry  and  self- 
confidence.  He  has  so  conducted  all  his  af- 
fairs, whether  of  private  interest  or  public 
trusts,  as  to  meet  the  esteem  of  all  classes 
of  citizens,  and  no  word  of  reproach  has 
ever  been  uttered  against  him. 


JOSEPH  DE^IORET. 

Joseph  Demoret,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  of  Reno  county.  Kansas,  is  a 
native  son  of  the  Hoosier  state,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  Montgomery  county,  on  the 
26th  of  June,  i860,  a  son  of  Samuel  Dem- 
oret, who  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Ohio, 
near  Cincinnati,  January  2,  1822.  The 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  Samuel  B. 
Demoret.  was  born  near  the  present  site 
of  that  city,  but  the  village  was  then  called 
Los  Anterville,  the  date  of  his  birth  being 
about  1798.  His  father,  in  company  with 
his  parents  and  one  brother,  sailed  from 
France  to  America,  but  during  the  voyage 
the  parents  were  stricken  with  some  fatal 
maladv  and  both  died,  leaving  the  two  sons. 


then  small  boys,  to  care  for  themselves,  and 
all  trace  of  the  family  name  was  lost.  How- 
ever, the  name  was  supposed  to  have  been 
Demoree,  and  the  great-grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  called  Nicholas  Demoret. 
Gradually  the  orthography  was  American- 
ized to  Demoret.  On  the  landing  of  the 
ship  in  this  country  the  two  boys  were  bound 
out,  or  virtually  sold,  to  two  men  and  were 
thus  separated,  but  years  afterward,  by  the 
merest  chance,  Nicholas  met  his  brother. 
The  latter  had  been  bound  out  to  a  man  by 
the  name  of  Blackleech,  and  had  been  given 
his  surname.  Nicholas  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  and  was  afterward  with 
"Mad"  Anthony  Wayne  in  his  campaign 
against  the  Indians  in  Ohio,  during  which 
the  army  passed  through  Los  Anterville, 
mow  Cincinnati,  and,  being  pleased  with  the 
location,  Nicholas  located  there.  After  the 
war  was  over  he  purchased  land  where  Up- 
per Market  and  North  Hill  now  stand,  own- 
ing about  four  acres  in  Upper  Market  and 
about  fifty  acres  on  North  Hill,  and  he  also 
conducted  a  tavern  in  the  village.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  war  of  1812,  serving  under 
Harrison  in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  and 
his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death  "in  Los 
Anterville.  His  son,  Samuel  B.,  eventually 
removed  with  his  family  to  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  where  he  followed  the  till- 
ing of  the  soil  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life. 

Samluel  Deuoret,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, grew  to  manhood  in  Butler  county, 
I  Ohio,  the  place  of  his  nativity,  and  there  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits.  In  that  coun- 
ty, on  the  26th  of  January,  1844.  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Katie  A.  ]\Iahan.  and 
unto  that  union  was  born  one  daughter, 
Elizabeth  Ann,  whose  death  occurred  on  the 
25th  of  Jvlarch,  1870,  and  the  mother  has  also 
passed  to  the  home  beyond.  After  the  death 
of  his  wife  Mr.  Demoret  removed  to  Mont- 
gomery county,  Indiana,  where  he  was  a 
second  time  married,  Sarah  Ellen  Van  Cleve 
becoming  his  wife.  The  marriage  was  cele- 
brated on  the  26th  of  October,  1848,  and 
two  children  were  born  of  the  union. — - 
Mary  Catherine,  wife  of  Francis  iMarion 
Smith,  a  carpenter    of    Alontgomery.  Indi- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


367 


ana:  and  Johnson  T..  an  agriculturist  of 
Montana,  Kansas.  The  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily hasi  also  passed  away  in  death,  and  on  the 
30th  of  August,  1859,  in  Montgomery 
county,  Indiana,  the  father  wedded  Amanda 
Elizabeth  Owens,  a  native  of  the  Hoosier 
state,  born  February  19,  1837,  and  of  En- 
glish and  Irish  descent.  This  union  was 
blessed  with  nine  children,  namely :  Jo- 
seph, the  subject  of  this  review;  Frances, 
the  wife  of  Charlie  Hogue,  a  telegraph  op- 
erator at  Pretty  Prairie,  Reno  county,  Kan- 
sas; Samuel  G..  a  banker,  postmaster  and 
farmer  of  Pretty  Prairie;  Sophronia,  wife 
of  T.  B.  Shadduck,  who  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing near  ]\l;'.iichcster.  (")kl:iIiMma ;  Sarali 
Jane,  the  wife  'if  Iv  H  Ixniianl-i  m,  a  farmer 
of  Freeman,  L'as->  cnunty,  Mi^s'mri;  Rosa, 
the  wife  of  Frank  Richardson,  a  stock 
buyer  of  Freeman,  Missouri ;  Leora,  wife  of 
E.  A.  Green,  a  butcher  and  trader  of  Hutch- 
inson: William  and  Lorenzo,  at  home. 

After  locating'  in  Miontgomery  county, 
Indiana,  Samuel  Demoret  resumed  the  voca- 
tion of  farming,  there  remaining  until  the 
spring  of  188 J,  when  he  sold  his  splendid 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  that  county, 
which  he  had  placed  under  a  fine  state  of 
cultivation,  and  came  with  his  family  to 
Reno  county,  Kansas,  locating  on  the  farm 
which  is  still  his  home,  on  section  18.  Valley 
township.  Soon  after  his  arrival  here  he 
purchased  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
raw  prairie  land  on  what  is  now  known  as 
the  sand  hills,  but  as  the  years  have  passed 
l)y  he  has  placed  his  land  under  an  excellent 
state  of  cultivation,  has  added  many  vahi- 
able  and  substantial  improvements  and  has 
made  it  nne  of  the  most  attractive  and  de- 
sirable homesteads  of  the  locality.  His  ef- 
forts along'  the  line  of  his  chosen  vocation 
have  been  attended  with  a  high  degree  of 
sucess,  and  from  time  to  time  he  has:  been 
enabled  to  add  to  his  original  purchase  until 
his  landed  possessions  now  consist  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  the  north  half 
of  section  18  and  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  on  the  south  half  of  section  7.  He 
has  now  reached  the  eightieth  milestone  on 
the  journey  of  life,  but  time  has  dealt  gently 
■with  him  and   he  still   enjoys  good   health. 


His  wife  passed  away  in  death  on  the  26th 
of  February,  1894,  in  the  faith  of  the 
United  Brethren  church,  of  which  she  was 
a  worthy  and  consistent  member.  Air. 
Demoret  also  holds  membership  relations 
with  that  denomination,  and  in  his  political 
affiliations  he  is  a  supporter  of  Republican 
principles. 

Joseph  Demoret,  the  immediate  subject 
of  this  review,  received  his  elementary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  ]\Iontgom- 
ery  count}-,  Indiana,  and  in  1878  he  l>ecame 
a  student  in  the  academy  at  Alamo,  in  the 
same  county,  while  during  the  years  of 
1879  and  1880  he  pursued  a  course  in  the 
Green  Hill  College,  at  Green  Hill,  Warreu 
county,  Indiana,  Previous  to  this  time, 
howe\-er,  his  time  and  attention  had  been 
devoted  to  assisting  his  father  on  the  home 
farm.  In  the  spring  of  1882,  when  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  he  accomtpanied  his  fa- 
ther on  his  removal  to  Reno  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  for  several  years    he    followed 

j  the  teacher's  profession  in  the  district 
schools.  During  his  career  as  a  teacher  he 
taught  in  the  Willow  Grove  school,  Crott's 
school,  McKiver's  school  north  of  Arling- 
ton and  in  the  Sv\'ell  Head  school.  After 
abandoning  the  teacher's  profession  he  was 
for  a  time  employed  at  \-arious  occupations, 
having  spent  four  years  as  a  drug  clerk,  and 
for  the  succeeding  two  or  three  \ears  served 
as  a  foreman  on  a  railniad.  After  the  death 
of  his  mother  his  father  was  left  without  a 
housekeeper,  and  as  he  was  then  too  old  to 
engage  in  active  farm  labor  our  subject  re- 
turned to  the  old  homestead,  and  here  lie  has 
since  made  his  home,  relieving  his  aged  fa- 
ther of  much  care  and  worry.  In  the  opera- 
tion of  the  fann  he  is  assisted  b}-  his 
brother.     About  one  hundred  and  fift}'  acres 

I  of  the  place  is  under  cultivation,  while  the 
remainder  is  devoted  to-  pasturage,  and  in 
both  branches  of  the  business  the  brothers 

j  are  meeting  with  a  gratifying  and  well  mer- 

[  ited  degree  of  success. 

The  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  Demoret  was  cele- 
brated on  the  27th  of  June,  1889,  when 
Miss  Bothelda  M.  Nelson  became  his  wife. 
She  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  and  came  to  this 
country    with    her    mother  in   1884.      ?ilrs. 


368 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Nelson  now  resides  in  Hutchinson.  In  po- 
litical matters  Mr.  Demoret  is  a  stanch  ad- 
vocate of  Republican  principles,  and  is  an 
active  worker  in  the  ranks  of  his  party. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church,  and  in  the  locality  in 
which  they  make  their  home  they  have  won 
a  laree  circle  of  warm  friends. 


\\-ILLIA^.I  SCHMIDT. 

^^'illiam  Schmidt,  who  follows  farming 
on  section  15.  Farmer  township,  Rice  coun- 
tv,  is  one  of  the  best-known  and  most  highly 
esteemed  agriculturists  in  this  portion  of  the 
state.  Broad-minded,  enterprising,  pro- 
gressive and  popular,  the  circle  of  his 
friends  is  extensive.  He  has  resided  in.  this 
Jocalitv  since  1878, — covering  the  period  of 
the  greater  part  of  the  development  and  u[>- 
building  of  the  county. 

A  native  of  Wisconsin,  William  Schmidt 
Avas  born  in  Fond  du  Lac  county,  April  2, 
1855,  ^^^-  ^^  the  name  indicates,  is  of  Ger- 
man parentage.  His  father,  wdio  was  born 
in  Germany,  is  an  expert  mechanic  and  has 
been  in  the  railroad  employ  for  forty-five 
years  as  foreman.  He  is  now  living  in  To- 
peka,  Kansas.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  after  his  marriage  to  Christena  Stier, 
who  was  also  born,  reared  and  educated  in 
the  fatherland.  One  of  their  children  died 
at  sea  while  they  were  en  voyage  to  the 
new  world.  Locating  in  Wisconsin,  the  fa- 
ther there  worked  at  the  trade  of  cabinet- 
making  for  a  time  and  continued  his  resi- 
dence in  the  Badger  state  until  1880,  when 
he  reni'jved  to  Topeka.  Unto  him  and  his 
wife  were  born  four  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, (if  whiim  four  are  yet  living:  \\'illiam, 
of  this  review:  Mrs.  America  Steimauf,  of 
Topeka  :  Mrs.  Emma  Rominger,  who  is  also 
living  in  the  same  city;  and  Charles,  also 
a  farmer  in  Farmer  township.  The  father 
is  a  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations 
and  Ixith  he  and  his  wife  are  Methodists  in 
their  religious  faith.  In  that  belief  thej' 
ha\'e  also  reared  their  children.  People  of 
the  highest  respectability,    they    enjoy    the 


confidence  and  trust  of  all  wlio  know  them. 
In  the  county  of  his  nativity  William 
Schmidt  was  reared,  and  the  public  schools 
01  the  neighborhood  afforded  him  good  edu- 
cational privileges,  which  he  improved,  be- 
coming a  well-informed  man.  In  early  life 
he  was  employed  as.  salesman  in  a  drug 
store  for  a  number  of  years,  and  afterward 
carried  on-  business  along  that  line  on  his 
own  account.  In  1876  he  became  proprietor 
of  a  drug  store  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  which 
he  conducted  for  some  time,  and  in  1878  he 
came  to  Rice  county,  where  he  secured  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wild  land,  from 
wh.icli  lie  began  the  development  of  a  home. 
Here  he  has  since  lived,  and  by  his  industry 
and  good  management  has  become  the 
owner  of  a  valuable  farm.  He  now  has 
eiglit  hundred  acres  of  rich  land  in  Rice 
county,  and  his  home  is  an  attractive  resi- 
dence standing  on  a  natural  building  site 
and  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  grove.  Upon 
the  place  is  an  excellent  orchard  of  five 
acres,  a  large  barn,  a  granary,  windmill, 
good  feed  lots,  pastures  and  all  modern  im- 
provements and  accessories  whicli  consti- 
tute a  model  farm  of  the  twentieth  century. 
In  addition  to  his  farm  he  has  other  busi- 
ness intei-ests,  being  a  stockholder  and  the 
vice-president  of  the  Bushton  State  Bank, 
and  is  widely  recognized  as  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial citizens  of  the  county. 

In  Fond  du  Lac  county,  Wisconsin,  in 
1878,  Mr.  Schmidt  was  married  to  Miss 
Lizzie  Eastian,  who  was  born  in  Germany 
but  was  reared  and  educated  in  Wisconsin. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  Bastian,  now  de- 
ceased, and  by  her  marriage  she  had  become 
the  mother  of  four  children:  Lydia,  now 
the  V,  ife  of  A.  Crimm,  of  Fanner  township, 
Rice  county :  Emily  M. ;  Ida  J. ;  and  Esther 
Alice.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Schmidt 
is  a  Repuh.lican  and  takes  an  active  inter- 
est in  the  gruwth  (jf  the  party,  doing  all  in 
his  power  to  insure  its  success.  He  has  been 
honnred  with  local  office,  serving  as  town- 
ship trustee  and  assessor  for  fourteen  years. 
He  has  been  a  delegate  to-  the  county,  con- 
gressional and  state  conventions  and  is  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  leading  workers  of 
the  panv  in  Rice  countv.    As  a  citizen  he  is 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


369 


in  tuiich  with  all  progressive  and  reform 
movements.  The  cause  of  temperance,  edu- 
cation and  morality  finds  in  him  a  friend, 
and  he  has  done  much  to  promote  the  ma- 
terial interests  of  the  county,  so  that  he  may 
just!\-  lie  regarded  as  one  of  the  representa- 
tive and  valued  citizens  of  his  community. 


WILLIAM  H.  ^IITCHELL. 

William  H.  Mitchell,  a  iir.nnincnt  stock 
farmer  of  Huntsville  triwnship,  Kciiu  ri;un- 
ty,  was  born  in  Lawrence  county.  Indiana, 
near  Bedford,  on  the  8th  of  March,  1844. 
His  grandfather,  James  Mitchell,  was  a  na- 
tive of  the  Keystone  state,  born  on  the  14th 
of  October,  1767,  and  his  death  occurred  in 
Monroe  county,  Indiana,  June  9,  1846.  He 
wedded  Nancy  Campbell,  and  they  reared  six 
sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  mar- 
ried and  had  families  of  their  own  with  the 
exception  of  one  daughter.  One  son,  Jo- 
seph, removed  toi  Iowa  about  1850,  and 
reared  a  large  family  of  children,  his  son 
James  having  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war,  while  another  son,  George,  removed  to 
Iowa  in  a  very  early  day,  and  had  two  sons 
in  the  war,  Thomas  J.  and  William  <  )scar. 
The  latter  is  now  a  state  senator  in  Inwa,  and 
was  twice  elected  to  the  legislature.  Joseph 
C,  a  grandson  of  Joseph  ^Mitchell,  is  a  lead- 
ing lawyer  of  Ottumiwa.  Iowa,  and  an  ex- 
judge.  Another  son  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Campbell)  Mitchell,  James,  removed  to 
Arkansas,  and  three  of  his  sons  served  in 
the  Confederate  army  during  the  Civil  war. 
Another  son,  David,  removed  to  Texas. 
Mrs.  Nancy  Mitchell  died  on  the  loth  of  Oc- 
tober, 1844,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,, 
and  she  and  her  husband  now  rest  side  by 
side  in  a  cemetery  in  ^lonroe  county,  Indi- 
ana. 

William  C.  Alitchell,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  in  1807,  and 
his  death  occurred  in  Indiana,  on  the  30th  of 
July,  1885.  In  the  latter  state  he  was  uni- 
ted in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  Francis,  also 
a  iiative  of  Kentucky,  and  they  reared  six 
childixn.  namelv:     Elizabeth  M.,  the  widow 


of  I.  H.  ^^'aynick,  and  the  mother  of  a  large 
family  of  children;  Martha  A.  Norris,  of 
Chariton,  Iowa,  and  she  has  one  son ;  David 
T.,  who  served  as  a  lieutenant  colonel  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war,  and  now  resides  in  Co- 
lumbia, Alissouri,  and  has  two  sons  and  a 
daughter;  Nancy  A.  Douglas,  a  widow,  and 
her  only  son  is  also  deceased;  W.  H.,  the 
subject  of  this  review ;  and  James  E.,  a  lum- 
ber dealer  of  Indiana,  and  he  has  five  chil- 
dren. The  mother  of  this  family  passed 
away  in  death  when  our  subject  was  but 
four  veils  of  age,  and  the  father  afterward 
wdlilcd  M.iry  J.  Erwin,  who  bore  him  four 
son-;  and  one  daughter.  Two  of  the  sons, 
Samuel  E.  and  Lewis  V.,  reside  in  Indiana, 
and  a  third,  George  E.,  makes  his  home  in 
Oklahoma,  near  Augusta.  The  oldest  son, 
Bennett,  died  when  he  was  three  years  old, 
and  Katie,  the  daughter,  at  the  age  O'f  five 
years.  Tlie  second  wife  died  about  a  year 
after  her  husband's  demise. 

William  H.  Mitchell,  of  this  review,  was 
reared  as  a  farmer  boy  in  his  native  state. 
On  the  9th  of  July,  1861.  when  in  his  sev- 
enteenth year,  he  responded  to  the  call  of 
his  country,  and  at  Bedford,  Indiana,  became 
a  member  of  Company  A,  Twenty-fourth 
Indiana  Infantry,  and  was  a  brave  and  loyal 
--oldier  for  three  vcars.  during  which  time 
he  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Black  River, 
Grand  Prairie,  Shiloh,  and  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  besides  many  skirmishes.  Re- 
turning from  the  war  in  1864,  he  again  took 
up  the  quiet  life  of  a  farmer  at  his  father's 
home,  l)ut  in  the  fall  of  1865  he  went  to 
Iowa  and  entered  school.  His  failing  eye- 
sight, however,  caused  him  to  leave  the 
school-room,  and  in  ^Nlarch,  1866,  he  once 
more  returned  to  Indiana,  wdiere  be  remained 
until  the  following  December.  He  then  came 
to  Neosho  county,  Kansas,  where  he  pre- 
empted a  claimi  of  one  Innidred  and  sixty 
acres  and  for  a  time  maile  his  home  with 
his  brother.  D.  T.  jSIitchell,  who  had  come' 
to  this  state  in  1865.  In  August.  1867,  how- 
e\-er,  our  subject  retmmed  to  his  old  home 
in  Indiana,  and  on  the  2t'[\\  of  September  of 
that  year  was  united  in  marriage  to  Amanda 
\Wiod.  In  company  with  his  lirnther,  James 
F.,  and  others,  Mr.  Mitchell  and  his  bride 


370 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


drove  through  to  Kansas,  locating  on  the 
claim  which  he  had  entered  in  Canville  tOAvn- 
ship,  Neosho  county,  on  Elk  creek,  where 
they  resided  in  a  box  house  sixteen  by  twen- 
ty-four feet.  His  wife  bore  him  three  sons, 
one  of  whum,  Olla  E.,  was  Ijijrn  June  22, 
1868,  and  now  resides  near  Augusta,  Okla- 
homa. He  has  a  wife  and  two  sons.  An- 
other son,  Jesse  W.,  resides  near  Bedford, 
Indiana.  He  is  married  and  has  a  son  and 
daughter.  The  twin  brother  of  Jesse  W. 
died  in  infancy.  Tbe  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren has  also  passed  away,  dying  on  the 
19th  of  September,  1869.  Eor  his  second 
wife  Mr.  Mitchell  chose  Nancy  L.  Stipp, 
their  marriage  having  been  celebrated  on  the 
jtli  of  September,  1870,  in  Indiana,  after 
which  he  again  returned  to  his  Kansas  home. 
In  1873  he  sold  his  fanu  in  Neosho  county 
and  again  made  tbe  journey  to  Indiana, 
where  he  farmed  on  rented  land  until  Au- 
gust, 1884,  and  in  that  year  located  perma- 
nently in  the  Sunflower  state,  purchasing  the 
farm  which  he  still  owns,  then  a  timber 
claim.  On  this  farm  Mrs-.  Mitchell  died  May 
18,  1895,  leaving  nine  children,  as  follows : 
Caddie  A.,  wife  of  J.  W.  Spilman,  of  Okla- 
homa, and  they  have  two  sons;  Virgil  \\'., 
a  farmer  of  Huntsville;  Lotta  P.,  wife  of 
Joseph  Vazes,  of  St.  Louisi,  Missouri,  and 
they  have  one  son;  David  B.,  and  Michael 
F.,  born  June  11,  1883,  both  prominent 
young  farmers  of  KanSas;  Mattie  E.  and 
Hattie  M.,  born  January-  15,  1886,  and  are 
still  at  home;  James  L.,  born  November  14. 
1888;  and  Grace  E.,  born  March  12,  1891. 
Two  of  the  children  are  deceased, — Amer- 
ica M.,  wlioi  was  born  on  the  25th  of  March, 
1S75.  and  died  on  the  25th  of  September  of 
the  same  year,  and'  Edward,  a  twin  brother 
of  Virgil  ^^^,  who  died  in  Indiana,  Novem- 
ber 27,  1877.  ^Ii".  Mitchell  has  been  a  third 
time  married,  in  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  on  the 
2r)th  of  No\-ember,  1896,  Mrs.  Frances  J. 
C()x  becoming  his  wife.  She  is  a  uatiA-e  of 
Jackson  countv.  Indiana,  and  came  to  Kan- 
sas in  t88;.  She  has  one  son  bv  her  former 
marriage,  Herber  W.,  a  resident  of  Hunts- 
ville tiiwnship.  He  is  married  and  has  one 
son. 

]\lr.  Mitchell  now  owns  a  beautiful  farm 


of  four  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and'  in  ad- 
dition to  cultivating  this  large  tract  he  also 
has  charge  of  another  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres.  He  is  principally  engaged  in  stock- 
raising,  making  a  specialty  of  the  breeding 
of  swine,  of  which  he  raises  from  five  hun- 
dred to  nine  hundred'  dollars  worth  a  year. 
He  is  also  engaged  in  the  raising  of  red 
short-horn  cattle,  of  which  he  has  about  six- 
ty-two head,  and  in  addition  to  his  extensive 
stock  business  he  also  follows  diversified 
farming.  In  his  business  affairs  he  has  met 
with  a  creditable  and  gratifying  success.  luit 
untiring  labor  has  been  the  secret  of  his 
prosperity  and  has  won  for  him  the  high  p(j- 
sition  which  he  now  occupies  in  the  business 
world. 

In  political  matters  he  was  formerly 
identified  with  the  Republican  party,  but  dur- 
ing the  past  few  years  he  has  given  his  sup- 
port to  tbe  People's  party.  For  two  terms 
each  he  served  as  a  trustee  and  justice  of 
tbe  peace,  and  in  1890  was  elected  to  repre- 
sent his  district  in  the  legislature,  to  which 
position  he  was  re-elected  in  1892,  partici- 
pating as  a  member  of  the  "rump"  house, 
but  the  disability  thereby  incurred  was  re- 
moved to  the  supreme  court.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  committee  dU  militia  in  iSqi. 
was  one  of  a  committee  app^  inted  tc  investi- 
gate the  Judge  Theodocia  Bntkin  case,  and 
was  oue  of  the  board  of  managers  before  the 
senate  in  the  impeachment  trial.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  the  Greenback  mo'vement  of 
1876.  headed  by  Peter  Cooper,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  first  Greenback  club  in  Bed- 
ford, Indiana.  Since  1876  he  has  been  in 
the  front  ranks  of  the  Reform:  party,  and 
was  active  in  the  railroad  bond  controversv 
in  1886-7,  in  Kansas.  While  a  resident  of 
Indiana  he  was  a  member  of  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry,  in  wliich  he  served  as  president, 
secretary  and  lecturer.  In  1898  he  took  an 
active  part  in  organizing  the  Farmers'  Alli- 
ance and  was  ])resident  of  the  sub-alliance 
and  vice-president  of  the  county  alliance. 
He  ajso  lectured  at  many  meetings  and  was 
first  elected  to  the  legislature  as  an  Alliance 
member.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the  first 
G.  A.  R.  ]>ost  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana, 
of  which  he  was  senior  vice  commander  for 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


371 


some  years  and  till  coming  to  this  state; 
when  he  was  transferred  from'  the  Dq>art- 
ment  of  Indiana  to-  that  of  Kansas  and  be- 
longed to  Meade  Post,  No.  14,  of  Sterling, 
Kansas.  He  would  have  remained  a  mem- 
ber of  it  had  not  certain  members  made  a  po- 
litical party  out  of  it,  that  is  to  our  subject's 
mind,  and  rather  than  violate  his  p-ledge  and 
constitution  of  the  organization  he  asked  for 
and  receTved  his  discharge.  A  man  of  dis- 
tinctive ability  and  one  whose  character  is 
abo\e  a  shadow  of  reproach,  he  has  l>een 
faithful  to  the  highest  positions  in  which  he 
has  been  called  upon  to*  serve,  and  is.  widely 
known  and  respected  by  all  who  have  in  any- 
way been  familiar  with  his  honorable  and 
useful  career. 


GEORGE  A.  APPEL. 

George  A.  Appel  is  one  of  the  leading 
and  representative  citizens  of  Rice  comity. 
His  record  as  a  business  man  and  as  a  sol- 
dier has  been  so  honorable  that  he  has  gained 
the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact.  For 
twenty-four  years  has  Rice  county  been  his 
liome,  years  largely  devoted  to  the  best  in- 
terests of  his  adopted  county. 

Mr.  Appel  claims  Illinois  as  the  state  of 
his  nativity,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Madison  county,  near  Alton,  in  1842.  His 
father,  John  Appel,  was  born  in  the  great 
empire  of  Germany,  and  was  there  reared 
and  educated.  ^M^en  a  young  man  he  bade 
farewell  to  his  native  land  and  sailed  for  the 
United  States,  locating  at  once  in  Madi&on 
county,  Illinois.  In  that  county  George  A., 
the  subject  of  this  review,  was  reared  to 
manhood.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war 
he  became  one  of  the  boys  in  blue,  enlisting 
in  the  Ninety-seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  served  as  a  loyal  and  patriotic 
soldier  for  three  years  and  three  months.  He 
took  part  in  many  battles  and  skirmishes, 
enduring  all  those  liar(lshi|5s  and  privations 
which,  were  known  iml)-  to  the  brave  sol- 
diers of  the  Civil  war.  and  during  his  armv 
experience  his  healtli   was  greatly  injured. 


-\fter  the  close  of  hostilities  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge,  and'  with  a  creditable 
military  record  returned  tO'  his  home  and 
family. 

Mr.  Appel  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Elizabeth  Bloenker,  who  has  proved  to  him 
a  true  and  loving  helpmate.  The  lady  is  a 
native  of  the  far  ofif  country  of  Germany. 
Soo'U  after  their  marriage  our  subject  and 
wife  located  in  Christian  county,  Illinois, 
where  they  resided  until  1877,  when  they 
came  to  Rice  county,  Kansas^.  Their  first 
tract  of  land  consisted'  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  raw  prairie,  on  which  they 
erected  a  sod  house,  and  in  that  little  pioneer 
home  they  began  the  battle  of  life  on  the 
western  frontier.  The  Appel  farm  now  com- 
prises six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  the 
best  fanning  land  to  be  found  in  central 
Kansas.  The  place  is  adorned  with  a  beau- 
tiful residence,  and  three  large  barns  furnish 
shelter  for  the  stock  and  grain  upon  the 
place.  He  also  owns  a  large  elevator,  which 
has  a  capacity  of  seven  thousand  bushels:  of 
grain,  and  wbich  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
one  thousand  dollars.  On  the  lawn  ar^ 
found  beautiful  shade  trees,  flowers  and 
shrubs,  and  one  of  the  attractive  features  of 
the  place  is  a  fish  pond,  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  by  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet.  In 
addition  to  his  extensive  agricultural  inter- 
ests Mr.  Appel  was  one  of  the  promoters  of 
the  Bushton  Bank. 

The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Appel  has 
been  blessed  with  seven  children,  namely: 
John  H.,  who  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  adjoining  the  oid  homestead; 
William  E..  .\nielia  M.,  George  O.,  Charles 
J.,  Orville  and  Albert,  all  at  home.  The  sec- 
ond son,  William  E.,  is  the  proprietor  of  a 
large  implement  business  in  Bushton,  where 
he  carriesi  a  complete  stock  O'f  wagO'Us,  car- 
riages, farm  machinery  and  everything  to 
be  found  in  a  first-class  establishment  of  that 
kind.  His  business  auTounts  to  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  annually,  and  his  fair  and 
honorable  dealing  have  won  him  the  con- 
fidence and  good  will  of  his  fellow  citizens. 
The  father  and  sons  give  their  political  sup- 
port to  the  Republican  nartv,  and  the  former 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  .\rmv  cf  the  Re- 


372 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


public  and  of  the  ^.lethodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  co-operates  in  all  movements 
and  measures  intended  for  the  betterment  of 
humanity,  and  to-day  he  is  as  true  to  his 
country  and  its  best  interests  as  when  he  fol- 
lowed the  stars  and  stripes  on  the  battleiield 
of  the  south. 


^^■ILLIA^I  ^lELAlLLE. 

Scotch  thrift  and  industry  have  been  ef- 
fective for  progress  and  civilization  wherever 
they  have  been  made  active,  and  Scotch  emi- 
grants to  America  have  assumed  their  full 
share  of  the  burdens  of  citizenship  and  per- 
formed their  part  in  the  pioneer  work  that 
has  come  to  their  hands.  Reno  county,  Kan- 
sas, has  numerous  citizens  of  Scotch  birth, 
and  one  of  the  best  known  and  most  highly 
respected  of  them  is  William  Melville,  a 
farmer  on  section  22,  in  Hayes  township, 
and  whose  postoffice  address  is  Plevna,  rural 
delivery  route  No-,  i. 

William  Melville  was  born  in  Perthshire, 
Scotland,  January  11,  1851,  a  son  of  David 
and  Margaret  (Laing)  Melville.  His  father, 
who  was  a  fanner  and  weaver,  died  in  his; 
native  land  in  1866,  aged  forty-eight  years,' 
leaving  a  widow  and'  eight  children,  of 
whomi  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
first  born.  Mrs.  Melville,  who  was  born 
in  1822,  died  in  Scotland  in  1875.  William 
received  a  good  common-school  education 
and  then  served  a  four  years'  apprenticeship 
to  the  trade  of  stone  cutter.  During  the 
first  year  of  this  apprenticeship  he  received 
fifty  cents  a  week  and  boarded  himself.  The 
next  year  he  received  sevent\--five  cents  a 
week  and  during  the  two  succeeding  years 
he  received  one  dollar  a  week.  In  1872  he 
came  across  the  ocean  to  Canada,  under  con- 
tract to  work  on  the  Intercolonial  railroad  in 
the  province  of  New  Brunswick.  After 
three  months  labor  there  he  went  to  Toron- 
to, Canada.  He  remained  at  Toronto  three 
months  and  then  went  to  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, by  way  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  and 
worked  for  a  large  concern  there  three  years 
at  from  three  to  six  dollars  a  day.  He  came 
to  Kansas  in  March,  1876,  and  stopped  at 


Peace,  now  Sterling,  whence  he  came  to  his 
present  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  He  was  accompanied  to  Reno  county 
by  Thomas  Keddie.  with  whom  he  had 
boarded  in  Pittsburg  and  whose  wife  had 
gone  to  Scotland  on  a  visit.  He  and:  Mr. 
Keddie  kept  house  together  on  their  claims 
until  Mrs.  Keddie  returned  and  after  that 
Mr.  Melville  again  boarded  with  them  until 
his  marriage. 

]\Ir.  jNIelville  was  married  November  23, 
1879,  to  Miss  Florence  E.  Castleman,  who 
was  born  in  Canada,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
D.  and  Sarah  (Langhur&t)  Castleman.  The 
father  was  born  at  Niagara,  Ontario,  and 
her  mother  in  London,  England.  They  had 
twelve  children,  of  whomi  they  reared  six. 
]\Ir.  Castleman,  who  was  a  farmer,  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty  years.  His  widow,  now  sev- 
enty-four years  old,  lives  with  her  daughter, 
]\Irs.  Melville,  and  is  the  owner  of  a  farm 
in  Stafford  county,  Kansas.  Mr.  Melville 
began  farming  on  new  prairie  land  and  has 
improved  a  fine  farm  on  which  he  raises 
miscellaneous  crops  and'  fruit  of  many  var- 
ieties. His  farnn  is  well  provided  with 
luxurious  shade  trees,  which  he  planted 
with  his  own  hands.  He  now  owns  one 
half-section  of  land  and  also'  a  quarter  sec- 
tion, forty  acres  of  which  is  devoted  to 
pasture  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
to  wheat,  of  which  he  has  grown  from  two 
thousand  to  three  thousand  bushels  a  year. 
His  crop  in  1901  was  the  ]>est  he  ever  har- 
vested. 

In  1876  and  in  1877  ^^i'-  ^lelville  had  an 
exciting  experience  hunting  buffalo  in  the 
buffalo  in  the  panhandle  of  Texas,  and  while 
there  he  killed  about  twenty  of  the  big  ani- 
mals. At  one  time  he  saw  a  herd  six  miles 
long,  a  sight  which,  owing  to-  the  scarcity 
of  buffaloes,  no  man  will  ever  see  again. 
Politically  Mr.  Melville  is  a  Rqxiblican,  de- 
voted to  the  principles  and  work  o-f  his 
party.  He  has  served  twelve  years  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  of  his  township 
and'  ably  filled  the  office  of  township  treas- 
urer for  four  years.  He  is  a  meniber  of  the 
Indepenent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  ^lelville  are  not  church  members,  but 
are  liberal  supporters  of  religious  interests. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


He  lias  made  tlie  Golden  Rule  the  rule  oi  his 
life  and  the  man  ne\-er  lived  anywhere  in  the 
world  who  CMuld  say  diat  Mr.  Melville  had 
wrijngcd  him  tn  the  extent  of  one  cent. 

William  and  Florence  E.  (Castleman) 
Melville  have  had  children  as  follows :  Lulu, 
who  married  Henry  Hibbert,  a  farmer  of 
Hayes  township:  David  Melville,  who  was 
a  young  man  of  high  character  and  of  great 
intellectual  promise  and  was  killed  July  28, 
1900,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  by  the  explo- 
sion of  a  threshing  machine  boiler;  Bessie, 
who  is  fourteen  years  old';  Roy,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  one  year;  Nora,  whoi  is  eleven 
years  old;  and  Harley  C,  who  was  born 
July  6,  1899.  The  sudden  and  terrible  death 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Melville's  son  and  son-in- 
law  was  a  blow  to  them  from  which  they 
are  not  likelv  soon  to  recover. 


JOHN  B.  HARDING. 

John  B.  Harding  has  for  a  number  of 
years  l>een  actively  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising  in  Kansas  and  now  has  charge 
of  the  Carlisle  ranch  in  Kingman  county, 
his  place  of  residence  being  on  section  32, 
Lilierty  township.  He  has  under  his  super- 
\"isi(jn  twenty-two  hundred  acres  of  land,  on 
which  are  pastured  large  herds  nf  cattle. 

Mr.  Harding  was  born  in  Virginia,  Jan- 
uary 12,  1848,  and  is  a  son  of  Ji  ihn  A.  Hard- 
ing, who  was  born  and  reared  in  the  Old 
Dominion  and  was  a  farmer  and  stockman, 
owning  a  rich  tract  of  land.  He  was  mar- 
ried iu'  his  native  state  to  Mary  Kiser,  also 
of  Virginia,  and  selling  his  property  in  that 
state  he  removed'  to  Delaware  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  also  a  saw- 
mill and  woolen  mill,  located;  on  Mill  creek, 
a  tributary  of  the  Scinto  river.  These  mills 
he  operated  in  conection  with  the  cultivatiim 
of  his  land  frir  three  years  and  then  sold, 
giving  his  entire  attcnlion  to-  agricultural 
pursiiits.  He  also  owned  a  residence  and 
lots  in  the  town  of  Bell])oint.  After  several 
years  he  sold  his  property  in  Ohio  and  re- 
movedi  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Cumberland 
county  and  afterward  going  to  Moultrie 
countv,   where  he  still   resides,  making  his 


home  with  his  son  Hiram.  He  is  now 
eighty-seven  years  of  age  and  is  blind.  His 
political  support  has  always  been  given  to 
the  Democracy,  and  fraternally  he  is  a  Ma- 
son of  high  degree.  His  wife,  who  was  a 
consistent  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
church,  died  in  Moultrie  county,  November 
5,  1886.  Of  their  family  of  seven  children, 
five  are  yet  living  and  our  subject  is  the 
third  iu  order  of  birth.  The  family  record 
is  a•^  foll.iws:  Samuel,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  culti\ation  of  broom  corn  and  the  manu- 
facture of  brooms  in  Piatt  county,  Illinois; 
Catherine,  the  widow  of  William  Wertz  and 
a  resident  of  Bement,  Illinois ;  John  B. ;  Su- 
sie, the  widow  of  James  Kirkland,  of  Be- 
ment ;  Hiram,  a  farmer  of  Moultrie  county, 
Illinois ;  Peter,  who  died  in  Cumberland 
county,  that  state,  at  the  age  of  twenty 
}-ears ;  and  Walter,  who  died  in  Cumberland 
county,  at  the  age  of  ten  years. 

In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  John 
B.  Harding  spent  his  youth,  giving  his  fa- 
ther the  benefit  of  his  services  until  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age.  After  engaging  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  for  a  year  after  his  mar- 
riage in  IDelaware  coiunty,  Ohio-,  he  removed 
with  his  young  wife  to  Cumberland  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  carried  on  the  same  pursuit 
for  three  years  and  then  went  to  Moultrie 
county,  where  he  remained  until  1885.  In 
tb.at  year  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Harper 
C'juni} .  Kansas,  and  in  the  following  spring 
he  removed  to-  Barber  county,  where  he  pre- 
empted eighty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  town- 
ship. Alter  proving  up  this  property  he  re- 
mo^■ed  to  the  town  of  Sharon  where  he 
s])eii't  the  winter  and  in  the  spring  located  on 
a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  that  place. 
After  a  year  he  went  to  a  farm'  five  miles 
from  Medicine  Lodge,  where  he  remained 
for  ten  years,  there  eng^aging  in  the  culti- 
\-ati<in  of  his  land,  in  the  raising  of  stock 
and  in  the  operation  of  a  threshing  machine. 

On  the  expiration  of  that  period  Mr. 
Harding  came  toi  Kin'gTiian  county  and  for 
a  year  was  foreman  of  the  Carlisle  ranch. 
The  following  year  he  also  remained  on  the 
ranch,  operating  it  fcjr  a  man  fronr  Arkan- 
sas who  had  rented  it.  Then  he  returned  to 
Barber  countv  and  for  one  season  was  on 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


the  Tom  Eads  ranch,  but  the  following 
spring  he  came  back  to  the  CarHsle  ranch, 
^\•i^ere  lie  has  since  resided.  It  is  owned  by 
^Ir.  CarHsle  of  Kansas  Citv.  and  the  main 
business  is  pasturing  stock  through  the  sum- 
mer and  feeding  them  in  the  winter.  The 
ranch  comprises  about  twenty-twO'  hundred 
acres  in  all,  about  fourteen  hundred  and 
forty  acres  being  owned  by  Mr.  Carlisle, 
while  the  remainder  of  the  land  is  leased. 
Several  hundred  head  of  both  cattle  and 
horses  are  pastured  here  each  summer  and 
in  the  winter  there  are  between  two  and 
three  hundred  head  of  cattle.  Mr.  Harding 
has  charge  of  all  the  cattle,  looks  after  the 
fences  and  has  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  land  under  cultivation. 

In  Delaware  count3%  Ohio,  Mr.  Harding 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  J.  Sea- 
man, who  was  born  in  that  count}',  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Comfort  Seaman,  both  of 
\\hora  were  natives  of  Ohio  and  both  died 
about  twenty  years  ago.  Her  father  w-as  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  Ten  children  have 
been  born  unto  them  and  the  family  circle 
yet  remains  unbroken  by  the  hand  of  death. 
A\'illiam  is  a  fanner  and  stock-raiser  located 
two  miles  east  of  Isabel,  in  Pratt  county, 
Kansas ;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Wesley  Clark, 
a  farmer  of  Moultrie  county,  Illinois ;  Viola 
is  the  wife  of  Luke  Chapin,  a  farmer  and 
stockman  living  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
Medicine  Lodge;  Walter  is  a  section  boss 
located  in  Sedgwick  county,  "Kansas;  Anna 
is  the  wife  of  August  Lonby,  wdio  is  en- 
gaged in  railroad  work  in  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas :  jMattie  is  the  wife  of  George  Wood- 
ard,  a  merchant  of  Medicine  Lod'ge;  David 
E..  Charles,  Sadie  and  Georgie  are  at  home. 
In  pijlitics  Mr.  Harding  is  a  Democrat  but 
political  office  has  had  no  attraction  for  him, 
he  preferring  to  devote  his  time  and  ener- 
gies to  his  business  affairs. 


DANIEL  F.  COLLIXGWOOD. 

The  firm  of  J.  A.  Collingwood  &  Broth- 
ers, of  Pretty  Prairie,  Reno  county^  Kansas, 
bankers,  merchants  and  dealers  in  grain  and 
live  stock,  is  one  of  the  leading  business  con- 


cerns of  central  Kansas.  It  was  established 
tmder  its  present  style  as  a  mercantile  com- 
pany in  1896.  Its  elevator  was  erected  in 
1896  and  has  a  capacity  of  thirty- 
five  thousand  bushels,  accomodating  the 
undivided  products  of  the  members  of 
the  firm,  which  aggregate  from  thirty- 
five  thousand  to  forty  thousand  bush- 
elsi  a  year,  mostly  wheat.  The  demands  upon 
it  were  so  great  that  it  soon  outgrew  its  sur- 
roundings, and  in  1901  its  capacity  was  in- 
creased to  sixty  thousand  bushels.  A5  it 
stands  now  the  Collingwood  elevator  is  one 
of  the  largest  and  mosit  completely  equipped 
in  the  state,  having  the  latest  improved  mod- 
ern machinery  and  conveniences  for  han- 
dling, cleaning  and  grading  grain,  operated 
by  a  sixteen  horse-power  gas  engine. 

This  firm,  composed  of  John  A..  James 
A..  Daniel  F.  and  J.  G.  Collingwood,  owns 
a  large  general  store,  which  is  carried  oni  in 
a  fine  brick  building  covering  a  ground  space 
of  one  hundred  by  twenty-five  feet,  its  stock 
of  ten  thousand  dollars."  worth  of  miscel- 
laneous goods  being  so  arranged  as  to  give  it 
something  of  the  appearance  of  a  department 
store.  This  enterprise  is  under  the  personal 
management  of  Daniel  F.  Collingwood.  The 
grain  business  of  this  concern  aggregates 
three  hundred  thousand:  biishels  a  year,  for 
it  handles  all  the  grain  shipped  from  Pretty 
Prairie,  which  is  the  favorite  market  place 
in  the  heart  of  the  best  grain-producing  part 
of  the  county.  One  of  the  most  important 
features  of  the  business  of  J.  A.  Colling- 
wood &  Brothers  is  its  farming  and  stock- 
raising  operations,  wdiich  are  as  extensive  as 
any  in  their  vicinity.  The  firm:  owns  about 
five  thousand  acres  of  land  within  the  bor- 
ders of  the  county,  on  about  sixteen  hun- 
dred acres  of  which  it  raises  from  thirty 
thousand  to  forty  thousand  bushels  of  wheat 
each  year,  and  it  has  also  three  thousand 
acres  in  Ford  and  Kiowa  counties. 

John  A.,  James  A.,  Daniel  F.  and  J.  G. 
Collingwood  are  sons  of  Daniel  and  Mary- 
(Newman)  Collingwood.  Daniel  Colling- 
wood, a  son  of  William  Collingwood,  was 
born  in  Wigham,  England,  in  18 19,  and 
when  he  was  about  sixteen  years  old  was 
brought  by  his  parents  tO'  America.      The 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


375 


family  located  at  Pmighkeepsie,  New  York, 
where  the  elder  Collina:wood  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  shoes,  in  which  business 
Daniel  was  employed  to-  some  extent.  The 
father  lived  only  two  years  after  his  arrival 
in  America,  however,  and  the  mother  took 
her  family  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  domi- 
ciled it  in  a  house  owned  by  Abner  New- 
man, father  of  Mary  Newman,  with  whom 
Daniel  l)ecame  acquainted  and  wlmni  he 
married  April  23,  1842.  Abner  Xewman 
was  burn  in  New  Jersey,  and  married  a 
Pennsylvanian  woman  of  German  ancestry. 
When  a  boy  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  trade 
of  a  plasterer  and  brick-mason.  He  became 
prominent,  as  a  contractor  and  builder,  erect- 
ing many  prominent  buildings  in  Cincin- 
nati, and  owned  much  valuable  property 
the.e.  -Mrs.  Collingwood  is  one  of  his  eight 
children,  five  of  whom  survive.  Christina 
married  V.  H.  Mason,  of  Orange  county, 
Florida.  George  is  a  farmer  in  Iowa.  Sa- 
rah married  a  Mr.  Love  and  lives  in  Orange 
county,  Florida.  David  lives  at  Indianapo- 
bs.  Indiana.  Matilda  married  Charles  Sey- 
mour and  is  dead.  Joseph  died  at  Oakland, 
Kansas.  Emma,  who  became  Mrs.  Robin- 
son, died  at  Indianapolis,  Indiana. 

At  Cincinnati.  Daniel  Collingwood  was 
engaged  in  the  shoe  business  until  1843. 
In  1845  he  remo\-ed  to  Connersville,  Fayette 
county.  Indiana,  where  he  manufactured 
shoes  cjuite  extensively  for  three  years,  and 
then  located  on  the  Ohio  river  in  Crawford 
county,  Indiana,  where  he  continued  in  the 
same  1)usiness  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
.\|i!i:  23,  1866.  Here  he  added  the  tanning 
liii-iiiL-^  to  his  manufacturing  enterprise 
and  in  time  it  grew  to  such  proportions  that 
it  overshadowed  the  original  venture,  for  at 
that  time  there  was  a  good  demand  for 
leather  throughout  the  whole  surrounding 
ciiuntry,  and  the  Ohio  river  supplied  excel- 
lent shi])ping  facilities  not  alone  for  hides 
and  tanbark  biit  for  the  finished  prodiict  of 
the  tannery.  ]\Ir.  Colling'wood  was  not  only 
prominent  in  business  affairs  but  in  public 
affairs  as  well,  serving  for  eighteen  consec- 
utive years  in  the  office  of  ti)\\:nship  trustee. 
Politically  he  was  a  \Miig.  later  a  Repub- 
lican, and  in  relig'ion  he  was  reared  a  Meth- 


odist, though  after  the  war  he  joined  the 
United  Brethren  church. 

Daniel  and  Mary  (Newman)  Colling- 
wood had  ten  children.  The  following  in- 
formation concerning  them  will  be  of  inter- 
est in  this  connection.  The  first  born  was 
named  \Mlliam,  who  diedl  at  the  age  of  two 
years.  Abner- was  named  in  honor  of  his 
paternal  grandfather.  Thomas,  ^vho  was 
born  in  Crawford  count\",  Indiana,  Xoxem- 
ber  9,  1849,  is  a  farmci-  and  simkniaii  who 
owns  four  hundred  and  ciglily  acres  nf  Kan- 
sas land,  and  whose  residence  is  in  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  32,  township 
26,  range  6,  Reno  county.  The  next  in  or- 
der of  birth  was  J.  G.,  who  is  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  J.  A.  Collingwood  &  Brothers., 
John  A.  CollingwiKid,  who  is  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  nieiuii'ned  and  president 
of  the  State  Bank  of  Pretty  Prairie,  Kan- 
sas, was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Indiana, 
December  23,  1854.  James  A.  was  born  in 
Crawford  county,  Indiana,  July  14,  1858. 
Jane  lives  with  her  mother  and  her  brother, 
Daniel  F.  Clara  is  the  wife  of  M.  E.  Up- 
degraff,  who  is'  a  stockman  at  Medicine 
Lodge,  Kansas.  Ella  (Mrs.  Samuel  G. 
Demoret)  is  cashier  of  the  State  Bank  of 
Pretty  Prairie,  Kansas.  That  institutiou  was 
organized  in  September,  1897,  with  John 
A.  Collingwood  as  president,  Daniel  F.  Col- 
lingwood as  vice-president,  and  Mrs.  Demo- 
ret in  her  present  responsible  postion.  The 
original  capital  of  the  bank  (five  thousand 
dollars)  was  in  1900  increased  to  ten  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  the  concern  is  one  of  the 
best  conducted  and  most  profi.table  bank  in 
this  part  of  the  state,  proportionately  to  the 
amount  of  its  capital,  it-  deiiusiis  aggregat- 
ing alxTut  eighty  thuu-aml  iLillar-.  it-  Imias 
from  sixty  to  eighty  iliMu^aiul  ilnllai-s.  and 
its  surplus  lTa\'ing  outgrown  its  original  cap- 
ital. Mrs.  Demoret  was  born  in  Crawford 
county.  Indiana,  and  was  only  six  years  old 
when  she  went  to  Kansas.  She  was  reared 
on  the  famil}-  homestead,  upon  which  the 
town  of  Pretty  Prairie  has  grown  up,  and 
was  educated  in  the  district  school  near  her 
home.  She  took  a  commercial  course  in 
Hutchinson  Business  College,  and'  then 
taught  seven  terms  in  the  home  school.    Jul\- 


376 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


29,  1897,  she  married  Samuel  G.  Demoret. 
who  is  postmaster  at  Pretty  Prairie.  She 
began  her  business  career  in  the  store  of  her 
brothers  and  as  a  bank  cashier  she  has  made 
an  enviable  reputation  for  ability  and  cour- 
tesy, and  her  brothers  give  her  not  a  little 
credit  for  the  success  of  the  institution.  Her 
husbzuid,  Samuel  G.  Demoret,  who  is  a 
director  in  the  bank,  was  born  in  Montgom- 
ery county,  Indiana,  April  16,  1867,  a  son 
of  Samuel  and  Amanda  (Owens)  Demoret, 
natives,  respectively,  of  Ohio  and  Indiana. 
He  was  reared  to  farm  work  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools,  and  in  1882 
was  brought  to  Kansas  by  his  father,  who 
bought  land  in  Valley  township,  Reno  coun- 
ty. After  taking  a  preparatory  course  in 
the  high  school  at  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  he 
entered  the  business  college  in  that  city.  He 
began  his  practical  business  career  as  a 
salesman  in  the  store  oi  J.  A.  Collingwood 
&  Brothers  and  continued  in  that  capacity 
until  the  bank  was  organized.  In  the  fall 
of  1897  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
Pretty  Prairie,  which  office  he  has  held  sat- 
isfactorily to  the  people  of  the  town  and  the 
vicinity  to  the  present  time.  Politically  he 
is  a  Republican  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  work  of  his  party,  in  which  he  has  par- 
ticipated as  a  delegate  to  county  conventions 
and  otherwise.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
Pretty  Prairie  Lodge,  No.  407,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  is  a  past 
noble  grand,  and  which  he  has  represented 
as  a  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge ;  and  he  is 
identified  also  with  the  local  auxiliary  lodge 
of  the  Order  of  Rebekah,  of  which  Mrs. 
Demoret  is  also  a  meml>er,  and  he  is  a  char- 
ter member  of  the  Pretty  Prairie  organiza- 
tion of  the  Modern  Woodmeni  of  America. 
Mrs.  Demoret  and  her  husband  are  both 
members  of  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church. 
Their  homelike  and  attractive  residence  was 
erected   in   1897. 

The  first  of  the  family  of  Collingwood 
to  settle  in  Kansas  was  Thomas,  who  made 
the  journey  here  by  team  in  1870,  and  re- 
mained in  eastern  Kansas  until  the  fall  of 
1873.  a  member  of  the  family  of  his  uncle, 
Joseph  Newman,  when  he  joined  his  family, 
who  had  about  a  vear  before  located  in  Reno 


county.  The  family  made  the  journey  to  the 
state  by  team,  bringing  two  teams  of  horses 
and  two  wagons,  and  reached  Hutchinson 
November  18,  1872.  For  two  weeksi  after 
their  arrival,  while  they  were  selecting  a  lo- 
cation, they  were  guests  in  the  household  of 
Nathaniel  Cory,  in  Lincoln  township,  five 
miles  south  of  Hutchinson,  an  old  Indiana 
acquaintance  who  had  settled  in  Reno  coun- 
ty the  previous  spring.  They  located  three 
quarter  sections,  Mrs.  Collingwood  home- 
steading  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
18,  township  26,  range  6,  and  James  and 
Abner,  the  only  ones  of  tlie  childrai  who 
were  old  enough  to  file  a  land  claim,  the 
west  half  of  section  14,  township  26,  range 
7.  On  the  mother's  claim  was  erected  a 
small  box  house,  which  was  lined  with  a 
wagon  cover  to  keep  out  the  cold  and  storm, 
rmd  in  which  the  family  lived  during  their 
first  winter  in  Kansas.  The  other  sons  squat- 
ted on  claims,  which  they  filed  on  as  soon  as 
they  became  of  age.  Thus  humbly  was  be- 
gun what  is  now  one  of  the  most  extensive 
interests  in  Reno  county.  The  family  began 
farming  as  a  whole,  improving  and  culti- 
vating the  land,  erecting  buildings  and  rais- 
ing stock,  arid  the  four  brothers,  who  have 
never  divided  their  interests,  ;>ow  keep  about 
seven  hundred  head  of  cattle,  usually  buy- 
ing and  selling  from  about  three  hundred  to 
four  hundred  head  each  year,  and  have  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  head  of  horses. 
Mrs.  Mary  (Newman)  Collingwood  was 
born  in  Cincinnati.  Ohio,  in  1826,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Abner  and  Elizabeth  (Arbigast)  New 
man,  and  now  lives  at  Pretty  Prairie  with  her 
son,  Df.niel  F.,  and  her  daughter,  Jane,  they 
having  moved  from  the  old  homestead, 
which  they  still  own,  in  1897,  in  order  that 
the  son  might  be  near  the  center  of  the  fam- 
ily's growing  business  interests.  She  is  a 
remarkably  well  preserved  woman  for  her 
age,  reasonably  strong  physically  and  w'on- 
derfully  bright  mentally,  and  she  relates  most 
interestingly  not  only  many  incidents  of  pio- 
neer life  in  Reno'  county  in  the  early  "70s, 
but  many  reminiscences  of  her  girlhood  days 
in  Cincinnati,  where  she  remembers  hav- 
ing heard  ^^'i]liam  Henry  Harrison  speak  in 
the  memorable  log  cabin  in  the  "hard  cider" 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


3;  7 


campaign  of  1840.  The  postoffice  at  Pretty 
Prairie  was  originally  established  in  her 
residence  in  1874  and  was  continued  there 
until  1877,  a  station  on  the  mail  and  stage 
route  from  Hutchinson  to  Medicine  Lodge. 
Not  only  in  rearing  her  family  but  in  attend- 
ing to  her  business  interests  she  has  demon- 
strated that  she  posse:  ses  remarkable  execu- 
tive ability.  In  keeping  her  children  with 
lier  until  they-  were  grown  to  manhood  and 
womanlhood  she  followed  the  definite  plan 
whijh  she  made  to  inculcate  upon  them  both 
by  precept  and  example  such  principles  as 
have  made  them  successful  in  life,  and  every 
one  of  her  children  aimreciate  what  she  has 
(Iniie  I'l  ir  them  and  l-acU  clicri-Iies  for  her  a 
M:'min;eiu  of  rc\-ercnce  wliich  is  indeed  beau- 
tiful. Daniel  Collingwootl  died  in  Crawford 
county,  Indana,  April  25,  1866. 


:\1rs.  CORNELIA  (RUCKLES)  .AIcA'AY. 

]^Irs.  Cornelia  ( Buckles)  IMcVay,  who 
has  resided  in  Sterling"  for  many  years,  is 
one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  ladies  of 
the  comniiunit}-.  Her  husband,  'William 
Cecil  ]\IcVay,  was  a  very  prominent  and 
intluential  citizen  here,  and  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  Kirksville,  Missouri,  November 
17,  1897,  when  he  was  forty-three  years  of 
age,  was  deeply  regretted.  He  was  a  na- 
ti\'e  of  Sidney,  Ohio,  and  was  the  youngest 
of  eight  children  born  unto  Henry  and  Mary 
(  Cecil )  ]\IcVay.  His  mother  died  when  he 
\\as  only  seventeen  niionths  old,  and  when  a 
lad  of  ten  summers  he  was  left  an  orphan  by 
the  death  of  his  father.  All  of  the  children, 
however,  reached  adult  age.  \\'illiam  C. 
McVay  was  reared  by  his  maternal  grand- 
parents amid  the  scenes  of  rural  life,  and 
through  the  summer  months  assisted  in  the 
work  of  the  farm,  while  in  the  winter  he  at- 
tended the  district  schools.  W'hen  a  young 
man  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  in  1877  came 
to  Kansas  from  "Windsor,  that  state.  He 
secured  a  claim  ten  miles  south  of  Sterling, 
but  for  only  a  sihort  time  carried  on  farming. 
He  then  turned  his  attention  to  merchandis- 
ing,  securing  a  clerkship.     He  had   pre\  i- 


ously  had  experience  in  that  line  of  work 
in  Illinois.  After  several  years  spent  as  a 
salesman  in  different  stores  in  Kansas  he 
began  business  on  his  own  account  as  a  gen- 
eral merchant,  forming  a  partnership  with 
Aaron  Keller.  They  opened  their  store  in 
1882  and  later  the  firm  name  was  changed 
to  Keller,  McVay  &  Cline,  by  the  admission 
of  a  third  partner.  It  afterward  became 
McVay  &  Cline.  and  subsequently  Mr.  Mc- 
Vay- carried  on  business  alone.  In  1890, 
however,  the  fimi  of  ]\IcVay  &  Guild  was 
formed,'  and  under  this  title  business  was 
carried  on  until  the  death  of  the  senior  part- 
ner. As  a  business  man  he  was  energetic, 
discriminating,  diligent  and  i-eliable.  His 
transactions  were  conducted  along  the  line 
of  strict  comanercial  ethics  and  his  honesty 
was  proverbial.  He  was  always  genial  and 
possessed  an  unfailing  courtesy  that  made 
him  popirlar  and  won  hini  the  warm  friend- 
ship of  many  of  his  customers,  who  contin- 
ued their  patronage  through  the  fifteen  years 
in  which  he  was  engaged  in  business  in  Ster- 
ling. 

Not  long  after  coming  to  this  place  Mr. 
McVay  formed  the  accpiaintance  of  Miss 
Cornelia  Buckles,  of  Muncie,  Indiana,  a  sis- 
ter of  Mrs.  Captain  Lindsley  and  the  young- 
est daughter  of  Judge  Buckles.  Tliey  were 
married  at  the  home  of  the  bride  in  Muncie, 
on  the  nth  of  November,  1885,  and  began 
their  domestic  life  in  Sterling,  where  Mr. 
McVay  was  then  located.  After  her  hus- 
band's death  Mrs.  Mc\'ay  entered  the  store, 
where  sli^  remained  for  sonie  months  in  or- 
der to  care  for  her  interests  until  the  stock 
was  sold  and  the  busincs-  cln-nl  out.  Four 
children  were  born  unto  thi.-,  worthy  couple, 
— Cecil  B.,  \\'ayne  L.,  Joe  B.  and  Virginia 
\\'.  Joe  died  at  the  age  of  three  years.  Tlie 
others  are  fourteen,  eleven  and  eight  years 
of  age,  respectively.  In  1888  yir.  McVay 
and  his  family  took  up  their  abode  in  a  com- 
fortable home  on  East  Main  street,  where 
his  widow  and  her  children  are  yet  living. 
Mr.  McVay  always  occupied  a  prominent 
place  among  the  merchants  and  business 
men  of  the  town  and  in  social  circles  as  well, 
and  was  a  gentlemiam  well  posted  on  "the 
affairs  of  the  dav.     He  took  an  active  and 


378 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


abiding  interest  in  civil  and  political  affairs, 
and  at  his  death  he  was  president  of  the 
Sterling  Republican  Club.  He  also  served  as 
a  member  of  the  city  council  and  was  active 
in  the  fire  department  from  its  organization, 
serving  as  its  chief  for  many  years.  Of 
various  fraternal  and  benevolent  societies  he 
was  a  faithful  member,  belonging  to  both  the 
lodge  and  encampment  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
organization  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  \Vorkmen.  and 
all  of  these  lodges  participated  in  the  funeral 
service  when  he  was  called  from  this  earth.. 
For  two  years  he  suffered  from  trouble  with 
his  liver  and  at  last  went  to  the  Kirks\'ille 
Sanitarium,  but  medical  aid  could  do  noth- 
ing for  him,  and  with  his  faithful  wife  at 
his  bedside  he  passed  away.  In  the  memorial 
published  in  the  Bulletin  and  Gazette  of  No- 
vember 19,  1897,  appeared  the  following: 
"Those  who  knew  \\'.  C.  McVay  most  in- 
timatelv  knew  that  in  him  they  had  what 
is  sometimes  hard  to  get  and  still  more  diffi- 
cult to  hold — a  true  friend.  He  never  hesi- 
tated to  vindicate  a  friend  unjustly  attacked 
and  always  gave  good  sensible  advice  when 
anv  one  in  trouble  came  to  him."  To  liis 
family  Mr.  McVay  certainly  left  the  price- 
less record  of  an  untarnished  name.  ]\Irs. 
McVay  is  yet  living  in  Sterling,  caring  for 
her  children,  and  in  the  community  she  is 
widely  and  favorablv  known. 


M.  J.  ALBRIGHT. 

Classed  among  the  substantial  and  re- 
spected citizens  of  Kingman  county  is  found 
the  subject  of  this  review,  M.  J.  Albright, 
who  dates  his  birth  in  Tennessee,  in  1853, 
and  is  the  son  of  ^^'illiam  Albright,  whose 
father,  John  Alliright,  also  claimed  Tennes- 
see as  the  state  of  his  nativity. 

The  son,  William,  grew  to  years  of  ma- 
turity in  that  commonwealth  and  was  there 
married  to  Xancy  Burney.  a  member  of  an 
old  and  esteemed  family  of  Tennessee.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  David  Burney.  also'  of 
that  state.     Unto  \\'illiam  and  Xancv  Al- 


bright were  born  eleven  children,  six  sons 
and  five  daughters,  only  five  of  the  number 
— four  sons  and  one  daughter — are  novr 
living. 

I\I.  J.  Albright,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  grew  to  young  manhood  in  his 
home  near  the  Cumberland  river,  in  middle 
Tennessee.  From'  there  he  went  to  Illinois, 
where  his  father  owned  lands  and  farmed 
for  some  years  in  that  prairie  state.  In  1880 
he  was  married  to  Miss  S.  L.  Hardy,  a  pop- 
ular teacher  Oif  Christian  county.  Illinois. 
]Miss  Hardy  was  from  the  south,  having 
spent  most  of  her  life  and  received  her  edu- 
cation in  Memphis,  Tennessee.  Her  father. 
A.  A.  Hardy,  was  a  native  of  Georgia,  and 
her  mother  was  Caroline  Dennis  of  Ala- 
bama, both  descendants  of  pioneer  families. 
Five  children  have  been  born  unto  M.  J.  and 
S.  L.  Albright :  Clarence  B. ;  Burney  L. ; 
IMay  E. ;  Augustus  (who  died  in  infancy)  : 
and  Anna  H.  Besides  these  they  have 
two  adopted  children. 

Robert  Murray,  whose  parents  were 
both  worthy  people  and  of  good  families, 
came  to  their  home  from  his  native  city,  St. 
Louis,  when  a  mere  babe.  Robert  RI.  Al- 
bright has  grown  to  manhood  in  this  home 
and  no  son  is  dearer  to  his  home  folks.  He 
has  taught  school,  built  bridges  and  is  now 
a  farmer  and  stockholder,  with  bright  pros- 
pects. 

j         February  2,     1902,    ]\Irs.    Knight,    the 

[  wife  of  the  blacksmith  of  the  village  of 
Basil,  Kansas,  died,  leaving  four  children, 

I  the  youngest  a  babe  five  months  old,  who 
was  taken  lay  ]\Irs.  Albright  to  her  home 
and  tenderly  cared  for.  Mr.  Knight  has 
since  given  his  babe,  Gertrude  R.,  to  I\Ir. 

I  and  Mrs.  Albright  to  be  to  them  as  their 
own  daughter.     She   is   a   bright,  beautiful 

I  child,  and  each  member  of  the  family  fairly 
idolizes  her.  Following  is  an  account  of 
the  most  recent  episode  of  note  in  the  AI- 
liright  family,  copied  from  a  local  paper  of 
Kingman.  Kansas : 

"On  ^^'ednesday.  ]\[ay  28.  1802.  aout 
thirty  guests  assembled  at  the  pleasant 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Anderson  on 
Xorth  'Slain  street  to  witness  the  marriage 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


of  tlieir  daughter  Dora  to  Clarence  B.  Al- 
bright, son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  'SI.  J.  Albright. 
At  12:30  Mrs.  Kinsey  sang  'Annie  Laurie,' 
and  tliis  was  fo^llowed  by  the  'Bridal 
March  from  Lohengrin.'  played  by  Mrs. 
Belle  Barber.  \\'hile  the  strains  oi  this  beau- 
tiful march  were  sounding  forth,  the  bridal 
party  entered,  taking"  their  places  in  front  of 
the  beautifully  decorated  bay  window  when 
Rev.  Pruen  stepped  forward  and  in  a  few 
words  made  them  man  and  wife.  After 
congratulations  an  elegant  dinner  was 
served. 

"Both  young  people  are  well  known  in 
Ivingnian.  the  bride  being  due  tif  Kingman 
cr)unt}'"s  best  teachers,  and  is  a  \-i:uing  lad_\' 
of  excellent  cpialities,  and  has  wnn  hosts  of 
friends  during  her  three  years"  residence  in 
Kingman.  The  groom  hasi  grown  to  man- 
hood in  this  county  and  is  a  prosperous 
yiiuiig  farmer  and  bridge-lniilder  of  sterling 
qualiiies,  respected  by  all.  Few  }'(iung  peo- 
ple launch  out  upon  the  matrimonial  sea 
with  more  good  wishes  or  brighter  pros- 
pects of  a  useful  and  happy  life." 

L:  f88o  M.  J.  Albright  came  to  King- 
man county,  Kansas,  where  he  pre-empted 
land    and    is   still   engaged    in    farming   and 

the  wurk  of  his  farm  he  is  alsii  well  known 
as  a  bridge-builder  and  many  of  the  large 
and  well  built  bridges  of  Kingman  and  ad- 
joining counties  are  the  result  of  his  handi- 
work. He  has  met  with  a  well  merited  de- 
gree of  success  in  this  line  of  endeavor,  and 
as  a  stockman,  an  agriculturist  and  builder 
he  lias  won  and  retains  the  iniMic  confidence 
li\"  r?:;son  of  his  strict  integrity  and  excel- 
lent worknianship.  He  considers  his  past 
political  career  of  no  interest  to  the  public. 
He  is  opposed  to  the  party  that  fosters  im- 
perialism, trusts  and  combines. 


WILLIAM  C.  POLLOCK. 

Among  the  more  recent  accessions  to 
the  town  of  Nickerson  is  \\'illiam  C.  Pol- 
lock, a  gentleman  of  large  business  experi- 


ence, who,  as  an  auctioneer,  is  meeting  with 
a  marked  and  well  merited  degree  of  suc- 
cess in  the  line  of  his  chosen  vocation.  He 
was  born  in  Dewitt  county,  Illinois,  on  the 
30tb  of  October,  1840.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, Robert  Pollock,  was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  wlien 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  he  came  with  his 
wife  from  Ireland  to  the  United  States,  lo- 
cating on  a  farm  in  Ohio,  where  he  was 
among  the  early  pioneer  settlers.  His  wife 
was  a  native  of  Ireland.  The  father  of  our 
subject,  William  B.  Pollock,  was  born  in  the 
Buckeye  state,  his  birth  occurring  in  Cham- 
paign co-mty,  in  1809.  He  diecl  of  hydro- 
]ilMln;i  rn  the  25th  of  Decaiiber,  1845,  I'lis 
dcaih  rt-uhing  from  the  bite  oi  a  dog  which 
he  recei\ed  thirteen  years  before.  Tile 
mother  of  our  subject,  who  was  formerly 
Catherine  Cantrell,  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
March  3,  1806,  and  when  twelve  years  of 
age  accompanied  her  mother  en  the  removal 
to  Ohio.  Her  father  had  been  sliot  by  a 
drunken  companion.  The  former  was  six 
feet  and  six  and  a  half  inches  in  height  and 
weighed  two  hundred  and  thirty  pounds,  be- 
ing a  fine  specimen  of  physical  manhood. 
At  his  death  he  left  to  his  widow  the  care  of 
their  six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, namely:  Laton  O.,  who  died  in  Texas, 
during  his  ser\ice  in  tlie  Civil  war,  leaving 
a  wife  and  two  children:  Ann,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Thomas,  who  came  to  Kansasi  sev- 
enteen years  ago  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Rice  county;  George  P.,  a  resident  of  Van 
Buren  county,  Iowa ;  Polly  Ann,  widow  of 
Robert  Ferriss  and  a  resident  of  Sangamon 
county.  Illinois;  William  C,  the  subject  of 
this  review.  After  the  father's  death  the 
mother  was  left  with  only  a  small  amount 
of  property  in  Kentuckv,  which  was  mostly 
lost  during  the  rebellion,  but  she  heroically 
surmounted  the  difficulties  which  beset  her 
path,  and  with  indomitable  courage  and  en- 
ergy succeeded  in  providing  for  her  family. 
Her  death  occurred  in  December,  1867. 

\\'illiam]  C.  Pollock,  wliose  name  intro- 
duces this  review,  was  taken  to  Iowa  when 
three  years  of  age.  where  he  was  early  in- 
ured to  the  labors  of  field  and  meadow,  and 
his  school  privileges  were  extremely  limited. 


38o 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


\\hen  the  trouble  arose  between  the  north 
and  the  south,  he  nol)ly  responded  to  the  call 
for  volunteers,  and  in  1861  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Missouri  Home  Guard.  On  the 
nth  of  October,  1862,  he  was  transferred 
to  the  Twenty-first  Missouri  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, in  which  he  served  until  the  nth  of 
Februar)^  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Eastport,  Mississippi.  He  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Pleasant  Hill,  on 
the  9th  of  April,  1864,  by  a  piece  of  shell. 
After  the  close  of  hostilities,  he  returned  to 
his  home  in  Iowa,  where  he  remained  until 
September  11,  1867,  w'hen  he  returned  to 
Dewitt  county,  Illinois,  his  native  place, 
\\-here  he  worked  by  the  month  on  a  farm 
for  one  year.  While  there,  in  1868,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Jane  Allington,  a 
native  of  Dewitt  county,  and  a  daughter  of 
Thomas  Jenkins.  Previous  tO'  this;  time  she 
had  been  married  to  David  Allington,  and 
they  had  two  children.  The  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pollock  was  blessed  with  one 
son,  Robert  A.,  a  resident  of  Austin,  Texas. 
The  wife  and  mother  died  when  the  son  was 
only  two  weeks  old,  and  Mr.  Pollock  was 
afterward  married  to  Mrs.  Margaret  Bag- 
bey,  who  was  the  mother  of  three  children 
by  her  former  marriage.  Unto  this  union 
has  been  born  three  dhildren,  namely: 
Charles  E.,  who  is  married  and  resides  at 
El  Paso,  Texas;  Hattie  E.,  wife  of  Edgar 
Haycock,  and  with  her  little  son  she  resides 
at  Deer  Lodge,  Montana  ;  and  Frank  G.,  who 
is  a  soldier  in  Manila,  being  a  member  of 
Company  F,  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment, 
and  he  has  just  returned'  from<  China. 

In  September,  1898,  Mr.  Pollock  came 
to  the  beautiful  little  city  of  Nickerson, 
where  he  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leading  and  responsible  citizens.  As  an  auc- 
tioneer he  has  met  with  a  high,  degree  of 
success,  and  Ijnth  as  a  lousiness  man  and  cit- 
izen he  is  a  valuable  accession  to  the  thriv- 
ing little  city  of  Nickerson.  Since  1861  he 
has  been  a  stanch  su]>porter  of  Repuljlican 
principles,  and  in  the  year  1864  his  regiment 
cast  seven  hundred  and  seventy-five  votes 
fnr  Lincoln  and  two  for  McClellan.  Mr. 
Pollock  has  been  the  choice  of  his  party  for 
marshal,  street  commissioner  and  constable 


in  Xickerson,  serving  in  the  last  named  po- 
sition for  two  years.  Before  coming  to.  this 
city  he  was  also  engaged  as  an  auctioneer 
in  Lyons  county  for  twenty-one  years.  In 
his  social  relations  he  is  a  member  of  the  G. 
A.  R.  Post,  and  while  residing  in  Lyons 
county  he  served  as  post  commander.  Mr. 
Pollock  is  a  man  of  fine  phj'sique,  being  five 
feet  and  ele\'en  inches  in  height  and  weigh- 
ing one  hundred  and  sixty-five  pounds.  In 
manner  pleasant  and  agreeable,  ip  business 
reliable  and  in  office  trustworthy,  he  has 
won  mianv  friends  in  this  localitv. 


JA^IES  F.  FUXK 


The  flourishing  town  of  Xickerson,  in 
Reno  county,  Kansas,  has  become  prominent 
for  the  large  shipments  of  cattle  which  are 
made  at  that  point.  One  of  its  leading  ship- 
pers is  James  F.  Funk,  whose  stock  farm, 
one  mile  east  of  the  city,  is  one  of  the  best 
appointed  in  the  county.  Mr.  Funk  is  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  was  born  in  West- 
moreland county.  May  6,  1853,  a  son  of 
John  Funk,  also  a  native  of  Westmoreland 
county,  who  w^is  born  in  181 5  and  died  in 
Cass  county,  Missouri,  in  1888.  Daniel 
Funk,  father  of  John  Funk  and  grandfather 
of  James  F.  Funk,  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1784.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  distiller  and 
was  a  man  of  influence  in  his  day  and.  gen- 
eration. He  had  nine  children,  five  of  whom 
were  sons. 

John  Funk  married  Anna  Monroe,  of 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  daugh- 
ter of  James  J^Ionroe,  who  came  to  Pennsyl- 
vania from  Scotland.  Their  marriage  was 
celebrated  in  Westmoi  eland  coimty  in  1853. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Funk  settled  on  a 
farm  of  four  hundred  acres  in  Westmore- 
land county,  fi  ir  w  hich  he  paid  forty  dollars 
an  acre  and  which  he  sold  afterward  at  one 
hundred  dollars  an  acre.  Later  coal  was  dis- 
covered on  the  land  and  the  property  was 
sold  at  seven  hundred  dollars  an  acre.  Mrs. 
Funk,  who  died  in  1863,  ten  years  after 
j  their  marriage,  was  Mr.  Funk's  second  wife. 
Bv  his  first  marriage  he  had  five  children, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


381 


and  by  tliis  marriage  four,  as  follows :  Nan- 
nie E.  married  D.  M.  Clendennin  and  lives 
in  Cass  coimty,  Missouri;  James  F.  is' the 
immediate  subject  of  this  sketch:  Florence 
is  the  wife  of  Alexander  Lightcap  of  Cass 
ccimty,  Missouri ;  and  Maggie  married  Will- 
iam Sevmnur,  and  lives  in  Allen  county, 
Kansas.'  Mr.  Funk  married  a-aln  after  tlie 
deatli  of  his  second  wife  and  in  1870  emi- 
grated fmm  Pennsylvania  to  Missouri.  He 
wa-.  during  all  his  life  well-to-do  financially 
and  for  a  considerable  period  he  was 
wealthy,  but  in  his  declining  years  he  sus- 
tained heavy  reverses. 

Jamies  F.  Funk  received  a  good  primary 
education  and  took  a  commercial  course  at 
Kansas  City,  Missouri.  For  a  year  after 
leaving  the  commercial  college  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  bookkeeper  at  Lincoln,,  Nebras- 
ka, and  since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in 
farming  and  -ti  :ckH-ai-;iiig,  a  business  to 
which  he  was  reared  under  his  father"s  per- 
sonal instruction  and  in  whicli  he  was  his 
father's  assistant  until  he  attained  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  and  for  some  time  before 
his  father's  death  he  was  the  latter's  partner. 
Mr.  Funk  was  married  August  30,  1887,  to 
Miss  Belle  A'aughn,  of  Independence,  Mis- 
souri, a  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  M.  and  Anna  K. 
(Abbott)  Vaughn,  the  latter  of  Yorkshire. 
England.  Dr.  Vaughn,  who  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  is  now  in  the  real-estate  and 
money-loaning  business  at  Guthrie,  Okla- 
homa territory.  Mrs.  Funk,  who  was  a 
young  lady  of  manv  acc';m])li-~hments.  was 
their  eldest  daughter.  She  hasi  borne  her 
husband  four  children :  Goldisola,  a  bright 
miss  of  thirteen  years,  is  a  student  of  much 
diligence  and  promise.  Kemper  ^Ter^Tullen 
Funk  is  a  boy  of  nine  years.  Paul  l'"un!<  is 
seven  years  old  and  Hugh  Shepherd  is  fi\"e 
years  old. 

Mr.  Funk  is  a  Ivnight  Templar  Mason 
and  an  ardent  Repu])lican.  and  is  one  of  the 
prominent  and  public-spirited  citizens  of 
Reno  county.  He  li\-ed  at  the  home  of  his 
father  in  ^Hssnui-i  until  1888  and  removed 
tO'  Hulcln'n-i  n.  K.ansas.  during  that  year. 
For  several  nv  ntjis  in  1889  he  was  at  Col- 
orado Springs.  Texas.  For  three  years  pre- 
vious to  his  marriage  he  was  in  the  stock 


business  at  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Shannon  &  Funk,  which 
handled  niiany  thousand  head  of  cattle  each 
year.  He  returned  to  Hutchinson,  Kansas, 
in  1897  and  soon  after  located  on  his  stock 
ranch  a  mile  east  of  Nickerson.  He  removed 
to  his  present  home  in  the  citv  in  1900.  He 
ownsi  two  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  Nicker- 
son, which  aggregate  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  and  he  leases  pasture  land  of 
other  land  owners.  He  feeds  three  hundred 
head  of  cattle  each  year  and  handles  alto- 
gether about  two  thousand  head  of  cattle, 
twenty  thousand  hogs  and  from  fifty  to 
sixtv  mules  annuallv- 


IRA  BAKER. 


Ira  Baker,  who  is'  engaged  in  the  tilling 
of  the  soil  on  section  29,  Washington  town- 
ship. Rice  county,  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Shelby  county,  on 
the  4th  of  August,  1834.  His  father,  Elijah 
Baker,  was  l)orn  in  a  hunter's  shanty  twelve 
miles  northwest  of  Lejs:ington,  Kentucky, 
July  3,  1793.  The  grandparents,  John  and 
x-Msha  (Wainright)  Baker,  were  both  na- 
tives of  North  Carolina  and  went  to  Ken- 
tucky at  the  time  that  Daniel  Boone  was 
carrying  on  his  explorations  of  the  dark  and 
bloody  ground.  Their  son,  Elijah,  was 
born  iiy  the  side  of  a  log  on  the  claim  which 
the  father  was  holding.  The  family  exper- 
ienced ail  the  hardships  and  trials  of  life  in 
the  western  region,  far  separated  from  all 
the  conrforts  of  civilization.  They  also  went 
to  Indiana  before  it  was  a  state.  The  grand- 
father died  in  1840,  but  Mr.  Baker  of  this 
review  still  remembers  him.  although  -he  was 
only  six  years  of  age  at  the  time.  The 
grandniiother  passed  away  four  years  later 
and  both  had  attained  an  advanced  age.  the 
former  ha\ing  passed  the  seventy-fifth  mile- 
stone on  life's  jor.rncv^  After  arriving  at 
years  of  maturity  Elijah  Baker  married  Sa- 
rah Vance,  who  was  born  in  1797,  in  the 
block  house  which  stood  on  the  present  site 
of  Cincinnati.  Their  marriage  occurred 
about  i8ji.  and  they  became  the  parents  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


four  sons  and  two  daughters,  and  with  the 
exception  of  one  son  all  reached  mature 
years,  namely:  Elias.  who  died  in  1857, 
leaving  a  son  and  daughter ;  Alsha,  who  died 
in  Cc'ffey  county,  Kansas,  in  1883  ■  Malinda, 
the  wife  of  Riley  Howard,  of  Nickerson, 
Kansas,  by  whom  she  has  six  children;  John, 
who  lives  in  the  district  of  Oklahoma  known 
as  the  Strip,  and  has  six  sons  and  three 
daughters;  and  Ira,  of  this  review.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  in  good  circumstances. 
He,  however,  obtained  a  start  by  clearing 
land  and  then  selling  it.  He  worked  so  hard 
that  he  became  prematurely  aged,  but  he 
ii\ed  to  the  age  of  seventy-four,  passing 
away  in  1867,  while  his  wife  died  in  Coffey 
county,  Kansas,  in  1884,  when  about  eighty- 
seven  years  of  age. 

Ira  and  his  brother  John  Baker  were  the 
first  of  the  family  to  come  to  Kansas,  the 
year  of  Iheir  arrival  being  1881.  The  latter 
]uirch;!setl  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  while 
our  subject  became  the  owner  of  eighty 
acres.  He  resided  thereon  until  1885,  when 
he  came  to  his  present  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  3ixty  acres  on  section  29,  Washington 
township.  He  was,  twice  married,  his  first 
union  being  with  Susan  Kessler,  of  Indiana, 
in  which  state  the  wedding  was  celebrated 
in  1853.  She  died  about  six  years  later, 
leaving  three  children:  Jane,  who  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  eight  }ears :  ^Nlalinda,  the 
wife  of  Michael  Martin,  of  CHnton  county. 
Missouri ;  and  Theresa,  w  hu  died  at  the  age 
of  one  year.  In  Indiana,  in  i'&},().  ]Mr.  Ba- 
ker was  again  married,  his  second  union  be- 
ing with  Elizabeth  Burkett,  by  whom  he  had 
six  ciukiven  :  John  C,  who  resides  in  the 
Strip,  in  Wood  county,  Oklahoma,  and  has 
two  sons;  Willie  L.,  a  resident  of  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  and  the  father  of  one  daugh- 
ter and  one  son;  Rosella,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Homer  Hinman,  of  Reno  county,  by  whom 
she  has  two  sons  and  a  daughter;  Irena, 
a  teacher  and  freeholder  in  Oklahoma; 
Julia,  the  wife  of  Harry  Angus,  of  Ed- 
wards county,  Kansas,  ]>y  Avhom  she  has 
one  soni;  and  Dolly  C,  who  married  Henry 
S'hultz,  of  Reno  county. 

Mr.  Baker  carries  on  general  farming, 
but  has  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  con- 


tracting and  building.  He  was  a  builder  in 
Indiana  and  Alissouri  and  has  followed  the 
same  pursuit  to  a  considerable  extent  in 
Kansas.  It  has  been  this  labor  that  has 
brought  to  him  most  of  his  success.  All  that 
he  has  has  practically  been  made  since  he 
came  to  the  Simflower  state,  and  to-day  he 
owns  a  valuable  property,  which  is  a  monu- 
ment to  his  thrift  and  ability.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Masonic  Lodge  and 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  served 
on  the  school  board  and  the  township  board, 
but  has  ne\-er  sought  or  desired  public  office. 
Hisi  wife  belongs  to  the  Methodist  church. 
They  are  well  known  people  of  the  commun- 
ity, and  their  friends  in  this  portion  of  thq 
countv  are  manv. 


KIXSEV   SHAW. 


A  prominent  and  extensive  farmer  and 
cattle-raiser  of  Grant  township.  Rice  countv, 
is  Kinsey  Shaw,  who  settled  on*  section  13, 
twenty-four  years  ago,  becoming  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  that  section  of  the  country.  He 
is  a  native  of  Ohio,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Coshocton  county,  on  the  6th  of  June, 
1832.  His  father,  James  Shaw,  was  born  in 
Maryland,  in  1782,  and  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  owning  three  hundred  acres  of 
land,  which  was  covered  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  timl>er  when  he  boug-ht  it,  and 
which  he  cleared  and  placed  under  cultiva- 
tion. He  married  Miss  Sarah  Treadway, 
of  Maryland,  in  which  state  they  were  mar- 
ried. They  became  the  paj;aits  of  eleven 
c1iildr(^n,  seven  sons  and  four  daughters,  all 
living  but  two  sons,  Dan  and  John,  who 
served  through  the  Mexican  war,  married, 
and  both  died  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio,  in 
the  year  1899,  aged,  respectively,  seventy- 
four  and  seventy-five  years.  One  sister  lives 
in  Oklahoma  and  another  in  Kansas.  The 
father  of  this  family  died  in  Ohio,  in  1862, 
and  the  mother  some  six  years  later. 

Kinsey  Shaw,  whose  name  introduces 
this  record,  was  reared  upon  his  father's 
farm,  early  becoming  familiar  with  all  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


383 


duties  and  labors  tliat  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
agTicuIturist.  Thus  he  gained  that  practical 
knowledge  which  fitted  him  for  carrying  on 
farming  on  liis  own  account  when  he  grew 
to  man's  estate,  but  it  left  him  little  time 
for  study  and  his  love  for  his  dogs  and  gun 
robbed  him  of  many  golden  hours  that 
should  have  been  devoted  to  his  books,  so 
that  his  education  was  very  limited.  He 
remained  at  home  until  twenty-seven  years 
of  age  and  then  w-ent  to  Hancock  cotmty, 
Illinois,  and  worked  out  by  the  month  fo-r 
Gein-g-e  W.  r.t'rry.  whn  was  a  trader.  Tliis 
('ccu-ati'ii  ji!>i  .-uitcd  Mr.  Shaw,  as  he  had 
a  prnpenMty  f  1  ;r  it  from  his  youth  when  he 
used  to  buy  shoats  to  speculate  on.  He 
worked  for  Mr.  Bern'  for  three  years  and 
then  married  his  employer's  daughter  and 
settled  on  his  maternal  grandfather  Ho'we's 
farm  in  Illinois.  In  1865  he  left  his  home 
in  Illinois  and  went  to  Clark  county,  ]\Iis- 
souri.  where  he  bought  timber  land,  for 
which  he  traded  an  improved  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  gave  one  thou- 
sand dollars  in  money.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  in  Missouri  for  ten 
years  and  made  money,  especially  on  his 
stock.  He  had  two  carloads  of  cattle  and 
one  of  hogs  which  Ik-  -liipju'il  tii  Chicago 
and  sold  at  a  good.  prnHt.  In  March,  1877,. 
he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
railroad  land  in  Kansas  of  the  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  Company,  at  six  dollars  and  sixty 
cents  per  acre,  and  as  his  financial  resources 
increased  he  Ixiught  other  tracts  until  he  and 
his  sons  now  own  eight  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  a  body,  or  one  and  a  half 
sections.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock-raising,  making  a  specialt)-  of 
short-horn  and  polled  Angus  cattle.  He  has 
fed  from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred  head 
at  one  time.  His  large  red  barns  and  fine 
residence  are  surrounded  by  shade  and'  fruit 
trees  which  he  has  planted,  and  everything 
about  the  place  is  neat  and  thrifty  in  appear- 
ance, indicating  the  careful  supervision  of 
the  owner,  though  he  is  now  somewhat 
broken  in  health  and  leaves  the  active  labors 
of  the  farm  to  his  sons. 

On  the  1st  of  January.   1861,  was  cele- 
brated the  marriage  of  ^Ir.  Shaw  to  Miss 


Sarah  E.  Berry,  who  was  born  in  Kentucky 
in  1S42,  and  unto  them  have  been  born 
eleven  children,  namely :  William,  an  ec- 
centric bachelor ;  George,  who  married  and 
has  (  ne  si  m  and  three  daughters ;  VioUette, 
wife  I  if  jiKcph  Staley,  by  whom  she  has 
three  smi- :  Warren,  who  is  married  and  has 
one  son  and  one  daughter;  Edward,  still  sin- 
gle; Jesse,  wdio  is  married  and  is  living  on 
his  own  farm;  Daniel, 'still  single  and  living 
in  Oregon;  Fannie,  who  married  Frank 
Bruce,  and  has  two  children ;  Bertha,  who  is 
still  single  and  lives  in  Hutchinson  ;  Thomas, 
at  home;  Gertrude,  n^  \\  sixteen  ^■ears  cf  age. 
Edward,  the  fifth  chilil  in  order  of  birth,  is 
a  bachelor  with  peculiar  tastes  and  traits. 
He  has  marked  and  phenomenal  ability  in 
computing  figures  which  he  does  mentally 
and  with  great  rapidity.  When  given  a  date 
of  birth  he  can  in  an  increchbly  short  time 
gi\-e  the  age  of  the  person  in  years,  days, 
hours,  minutes  and  seconds,  and  this  is  but 
one  of  his  rare  gifts  or  talents.  He  reads 
many  things  in  sounds  that  others  do  not 
understand.  Is  a  great  student  of  nature,  in 
which  he  takes  great  delight,  seldoni  rides 
but  is  a  great  pedestrian. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Shaw  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  po- 
litically he  exercises  his  right  of  franchise 
in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  always  been'  a 
very  energetic,  progressive  and  enterprising 
man  and  has  been  very  successful  in  all  his 
undertakings  in  life  so  that  he  now  has  a 
comfortable  competence. 


W.  L.  MAY,  .M.  D. 


Among  the  medical  practitioners  of  Rice 
county  is  numbered  Dr.  May,  a  capable 
physician  and  surgeon,  located  in  Lyons, 
where  he  has  made  his  home  since  1893. 
He  claims  Pennsylvania  as  the  state  of  his 
nativity,  his  birth  ha\-ing  occurred  near 
Philadelphia  in  Schuylkill  coiinty,  on  the 
19th  of  March,  1859.  He  is  of  English 
lineage  and  is  a  son  of  lliomas  George  and 
Lucy  (Struman)  Mrx.  both  of  whom  are 
natives  of  England,    the    former    born    in 


384 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Cornwall  and  the  latter  in  County  Kent. 
The  father  acquired  !iis  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  countr}-  and  remained 
in  Cornwall  until  sixteen  years  of  age. 
After  crossing  the  Atlantic  to  America  he 
located  in  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania, 
but  spent  his  last  days  in  the  anthracite  coal 
regions  at  Shamokin,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  His 
widoAV  still  survives  him  and  has  now  at- 
tained the  Psalmist's  span  of  three  score 
vears  and  ten.  In  their  family  were  thirteen 
children,  eight  sons  and  five  daughters,  of 
whom  five  grew  to  mature  years,  namely ; 
Joseph,  who  makes  his  home  in  Pennsyl- 
vania; James,  who  died  April  30,  1901 ; 
W.  L.,  of  this  review ;  Mrs.  Lucy  Ward, 
who  made  her  home  in  Chicago,  Illinois, 
and  died  April  15.  1901 ;  and  Mrs.  Julia 
Francis,  of  Pittsburg.  Pennsylvania.  The 
parents  were  both  Christian  people,  identi- 
fied with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
In  1895  Dr.  May.  of  this  review,  mar- 
ried ]\Irs.  C.  Cromer,  of  Defiance,  Ohio, 
who  prior  to  iier  marriage  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Cornelia  Renolett.  They  now  have 
one  child,  Xora.  The  Doctor  is  a  Republi- 
can in  his  political  views  and  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  and 
with  the  Rice  County  Medical  Society.  In 
an  analyzation  of  the  character  and  life 
work  of  Dr.  },tay  we  note  many  of  the  char- 
acteristics which  have  marked  the  nation  for 
many  centiu'ies,  the  perseverance,  reliabil- 
ity, energy  and  unconquerable  determina- 
tion to  pursue  a  course  which  has  been 
marked  out.  It  is  these  sterling  qualities 
which  have  gained  Dr.  M!ay  success  in  life 
and  made  him  one  of  the  substantial  and  val- 
ued citizens  of  Lyons.  He  has  been  in  the 
regular  practice  of  his  profession  for  six- 
teen vears. 


TOHN  W.  ROFF. 


John  W.  Roft'  is  numbered  among  the 
veterans  of  the  Civil  war  and  is  a  leading 
representative  of  the  agriailtural  interests 
of  Kingman  county.  He  was  born  in  Zanes- 
ville,  Muskingum  countv,  Ohio,  on  the  22d 


of  April,  1839.  His  father.  Henry  S.  Ruff, 
was  born  in  Washington  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, of  German  ancestry,  but  was 
taken  to  Ohio  in  his  early  infancy,  there 
remaining  on  the  farm  mitil  his  four- 
teenth year.  He  was  afterward  employed 
in  a  store  and  spent  his  life  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits.  In  iluskingum  connty, 
C)hio,  he  was  united  in  niarriage  to  Eliza- 
beth McBride,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (W^alker)  McBride,  and  in  1876  they 
took  up  their  abode  in  Pawnee  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  Henry  S.  passed  away  in  death  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  In  his  politi- 
cal relations  he  was  a  Republican,  and  he 
was  an  ardent  and  zealous  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  in  which  he  long  held  the 
office  of  clerk  and  trustee.  His  social  rela- 
tion? connected  him  with  the  Masonic  fra- 
tci-nity.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rofif  were  born 
three  children,  John  W.,  of  this  review, 
being  the  eldest  in  order  of  birth.  Henry 
FI.  served  as  a  member  of  the  United  States 
navy  during  the  Civil  war  and  was  killed  at 
the  taking  of  Fort  Jackson.  He  served  on 
the  United  States  steamer  Brooklyn,  and 
participated  in  the  capture  of  New  Orleans. 
The  third  son.  Albert,  is  a  resident  of  To- 
peka,  Kansas. 

John-  W.  Roff  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
locality,  and  a  portion  of  his  vouth  was  spent 
in  his  father's  store.  In  1862  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  en- 
tering Company  E,  Ninety-seventh  Ohio  In- 
fantry, in  which  he  served  until  the  close  of 
hostilities,  and  during  his  military  career  he 
participated  in  twent}'-three  regular  engage- 
ments, including  those  of  Nashville,  Chick- 
amauga,  Perryville,  Missionaiy  Ridge,  and 
he  was  with  General  Sherman  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign.  In  July,  1865,  with  the  rank  of 
sergeant,  he  was  honorably  discharged  from 
the  service  and  returned  to  his  home  at 
Zanesville,  where  he  was  shortly  afterward 
married.  In  1876  he  left  the  Buckeye  state 
for  Kansas,  locating  in  Pawnee  county, 
where  he  at  once  secured  a  claim  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising.  The 
year  1892  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Kingman 
county,  where  he  soon  became  the  possessor 


MR.   AND   MRS.  JOHN  W.    ROFF. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


385 


of  a  half  section  of  land, — the  east  half  of 
section  23,  Hoosier  township, — and  this  is 
injAV  one  of  the  best  improved  'and  most 
\  ;;luable  farms  of  the  cotmty,  containing  a 
'')d  residence  and  barns  and  a  beautiful 
ji'ive  and  orchard  of  twelve  acres. 

Mr.  Ro'ff  was  married  in  Coshocton, 
Ohio,  October  5,  1865,  to  Elizabeth  Flagg, 
who  was  born  in  Coshocton  county,  Ohio, 
February  5,  184.3,  ''.  daughter  of  Thomas 
W.  Flagg,  who  was  a  native  of  Vermont 
and  a  son  of  the  eminent  Doctor  and  Eliza- 
beth Flagg,  of  Xew  York  city.  Thomas  W. 
Flagg  married  Catherine  Conley,  and  they 
became  'the  parents  of  ten  children,  five  of 
whom  are  now  living,  namely :  John,  who 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Ninety-seventh 
Ohio  Infantrv  during  the  Civil  war,  his 
services  being  principally  in  Kentucky ; 
Elizabeth,  now  Airs.  Roff;  Virginia  Neff,  of 
Coshocton  county,  Ohio;  Cornelia  Beal,  of 
Lafayette,  Ohio;  and  Webster,  who  also 
makes  his  home  in  Coshocton  county.  The 
union  of  3>ir.  and  ]Mrs.  Roff  has  been  blessed 
with  six  cl:ildren:  Charles  H.,  who  is  em- 
ployed as  a  printer  and  teacher  in  Eureka, 
Kansas;  Lewis  E.,  a  merchant  of  Emporia, 
Kansas;  John  M.,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Hoosier  township;  Anna  V.  Holland,  of 
Zanesville,  Ohio;  and  Frank  E.  and  Tillie 
S.,  at  home.  ]Mrs.  Roff  is  a  zealous  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In 
political  matters  our  subject  gives  an  un- 
faltering suiip<:'rt  t' 1  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican ]iarty.  and  socially  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Grand  \\-n\\  .  -f  the  Republic,  in  which 
he  holds  pleasant  n;lati(ais  with  his  old  army 
comrades  of  the  1)1  no.  Strictly  upright  and 
above  reproach  in  all  his  dealings  with 
others,  he  merits  the  high  esteem  in  which 
he  is  held  by  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of 
his  acquaintance. 


\MLLIAAI  S.  GILE. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  is  postmaster 
of  Venango,  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  and 
is  the  owner  of  a  fine  ranch  comprising  a 
half  section  of  land  in  section  26,  township 
16,   range  6,  and  is  known  as  one  of  the 


most  enterprising  and  progressive  citizens 
of  his  part  of  the  state. 

Colonel  Williami  S.  Gile  was  born  Jan- 
uary 5.  1812,  at  Oxford,  Chenango  county. 
New  York,  a  son  of  Deacon  William  and 
Annie  (Stephens)  Gile.  natives  respectively 
of  Rhode  Island  and  of  Holland.  William 
Gile  located  in  Chenango  county,  New  York, 
about  the  beginning  of  the  last  centur^^  when 
that  part  of  the  country  was  a  wilderness 
and  remained  there  until  1823,  when  he  be- 
came a  pioneer  in  Gallia  county,  Ohio.  After 
living  there  seven  years  he  went  back  to  his 
old  home  at  Oxford.  Chenango  county,  New- 
York,  and  remained  there  until  i860,  when 
he  emigrated  to  Hannibal,  Missouri,  where 
he  died  in  1S74,  some  vcars  after  the  death 
of  his  wife.  Thev  were  both  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Presliyterian  church,  in  which 
he  held  the  office  of  deacon  for  many  years. 

William  Gile,  father  of  Deacon  \\'illiam 
Gile  and  grandfather  of  Colonel  William  S. 
Gile,  was  born  and  lived  and  died  in  Rhode 
Island.  Abraham  Stephens,  Colonel  Gile's 
grandfather  in  the  maternal  line,  came  to 
America  from  Holland  with  Cornelius  Van- 
derbilt,  who  was  his  cousin,  and  they  brought 
as  ballast  in  the  hold  of  their  vessel,  bricks 
for  their  houses,  wdiich  were  built  at  Yonk- 
ers.  New  York,  and  Mr.  Stephens  built  a 
sloop  which  ran  on  the  Hudson  between 
New  York  and  Albanv,  as  a  packet.  When 
Robert  Fulton  made  his  first  trip  on  a  steam- 
boat up  that  noble  river,  Mr.  Stephens  com- 
ing down  met  his  vessel,  the  construction  of 
which  marked  an  era  in  the  history  of  navi- 
gation. Later,  when  stcamliiiats  superseded 
sailing  vessels,  ]\Ir.  Ste|)Iiens,  his  occupation 
gone,  retired  from  the  water  and  located  in 
Chenango  county.  New  York,  wdiere  he 
bought  land,  for  each  of  his  fourteen  chil- 
dren, the  youngest  of  whom  was  Annie, 
mother  of  Colonel  Gile. 

Until  he  was  fifteen  years  old  Colonel 
Gile  remained  under  the  parental  roof.  After 
his  graduation  in  the  Oxford  high  school, 
with  a  class  the  most  of  the  members  of 
which  continued  their  education  at  either 
Yale  or  Harvard,  it  had  been  arranged  by 
his  father  that  he  should  enter  the  law  office 
c  f  Lieutenant-Governor  Tracv,  of  the  state 


386 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


of  Xew  York,  but  the  boy  had  determined  to 
learn  a  trade,  and,  against  his  father's  wisli, 
he  became  an  apprentice  to  the  baker's  trade, 
at  Oxford,  where  he  labored  until  he  was 
nineteen  vears  old,  when,  his  employer  sell- 
ing out,  he  went  to  Utica.  Xew  York,  where 
he  worked  in  another  bakery  two  years. 
Within  that  period  he  met  Adaline  P.  But- 
ler, daughter  of  Henry  Butler,  of  that  city, 
and  thev  were  married  Sq>tember  25,  1837. 
In  1838  he  Avent  to  Columbia.  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  three  weeks  after 
his  arrival  was  put  in  charge  of  a  packet 
boat,  of  Leach's  line,  on  the  Pennsylvania 
canal,  and  he  commanded  the  same  until  the 
close  of  the  season,  when  the  canal  was  prac- 
tically superseded  by  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road, the  original  portion  of  which  was  then 
just  completed.  Li  1839  1^^  went  to  Steu- 
ben county,  Xew  York,  where  he  engaged 
in  merchandising  and  where,  in  1840,  he 
was  elected  sheriff,  in  which  responsible 
office  he  served  ably  for  three  years,  and 
then  removed  to  Lock  Haven.  Clinton  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  a  merchant 
with  a  partner,  to  whom  he  soon  sold  his  in- 
terest, and  later  he  became  local  agent  for 
the  International  Express  Company,  whose 
agency  at  Lock  Haven  was  established  at  his 
solicitation  and  upon  his  advice.  The  first 
week's  business  of  the  company  at  that  point 
amounted  to  only  three  dollars  and  Mr.  Gile 
delivered  all  his  packages  on  a  wheelbarrow, 
but  in  a  short  time,  by  his  unaided  efforts,  he 
increased  the  local  business  of  the  company 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  month. 

In  the  spring  of  1S60  Colonel  Gile  ac- 
cepted the  superintendency  of  the  western 
business  of  Irwin  Jackman  &  Compan}-,  who 
had  entered  into  a  contract  to  transport  gov- 
ernment supplies  from  Atchison.  Kansas, 
to  various  military  posts  west  of  the  Mis- 
souri river,  and  he  proceeded  to  Kansas  to 
undertake  his  new  duty.  In  the  winter  of 
1 86 1,  when  the  civil  war  began,  he  was  at 
Des  Moines,  Iowa,  in  charge  of  about  five 
thousand  head  of  cattle  which  his  concern 
had  wintered  there,  and  was  laboring  under 
a  two  years'  contract,  from  which  he  could 
not    at    that    time    obtain    release,  though 


he  desired  very  much  to  oft'er  his  ser\-ices 
to  his  country.  A  few  weeks  later,  how- 
ever, he  brought  about  a  cancellation  of  the 
contract  and  returned  to  Lock  Haven,  Penn- 
sylvania. During  his  previous  residence  he 
had  become  rather  prominent  in  militia  af- 
fairs and  had  made  a  favorable  reputation 
as  a  military  man,  having  organized  and 
drilled  a  company,  which,  in  competition 
with  others,  was  pronounced  most  perfect 
in  drill  and  tactics,  and  he  had  been  advanc- 
ed to  the  office  of  major  andi  later  to  that  of 
lieutenant-colonel  ot"  the  militia.  Upon  his 
return  from  the  west  he  was  oft'ered  the 
captaincy  of  Company  D,  First  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Cavalry  Reserves,  of  which 
he  took  command  June  i,  1861.  After  see- 
ing service  at  Drainsville  and  at  Fredericks- 
burg, Virginia,  at  the  last  named  point  as- 
sisting to  save  a  railroad  bridge,  he  re- 
turned to  Manassas,  where  his  regiment  was 
under  General  [McDowell's  Command,  on 
that  oflicer's  march  to  Richmond.  \Mien 
\\ithin  forty  miles  of  the  Confederate  cap- 
ital the  regiment  was  ordered  on  a  forced 
march  to  Washington,  D.  C,  Stonewall 
Jackson's  army  having  been  reported  as  ap- 
proaching that  point  via  the  Shenandoah 
valley.  It  reached  Port  Royal.  Caroline 
county,  Virginia,  and  from  there  went  to 
Woodstock,  near  which  place  it  encountered 
a  formidable  force  of  Confederate  cav- 
alry and  artillerj'.  Avoiding  a  conflict, 
the  Union  force  retreated  across  the  val- 
ley and  remained  there  that  night,  next 
morning  making  a  charge  into  Wood- 
stock to  find  that  Jackson  had  evac- 
uated the  town,  but  they  captured  seven  hun- 
dred Confederate  stragglers.  They  pursued 
Jackson  up  the  valley  to  Cross  Keys,  where 
he  made  another  stand  and  where  the  battle 
of  Cross  Keys  was  fought,  continuing  until 
dark,  when  Jackson  again  retreated.  In 
that  engagement  Colonel  Gile  was,  by  an  un- 
expected movement  of  his  horse,  thrown 
against  the  pommel  of  his  saddle  and  receiv- 
ed a  rupture  so  serious  in  character  as  to 
incapacitate  hi'm  for  further  military  service. 
Resigning  his  command.  Colonel  Gile 
proceeded  to  Ouincy.  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
mained long-  enougbi  to  form  some  plans  for 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


387 


liis  future  guidance.  Locating"  at  Chilli- 
ci'the,  Alissouri,  he  was  for  the  next  ten 
}ears  engaged  in  shipping  stock  to  Ouincy 
and  Chicago,  Illinois.  In  July,  1872,  he  went 
to  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  and  located  the 
half  section  which  he  now  owns,  in  section 
.26.  township  16,  range  6,  vvhich  he  secured 
as  homestead  and  timber  claims.  He  soon 
developed  a  good  farm  and  engaged  exten- 
sively in  farming,  raising  an  average  of  one 
hundred  acres  of  wheat  and  seventy-five 
acres  of  corn  each  year.  He  ne^^er  hefore 
had  had  anything  to  do  with  practical  farm- 
ing, but  he  accepted  "Poor  Richard's"  dec- 
laration that  "He  who  by  the  plow  would 
thrive,  himself  must  either  hold  or  drive." 
He  gave  personal  attention  to  all  the  details 
oi  his  work,  beginning  by  breaking  the  land 
on  his  place  between  the  site  of  his  present 
residence  and  the  public  road. 

Politically  Colonel  Gile  was  reared  in 
the  Jacksonion  faith.  He  issued  the  first 
call  for  Democratic  or."-anization  in  Ells- 
worth county  and  has  served  as  chairman  of 
every  Democratic  county  convention  since, 
and  has  been  a  delegate  to  every  state,  con- 
gressional and  senatorial  convention.  He 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Click  to  the  of- 
fice of  fish  commissioner  of  Kansas,  in  which 
he  served  several  years,  establishing  eleven 
different  varieties  in  the  streams  of  the  state 
and  gaining  by  his  efificient  and  painstaking 
methods  the  reputation  of  being  the  best 
fish  commissioner  that  the  state  had  had; 
and  later  he  was  given  the  Democratic  nom- 
ination for  congress,  to  represent  the  sixth 
congressional  district,  embracing  twenty-six 
counties,  and  although  defeated  he  reduced 
the  Republican  majority  of  twelve  thousand 
to  eight  thousand  votes.  Always  deeply  in- 
terested in  public  education,  he  has  during 
most  of  the  time  since  he  lived  in  Kansas 
ser\ed  as  a  member  of  his  township  scliool 
board.  ]\Irs.  Gile  was  commissioned  post- 
mistress at  Ellsworth  in  1884,  and  since  her 
death,  which  occurred  February  4.  1900,  he 
has.  under  authority,  administered  the  affairs 
of  the  office.  Her  la-t  resting  place  is  in  the 
.grounds  surrounding  liis  hnuse  and  within 
sight  fromi  his  window.  The  spot  is  decor- 
ated with  flowers  of  her  planting,  and  there. 


too,  he  has  chosen  the  spot  where  his  re- 
mains shall  repose  when  he,  too,  passes 
away. 

At  the  age  of  about  ninety  years  Colonel 
Gile  is  a  wonderfully  well  preserved  man, 
both  mentally  and  physically.  His  active 
mind  is  stored  with  a  wide  range  of  general 
knowledge.  His  conversation  is  entertain- 
ing, even  brilliant,  and  his  manner  and  ad- 
dress are  such  as  are  acquired  only  by  long 
contact  with  the  world  in  connection  with 
public  affairs.  During  his  congressional 
canvass  he  won  an  enviable  reputation  as  a 
public  speaker  and  his  masterly  handling  of 
national  c|uestions  was  widely  commented 
upon.  He  was  made  a  Knight  of  Pjthias 
at  Atchison  some  years  ago,  but  has  ne\-er 
belonged  to  any  other  secret  society.  His 
hospitality  is  well  known  and  he  takes  a 
special  delight  in  welcoming  under  his  roof 
and  at  his  table  bright  and  intelligent  men 
and  women  with  whom  he  may  prcfitabh"  ex- 
change ideas  and  reminiscences.  His  mar- 
riage was  blest  Avith  only  one  child — Dr. 
Courtland  H.  B.  Gile,  a  practicing  physician 
at  Falum,  Saline  countv,  Kansas. 


J.  R.  HUFFMAN,  D.  \\  S. 

J.  R.  Huft'man,  one  of  the  leading  rep- 
resentatives of  his  profession  in  Kingman 
county,  was  born  in  Clarion  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  the  7th  of  January,  1848.  a  son 
of  William  and  ^Margaret  (\\'atterson) 
Huffman,  also  natives  of  that  locality.  In 
the  place  of  his  nativity  the  father  became 
a  prominent  farmer  and  influential  citizen, 
owning  a  larg'e  and  fertile  farm.  In  1867. 
however,  he  left  his  Pennsylvania  home  and 
made  his  way  to  Gasconade  county.  Mis- 
souri, where  he  purchased  one  thousand 
acres  of  land  and  extensively  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising  until  1886.  For 
the  following  seven  years  he  made  his  home 
in  Gove  county,  Kansas,  and  then  removed 
to  Reno  county,  where  he  became  the  owner 
of  a  half  section  of  land  in  Aliami  township, 
and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
passing  away  in  death  in  1899.     His  politi- 


3SS 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


cal  support  was  given  to  the  Republican 
party,  and  religiously  he  was  an  active  and 
worthy  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  His  widow  is  still  living,  and  now 
makes  her  home  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  T. 
J.  Grace,  in  Reno  county.  Unto  this  worthy 
couple  were  born  eight  children :  Eliza- 
beth, the  wife  of  Dr.  T.  J.  Grace;  J.  R.,  the 
subject  of  this  review;  John  \V.,  a  promi- 
nent farmer  of  Olcott,  Kansas;  Mary  C., 
the  wife  of  John  B.  Armstrong,  a  farmer 
and  stockman  of  Gove  county.  Kansas; 
Frances,  the  widow  of  John  Smith,  who  was 
also  a  fai-mer  and  stock-raiser  of  that  coun- 
ty; and  three  who  died  in  childhood. 

J.  R.  Huffman,  of  this  review,  remained 
on  the  old  home  farm  in  Pennsylvania  until 
his  nineteenth  year,  and  he  then  accom- 
panied his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Mis- 
souri, the  journey  being  made  by  boat  down 
the  Ohio  river,  thence  up  the  Mississippi 
river  to  St.  Louis  and  from  there  to  Gas- 
conade county.  Remaining  under  the  par- 
ental roof  until  twenty-four  years  of  age. 
Mr.  Huffman  ther.  engaged  in  business  on 
his  own  account,  locating  on  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  land  adjoining  his  father's 
place,  where  he  made  his  home  until  1884.' 
In  that  year  he  sold  that  farm  and  remo^-ed 
to  Reno  county,  where  he  became  tlie  owner 
of  a  quarter  section  of  land  now  located  in 
Miami  township,  which  he  impro\-ed,  but 
after  a  .residence  there  of  six  months  he 
again  sold  his  land  and  purchased  a  partially 
improved  farm  in  the  same  township,  there 
remaining  for  fi\-e  years,  during  Avhich  time 
he  was  extensively  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.  Before  attaining  to  mature 
years  Mr.  Huff"man  had  engaged  in  the 
study  of  veterinary  surgery,  and  ere  leav- 
ing the  home  farm  he  had  followed  its  prac- 
tice among  his  father's  stock.  As  the  3-ears 
passed  by  his  practice  grew  to  such  propor- 
tions that  he  found  it  impossible  to^  attend 
to  both  his  farm  work  and  his  practice,  and 
in  1898  he  left  his  country  home  and  re- 
moved to  Kingman,  -where  he  has  since 
given  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  his 
extensive  practice.  His  patronage  has  con- 
stantly grov.-n  in  volume  and  importance  un- 
til he  now  occupies  a  front  rank  among  the 


representatives  of  the  profession  in  King- 
man count)-,  and  his  reputation  has  come  to 
'him  solely  because  of  his  ability  and  his 
unfaltering  perseverance. 

"  As  a  companion  on  the  journey  of  life 
Dr.  Huffman  chose  ^.laiy  Mcintosh,  a  na- 
tive of  Gasconade  county,  Missouri,  and  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Alargaret  (McAUes- 
ter)  jMcIntosh.  Unto  that  union  was  born 
one  daughter,  ]\Iinnie,  now  the  wife  of  By- 
erley  Laftwich,  an  engineer  of  Pueblo, 
Colorado.  After  a  happy  married  life  of 
only  two  years  the  wile  and  mother  was 
called  to  her  final  rest,  and  in  1878  the  Doc- 
tor married  Ellen  Scantlin,  alsO'  of  Gas- 
conade county,  ilissouri,  and  she  passed 
away  in  death  in  August,  1888.  For  his 
third  v/ife  he  chose  ^lary  Carlile,  a  native 
of  Schuyler  county,  Illinois.  .Two  children 
were  born  of  this  marriage,  but  one  died  in 
infancy.  The  surviving  daughter,  Zella 
Grace,  makes  her  home  with  lier  sister  in 
Pueblo.  Since  the  organization  of  the 
People's  party  the  Doctor  has  taken  an  act- 
ive part  in  its  growth  and  development,  and 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  public  wel- 
fare of  his  locality  he  takes  a  commendable 
interest.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and 
directors  of  the  Farmers'  Bank  of  Turon, 
while  later  he  became  its  president,  and 
when  its  doors  were  closed  to  the  public  he 
paid  up  its  entire  indebtedness,  although  it 
nearly  caused  his  financial  ruin.  In  his  fra- 
ternal relations  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security  and  of  the 
American  Benevolent  Association.  Al- 
though not  a  member  of  any  religious  de- 
nomination, he  is  a  constant  attendant  and 
a  liberal  supporter  of  the  ^Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  Throughout  his  entire  career 
he  lias  so  deported  himself  that  as  a  citizen, 
as  a  man  of  business,  as  an  honorable  gen- 
tleman no  man  has  a  cleaner  record  or  is 
more  highly  respected  than  he. 


CLARK  COXKLIXG. 

In  the  promotion  and  conservation  of 
ad\'ancement  in  all  tlie  normal  lines  of  hu- 
man progress  and  civilization  there  is   no 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


389 


\ 


factor  \\hicli  has  exercised  more  potent  in- 
rtuence  than  the  press,  which  is  both  the 
director  and  tlie  mirror  of  pubUc  opinion. 
l\.icc  comity  has  been  signallj-  favored  in 
the  character  of  its  newspapers,  which  have 
l>een  vital,  enthusiastic  and  progressive, 
ever  aiming  to  advance  the  interests  of  this 
favored  section  of  the  Union,  to  aid  in  lay- 
ing fast  and  sure  the  foundations  of  an  en- 
lightened commonwealth,  to  further  the 
ends  of  justice  and  to  uphold  the  banner  of 
Kansas,  in  a  compilation  of  this  nature 
then  it  is  clearly  iricumbent  that  due  recog- 
nition be  accorded  the  newspaper  press  of 
the  state  and  those  men  who  are  in  control 
of  its  journalistic  interests.  Prominent 
among  these  has  been  Clark  Conkling,  who 
is  proprietor  of  the  Lyons  Republican,  hav- 
ing been  at  the  head  of  this  paper  for 
twenty-two  years. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Conkling  was 
born  in  Hamilton  county,  near  Sharons- 
ville,  Di\  the  9th  of  September,  1S51,  and  is 
a  soar  of  William  M.  Conkling,  a  native 
also  of  Ohio  and  a  representative  of  En- 
glish and  German  ancestry.  The  family  was 
founded  in  America  at  an  early  period  in 
the  development  of  the  new  world  b)-  an- 
cestr;rs  who  located  first  on  Long  Island. 
Later  representatives  of  the  name  went  to 
iNIaryland,  thence  to  Pennsylvania  and  sub- 
seciuently  to  Ohio.  The  paternal  grand- 
mother of  Mr.  Conkling  was  a  Miss  Xash, 
who  died  in  Ohio.  William  M.  Conkling 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  early  life 
and  followed  that  pursuit  fpr  a  time,  but 
afterward  turned  his  attention  to  farming, 
whereby  he  provided  for  the  support  of  his 
family.  p[e  married  Miss~  Elizabeth  Dral<e 
Glenn,  who  w'as  born  in  Hamilton  county, 
Ohio,  and  they  became  the  parents  of  six 
children,  namely:  Benjamin  D.,  wdio  is 
living  in  Lyons;  Hattie  P.;  Ed  G.,  who  re- 
sides in  Topeka,  Kansas ;  Clark,  of  this  re- 
view ;  Mrs.  R.  C.  Sheeley,  of  New  York, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years ;  and 
Alice  D.,  who  died  at  the  old  home  when 
twenty  years  of  age.  The  parents  have  also 
passed  away,  the  father  having  departed 
this  life  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-one 
\ears.  while  his  wife  also  attained  the  same 


age.  He  was  a  Republican  in  his  political 
affiliations  and  was  an  elder  in  the  Presby- 
terian church.  His  life  was  upright  and 
honorable,  consistent  with  his  professions 
at  all  times,  and  wherever  he  was  known  he 
was  respected  and  esteemed  for  his  many 
excellent  qualities   of   heart  and  mind. 

Clark  Conkling,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  record,  was  educated  in  the  state 
of  his  nativity  and  acquired  his  education 
in  Lebanon  and  in  the  \Vestern  Reserve  Col- 
lege, at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  1873  he  left 
the  Buckeye  state  for  the  west,  removing  to 
Colorado,  where  he  was  employed  in  a  store 
for  a  time.  In  1879  1^^  came  to  Lyons  and 
established  the  Lyons  Republican.  He  has 
made  this  paper  a  power  for  good  in  the 
county,  and  through  its  columns  h.as  wield- 
ed a  wide  and  far-reaching  influence  in  be- 
half of  the  Republican  party.  The  journal 
is  a  bright,  newsy  sheet,  devoted  to  local 
interests  and  to  the  dissemination  of  mat- 
ters of  general  interest.  It  is  the  champion 
of  all  measures  for  public  good  and  is  ever 
found  on  the  side  of  progress,  reform  and 
improvement. 

]Mr.  Conkling  was  married  in  Lyons,  on 
the  2d  of  April,  1884,  to  Miss  Laura  Stone, 
a  nati-.e  of  Illinois  and  a  daughter  of  D.  F. 
Stone.  Their  marriage  has  been  blessed 
with  six  living  children,  four  daughters  and 
two  sons,  naiiiely:  Yetta  A.,  Enid,  Clark, 
Glenn  S.,  Catherine  and  Gerald  M.  Mrs. 
Conkling  is  a  member  of  the  jMethodist 
Episcopal  church  and  is  a  devoted  wife,  a 
faithful  mother  and  a  loyal  friend. 

Mr.  Conkling  is  identified  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity,  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 
From  the  time  he  attained  his  majority  he 
has  given  an  unswerving  support  to  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party,  believ- 
ing that  it  contains  the  best  elements  of  good 
government.  In  every  way  possible  he  has 
labored  for  its  advancement,  sets  forth  ii: 
strong  argument  the  elements  which  pro- 
duce its  strength  and  which  give  it  superi- 
ority over  the  other  great  political  organi- 
zations. While  Benjamin  Harrison  was 
serving  as  chief  e.xecutix'e  of  the  nation  ~Sh\ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Conkling.  Ijy  appointment  of  the  president, 
was  postmaster  of  Lyons  and  filled  the 
office  with  credit  and  honor  to  himself  and 
to  the  best  interests  of  the  patrons  of  the 
oflice.  He  is  a  man  of  progressive  views, 
who  believes  in  education,  in  temperance 
and  in  continual  advancement  along  all 
lines  of  substantial  progress.  In  manner  he 
is  affable  and  genial,  and  unfailing  courtesy 
renders  him  popular  with  all  with  whom  he 
has  business  or  social  relations. 


W.  B.   McCOR^IACIC. 

W.  B.  ]\rcCormack  is  the  owner  of  one 
of  the  attractive  and  valuable  homesteads 
in  Kingman  county.  It  is  pleasantly  located 
on  section  5,  \'inita  township,  where  the 
comfortable  and  commodious  residence  is 
surrounded  by  a  well  kept  lawn,  large  barns 
and  outbuildings  afiford  ample  shelter  for 
grain  and  stock,  well  tilled  fields  indicate 
coming  harvests  and  a  fine  grove  and  or- 
chard are  not  the  least  attractive  features 
on  this  fine  country  seat. 

The  owner,  W.  B.  McCormack,  is  one 
i>f  tlie  nidst  highly  respected  citizens  of  the 
ci  immunity  and  a  leading  representative  of 
the  agricultural  interests  of  this  section  of 
the  state.  He  was  born  in  Henry  county, 
Indiana,  in  1851,  a  son  of  \\"illiani  ]\IcCor- 
mack.  who  was  born  in  the  Old  Dominion, 
as  was  also  the  grandfather,  John  McCor- 
mack. The  latter  was  a  successful  farmer 
and  reared  a  large  family,  mostly  boys,  who 
settled  on  land  adjoining  their  father  and 
became  quite  wealthy.  William  was  reared 
toy  manhood  on  an  Indiana  farm,  and  was 
there  married  to  Armitta  Lindsey,  also  a 
native  of  Henry  county,  Indiana.  She  has 
been  called  to  the  home  beyond,  leaving 
four  children, — James  E.,  John,  Mahala 
and  W.  B.  For  his  secoud  wife  the  father 
chose  Airs.  Mary  (Hyatt)  Craig,  and  they 
had  six  children.  Mr.  ]\IcCormack  reached 
the  riiie  old  age  of  se\-enty-five  3-ears,  when 
he.  too.  was  sunlmoned  to  his  final  rest. 
He  followed  the  tilling  of  the  soil  as  a  life 
occu.patiiin,  was  a  Republican  in  his  political 


views,  and  his  religious  support  was  g'iven 
to  the  Christian  church,  of  which  he  was  a 
worthy  and  consistent  member. 

W.  B.  McCormack,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  was  reared  by  his  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  Edward  Lindsey,  a  suc- 
cessful farmer.  His  father  was  stolen  in 
England  and  was  brought  to  this  country 
when  a  boy  and  reared  here  and  became  a 
citizen  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1877,  after  his 
marriage,  Mr.  McCormack  left  his  Indiana 
home  for  the  Suntiower  state  and  after  his 
arrival  in  Kingman  county  he  purchased  a 
tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
Osage  Indian  land,  which  he  has  placed  un- 
der an  excellent  state  of  cultivation,  and 
here  he  has  ever  since  made  his  home.  His 
present  beautiful  and  attractive  nine-room 
residence  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  fifteen 
hundred  dollai's,  and  his  is  one  of  the  finest 
homesteads  in  this  section  of  the  county. 
Fanning  and  stock-raising  have  been  his 
life  occupations,  and  in  all  his  business  un- 
dertakings prosperity  has  attended  his  ef- 
forts. 

On  attaining  his  twentieth  year  Mr. 
McCormack  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Maria  C.  Mogle,  whO'  was  born,  reared  and 
educated  in  Madison  county,  Indiana,  a 
daughter  of  A.  J.  and  Nancy  (Gale)  Mogle. 
The  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, is  now  living  in  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington. He  was  a  carpenter  and  contractor 
and  was  quite  successful.  His  father, 
Jacob  Mogle,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was 
of  German  descent  and  raised  a  large  fam- 
ily. The  mother's  parents,  William  and 
Penina  Gale,  were  natives  of  Massachu- 
setts. They  were  married  there  and  then 
moved  to  Indiana  and  engaged  in  farming, 
each  living  to  be  over  four  score  years,  and 
were  respected  by  all  who  knew  them.  The 
union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has  been 
brightened  and  blessed  by  the  presence  of 
eight  childi-en,  six  sons  and  two  daughters, 
as  follows :  Arley  C,  who  also  makes  his 
home  in  Washington;  Charles  W.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Winfield.  Kansas;  Merton  M.,  of 
Washington;  and  Henrv  E..  Ben  E.,  Ro- 
zilla  Viola.  Harry  B.  and  Valla  True,  at 
home.     The  cause  of  education    has    ever 


t 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


391 


found  in  Mr.  McCormack  a  warm  and  help- 
ful friend,  and  for  nine  years  he  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  His  po- 
litical support  is  given  to  Republican  prin- 
ciples. Both  he  and  his  wife  are  active 
workers  and  worthy  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  in  which  he  has  served  as  treas- 
urer and  deacon,  and  for  many  years  Mrs. 
AfcCormack  has  been  a  teacher  in  the  Sun- 
day-school. They  are  people  of  genuine 
\\orth  and  are  honored  and  respected  in  all 
circles. 

^—-»- 

BARTLEY  C.  BOROUGHS. 

The  noble  art  of  husbandry  has  ever 
Ijeen  the  conservator  of  our  national  prog- 
ress and  prosperity,  and  among  those  prom- 
inently concerned  as  its  votaries  in  King- 
man county  is  the  subject  of  this  review, 
whose  fine  fami  is  located  on  section  27, 
Xinnescah   township. 

Mr.  Boroughs  is  a  native  son  of  the 
Hoosier  state,  his  birth  having  occurred 
near  Winchester,  in  Randolpli  cmmty,  in 
1847.  His  paternal  grandfatlKT,  Inlm  P.nr- 
oughs,  was  born  in  the  Car'.lina^,  but  l)e- 
canie  <  me  of  the  early  pioneers  of  Marion 
cnuntv.  Indiana.  He  afterward  removed  to 
Randnlpli  ci'unt}-,  that  state,  where  he  im- 
jjroved  a  good  farm  and  became  one  of  the 
leading  and  representative  citizens  of  his 
locality.  In  Marioai  county,  Indiana, 
Charles  Boroughs,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  and  reared,  and  was  there 
married  to  Mary  Evans,  a  daughter  of  John 
and  ]\Iary  (Bunker)  Evans,  both  of  North 
Carolina.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boroughs 
were  born  nine  children,  four  sons  and  five 
daughters,  namely:  Martha,  deceased; 
Laura  Nickel!,  of  Kingmrm,  Kansas:  Bart- 
lev  C,  the  subject  i-\  tln^  i-c\  icw  ;  leronic, 
a 'resident  ot'Oregm;  ju.lnli  \Vebb,  a 
widov.-  residing  in  Xin.:ie-.c-ui  township; 
Lettie  Robinson,  of  Lila.  Kansas:  Dianna 
Boroughs,  also  of  XinuL^cali  township; 
Zenus,  of  White  township.  Kingman  coun- 
ty; and  Frank,  who  died  in  childhood.  The 
mother  of  this  family  passed  away  in  death 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine    years.      She    was 


reared  in  the  Quaker  faith,  and  hers  was  a 
beautiful  and  noble  life.  The  father  came 
to  .Ninnescah  township,  Kingman  county, 
Kansas,  in  1878,  and  his  death  here  oc- 
curred when  he  had  reached  the  eightieth 
milestone  on  the  journey  of  life.  In  early 
life  he  was  a  Republican  and  later  was  iden- 
tified with  the  Reform  and  Greenback  par- 
ties. He  was  very  firm  in  his  convictions 
of  what  he  believed  to  be  right,  and  was  a 
believer  in  the  universal  salvation  of  man. 
Bartley  C.  Boroughs,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review,  was  reared  on  the  old 
home  farm  in  Jasper  county,  and  in,  addi- 
ti(jn,  to  attending  the  public  schools  of  his 
locality  he  was  also  a  student  in  the  Val- 
paraiso normal  school,  at  Valparaiso',  In- 
diana, where  he  enjoyed  superior  advan- 
tages. He  also  took  a  course  in  Bryant  & 
Stratton's  Bttsiness  College  at  Indianapolis. 
When  the  trouble  arose  between  the  north 
and  S(.nith  and  precipitated  the  country  into 
civil  war  ^Ir.  Boroughs  was  only  a  boy  in 
his  "teens,  but  he  valiantly  offered  his  serv- 
ices to  the  Union  cause,  enlisting  for  service 
in  1864.  He  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany E.  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fifth  In- 
diana Volunteer  Infantry,  in  which  he 
served  for  six  months,  and  during  that  time 
took  ]jart  in  t'ne  liattle  of  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee. He  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  returned  to  his 
home  with,  a  most  creditable  military  rec- 
ord. On  again  taking  up  the  quiet  duties 
of  life  he  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  the 
teacher's  profession.  In  187S  he  came  to 
the  Suiillower  state,  securing  a  claim  on 
scctii  n  jj.  Xinnescah  township,  Kingman 
coinit} .  on  w  liich  he  erected  a  house  twelve 
by  fourteen  feet  and  immediately  began  the 
arduous  task  of  improving  new  land.  His 
homestead  now  consists  of  live  hundred  and 
sixty  acre.-,  v  here  lie  i-  engaged  in  general 
i'arming  and  .-.tock-r;i)>ing,  and  in  both 
branches  of  his  business  his  efforts  ha\-e 
been  attended  with  a  high  degree  of  suc- 
cess. He  has  erected  a  modern  and  com- 
modious residence  upon  his  place,  which  is 
surrounded  by  a  beautiful  grove  and  or- 
chard, and  his  is  now  one  of  the  best  farm- 
ing properties  in  this  part  of  the  county. 


392 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


The  marriage  of  ^Ir.  Boroughs  was  cel- 
ebrated in  Jasper  county,  Indiana,  in  1876, 
Miss  Josephine  Cox  becomling  his  wife. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  J.  S.  and  EHza  A. 
(Rubble)  Cox,  who  came  from  the  Hoosier 
state  to  Kingman  county,  Kansas.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  Hving  children, — 
3ilrs.  Josephine  Cox:  Edith  Lecklider,  ot 
this  count}' ;  Inez  Margaret,  of  Oregon ;  and 
Charles  Sumner,  of  Hutchinson.  }ilrs.  Bor- 
oughs was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Jasper 
county,  and  prior  to  her  marriage  was  a  suc- 
cessful and  popular  teacher.  Three  chil- 
dren have  gi'aced  the  marriage  of  our  sub- 
ject and  wife,  namely:  Zelma,  the  wife  of 
T.  A.  Bell,  of  Anthony,  Kansas;  Calvin,  a 
young  man  of  twenty-one  years;  and  Rob- 
ert, who  is  now  seventeen  years  of  age. 
Mrs.  ]].  r.  ii-Iis  is  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Epi.^c  |::il  church.  On  the  Union  La- 
bor ticket  Mr.  Boroughs  was  a  candidate 
for  the  office  of  clerk  of  the  courts  in  1888. 
In  1 891  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Kingman 
county  on  the  People's  party  ticket,  which 
position  he  held  for  two  terms,  serving  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  In 
his  social  relations  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


FRANK  A.  FRY. 

Frank  A.  Fry  is  the  proprietor  of  the 
Stone  Corral  ranch  and  occupies  an  enviable 
position  among  the  leading  and  successful 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Rice  county. 
He  has  gained  prominence  as  a  leading  cat- 
tle man,  and  his  extensive  interests  have 
been  acquired  through  his  own  efforts  and 
bring  to  him  a  justly  merited  return  for  his 
labor.  He  came  to  the  county  in  1885  and 
has  since  been  an  im'portant  factor  in  the 
agricultural  interests  of  his  township. 

Mr.  Fry  was  born  in  Clark  county,  In- 
diana. November  26,  1862,  and  is  a  son  of 
Aliraham  Fry,  \\ho  was  a  prominent  and 
well-to-do  citizen  of  Clark  county,  where  his 
birth  occurred.  The  grandfather,  John 
Fry,  was  a  native  Pennsylvanian  and  be- 
Ion."-ed  to  one  of  the  okl   families  of  that 


state,  being  of  German  lineage.  The  rep- 
resentatives of  the  name  ha\-e  ever  been 
noted  for  industry,  honesty  and  morality. 
John  Fry  became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Clark  county,  Indiana,  whei'e  he  spent 
his  remaining  days.  His  son,  Abraham 
Fry,  was  reared  and  educated -in  that  lo- 
cality, and  after  arriving  at  years  of  matur- 
ity wedded  Miss  Margaret  Mann,  a  most 
estimable  lady,  who  ^\■as  a  good  wife  and 
de\oied  mother.  She  was  born  in  New  Al- 
ban}',  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Peter  Mann, 
proprietor  of  one  of  the  largest  flour  mills 
in  that  part  of  the  state.  The  marriage  of 
Abraham  and  Margaret  Fry  was  blessed 
with  eight  children,  namely:  Airs.  Emma 
Johnson,  Frank  A.  (of  this  review),  Mrs. 
Cora  B.  Graham,  Mrs.  Ethel  M.  Jacob.^, 
Abraham  Reddings,  Walter  Thomas,  Harry 
James  and  Grace.  Throiighout  his  business 
career  the  father  of  this  family  has  devoted 
his  energies  to  the  tilling  of  the  soil  and  to 
the  raising  oi  stock,  and  has  found  botli 
branches  of  industry  profitable  sources  of 
revenue.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  takes  an  active  interest 
in  its  work  and  cnntributes  liberally  to  its 
support.  In  the  Masonic  order  he  has  at- 
tained the  Knights  Templar  degree,  and  his 
life  has  ever  beeiP  such  as  to  command  the 
j  esteem  of  his  brethren  of  the  craft  and  all 
j  with  whom  he  has  been  associated  in  other 
I  relations. 

]Mr.  Fry,  whose  name  forms  the  caption 
of  this  review,  pursued  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  Indiana  and  received  his  business 
training  as  a  farmer  and  stockman  under  his 
father's  direction.  Lessons  of  industry, 
economy  and  honesty  were  early  instilled 
into  his  mind  and  have  largely  shaped  his 
career  in  manhood.  He  has  fed  cattle  from 
the  time  he  could  carry  a  basket  oi  corn, 
and  therefore  has  long  been  familiar  with 
the  best  methods  of  caring  for  stock.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-twoi  he  left  his  native  state, 
making  his  way  to  Ringgold  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  resided  for  two  years,  when  he 
came  to  Rice  county,  Kansas.  Since  that 
time  he  has  been  a  well-known  resident  of 
the  Sunflower  state,  and  as  the  years  have 
passed  he  has  prospered  in  his  undertakings, 


MRS.   FRANK  A.   FRY 


^y>zc^^^     OO' 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


393 


liis  perseverance,  labor  and  keen  business 
judgment  enablmg  him  to  overcome  all  ob- 
stacles and  work  his  way  steadily  upward. 
His  landed  possessions  now  aggregate  nine 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  his  corn  crops 
yield  from  thirty  to  fifty  bushels  per  acre. 
Most  of  his  fields  are  planted  to  that  cereal, 
in  order  to-  provide  an  excellent  food  supply 
for  his  stock.  He  is  one  of  the  most  exten- 
sive cattle-raisers  in  the  county,  feeding  on 
an  extensive  scale.  He  raises  excellent 
grades,  and  his  barns  and  feed  lots  have 
somewhat  the  appearance  of  a  fat-stock 
show,  owing  to  the  excellent  condition  of 
the  cattle  which  he  prepares  for  the  market-. 
He  keeps  from  one  to  two  hundred  head 
all  O'f  the  time  and  the  same  number  of 
hogs  and  has  a  large  number  of  horses. 
Long  experience  has  made  him  perfectly 
familiar  with  the  best  methods  of  caring  for 
stock  and  feeding  them  for  sale,  and  his 
well-directed  business  affairs  have  brought 
to  him  splendid  success. 

In  Rice  county,  on  the  17th  of  March, 
1S87,  Mr.  Fry  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Lapoldena  Dewess,  an  estimable  lady, 
who  was  born  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  but 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Rice  county. 
Her  father.  George  W.  Dewess,  is  a  promi- 
nent and  influential  citizen  of  Sterling, 
Kansa'i.  He  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  dur- 
ir,g  the  Ci\'il  war  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
Union,  fighting  for  its  defense  on  many  a 
southern  battlefield.  He  was  joined  in  wed- 
lock to  ]Mary  M.  Knoblock.  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  their  children  are  Mrs.  Fry, 
Frank,  Lillie,  Reams,  Effie  D.,  Mattie  and 
Geiirgia.  The  father  is  a  miller  and  farmer 
and  through  his  energetic  business  life  has 
provided  comfortably  for  his  family.  He 
now  iaelongs  tO'  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, and  through  his  membership  main- 
tains pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army 
comrades  among  whom,  he  fought  for  the 
preser\ation  of  the  Union.  The  marriage 
of  ■!\lr.  and  Mrs.  Fry  has  been  blessed  with 
fom-  children,  namely:  Maggie  Lena,  Ar- 
thur .\braham,  Grover  Cleveland  and  Clif- 
ford Leroy. 

In  liis  political  views  Mr.  Fry  is  inde- 
pendent, and  he  has  been  honored  with  vari- 


ous local  offices,  having  served  as  treasurer 
of  his  tOiwnship  for  a  number  of  years,  while 
for  eight  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  his  district.  He  and  his 
wife  are  active  and  zealous  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Their  hom,e 
is  celebrated  for  its  gracious  hospitality  and 
is  the  abode  oi  good  cheer,  culture  and  re- 
finement. Music,  books  and  other  evidaices 
of  refined  taste  are  there  seen  and  a  cordial 
welcome  is  ever  extended  to  tlieir  large  circle 
of  friends.  Mr.  Fry  is  a  man  of  frank  and 
jo'.'ial  disposition,  warm-hearted,  liberal- 
minded  and  at  all  times  true  and  faithful, 
and  is  numbered  among  the  popular  resi- 
dents of  Rockville  township. 


C.  T.  SYKES. 


Among  the  best  citizens  of  Kingman 
county,  esteemed  alike  for  his  sterling 
worth  of  character  and  his  activity  in  the 
business  'world,  is  C.  T.  Sykes,  who  for 
many  years  has  been  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  grain  dealers  and  stocloiien  of 
the  county.  He  is  a  native  of  the  state  of 
Massachusetts  and  a  soil  of  R.  A.  Sykes, 
who  was  born  near  London,  England, 
where  he  was  a  member  of  an  old  and  prom- 
inent faanily.  He  subsequently  left  the 
land  of  his  birth  and  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  America,  locating  in  Massachusetts^ 
where  for  many  years  he  has  been  the  su- 
perintendent of  the  Windsor  Print  Works. 
For  his  wife  he  chose  Alice  Howard,  a  most 
estimable  woman,  loved  and  esteemed  for 
her  many  excellent  traits  of  heart  and 
mind.  She  passed  away  in  death  ten  years 
ago.  The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Svkes 
was  blessed  with  six  children,  four  sons  and 
two  daughters. 

C.  T.  Sykes,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  reared  in  the  state  of  his 
nativity,  where  he  received  excellent  edu- 
cational privileges.  In  1879  he  left  the 
home  and  friends  of  his  youth  and  came 
west  to  the  Sunflower  state,  locating  in 
Sumner  connty,  where  he  conducted  a  drug 
store  at  Belleplaine   for  twO'    years,    after 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


whicli  he  sdkl  out.  In  the  meantime  lie 
was  engaged  in  stock-raising  in  the  Terri- 
tory. In  1882  he  came  to  Kingman  coim- 
ty.  purchased  land  and  became  the  pioneer 
of  this  locality.  He  shipped  the  first  wheat 
that  was  sold  in  these  parts  and  also  sold 
the  first  load  of  cattle  that  was  shipped  from 
Cheney,  as  well  as  Murdock,  and  has  since 
continued  in  this  line  of  business  success- 
fully, buying  all  the  grain  and  cattle  in  this 
section.  He  has  won  the  confidence  of  the 
people  and  thereby  has  made  his  success. 
His  ranch  of  one  thousand  acres  is  one  of 
the  valuable  ones  of  the  county,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  of  which  is  devoted  to 
alfalfa,  and  in  his  pastures  ma)-  be  seen  ex- 
cellent grades  of  stock.  Since  1883  he  has 
been  extensively  engaged  in  the  grain  busi- 
ness, and  in  both  branches  of  his  business 
success  has  abundantly  rewarded  his  efforts. 
He  is  a  man  of  rare  energy  and  judgment, 
which  he  carries  into  all  affairs  in  which 
he  is  interested,  and  his  honorable  business 
methods  and  strict  attention  to  duty  have 
placed  him  among  the  foremost  business 
men  of  Kingman  county. 

In  his  social  relations  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Modern  'Woodmen  of  America, 
while  in  his  political  relations  he  gives  an 
unfaltering  support  to  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  has  given  his  aid  in 
many  generous  ways  to  the  perpetuation  of 
those  forces  which  conserve  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  community,  and  the  course  that 
he  has  followed  in  political,  business,  social 
and  home  circles  commend  him  to  the  hig'-h 
esteem  of  all. 


JQSIAH  T.  EPPLEY. 

Josiah  T.  Eppley,  who  is  one,  of  the 
honored  veterans  of  the  Civil  war  and  a 
progressive  farmer  of  Kingman  comity, 
was  born  in  Rockingham  county,  Virginia, 
December  24.  1843.  representing  one  of  the 
oldest  families  of  that  state.  His  father, 
Samuel  Eppley,  was  also  a  native  of  Vir- 
einia,    and    his    father    was    a   soldier   in 


the  war  of  181J.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject bore  the  maiden  name  of  I^Iary  King, 
and  the  maternal  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject aided  his  country  in  oiu"  second  war 
with  England.  In  1845  Samuel  Eppley 
removed  to  OhiO'  with  his  family,  making 
the  journey  in  a  one-horse  wagon  with  his 
household  goods,  his  wife  and  his  children, 
across  the  mountains  to  the  Buckeye  state. 
Subsequently  the  family  went  to  Randolph 
county,  Indiana,  and  afterward  to  Miami 
comity,  that  state.  The  father  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  and  during  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  followed  that  pursuit  in  order  to 
provide  for  his  wife  and  children.  In  pol- 
itics he  was  a  Democrat,  entertaining  the 
principles  advocated  by  Jackson,  and  in  re- 
ligious faith  he  was  a  ^lethodist.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years  and  is  still 
survived  by  his  widow,  who  is  living  in  In- 
diana at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five. 
They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
namely:  Margaret  Adair,  of  Louisville, 
Kentucky ;  Mary,  deceased ;  Josiah  ;  Cyrus, 
of  Converse,  Miami  county,  Indiana;  and 
Andrew,  Theodore,  Eliza  and  Sylvester, 
who  have  passed  away. 

Josiah  T.  Eppley  is  the  only  member  of 
the  family  living  in  Kansas.  His  boyhood 
days  were  spent  upon  farms  in  Ohio  and 
Indiana,  and  the  public  schools  afforded 
him  his  educational  privileges.  He  pursued 
his  studies  during  the  winter  months  and  in 
the  summer  successfully  aided  in  the  lalxDrs 
of  the  field.  After  the  inauguration  of  the 
Civil  war,  Jie  offered  his  services  to  the 
government,  enlisting  on  the  8th  of  August, 
1862,  in  response  to  President  Lincoln's 
call  for  sixty  thousand  more  troops.  He 
joined  the  boys  in  blue  of  Company  D, 
Ninety-ninth  Indiana  Infantry,  under  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Farrah.  and  was  in  many 
battles,  taking  part  in  the  campaign  under 
General  Sherman.  He  participated  in  the 
engagements  at  Holly  Springs,  Memphis, 
Charleston,  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Chicka- 
maugk,  Miissionary  Ridge,  Lookout  [Moun- 
tain, and  went  with  General  Sherman  on 
the  celebrated  march  froin  Atlanta  to  the 
sea.  He  also  took  part  in  the  Carolina 
campaign,  and  the  movement  toward  Rich- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


mond,  and  when  the  war  was  ended,  the 
stars  and  stripes  having  been  victoriously 
planted  in  the  capital  of  the  Confederacy, 
he  took  part  in  the  grand  review  in  \Vash- 
ington,  where  cheering  multitudes  wel- 
comed the  loyal  soldiers  who  had  saved  the 
Union. 

Having  received  an  honorable  discharge, 
]\lr.  Eppley  returned  to  Indiana,  ■where  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  also  worked  at  the 
trade  of  blacksmithing.  As  a  companion 
and  helpmate  for  the  journey  of  life,  he 
chose  Magdalene  Furry,  the  marriage  be- 
ing celebrated  in  Miami  county.  Indiana,  in 
1867.  The  lady  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Catherine  (Crane)  Furry,  who  were  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania  and  were  of  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  lineage.  Her  parents  both 
died  in  Aliami  county,  Indiana,  the  mother 
at  the  age  of  fifty-two,  the  father  when  sev- 
enty-eight years  of  age.  He  was  a  fanner 
by  occupation.  His  political  support  was 
given  the  Democracy  and  he  belonged  to 
the  Albright  church,  of  which  his  wife  was 
also  a  member.  -  They  had  eight  children : 
Franklin,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  Union 
army  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  is 
now  living  in  Kingman  county;  Mary  Ann; 
Benjamin:  Harriet;  George;  Charlotte; 
Magdalene;  and  William,  who  was  also  a 
defender  of  the  Union. '  The  home  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Epijley  has  been  blessed  with  eight 
children,  of  whom  five  are  living,  as 
fi'lliiws;  Charles,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Kingman  county;  Milo,  of  Reno  county, 
Kansas ;  Mrs.  Eva  Shepherd,  and  Mrs. 
Belle  AVallace,  both  of  Kingman  county; 
and  William  T.,  who  is  a  resident  of  Sa- 
lina.  Kansas.  The  three  children  whom 
they  have  lost  were  Maude,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy ;  Harry,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve 
months ;  and  Frank,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
six  months.  Milo  and  Belle  have  both  been 
successful  teachers  in  Kingman  county. 

Mr.  Eppley  continued  his  residence  in 
Indiana  until  1878,  when  he  came  to  King- 
man county  and  secured  a  homestead  claim, 
upon  which  he  built  a  house  twelve  by 
fourteen  feet.  This  has  long  since  been 
replaced  by  a  commodious  residence,  built 
in  modern  style  of  architecture  and  stand- 


ing upon  a  natural  building  site.  It  is  well 
furnished  and  is' noted  for  its  generous  hos- 
pitality. A  windmill,  the  latest  improved 
machinery  and  substantial  outbuildings,  as 
well  as  an  orchard  and  rich  fields  of  grain, 
add  tO'  the  value  and  attractive  appearance 
of  the  farm.  All  that  M'r.  Eppley  pos- 
sesses has  been  gained  through  his  own  ex- 
ertions, and  his  life  shows  what  may  be 
accomplished  through  earnest  and  intelli- 
gent effort.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  to  which  his  wife  also  be- 
longs, and  he  holds  membership  relations 
with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He 
is  as  'true  to-day  to  his  duties  of  citizen- 
ship as  when  he  followed  the  old  flag  upon 
the  battle  fields  of  the  south  and  aided  in 
the  perpetuation  of  the  Union. 


WYLIE  ^IcCLELLAX. 

Wylie  McClellan.  who  is  well  known  as 
an  energetic  and  capable  farmer  of  King- 
man county,  came  to  central  Kansas  in 
1874,  and  has  resided  in  this  locality  since 
1880.  He  was  born  in  Monmouth,  \'\'arren 
county,  Illinois,  in  1846,  and  was  a  son  of 
Robert  McClellan,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  that  Cdunty.  who  was  born  ami  reared  in 
Olii",  wliciice  he  emigrated  tn  lllniMis  in 
early  nianhndd.  The  paternal  grain! father 
was  Joseph  McClellan,  whose  ancestry  could 
be  traced  for  more  than  two  hundred  years 
to  one  of  the  Highland  chiefs  of  Scotland 
that  was  at  the  head  of  a  prominent  and 
powerful  Scottish  clan.  The  father  of  our 
su'iject  was  married  in  Princeton.  Indiana, 
ti>  Ca.-sena  Paul,  who  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee ami  l)elonged  to  one  of  the  old  fam- 
ilies of  that  state.  Her  father,  William 
Paul,  was  numbered  among  the  heroes  of 
the  Revolution,  who  fought  for  the  indepen- 
dence (if  the  nation.  Mr.  McClellan  died  in 
Warren  cnunty,  Illinois,  in  1870.  but  his  wid- 
ow is  still  living,  at  the  venerable  age  of 
eighty  years,  her  home  being  in  Pretty  Prai- 
rie. Reno  county.  Kansas.  They  had  five 
children,  namely :  ^^■yIie :  Finle\-.  a  resident 
of  Reno  county:  :\Irs.  \'ersie  Collingwond. 


396 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


of  the  same  county;  Seward,  of  Portland, 
Oregon;  and  Nancy,  deceased. 

^Vylie  McCIellan  spent  his  youth  in  his 
parent's  home  and  lessons  of  industrj-  and 
honesty  were  early  instilled  into  his  mind. 
He  acquired  his  education  in  his  native  coun- 
ty and  during  the  Civil  war,  although  he 
had  not  yet  attained  his  majority,  he  offered 
his  services  to  the  government  and  became 
a  nrember  of  the  Forty-seventh  Illinois  In- 
fantry, which  was  attached  to  the  western 
army.  He  participated  iii  the  engagements 
at  Mobile,  Alabama,  Montgomery,  Selma 
and  other  points  in  that  district  of  the  coun- 
try and  when  the  nation  no  longer  needed 
his  services  he  received  an  hoi!orabIe  dis- 
charge and  returning  to  his  home  again 
took  up  the  quiet  pursuits  of  civil  life. 

In  1866  Mr.  INIcClellan  made  his  way  to 
the  Pacific  coast,  spending  six  months  in  ac- 
complishing the  trip  overland.  He  engaged 
in  ranching  in  the  northern  part  of  Califor- 
nia until  1874,  and  then  returned  to  Illi- 
nois, but  after  visiting  relatives  and  friends 
he  again  started  westward,  taking  up  his 
abode  in  central  Kansas.  For  six  years  he 
resided  in  Reno  county,  and  in  1880  he  lo- 
cated on  land  in  Kingman  county  whereon 
he  has  since  made  his  home,  securing  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he 
has  developed  into  a  valuable  farm.  It  is 
supplied  with  all  modern  improvements,  the 
comfortable  residence  standing  in  the  midst 
of  well  tilled  fields  which  yield  to  him  good 
harvests.  He  also  devotes  considerable  at- 
tention to  stock  raising  and  in  this  branch  of 
his  business  is  successful. 

In  Galesburg  township,  Kingman  county, 
in  1888,  Mr.  McCIellan  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mrs.  Isabella  (Cox)  Wakeman,  a 
widow.  Her  father,  William  Cox.  died  in 
Missouri,  but  her  mother  is  now  living  in 
Kingman  county.  By  her  first  marriage. 
Mrs.  McCIellan  had  two  children;  Ina  John- 
son and  Ora  Warren.  Both  our  subject 
and  his  wife  have  a  large  circle  of  friends  in 
Kingman  county  and  by  reason  of  their 
many  excellences  of  character  enjoy  the  high 
regard  of  all.  He  belongs  to  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  church,  his  wife  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal,  and  both  are  consistent 


Christian  people.     His  political   support  is 
I  given  to  the  Republican  party  and  as  a  pub- 
I  lie  spirited  and  progressive  man,  he  is  in 
i  hearty  sympathy  with  every  movement  for 
the  welfare  of  his  county.     All  that  he  pos- 
sesses in  life  has  been  acquired  through  his 
own  exertions  and  his  history  proves  what 
may   be   accomplished    through    determined 
purpose  and  honorable  effort. 


FRED  A\'OLF. 


Fred  Wolf  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Wolf  &  Heim,  wholesale  dealers  in  all  kinds 
of  high  grade  liquors  and  beer.  He  was 
born  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  in  1872,  a  son  of 
of  John  \\'olf  and  a  grandson  of  Frederick 
and  Dorretta  (Lenk)  Wolf.  His  father  was 
born  in  Bremen,  Germany,  in  1847,  ^rid 
there  his  parents  lived  and  died.  He  learn- 
ed the  butcher's  trade  in  early  life  and  with 
his  father  bought  and  sold  cattle.  In  the 
year  1864  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America 
locating  in  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  conduct  of  a  meat  market  for  some 
time.  In  1876  he  arrived  in  Kansas,  settling 
in  Sterling,  where  he  carried  on  the  same 
line  of  business.  He  came  to  America  a 
poor  boy  and  had  to  learn  the  English  lan- 
guage ;  however,  he  possessed  a  strong  con- 
stitution, determining  will  and  good  judg- 
ment and  became  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of 
Barton  county.  A\'hile  he  was  in  Sterling 
in  the  early  days  buffalo  were  still  numerous 
on  the  plains.  He  putchased  all  the  solid 
meat  of  the  buffaloes  at  three  cents  per 
pound,  salted  and  smoked  it,  and  then  sold 
it  to  l)e  shipped  to^  the  east,  where  it  l)rought 
twenty-five  cents  per  pound.  He  also  dealt 
largely  in  hides  and  skins  which  he  sold  at 
high  prices,  there  being'  a  good  market  for 
the  skins  of  skunks  and  wolves.  In  1876, 
when  the  town  of  Ellinwood  had  lieen  well 
established,  he  came  to  the  city  and  purchas- 
ed a  brewery  which  had  been  founded  on.  a 
small  scale  at  an  earlv  day  by  John  Hess,  who 
carried  on  business  for  the  local  trade.  !\Ir. 
W'(<]t  howcA-er.  soon  enlarged  the  enterprise 
and  built  up  an  enormous  trade,  manufact- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


397 


uring  about  two  thousand  barrels  per  year, 
the  barley  for  the  purpose  being  raised  in 
this  vicinity.  His  trade  extended  from 
Newton  to  the  Kansas  and  Colorado  line, 
and  he  snccessfuhy  conducted  the  brewery 
until  1884,  when  a  law  was  passed  abolish- 
ing the  manufacture  of  the  liquors  in  this 
state.  He  then  went  into  the  wholesale  wine 
and  liquor  business,  also  carrying  beer  of 
high  grade.  In  this  he  prospered,  carrying 
on  the  store  until  the  ist  of  November,  1900, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Fred  and 
his  son-in-law,  George  M.  Heim. 

Mr.  Wolf  extended  his  labors  into  other 
lines.  He  set  out  a  large  amount  of  fruit 
of  all  kinds,  planted  an  extensive  amount  of 
small  fruit  and  excellent  vineyards.  He 
has  also  built  a  large  reservoir  or  lake  in 
order  to  have  ice  of  good  quality.  He  has 
a  deer  park  upon  his  place,  comprising  thirty 
acres  and  his  home  is  a  most  beautiful  one 
with  its  drives,  walks,  shady  nooks  and  flow- 
ers. In  addition  to  this  he  erected  the  Wolf 
block  and  hotel,  built  in  the  years  1891  to 
1895,  and  he  owns  much  other  property  in 
the  village.  He  has  likewise  made  judicious 
investments  in  other  real  estate  and  to-day 
his  property  interests  include  several  large 
farms  in  this  and  adjoining  counties.  Some 
of  these  he  rents,  while  other  portions  he 
manages  himself.  He  keeps  about  six  hun- 
dred head  of  fine  graded  cattle  and  about 
thirty  horses. 

While  setting  out  trees  Mr.  Wolf  found 
many  remains  of  posts  in  the  ground  and  on 
inquiry  found  that  here  was  once  located 
the  old  Clark  trading  post  in  the  early  days 
where  business  was  carried  on  with  the  In- 
dians, and  back  of  the  houses  and  barns  on 
the  banks  of  the  creek  he  found  where  the 
first  settlers  had  been  killed  as  indicated  by 
many  scalps  and  skulls  lying  about,  which 
were  said  to  be  those  of  white  men.  In 
public  affairs  Mr.  Wolf  has  always  taken 
a  deep  interest,  doing  much  to  promote  the 
welfare  and  advancement  of  the  city  and 
contributing  in  large  measure  to  its  upbuild- 
ing and  progress.  He  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  council,  as  township  treasurer 
and  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He 
likewise  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity, 


in  which  he  has  attained  the  Knight  Temp- 
lar degree  in  the  York  rite  and  has  also  taken 
the  Scottish  rite  degrees,  while  of  the  An- 
cient Arabic  Order  of  the  Nobles  of  the 
Alystic  Shrine  he  is  a  member.  He  has  held 
membership  relations  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Benevolent  Protective  Order 
of  Elks  and  is  a  life  member  of  the  Order 
of  Red  Men.  He  married  Miss  Katherine 
Haas,  and  they  now  have  two  children  :  Fred 
and  Katie,  the  latter  the  wife  of  George  M. 
Heim.  by  whom  she  has  two  children: 
George  F.,  and  Norman  W. 

Fred  Wolf  spent  his  early  days  in  his 
native  city  and  there  began  his  education, 
which,  however,  was  continued  in  Sterling 
and  in  Ellinwood.  He  then  became  associa- 
ted with  his  father  in  business  and  under  his 
direction  mastered  all  of  the  branches  of 
the  business  and  also  followed  his  father's 
principles  of  business, — honorable  and 
straightforward  dealing.  In  1900  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Heim-, 
he  purchased  the  business  which  thev  have 
since  successfully  conducted.  Thw  have  a 
very  large  trade,  carrying  on  the  enterprise 
along  wholesale  lines. 

Mr.  Wolf  was  united  in  marriage  in 
190 1  to  Mrs.  Lotta  Schaeffer  and  he  and  his 
brother-in-law  are  now  erecting  two  of  the 
finest  residences  in  the  county  at  a  cost  of 
nine  thousand  dollars.  They  will  be  mod- 
ern throughout  and  equipped  with  all  of  the 
improvements  and  conveniences.  There  will 
also  be  carriage  and  horse  barns  and  the 
homes  will  be  located  at  the  edge  of  the  For- 
est Park  addition  to  Ellinwood,  which  the 
firm  owns.  They  will  have  the  finest 
grounds  in  the  county: — a  place  where  thou- 
sands of  picnics  and  social  functions  have 
been  held.  Mr.  Wolf  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  in  its  various  branches 
of  York  rite  Masonry  and  is  also  connected 
with  the  Mystic  '  Shrine.  Of  the  blue 
lodge  he  is  a  past  master  and  he  also  belongs 
to  the  Benevolent  Protecti\e  Order  of  Elks. 
He  served  for'  ten  consecutive  years  as  city 
clerk  and  for  three  years  as  township  treas- 
urer. He  is  a  wide-awake,  progressive 
young  husiness  man  whose  record  has  been 
one  worthy  of  commendation,  having  done 


398 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


much  for  the  upbuilding  of  Ehinwood,  wiiile 
his  business  aiTairs  have  brought  to  him  a 
handsome  fortune. 


JERMAIX  W.  CKIXCKERHOFF. 

In  no  profession  is  there  a  career  more 
open  to  talent  than  in  that  of  the  law,  and 
in  no  field  of  endeavor  is  there  demandeil  a 
moi-e  careful  preparation,  a  more  thorough 
appreciation  of  the  absolute  ethics  of  life, 
or  of  the  underlying  principles  which  form 
the  basis  of  all  human  rights  and  privileges. 
Unflagging  application  and  intuitive  wis- 
dom and  a  determination  to  fully  utilize  the 
means  at  hand,  are  the  concomitants  which 
insure  personal  success  and  prestige  in  this 
great  profession,  which  stands  as  the  con- 
servator of  justice;  and  it  is  one  into  which 
none  should  enter  without  a  recognitioai  of 
the  obstacles  to  be  overcome  and  the  bat- 
tles to  be  won,  for  success  does  not  perch 
on  the  falchion  of  every  person  who  enters 
the  c(»mpetitive  fray,  but  comes  only  as  the 
diametrical  result  of  the  capability  and  un- 
mistakable ability.  Possessing  all  the  requi- 
site qualities  of  the  able  law-yer,  Mr.  Brinck- 
erhoff  has  already  attained  a  very  promi- 
nent position  in  the  ranks  of  the  legal  fra- 
ternity in  Rice  ciauily  and  undoubtedly  will 
attain  other  successes   in  the  future. 

He  is  a  snn  uf  John  Brinckerhoff,  who 
was  born  in  Lewis  county.  New  York,  in 
1 83 1.  The  BrinckerhofTfs  are  of  an  old  and 
well  known  famil\-  in  the  Empire  state  and 
were  of  Holland  lineage.  At  the  time  of 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  in  the  war  of 
1 81 2  representatives  of  the  name  fought 
for  their  country  and  manifested  their  lov- 
alty  on  many  battlefields.  Samuel  Brincker- 
hoff, the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  Dutchess  county,  New^  York,  and 
after  arriving  at  years  of  maturity  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Ann  Jones,  who  was  of  Welsh 
lineage.  They  became  the  parents  of  two 
children,  and  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brincker- 
lioff  died  in  St.  Lawrence  county.  New 
York.  They  were  members  O'f  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,    of    Norfolk,    and 


were  people  of  the  highest  respectability,  en- 
joying the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all 
with  whom  they  associated.  Their  sons 
were  John  R.  and  Romeyn,  the  latter  of 
whom  is  still  living  in  Norfolk.  The 
former,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
reared  in  the  Empire  state  and  acquired  a 
good  education,  completing  his  literary 
course  in  Low-yille  Academy,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty  he  was  engaged  in  driving  a 
wagon  of  dry  goods  and  notioiis  out  of 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  selling  the  com- 
modities which  he  carried  throughout  the 
eastern  districts  of  this  portion  of  the  coun- 
try. Subsequently,  howe\er,  he  returned  to 
Rome,  New  York.  He  was  married  in 
Lewis  coimty,  that  state,  to  Miss  Susan 
Wilcox,  who  was  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated there  and  represented  one  of  the  first 
families  of  the  county,  her  parents  being 
Ozias  and  Susan  (Moulton)  Wilcox,  who 
remoived  from  Connecticut  to  the  Empire 
state  and  spent  their  last  days  in  Lewis 
county.  John  R.  Brinckerhoff  resided  in 
the  state  of  his  nativity  for  many  years  and 
successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of  la;w 
there  until  1882,  having  filled  the  oftice  of 
district  attorney  for  three  consecutive  terms 
in  St.  Lawrence  county.  He  then  came 
west  to  Lyons,  Kansas.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent and  capable  lawyer  and  for  some  time 
served  as  county  attorney  for  Rice  county. 
In  his  practice  he  was  associated  with  J.  W. 
W'hite,  now  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  e.K- 
Judge  Bailey,  and  his  son,  J.  W.  Brincker- 
hoff. He  had  a  wide  and  complete  under- 
standing of  the  principles  of  jurisprudence 
and  won  many  notable  foren.sic  victories. 
He  died  in  October,  1889,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-nine  years.  His  life  was  upright  and 
honorable  and  he  enjoyed  the  confidence 
and  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  was  asso- 
ciated. In  his  political  affiliations  he  was  a 
Republican  and  in  his  social  relations  was 
a  Mason.  Mr.  Brinckerhoff  was  survived 
several  years  by  his  widow,  who  passed 
away  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years. 
She  was  a  consistent  and  faithful  Christian 
woman  of  high  moral  character  and  won- 
derful patience,  which  traits  w^ere  strong- 
ly  exhiljited   during  an   illness   which    cov- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


399 


ered  several  years.  She  held  membership 
in  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Jerniain  W.  Brinckerhoff,  whose  name 
introduces  this  record,  was  born  in  Lewis 
county.  New  York,  and  acquired  his  pre- 
liminary education  in  the  public  schools, 
after  which  he  entered  the  State  Normal, 
at  Potsdam,  New  York,  and  subsequently 
was  graduated  in  law  in  Albany,  in  1881. 
He  resided  in  Norfolk,  St.  Lawrence  ciun- 
tv,  until  1886.  when  he  camt-  t'>  I.nmh-.  Kan- 
sas, where  for  a  time  he  wa--  a--,  ciated  m 
jjractice  with  his  father.  He  miw  lla^  a  large 
and  distinctive  representative  clientage. 
Along-  with  those  (jualities  indispensable  to 
the  lawyer,^a  keen,  rapid,  logical  mind, 
plus  the  business  sense,  and  a  ready  capacity 
for  hard  work, — our  subject  brought  to  the 
starting  ix>int  of  his  legal  career  gifts, — 
elotiuence  of  language  and  a  strong  per- 
sonality. An  excellent  presence,  an  earnest, 
dignified  tnanner,  marked  strength  of  char- 
acter, a  thoroug-h  .grasp  of  the  law,  and  the 
ability  accurately  to  apply  its  principles  are 
factors  in  Mr.  Brinckerhoffs  eff'ectiveness 
as  an  advocate.  In  addition  to  his  practice 
he  is  now  serving  as  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Lyons. 

In  October,  1893,  was  celebrated  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Brinckerhoff  and  Mis- 
Maude,  daughter  of  John  Sollitt,  of  Lyons, 
Kansas.  She  is  a  lady  of  sterling  worth, 
burn,  reared  and  educated  in  Illinois.  They 
now  have  mie  son,  Phillip  J.,  who  was  born 
Feliniarv  (>.  1897.  While  residing  in  Nor- 
folk, New  V(irk,  Mr.  Brinckerhofif  was  made 
a  Mason  in  What  Cheer  Lodge  and  has  at- 
tained the  Knight  Templar  degree,  his 
membership  being  with  Sterling  Command- 
ery.  He  is  also  identified  with  Abdallah 
Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Leaven- 
worth. Kansas,  and  is  actively  connected 
with  the  work  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
has  been  honored  with  political  office,  hav- 
ing served  as  city  attorney,  as  county  attor- 
ney and  for  two  terms  as  mayor  of  Lyons. 
He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  every  thing  jjer- 
taining  to  the  welfare  of  the  community 
and  withholds  his  support  from  nO'  move- 
ment or  measure  calculated  tO'  prove  O'f  pub- 
lic g-ood.   national  progress  and    local    ad- 


vancement being  both  causes  dear  to  hi 
heart  and  his  devotion  tO'  the  country  i 
above  question. 


JAMES  MURRAY. 

James  ^Murray,  one  of  the' leading  an.l 
successful  farmers  and  blacksmiths  of  King- 
man, is  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  the 
ciiunty.  having  resided  contintiously  in  this 
locality  since  1877.  He  was  born  in  the 
parish  of  Killearn,  Sterlingshire,  Scotland, 
January  29,  1847.  He  is  a  worthy  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  oldest  clans  of  that  country, 
as.  the  history  of  his  branch  of  the  family 
is  traced  directly  back  in  Perthshire  to  the 
followers  of  Wallace.  His  father,  William 
Murray,  held  a  position  of  importance  at 
Glasgow,  having  been  commercial  agent  for 
a  railroad  there.  He  wedded  Agnes  Tay- 
lor, and  of  their  eight  children  six  are  now' 
living,  James  being  the  only  representative 
of  the  family  in  America. 

Whai  a  young  man  James  Murray  learn- 
ed the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  which  he  fol- 
lowed in  his  native  country  until  his  twenty- 
fourth  year,  and  he  then  came  to  America. 
After  his  arrival  in  the  new  world  he  located 
in  Philadelphia.  Pennsylvania,  following  his 
traide  in  and  near  that  city  for  about  six 
years.  Deciding  to  seek  a  location  in  the 
new  and  unsettled  west,  he  then  came  to 
Kansas,  securing  a  quarter  section  of  land 
in  Evans  township,  Kingman  county,  the 
date  of  his  arrival  being  about  the  7th  of 
February,  1877.  At  that  time  there  was 
not  a  house  within  seven  miles  of  his  home. 
Erecting  a  twelve  by  sixteen  residence,  he 
there  made  his  hutme  for  three  years,  it  being 
neither  lathed  nor  plastered,  and'  for  a  time 
a  trunk  was  used  for  a  table  and  nail  kegs 
for  chairs.  \\'ith  ox  teams  Mr.  Murray 
began  the  ardous  task  of  improving  new 
landi,  and  year  by  year,  as  prosperitv  attend- 
ed his  efforts,  he  added  to  his  landed  posses- 
sions until  he  owned  a  large  farm,  which  he 
soon  had  stocked  with  a  fine  grade  of  cattle. 
He  also  erected  a  shop  on  his  land,  which 
proved    a   great    convenience  to   the   entire 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


neighborliood.  After  about  six  years  resi- 
dence on  his  farm  he  removed  to  Waterloo, 
where  he  gave  his  entire  attention  to  the 
blacksmith's  trade.  About  fifteen  years 
ago.  however,  he  sold  his  possessions  there 
and  came  to  Kingman,  where  he  has  ever 
since  made  his  home.  \Mien  he  first  visited 
this  city  it  contained  but  four  buildings,  and 
he  has  therefore  been  a  witness  to  nearly  its 
entire  growth  and  development,  e\'er  contrib- 
uting his  full  share  to  the  work  necessary  to 
prriduce  such  a  transformation.  Although 
he  has  boiight  and  sold  much  farm  property 
since  his  location  in  this  state,  he  has  always 
retained  possession  of  the  old  homestead, 
but  the  place  is  now  farmed  by  tenants.  In 
his  shop  in  Kingman  Mr.  Murray  does  all 
kinds  of  blacksmithing,  and  his  well  known 
honesty,  as  well  as  his  ability  as  a  master 
workman,  has  gained  him  an  enviable  stand- 
ing among  the  citizens  of  the  county.  His 
beautiful  residence  on  West  A  avenue  wa.s 
erected  shortly  after  liis  arrival  in  Kingman, 
and  there  he  and  his  family  now  reside,  sur- 
rounded by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances. 

Mr.  Muray  has  been  twice  married.  In 
1874  he  returned  to  Scotland,  and  on  the 
nth  of  August  of  that  year  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Maggie  Little,  a  daughter  of 
Andrew  Little,  a  farmer  of  that  country-. 
Three  children  graced  their  union, — Will- 
iam, the  history  of  whose  life  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  volume:  Jessie,  a  teacher  in 
the  city  scIuhjIs;  ami  James,  a  prominent 
pharmacist  ( .1"  Kin^nian.  After  the  death  of 
the  mother  of  these  children  the  father  was 
a  second  time  married,  on  the  13th  of  Aug- 
ust, 1882,  when  Louisa  Shafhouser  became 
his  wife.  Their  only  child,  Ross,  is  now  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  pursuits.  Mrs.  ]\T- 
was  born  in  Vanderburg  county,  Indiana, 
but  came  to  Kingman  county,  Kansas,  in 
September,  1878,  with  her  mother  and  as- 
sisted in  proving  up  a  claim,  so  that  she  too 
has  borne  her  part  in  the  development  of 
this  section.  She  has  always  taken  an  active 
and  earnest  interest  in  everything  for  the 
good  of  her  adopted  county,  and  for  many 
years  was  prominently  connected  with 
church  and  Sundav-school  work.     She  has 


also  given  much  of  her  time  to  fraternal  so- 
cieties, and  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in  the 
Eastern  Star,  the  Rebekahs  and  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security.  Mr.  Murray  has 
ever  taken  an  active  intcTest  in  the  cause  of 
education,  and  has  given  his  children 
excellent  school  privileges.  The  Republican 
partv  receives  his  support,  and,  although  he 
has  never  sought  the  honors  of  public  office, 
he  served  for  six  years  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  and  for  several  years  served  as 
treasurer  of  Galesburg.  In  his  social  rela- 
tions he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order, 
the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  and  for 
twenty  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Of  the 
Presbyterian  church  he  is  an  active  and 
worthy  member,  having  assisted  in  the  erec- 
tion of  the  church  edifice  in  this  city  and  for 
many  years  has  held  the  office  of  deacon.  In 
190 1  Mr.  Murray  again  made  a  trip  to  his 
native  land,  where  he  renewed  the  acquaint- 
ances of  his  youth,  and  there  spent  many 
pleasant  months. 


HENRY  H.  BLAKELY. 

When  the  stability  of  the  Union  was 
llireatened  by  the  secession  of  the  south  Mr. 
H.  H.  Blakely  donned  the  blue  and  went  to 
the  defense  of  his  country.  He  has  a  some- 
what remarkable  military  record  and  one  in 
which  his  courage  and  loyalty  were  ever 
manifest.  To  such  men  the  country  owes 
a  debt  of  gratitude  which  can  never  be  re- 
paid, yet  while  memory  remains  to  the 
American  people  they  will  honor  the  patri- 
otic sons  of  the  nation  who  at  the  front 
braved  the  dangers  of  war  in  order  to  pre- 
serve the  Union. 

Mr.  Blakely  is  one  of  the  leading,  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  agriculturists  of 
Kansas,  and  resides  in  Atlanta  township. 
Rice  county,  where  he  owns  and  operates  a 
valuable  tract  of  land.  He  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this  locality  since  1879,  coming  to 
Kansas  from  Knox  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  born  on  the  i8tli  of  January,  184-I. 
The  family  is  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage  and 


}H^JMi 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


\va.^  founded  in  America  by  Francis  Blakely, 
who  was  born  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
Emerald  Isle,  his  ancestors  having  gone  to 
that  locality  from  Scotland.  After  making 
the  long  and  perilous  voyage  across  the  At- 
lantic,— for  a  voyage  at  that  time  consumed 
many  weeks, — he  took  up  his  abode  in 
^larvland,  whence  he  afterward  removed  to 
\\'asliington  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
married  Miss  Rachel  Hardesty,  who  was 
born  in  Scotland,  and  their  last  days  were 
spent  at  Liberty,  Knox  county,  Ohio,  where 
the  grandfather  of  our  subject  died,  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  ninety-seven  years,  while  his 
^vife  was  a  year  older  at  the  time  of  her  de- 
mise. Their  son,  William  Blakely,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Washing- 
ton county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  reared  to 
farm  life  in  Ohio.  After  attaining  man- 
hood he  married  Miss  Sarah  Grubb,  who 
was  a  native  of  Rockingham  county,  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  the  daughter  of  Daniel 
Grubb,  who  was  born  in  the  Old  Dominion 
and  represented  one  of  the  prominent  fam- 
ilies of  that  state,  his  ancestors  having  estab- 
lished a  home  at  Johnson.  Virginia,  during 
the  period  of  its  early  settlement.  .  William 
Blakely  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and' 
thereby  provided  for  his  family.  His  politi- 
cal support  was  given  the  Whig  party  until 
its  dissolution,  when  he  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  new  Republican  party.  Both  he  and 
liis  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  were  loved  and 
esteemed  by  all.  The  father  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two  years  and  the  mother,  long 
surviving,  passed  away  at  the  ripe  old  age 
of  ninety  years.  They  became  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  nine  sons  and  three 
daughters,  namely:  Mary  Ann,  Rachel, 
Nancy  Jane,  John,  David,  William,  Sam- 
uel, Daniel,  Christy  Ann.  George  W.,  Henry 
EL  and  Elkanah  E.  The  family  was  well 
represented  by  loyal  sons  of  the  family  in 
the  Civil  war,  William  being  a  member  of 
an  Ohio  regiment,  while  George  served  in 
the  Eighty-second  Ohio  Infantry  and  John 
was  in  the  service  for  a  time  as  a  mechanic. 
Upon  ihe  family  homestead  in  Ohio 
Henry  H.  Blakely  was  reared,  and  in  the 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  he  acquired  his 


preliminary  education,  which  was  supple- 
mented by  study  in  an  academy.  He  was 
eighteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  when  Pres- 
ident Lincoln  called  for  six  hundred  thou- 
sand men,  and  he  then  joined  Company  F, 
Eighty-second  Ohio  Infantry,  under  Colonel 
Cantwell,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Bull  Run.  The  company  was  commanded 
bv  Captain  John  Costin,  who  was  killed  at 
Gettysburg.  Mr.  Blakely  participated  in  the 
engagements  of  Chancellorsville,  Ered- 
ericksburg  and  Gettysburg  and  was  with 
General  Sherman  on  the  celebrated  march 
to  the  sea.  He  was  one  of  thirty-six  hun- 
dred of  the  Union  men  who  were  taken 
prisoners  in  Gettysburg  and  were  placed  in 
a  rebel  campf-prison  at  Staunton,  Virginia, 
with  six  hundred  others.  With  a  comrade 
he  made  his  escape  over  the  dead  line,  which 
seemed  well  guarded,  but  they  managed  to 
effect  their  departure,  after  having  spent 
thirty-one  days  of  imprisonment.  With  his 
friend,  O.  A.  Rhea,  who  is  now  living  in 
Indiana,  he  proceeded  toward  the  Union 
lines.  Eor  twenty-one  days  they  were  with- 
out food  except  for  one  meal  and  such  wild 
berries  as  they  could  get  in  the  mountains. 
Tliey  crossed  a  range  of  mountains  almost 
impassable  for  a  white  man,  but  with  forti- 
tude and  determination  they  pressed  for- 
i  ward  and  Mr.  Blakely  was  finally  able  to 
join  his  regiment  at  the  front  and  again 
serve  his  coimtrj'. 

When  the  war  was  oyer  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge  and  returned  to  his 
\  home.  He  then  engaged  in  teaching  for  a 
j  time  and  later  took  up  farming.  As  a  com- 
;  panion  and  helpmeet  on  life's  journey  he 
chose  Miss  Mary  E.  Bailey,  the  wedding 
being  celebrated  in  1868.  The  lady  was 
born,  reared  and  educated  in  Knox  county, 
Ohio,  being  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Cakhvell)  Bailey,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Ohio.  Nine  children  were  born  to 
our  subject  and  his  wife:  John  T.,  who  is 
now  living  in  Wilson  township,  Rice  coun- 
ty; Mrs.  Olive  M.  Sangster,  of  Atlanta 
township;  Ralph  W.,  who  is  living  in  El- 
dorado, Kansas,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
Imsiness  as  a  bridge  carpenter ;  H.  Ray ; 
Guy  Wait :  ]\lildred  M.,  a  student  in  Ster- 


402 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ling  College;  Alay  Gertrude;  Sarah 
Theresa ;  and  they  lost  one  child,  Henry 
Dahlgren.  Airs.  Blakely  was  summoned 
into  eternal  rest  on  the  i8th  of  December, 
1901,  and  her  loss  was  not  only  an  irrep- 
arable loss  to  the  immediate  family  but  was 
deeply  felt  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends  whom 
she  had  drawn  about  her. 

Mr.  Blakely  came  to  Rice  county,  Kan- 
sas, in  1879,  and  he  has  been  a  prominent 
factor  in  the  community.  He  to-day  owns 
and  operates  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
valuable  land,  on  which  stands  a  good  resi- 
dence, surrounded  by  an  attractive  grove, 
an  orchard  of  five  acres  yields  its  fruits  in 
season,  and  the  many  improvements  which 
ha\-e  been  made  upon  the  farm  render  it 
very  valuable.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Blakely  is  a  Republican  and  for  four  and  a 
half  years  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of 
the  party  in  this  locality.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Congregational  church 
and  are  interested  in  everything  pertaining 
to  the  genera!  welfare.  As  a  citizen  he  is 
as  true  to  his  duties  to-day  as  when  upon  the 
battlefields  of  the  south  he  w-ore  the  blue 
uniform  and  followed  the  stars  and  stripes 
into  the  thickest  of  the  fight. 


SAMUEL  B.  LIVINGSTON. 

Samuel  B.  Livingston,  the  president  of 
the  Livingston  Furniture  Company,  of 
Kinginan,  has  been  a  resident  of  Kingman 
county  since  1878  and  has  made  his  home 
in  central  Kansas  since  1874,  at  which  time 
he  took  up  his  abode  in  Reno  county.  He 
was  born  in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio, 
July  10,  1854.  His  father.  Samuel  B.  Liv- 
ingston, Sr.,  was  a  physician  and  success- 
fully practiced  in  the  Buckeye  state  for 
some  time,  but  died  when  his  son  and  name- 
sake was  only  four  years  old.  He  married 
Henrietta  C.  Bussinger,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  three 
are  now  living,  namely:  Mrs.  S.  J.  Bugh, 
of  Okmulgee,  Indian  Territory ;  W.  A.,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  music  business  in  King- 


man, Kansas ;  and  Samuel  B.  The  mother 
is  still  iving  and  makes  her  home  with  the 
last  named. 

Mr.  Livingston  of  this  review  pursued 
his  studies  in  the  schools  of  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana,  and  on  account  of  his  father's 
death  was  early  thrown  upon  his  own  re- 
sources, so  that  he  was  enabled  to  attend 
school  for  only  about  three  or  four  months 
in  the  year.  He  was  employed  in  various 
ways  in  Indiana  and  Illinois  until  1874, 
when  he  came  to  Kansas  and  worked  at 
farm  labor  in  Reno  comity.  He  sIk  t  a 
bufifalo  on  the  Ninnescah  ri\-er  July  4th  of 
that  year,  in  company  with  'Si.  C.  Bus- 
singer  and  Silas  Maples.  The  grasshoppers 
were  so  thick  that  year  they  destroyed 
every  particle  of  vegetation.  They  even  ate 
holes  in  Mr.  Livingston's  shoes  when  he  hid 
them'  under  fodder.  The  destruction  caused 
by  those  insects  made  all  farm  work  un- 
necessary and  as  he  could  not  obtain  em- 
ployment Mr.  Livingston  started  to  return 
tO'  the  east.  Accompanied  by  his  brother, 
who  was  ill,  he  made  his  way  to  the  eastern 
part  of  the  state  and  by  that  time  his  sup- 
ply of  money  was  exhausted.  After  a  great 
deal  of  persuasion  he  obtained  permission  to 
sleep  at  night  in  a  barn  and  was  cutting- 
wood  the  next  morning  when  the  members 
of  the  household  arose.  This  display  of 
industry  caused  the  owner  of  the  place  to 
give  him  some  corn  to  cut  and  he  worked 
so  hard  that  the  farmer  recommended  him 
to  a  man  in  St.  Joseph,  who  also  employed 
him,  but  he  remained  in  that  ser\-ice  only 
a  short  time  as  he  received  but  fifteen  dol- 
lars per  month.  After  a  month  spent  in 
working-  in  a  livery  barn  he  secured  a  po- 
sition in  the  lumber  yard  of  the  Dougherty 
&  Ray  Company  and  was  soon  promoted  liy 
them.  When  they  established  their  whole- 
sale business  he  was  given  charge  of  the 
mien,  and  out  of  business  hours  he  did  other 
work,  putting  in  about  sixteen  or  seventeen 
hours  each  day.  He  also  lived  very  econom- 
ically at  that  time  and  thus  through  his  in- 
dustry and  economy  was  enabled  to  enter 
upon  an  independent  business  career.  He 
spent  three  years  with  the  Dougherty 
&     Ray      Company,    and    then    resigning 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


403 


liis  position  came  to  Kingman  in  the  fall  of 
1878.  Here  he  estaWished  the  first  store 
in  which  a  line  of  dry  goods,  clothing  and 
boots  and  shoes  were  carried.  He  erected 
a  two-story  frame  building  on  the  sovith 
side,  shipping  the  lumber,  which  was  pur- 
chased from  his  old  tirm,  from  St.  Joseph 
to  Hutchinson  by  rail  and  from  the  latter 
place  hauling  it  across  the  country  to  King- 
man, as  there  was  no  railroad  here  at  that 
time.  Later  he  disposed  of  his  store  and 
entered  the  cattle  business,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued until  1881.  when  he  established  his 
furniture  store,  also  at  that  time  hauling 
all  his  goods  from  Hutchinson.  He  erected 
another  store  building,  in  which  he  placed 
a  line  of  undertaking  goods.  His  new  en- 
terprise was  situated  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river.  Both  buildings  are  still  stand- 
ing, although  they  have  been  moved  from 
the  orig-inal  site.  He  now  occupies  with  his 
furniture  stock  a  large  building  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  by  tw'enty-five  feet,  while 
carpets  aiid  caskets  are  kept  in  an  adjoining 
store  room,  twenty-five  by  thirty  feet.  He 
owns  his  own  hearse  and  practically  con- 
trols all  the  undertaking  business  of  the 
town.  He  is  a  good  embalmer,  a  graduate 
of  several  undertaking  schools.  He  carried 
a  very  large  and  well  selected  stock  of  fur- 
niture, including  high-class  goods  as  well 
as  that  which  sells  more  reasonably  and  is 
doing-  a  constantly  increasing  business  in 
that  line.  He  has  also  put  in  a  stock  of 
musical  instruments  and  music  and  is  re- 
ceiving a  liberal  patronage  in  that  depart- 
ment of  the  store.  In  August,  1901,  the 
business  was'  incorporated  under  the  name 
of  the  Livingston  Furniture  Company  with 
our  subject  as  president  and  his  son,  Harry 
E.  Livingstoji,  as  secretary.  They  carry  a 
stock  valued  at  froml  eight  to  ten  thousand 
dollars  and  are  continually  bringing  in 
new  g(~iods.  Their  trade  policy  is  one  which 
commeufls  them  to  the  confidence  and  good 
will  of  the  jniblic  and  has  been  a  strong  ele- 
ment in  their  success.  ]\Ir.  Livingston, 
since  his  arri\al  in  Kingman,  has  been  an 
important  factor  in  the  progress,  upbuild- 
ing and  enterprise  of  the  town.  He  was 
one  of  the  three  men  who  erectetl  the  opera 


house  and  the  Brunswick  hotel,  the  largest 
building  in  the  city,  and  with  many  move- 
ments he  has  co-operated  when  the  general 
good  could  be  advanced  thereby. 

In  1877,  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  Mr. 
Livingston  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Alice  M.  Reynolds,  and  untO'  them  were 
born  three  children,  two  oi  whom  are  liv- 
ing,— Harry  E.  and  Ettie  F.,  both  of  whom 
are  associated  with  their  father  in  busi- 
ness, the  daughter  largely  having  charge  of 
the  music  department.  She  is  very  profi- 
cient in  music  and  is  thus  well  qualified  for 
the  business  cares  which  she  has  assumed. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Livingston  is 
an  earnest  Republican.  He  served  as  town- 
ship clerk  in  an  early  day  when  his  town- 
ship embraced  about  one-half  of  the  county. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
on  several  occasions,  but  has  always  re- 
fused to  accept  other  office.  He  was  one 
of  the  members  of  the  first  band  ever  or- 
ganized in  the  coimty,  belongs  to  the  Mod- 
ern Wbodmen  of  America,  the  Knights  of 
Pjthias  fraternity,  the  Knights  and  Ladies 
of  Security,  the  Ancient  Order  of  L^nited 
Worknuen  and  the  Indepemlent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  in  the  last  two  has  filled 
all  of  the  oftices.  He  al^.  belongs  to  the 
Methodist  church  and  ;ii(lc<l  ,i;cncrnusly  in 
the  erection  of  the  house  nf  wnrship.  He 
is  a  public-spirited  man,  imbued  with  the 
progressive  spirit  of  the  west,  and  his  labors 
and  energies  have  not  only  made  him  a 
successful  business  man,  but  have  advanced 
the  general  welfare.  His  success  in  life 
has  been  achieved  entirely  through  his  own 
efforts,  and  from  a  very  humble  financial 
position  he  has  worked  his  way  upward  to 
a  place  prominent  among  the  substantial 
residents  of  Kingman. 


CHARLES  W.  SAMPLE. 

Almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  has 
passed  since  Charles  W.  Samjile  came  to 
Kingman  county.  He  was  one  nf  the  early 
settlers  to  locate  in  White  towtishi])  and  has 
therefore  been  a  witness  of  almost  the  en- 


404 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


tire  growth  and  development  of  the  country 
as  it  has  emerged  from  a  wild,  uncultivated 
plain  to  a  tract  of  rich  fertility,  dotted  here 
and  there  with  substantial  homes,  school- 
houses,  churches  and  business  industries. 
On  the  26th  of  February,  1879,  he  located 
a  claim  and  since  that  time  has  been  an 
active  factor  in  the  development  and  up- 
building of  the  county  along  many  lines. 

Mr.  Sample  is  a  native  of  Switzerland 
county,  Indiana,  his  birth  having  there  oc- 
curred on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  river,  Oc- 
tober 29,  185 1.  His  father,  George  W. 
Sample,  was  born  in  the  same  county,  while 
his  grandfather,  Andrew  Sample,  w-as  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia.  The  former  followed 
farming  throughout  his  life  and  removed 
from  Switzerland  to  Tipton  county,  Indi- 
ana, where  he  continued  to  carry  on  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  was  an  active  and 
consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  church 
and  his  life  was  in  harmjony  with  his  pro- 
fessions. He  was  married  in  the  Hoosier 
state  to  Miss  Adeline  McKay,  and  unto 
them  were  born  nine  children,  of  whom 
three  died  in  infancy.  Our  subject  is  the 
only  member  of  the  family  living  in  central 
Kansas.  He  died  in  1868  and  his  wife, 
long  surviving  him,  passed  away  in  1896, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years. 

Following  a  public  school  curriculum 
Charles  \V.  Sample  continued  his  education 
in  Holbrook's  Normal  School,  in  Lebanon, 
Ohio.  Early  in  life  he  became  familiar  with 
the  work  of  the  farm  and  through  the  sum- 
mer months  he  engaged  in  the  labor  of  the 
held,  while  in  the  winter  season  he  engaged 
in  teaching  school  in  Indiana.  At  length 
he  determined  to-  test  the  advantages  afford- 
ed in  the  Sunflower  state  and  making  his 
way  westward  to  Kingman  county  became 
the  third  settler  in  White  township.  From 
Sterling  he  hauled  the  lumber  to  erect  his 
first  house,  Avhich  was  a  primitive  struc- 
ture, ten  by  twelve  feet,  but  it  served  the 
purpose  through  the  summer  and  in  the  fall 
he  erected  a  substantial  sod  house.  He 
hauled  the  lumber  with  oxen,  which  he  also 
used  in  breaking  prairie  and  the  first  year 
he  got  about  three  acres  broken.  Gradually 
he  improved  the  place  and  within  four  years 


he  had  broken  and  cultivated  seventy-five 
acres  of  land.  During  the  building  of  the 
mill  race  he  was  also  employed  on  its  con- 
struction. He  would  arise  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  walk  nine  miles  and  after 
working  ten  hours,  would  walk  back  to  his 
home,  arriving  there  about  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening.  Money  was  almost  unknown 
in  that  locality,  but  the  men  working  on  the 
mill  race  were  paid  in  cash,  receiving  a  dol- 
lar per  day,  which  was  considered  very  good 
wages  at  that  time.  For  several  years  Mr. 
Sample  found  it  very  difficult  to  get  along, 
but  he  persevered  and  his  determination 
and  energy  at  length  enabled  him  to  tri- 
umph over  difficulties,  and  when  better 
times  came  he  reaped  the  benefit  of  his  per- 
sistence and  labor.  He  gathered  together 
a  herd  of  cattle  and  continued  in  the  cattle 
business  until  1886,  when  he  removed  to 
Kingman,  in  the  spring.  For  two  years 
previously  he  had  been  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  the  coimty  seat.  In  1884  he  began 
dealing  in  real  estate  there  and  that  work 
has  since  occupied  at  least  part  of  his  at- 
tention. He  liandles  property  on  commis- 
sion mostly,  but  has  sold  a  number  of  farms 
on  his  own  account.  He  continued  to  own 
the  old  claim  until  1901  when  he  disposed 
of  it  advantageous!}'.  He  is  a  most  hon- 
orable and  conscientious  business  man  and 
makes  it  a  point  always  to  represent  land 
fairly  so  that  the  purchaser  will  understand 
exactly  what  he  is  buying.  He  perhaps  has 
not  made  as  many  sales  in  this  way  as  he 
would  otherwise  have  done,  but  he  retains 
the  friendship  and  confidence  of  his  patrons 
— and  a  good  name  is  rather  to  be  chosen 
thaa  great  riches.  He  also  makes  loans  for 
the  Warren  Mortgage  Company,  of  Em- 
poria. In  1887  he  again  began  dealing  in 
cattle,  raising  short  horns,  of  which  he 
keeps  on  hand  from)  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five to  two  hundred  head. 

Mr.  Sample  has  been' twice  married.  In 
Indiana  he  wedded  Laura  D.  Wooldridgc, 
and  they  had  two  children:  Orlando  L., 
who  is  now  a  minister  of  the  Methodist 
denomination,  and  Willard  S..  who  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Western  Dental  College 
and    is    now    doing  a  good  business  here. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


405 


After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Sample 
was  again  married  in  1885,  his  second 
union  being  with  Clova  C.  Moore,  a  daugh- 
ter ui  J.  U.  Moore,  a  farmer  of  Kingman 
county.  Tiiey  ha\e  two  children,  Walton 
C.  and  Hazel  F. 

Mr.  Sample  is  a  very  prominent  and 
active  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge 
at  Kingman,  also  belongs  to  the  encamp- 
ment and  order  of  Rebekahs,  and  for  the 
past  ten  years  has  represented  the  local 
lodge  in  the  grand  lodge.  He  likewise  has 
membership  relations  with  the  Ancient  Or- 
der of  United  Workmen  and  the  Modern 
^^"o(:!dmen  of  America.  Of  the  Methodist 
church  he  is  an  earnest  and  faithful  mem- 
ber. He  is  chairman  of  the  board  of  tras- 
tees.  and  lias  served  as  class  leader,  stew- 
ard and  treasurer  of  the  church,  and  was  a 
generi  ms  c>  ntributor  toward  the  erection  of 
the  h(aise  df  worsliip.  Christian  principles 
permeate  his  life,  and  throughout  the  years 
of  his  residence  in  Kansas  he  has  ever  com- 
manded the  respect  and  good  will  of  his 
fellow  men. 


WILLIAM  V.  HEATH. 

A  farm  neat  and  thrifty  in  appearance, 
with  all  modern  accessories  and  convenien- 
ces, constitutes  a  portion  of  section  12,  Gar- 
field township,  and  is  the  property  of  the 
gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  re- 
view and  who  has  been  a  resident  of  Ells- 
worth county  since  1878.  Mr.  Heath  was 
born  in  Kenton  county,  Kentucky,  June  15, 
1863.  His  father,  William  Heath,  was  a 
native  of  Maryland  and  when  a  young  man 
became  connected  with  steamboating.  bui: 
when  that  method  of  travel  was  sujjerseded 
by  the  railroad  he  entered  the  railway  ser- 
vice. At  one  time  he  was  employed  in  Ohio 
bv  A.  J.  Warner,  and  in  1878  he  came  to 
Kansas,  purchasing  land  eight  miles  west 
of  Salina,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  for 
a  year.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period 
he  came  to  Ellsworth  county,  where  he  se- 
cured a  quarter-section  of  land,  upon  which 
our  subject  now  resides.     Soon  he  became 


connected  with  the  Union  Pacific  railroad 
service  as  bridge  foreman,  and  occupied  that 
position  for  nine  years,  after  which  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  Railroad,  in  a  similar  position,  be- 
ing noiwi  on  their  new  line  which  is  being 
builded  through  to  Texas.  His  many  years 
of  railroad  work  have  gained  him  an  excel- 
lent reputation  in  his  department,  and  he  is 
one  of  the  most  trusted  and  reliable  employes 
of  the  company.  William  Heath  was  mar- 
ried, in  Kentucky,  to  Miss  Eliza  Walsh,  and 
unto  them  were  born  five  children,  namely : 
William  V. ;  Mary,  now  the  wife  of  Andy 
McCluggage.  a  farmer  residing-  in  Carneiro 
township,  Ellsworth  county;  Thonms,  whj' 
is  purchasing  agent  for  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company;  Ed- 
ward, who  is  teaching  school  at  Clifton, 
where  he  occupies  the  position  of  principal; 
and  Augiistus,  who  is  with  his  fatlier.  The 
parents  now  reside  at  Herrington. 

William  V.  Heath,  whose  name  forms 
the  caption  of  this  review,  pursued  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Kentucky  and 
Ohio,  and  in  early  life  became  identified 
with  agricultural  pursuits,  to  which  he  has 
given  his  attention  throughout  his  entire  ca- 
reer. He  followed  farming  until  his  re- 
moval to  Kansas,  in  1878.  With  his  father 
he  improved  the  farm  upon  which  he  vet  re- 
sides, for  when-  they  took  up  their  abode  here 
the  land  was  in  its  primitive  condition, 
not  a  furrow  had  been  turned  or  a  build- 
ing erected.  He  broke  the  land,  built  a  res- 
idence, barns  and  shops,  and  has  now  one  of 
the  finest  farms  in  this  portion  of  Kansas. 
His  v.-ork  has  been  carried  on  along  practical 
lines,  and  his  progressive  spirit  and  enter- 
prise have  enabled  him  to  overcome  all  diffi- 
culties and  to  work  his  way  upward  to  suc- 
cess. As  the  years  have  passed  and  in  finan- 
cial resiources  have  increased  he  has  added 
to  the  boundaries  of  his  fann  until  he  has 
nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  home 
ranch,  of  which  three  hundred  acres  are 
under  cultivation,  being  devoted,  to  the  pro- 
duction of  wheat  and  corn.  He  also  raises 
cattle  on  an  extensive  scale,  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  short-horns,  which  he  sells  to  feed- 
ers. He  owns  some  thorough-bred  bulls  and 


406 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


gradecl  stock,  and  has  an  average  of  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  head'  upon  his  place. 
On  tlie  /th  of  January,  1894.  Mr.  Heath 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Katie  Miller, 
a  daughter  of  Amandus  Miller,  of  Carneiro 
township.  Three  children  graced  their 
union. — Bessie,  Florence  and  Hazel. — and 
they  also  have  an  adopted  son,  Samuel.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Heath  is  independent, 
preferring  to  support  the  men  whom'  he 
thinks  best  qualified  for  office  without  re- 
gard to  party  afifiliatio'ns.  He  served  as 
clerk  of  the  school  board,  but  has  never  been 
an  office  seeker,  preferring  to  devote  his 
time  and  attention  to  his  business  aiTairs,  in 
which  he  has  met  with  signal  success.  He 
is  a  communicant  of  the  Catholic  church, 
holding  membership  in  the  church  in  Ells- 
worth. 


JOHN  A.  CRAGUN. 

Tliere  is  no  man  who  has  left  the  impress 
of  his  individuality  more  indelibly  upon  the 
pages  of  the  history  of  Kingman  county  than 
has  John  A.  Cragun,  'who  has  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  material,  intellectual, 
social  and  moral  development  of  the  county, 
and  who  throughout  the  years  of  his  resi- 
dence here  has  so  lived  as  to  make  his  ex- 
ample well  worthy  oi  emulation.  He  ar- 
rived in  this  county  in  1878,  when  there 
were  but  three  houses  in  what  is  now  the 
flourishing  city  of  Kingman,  arid  has 
therefoTe  witnessed  the  entire  development 
Oif  the  place,  contributing  to  its  advancement 
through  his  business  interests  and  through 
his  co-operation  with  many  movements  for 
the  general  good. 

Mr.  Cragun  was  born  in  Kokomo,  Indi- 
ana, August  2,  1858.  His  father,  John  R. 
Cragun,  was  a  wagonmaker,  merchant  and 
farmer.  He  was  born  in  Kentucky  but  re- 
moved to  Indiana  at  an  early  day  in  its  de- 
velopment. The  family  is  of  Irish  lineage. 
His  father,  Joshua  Cragini  was  one  of  twins, 
and  with  four  of  his  brothers  he  cam-e  to 
America.  His  brother  John  served  in  the 
war  of  1812  and  his  brother  Isaac  removed 


to  Xauvoo,  Illinois,  where  he  liecame  one  of 
the  apostles  in  the  Mormon  church. 

John  R.  Cragun  was  married  after  his 
removal  to  Indiana,  the  lady  of  his  choice  be- 
ing Miss  Ellen  Slider.  They  became  the 
parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  John  A. 
of  this  review  and  Elmer  are  residents  of 
Kansas.  The  father  is  one  of  the  six  old- 
est residents  of  Kokomo,  Indiana,  where  he 
is  now  living  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine 
years.  His  wife  is  also  living.  They  have 
long  been  earnest  and  faithful  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which 
they  have  taken  an  active  part,  and  Mr. 
Cragun  has  held  a  number  of  oftices  in  the 
church.  In  politics  he  has  been  an  ardent 
Republican  since  the  formation  of  the  party 
and  aided  in  defending  Indiana  at  the  time 
of  the  Morgan  raid  through  that  state  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war. 

John  A.  Cragun,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  the  second  child  in  his 
fathers  family.  He  pursued  his  education 
in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  Kokomo, 
Indiana  and  in  DePauw  University,  at 
Greencastle,  Indiana,  pursuing  a  classical 
cour>e  ill  the  latter  institution.  He  studied 
with  the  idea  of  entering  the  legal  profession 
and  has  always  read  law  to  some  extent, 
his  knowledge  of  the  science  proving  of  ben- 
efit to  him  in  his  business  career.  In  1878 
he  arrived  in  Kingman  county  and  took  up 
a  claim  in  White  township.  He  at  first  set 
up  a  small  tent,  surrounded  by  dirt,  but  as 
soon  as  possible  hauled  stone  with  which  to 
build  a  house  ten  by  twelve  feet.  It  was  one 
of  the  first  stone  houses  in  the  county.  He 
liroke  his  ground  with  oxen  and  gradually 
placed  his  land  under  cultivation,  developing 
an  excellent  farm.  In  tlie  \\inter  he  engaged 
in  teaching  school  in  Kingman  and  thus  gave 
an  early  impetus  to  the  intellectual  de\'el- 
opment  of  the  county. 

As  the  city  and  county  began  to  grow  he 
assisted  in  the  work  of  the  courthouse,  act- 
ing as  deputy  clerk  of  the  district  court  and 
as  deputy  register  of  deeds.  Seeing  the  need 
which  the  future  would  develop  for  a  set 
of  abstract  books,  he  began  their  compila- 
tion and  has  from  that  nucleus  developed'  an 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


important  business  which  is  now  conducted 
under  tlie  name  of  tlie  Cragun  Abstract  Com- 
jiany,  of  which  he  is  the  president.  In  1880 
he  was  elected  register  of  deeds.  He  was 
nominated  by  the  Repubhcan  party  and  the 
contest  was  a  heated  one,  but  he  gained  a 
majority  f>f  fifty-nine  votes;  and  in  1882  he 
was  renmninated  and  at  the  election  received 
the  largest  majority  ever  given  a  candidate 
lia\ing  an  opponent — eleven  hundred  votes. 
'Twas  a  splendid  tribute  to  his  fidelity  and 
capability  during  his  first  term.  For  ten 
3-ears  he  served  on  the  city  council  and  there 
gave  his  influence  and  support  to  every  mea- 
sure which  he  believed  would  prove  of  bene- 
fit to  the  city  looking  beyond  the  exigencies 
of  the  present  to^  the  future  and  considering 
not  only  the  possibilities  of  the  present  but 
those  to  come.  His  service  as  city  clerk 
covered  six  years.  He  has  attended  the 
county  judicial  and  state  conventions  as  a 
<lelegate  and  for  seven  years  he  has:  been 
president  of  the  school  board,  the  cause  oi 
education  finding  in  him'  a  warm  friend 
whose  labors  have  been  of  practical  baiefit. 
He  has  left  every  office  as  he  has  entered  it — 
with  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  pub- 
lic, and  his  official  record  is  one  against 
which  a  word  of  detraction  could  not  justly 
be  spoken  by  the  most  malevolent. 

^^'ith  many  of  the  financial  interests  of 
tlie  county  ]\Ir.  Cragun  has  been  identified, 
having  ser\-ed  four  years  as  cashier  of  the 
Kingman  National  Bank,  of  which  he  was 
'  lie  of  the  organizers,  while  of  the  Fair  As- 
M'ciation  of  the  county  he  is  one  of  the 
stockholders.  He  erected  two  of  the  brick 
business  blocks  of  the  city  and  several  resi- 
dences in  addition  to  his  own  home.  In 
1 89 1  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  real  estate 
and  abstact  business  and  handles  large  cjuan- 
tities  (if  ])ni])erty  for  non-residents.  He  also 
makt'■^  li  alls  and  has  ])cen  so  active  in  the 
]>iisiness  life  (if  Kinginan  county  that  his 
name  is  interwoven  with  a  majority  of  its 
leading  departments  of  industry.  He  also 
represents  a  number  of  fire  insurance  com- 
])anies.  including  the  St.  Paul's  Fire  and 
jMarine.  Delaware,  Hartford,  Shawnee, 
Provident  Mutual.  Manchester  and  the  \\'in- 
chester  of  Xew  York  city. 


In  1879  Mr.  Cragun  married  Miss  Rosa 
P).  Branam.an,  a  daughter  of  James  Brana- 
man,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  county 
and  they  now  have  one  child,  J.  Beach.  So- 
cially Mr.  Cragun  is  connected  with  Chi- 
kaskia  Lodge,  No.  100,  K.  P.  and  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen,  in  both  of 
which  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs,  and  he 
likewise  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen, 
Camp  No.  86,  and  the  Knights  and 'Ladies 
of  Security.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi 
Gamma  Delta  Society  and  has  been  a  dele- 
gate to  its  state  conventions.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  and  charter  memibers  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Kingman 
and  aided  largely  in  the  erection  of  its  first 
house  of  worship.  He  has  held  all  the  lay 
offices  in  the  church  and  served  for  seven 
years  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  In  1886  he  was  a  manber  of  the 
building  committee  which  erected  the  present 
edifice,  the  only  brick  church  in  the  city,  and 
was  the  most  liberal  contributor  thereto. 
Honored  and  respected  by  all  there  is  no  man 
in  the  communit}-  that  more  justly  deserves 
the  regard  nf  his  fellow  townsmen.  In 
whatever  pi  isitinn  he  has  been  placed  whether 
as  an  officer  nf  church,  of  fraternal  organi- 
zation or  of  the  city  or  in  the  walks  of  pri- 
vate life  he  has  commanded  the  esteem  of 
those  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact, 
and  with  pleasure  we  present  his  life  record 
to  onr  readers. 


ALBERT  W.   COLLINGS. 

One  of  the  successful  and  well  known 
citizens  of  Reno  county,  Kansas,  who  has 
prospered  since  his  location  in  this  state  is 
Albert  \Y.  Collings,  a  reliable  contractor  and 
builder,  who  also  owns  a  fine  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  is  located 
within  line  mile  of  Langdon. 

The  birth  of  Mir.  Collings  was  in  Jackson 
county,  Indiana,  on  November  8,  1855.  His 
grandfather  was  Thomas  Collings,  who  was 
born  in'  Kentucky  and  'became  a  pioneer  set- 
tler of  Indiana  when  there  were  no  railroads 
in  that  part  of  the  state,  the  journey  to  the 


4o8 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


nearest  mill  entailing  a  ride  of  sixty  miles 
on  horseback.  He  became  a  famous  hunter 
and  Indian  fighter,  reared  a  family  of  three 
sons  and  three  daughters,  and  finally  died 
there  at  an  advanced  age.  The  maternal 
grandfather  was  Zephaniah  Jackson,  and  his 
native  state  was  Kentucky.  He  also  re- 
moved to  Indiana,  and  lived  there  until  he 
was  one  hundred  and  four  years  old. 

The  parents  of  onr  subject  were  Isaac 
and  Mary  Jane  (Hancock)  Collings,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  1835,  on  his 
father's  large  estate,  consisting  of  six  hun- 
dred acres,  in  Indiana.  The  latter  was  a 
daughter  of  Taylor  and  Catherine  (Jack- 
son) Hancock,  and  she  was  born  in  Clark 
county,  Indiana,  in  1835.  Her  parents  were 
also  pioneers  in  Indiana  from  Kentucky,  and 
they  reared  three  daughters  and  five  sons. 
The  family  was  noted  for  its  robustness  and 
longevity,  all  of  these  children  living  to  rear 
large  families,  the  mother  of  our  subject  be- 
ing the  eldest.  Her'  father  took  part  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  and  was  known  well  in 
the  early  settlement  of  Indiana.  A  family  of 
eight  children  were  born  to  the  parents  of 
Albert  W.  Collings,  of  this  sketch,  and  he 
was  the  eldest,  the  other  surviving  members 
are  as  follows :  Louisa,  who  is  the  widow 
of  William  Ralston  and  lives  in  Langdon; 
Isabelle,  who  is  the  widow  of  Ezra  Johnson 
and  lives  in  Sylvia,  Kansas ;  Emma,  who  is 
the  wife  of  John  Sallee  and  lives  on  a  farm 
near  Hutchinson,  Kansas;  and  Isaac  Wes- 
ley, who  resides  in  Seattle,  Washington,  and 
has  a  wife  and  one  son.  Isaac  Collings  is  a 
remarkable  specimen  of  physical  develop- 
ment, being  six  feet  and  one  inch  in  height 
and  weighing  two  hundred  and  forty 
pounds,  and  he  is  an  athlete  widely  known 
for  his  feats'  of  strength. 

Albert  W.  Collings,  our  subject,  was 
reared  in  Tipton  county,  Indiana,  and  there 
attended  the  district  schools,  growing  to 
manhood  on  the  farm.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
years,  on  January  13,  1875,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Sturgean,  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  county  and  a  daughter  of 
Ewing  and  Fanny  (Hancock)  Sturgean, 
and  these  children  were  born  to  this  mar- 
riage:    Marv  Frances,  who  died  of  mem- 


branous croup,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years ; 
Charles,  who  is  associated  with  his  father 
in  business;  George,  who  is  a  manly  youth 
oif  thirteen  years;  Forest,  who  has  reached 
the  age  of  five  years;  and  Lulu,  Avho  is  the 
baby  of  one  year. 

On  November  8,  1877,  Mr.  Collings 
reached  Kansas,  with  the  intention  of  mak- 
ing this  state  his  future  home.  He  took 
a  one-quarter  section  homestead,  located 
two  miles  south  of  La'ngdon,  and  resided 
there  for  a  period  of  twelve  years,  engaging 
in  general  farming.  After  disposing  of  this 
property  he  came  to  Langdon,  and  followed 
the  blacksmith  trade  for  five  years,  but  since 
that  time  has  been  busily  employed  in  con- 
tracting and  carpenter  work,  although  he 
owns  a  fine  farm  one  mile  north  of  Lang- 
don, comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  which  he  rents  for  pasturage.  The 
farm  is  the  family  home,  although  Mr.  Col- 
lings also  owns  a  very  nice  residence  in  the 
village  and  a  store  building,  both  of  which 
he  rents  to  tenants.  In  his  political  views 
he  has  always  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  his  services  have 
been  acknowledged  by  it,  as  for  two  years 
he  was  the  very  efficient  postmaster  of  this 
town.  In  the  county  he  is  held  in  esteem  and 
he  has  demonstrated  that  what  the  state  of 
Kansas  needs  is  a  class  of  settlers  like  him- 
self, who  through  industry,  public-spirit  and 
progresisive  methods  can  place  the  common- 
wealth in  the  very  front  rank  among  the 
great  sisterhood  of  states. 


C.  A.  DEAN. 


Mr.  C.  A.  Dean  is  a  self-made  man,  who 
without  an  extraordinary  family  or  pecun- 
iary advantages  at  the  commencement  of 
life,  has  battled  earnestly  and  energetically, 
and  by  indomitable  courage  and  integrit)* 
has  achieved  both  character  and  fortune.  By 
sheer  force  of  will  and  untiring  eft'ort  he  has 
worked  his  way  upward.  He  is  now  man- 
ager of  the  mercantile  firm  carrying  on  busi- 
ness under  the  style  of  M.  A.  Webb  &  Com- 
pany in  Lyons,  Kansas.     Theirs  is  the  lead- 


yC^y'f^-t.^t:^^^. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ing  general  mercantile  house  in -Rice  county 
and  the  firm  is  one  of  the  most  prominent 
in  business  circles  in  central  Kansas,  where 
for  fourteen  years  Mr.  Dean  has  made  his 
home,  having  come  to  Rice  county  in  1887. 

A  native  of  the  Buckeye  state,  he  was 
born  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  in  1848,  and 
is  a  representative  of  a  sturd}-  race  of  Scotch- 
Irish  people  noted  through  many  genera- 
tions for  their  good  business  ability  and  hon- 
esty. Allen  Dean,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
-was  born  and  reared  in  Ohio  and  was  a  son 
of  John  Dean.  After  arriving  at  years  of 
maturity  Allen  Dean  was  united  in  marriage 
in  his  native  state  to  Miss  Maria  Webb,  who 
was  to  him  a  faithful  companion  and  help- 
meet on  the  journey  of  life  for  many  years. 
She,  too,  was  born  in  Ohio.  Some  years 
after  their  marriage  the  Deans  removed  to 
Taylorville,  Christian  county,  Illinois.  They 
became  the  parents  of  six  children,  four  sons 
and  two   daughters. 

C.  A.  Dean,  whose  name  introduces  this 
record,  was  a  little  lad  at  the  time  of  the  re- 
moval to  the  Prairie  state.  He  attended  its 
public  schools  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years 
entered  upon  his  business  career  in  the  capa- 
city of  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store.  He  was 
thus  employed  for  several  years,  on  the  expi- 
ration of  which  period  he  came  to  Kansas, 
settling  at  Burton,  on  the  Santa  Fe  railroad, 
wliere  for  fifteen  years  he  was  engaged  in 
the  general  merchandise  business.  On  the 
expiration  oi  that  period  he  came  to  Lyons, 
in  1887,  and  his  business  connection  with 
this  city  began  as  an  officer  in  the  Ex- 
change Bank  where  he  remained  as  cash- 
ier for  fo'ur  years.  He  then  became  con- 
nected with  the  firm  of  Lantz,  Marshall 
&  Company  and  later  with  Dean  & 
\\'ebb.  This  enterprise  has  proved  of  great 
^•alue  to  the  community  by  promoting 
commercial  activity  and  has  returned  an 
excellent  income  to  the  stockholders.  The 
business  occupies  two  large  store-rooms,  hav- 
ing fifty  feet  front  and  a  depth  of  one  hund- 
dred  and  thirty  feet.  A  large  line  of  general 
merchandise,  valued  at  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars, is  carried  and  includes  dry  goods,  boots 
and  shoes,  and  clothing.  Their  stock  is  very 
complete  in  all  of  its  departments,  contain- 


ing goods  reaching  from  low  to  high  prices 
and  thus  being  such  as  is  demanded  by  gen- 
eral trade.  Operations  are  carried  on  along 
lines  of  strict  honesty,  the  business  policy  of 
the  firm  being  such  that  commends  itself  to 
all  and  wins  a  large  patronage.. 

Mr.  Dean  was  united  in  marriage  in 
Macon,  Illinois,  to  Jennie  Seamans,  a  lady 
of  education  and  good  family.  Her  father, 
James  Seamans,  is  now  deceased.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dean  have  one  child,  Nira,  now  the 
wife  of  R.  H.  Benedict,  of  St.  Joseph,  Mis- 
souri. The  parents  hold  membership  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  are  deep- 
ly interested  in  every  thing  pertaining  to  the 
welfare  and  progress  of  the  community.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Dean  is  a  Republican 
and  his  fellow  townsmen  have  manifested 
their  confidence  in  him  by  electing  him  city 
treasurer  for  two  temis.  He  is  an  exemp- 
lary representative  of  the  Masonic  lodge  and 
the  Knights  oi  Pythias  fraternity  and  in  his 
life  closely  follows  its  teachings  concerning 
the  brotherhood  of  mankind,  mutual  forbear- 
ance and  mutual  helpfulness.  As  a  busi- 
ness man  he  is  energetic,  prompt  and  notably 
reliable  and  he  has  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  all  who  know  him. 


WILLIAM  R.  TEDRICK. 

Nowhere  more  clearly  and  forciblv  thair 
in  Kansas  has  the  idea  been  inculcated  that 
pluck,  energy^,  perseverance  and  good  busi- 
ness ability  will  win  success  in  spite  of  many 
obstacles  and  discouragements.  This 
thought  is  suggested  by  a  consideration  of 
the  career  of  William  R.  Tedrick,  dealer  in 
flour  and  feed  at  No.  320  North  Main  street, 
Hutchinson,  Reno  county,  .Kansas,  who  is 
one  of  the  progressive  business  men  of  that 
city,  where  he  has  an  exceedingly  homelike 
residence  at  No.  210  First  avenue,  east.  Mr. 
Tedrick  is  a  native  of  Ohio  and  was  bom 
near  Winchester,  Guernsey  county,  in  1856, 
a  son  of  :\lichael  and  Margaret  (Turkic) 
Tedrick,  who  were  married  in  Winchester  in 
1855.  Michael  Tedrick  was  born  near  \\"m- 
chester   in    1834    and    was    a    grandson    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Michael  Tedrick,  a  native  of  the  state  of 
New  Jersey,  who  traced  his  I^nghsh  ances- 
try to  the  old  home  of  the  family  on  the  isle 
of  Jersey.  Margaret  Turkle  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Turkle,  of  Guernsey  county, 
who  was  of  Scotch  descent. 

Michael  Tedrick,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  the  owner  of  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Guernsey 
county,  Ohio,  and  gave  his  attention  to  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising  and  eventu- 
ally did  a  large  business  as  a  fruit-grower 
and  nurseryman.  In  1879  he  sold  his  farm 
in  Ohio  and  removed  to  Reno  county,  but 
after  farming  here  for  several  years  he  went 
to  Oklahoma  Territory  where,  hale  and 
hearty  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  he  is 
a  successful  farmer.  His  good  wife,  who 
has  been  spared  to  him  during  all  of  these 
years,  is  of  the  same  age  as.  her  husband. 
Mr.  Tedrick  is  of  excellent  judgment,  is  re- 
garded highly  for  his  many  good  qualities 
and  his  advice  is  sought  in  many  important 
matters.  Originally  a  Whig,  he  became  a 
Republican  at  the  organization  of  that  party 
and  has  cast  his  influence  with  it  since  then. 
He  and  his  wife  are  earnest  workers  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he  has 
held  every  important  office.  They  have  had 
born  to  them  six  children,  four  of  whom  sur- 
vive: G.  M.,  formerly  a  teacher  but  now  a 
farmer  in  Kansas;  H.  P.,  a  retail  dealer  in 
flour  and  feed  at  No.  608  South  Main  street, 
Hutchinson:  and  C.  E.,  principal  of  the 
North  school,  one  of  the  large  public  schools 
of  Hutchinson. 

William  R.  Tedrick  spent  his  youth  and 
early  manhood  on  his  father's  farm  in  Ohio, 
and  received  a  practical  education  in  the 
public  schools  near  his  home.  In  1878,  when 
he  was  about  twenty-two  yearsi  old,  he  went 
to  Kansas  and-  engaged  in  school  teaching 
at  Kent,  six  miles  east  of  Hutchinson.  He 
taught  one  term  of  school  at  Kent  and  after- 
ward two  other  terms  at  other  points  in  the 
•county,  and  then  went  to  Hutchinson,  where 
"he  taught  m  the  public  schools  under  Su- 
perintendent Wynans.  Afterwards  he  taught 
in  Burrton,  Harvey  county,  for  five  years, 
then  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Ly- 
ons.  Rice  county.     In   1890,  after  a  three 


years'  business  career  at  Lyons,  he  returned 
tO'  Hutchinson,  where  for  about  two  years 
he  was  employed  by  the  Hutchinson  Whole- 
sale Grocery  Company.  After  several  years 
spent  in  the  employ  of  different  firms  he  ac- 
quired the  proprietorship  of  the  Royal  Bak- 
ery, at  Hutchinson,  which  he  retained  for 
two  years,  building  up  an  excellent  trade  and 
which  he  sold  in  February,  1901,  to  engage 
in  the  wholesale  flour  and  feed  trade.  He 
began  his  present  business  in  a  comparatively- 
small  way  and'  with  many  obstacles  to  over- 
come, but  went  about  his  duties  with  a  de- 
gree of  patience,  industry  and  tact  destined 
to  bring  about  good  results  and  soon  ac- 
quired a  satisfactory  trade  which  is  con- 
stantly increasing.  He  deals  specially  in  the 
products  of  the  Halstead  Milling  and'  Ele- 
vat.or  Company  and  handles  three  grades  of 
flour  known  as  "The  Boss,"  "True  Grit'' 
and  "Crystal  Patent"  flours,  their  superior 
quality  commending  them  readily  to  the 
trade.  His  business  in  his  feed  department 
is  constantly  extended  and  he  is  handling 
good  quantities  of  bran,  shorts  and  low 
grade  flour.  In  1901  he  did  much  to  im- 
prove his  residence  property  and  enlarged 
his  house  very  materially. 

In  politics  Mr.  Tedrick,  following  in  his 
father's  footsteps,  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  he  is  not  without  a  recognized  influence 
in  the  local  councils  ol  his  party.  He  is  an 
active  and  helpful  member  of  the  ^Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  has  for  many  years' been 
a  leader  in  Sunday-school  work  and  for  the 
past  six  years  has  been  assistant  superintend- 
ent of  his  Sunday-school.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Woodmen  of  America  and  of  the 
Tontine  society.  In  1884  he  married  Miss 
Nettie  Smith,  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  a 
daughter  of  H.  A.  Smith,  whose  parents 
were  natives  of  Kentucky  and  early  settlers 
in  Indiana.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tedrick  have  a 
sion,  Chester  A.  Tedrick,  who  is  a  pupil  in 
the  Sherman  public  school  at  Hutchinson. 
In  many  ways  Mr.  Tedrick  has  demonstrat- 
ed that  he  takes  a  deep  and  abiding  interest 
in  the  prosperity  of  his  city,  county  and 
state,  and  his  willingness  to  assist  to  the  ex- 
tent of  his  ability  any  movement  having  for 
itsi  object  the  general  good  of  his  fellow  cit- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


izens  marks  him  as  a  man  of  much  public 
spirit.  His  influence  in  church  and  in  secu- 
lar matters  is  always  strong  and  helpful,  and 
he  is  of  that  class  of  men  who^  believes  that 
the  best  way  to  help  his  fellows  is.  to  assist 
them  to  help  themselves  and  that  they  can 
in  no  way  better  insure  their  own  prosperity 
than  by  contributing  to  the  general  pros- 
perity. 


JOHN  E.  LYDECKER. 

One  of  the  best  informed  attorneys  of 
Kingman  county  is  John  E.  Lydecker, 
whose  clientage  is  of  a  distinctively  repre- 
sentative character,  his  ability  winning  him 
the  support  of  many  of  the  leading-  residents 
of  his  district.  He  was  born  in  Elmira, 
New  York,  May  31,  185 1,  and  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  old  and  honored 
families  of  the  Empire  state  of  Holland 
origin,  the  first  of  the  name  in  America 
having  crossed  the  Atlantic  prior  to  1660 
and  settled  at  Nyack,  New  York.  John  Ly- 
decker, the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  at  Nyack  and  when 
water  routes  furnished  the  principal  way  of 
travel  he  conducted  a  line  of  sloops  on  the 
Hudson  river.  Fenton  Lydecker,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  born  and  reared 
in  Nyack  and  there  married  Catherine  E. 
Polhemus,  by  whom  he  had  three  children, 
one  of  whom  died  in  early  life.  For  many 
years  he  was  connected  with  railroad  work, 
having  charge  of  the  shops  of  the  New 
York  &  Erie  railroad,  the  first  road  built 
in  his  part  of  the  state.  About  1857  h^ 
removed  westward  and  for  a  short  time  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  INfcHenry  county, 
in  Illinois.  He  then  again  engaged  in  rail- 
road work,  assisting  in  the  construction  of 
a  road  in  Indiana,  extending  tO'  Logansport, 
Laporte  and  Chicago,  and  upon  the  build- 
ing of  the  shops  in  the  last  named  place  he 
was  placed  in  charge.  He  resided  in  Chi- 
cago until  his  retirement  from  active  busi- 
ness life,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a 
resident  of  New  Jersey. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Chicago  John 
E.   Lytlecker,    of   this    review,   pursued  his 


studies  and  also  attended  the  high  school  in 
Kankakee  in  1872,  studying  with  the  view 
of  taking  up  law  as  his  profession.  He  then 
entered  the  Ann  Arbor  Law  School,  in 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1874.  He  also 
read  law  under  the  personal  supervision  of 
Thomas  M.  Cooley.  Goiing  to  Peoria,  Illi- 
nois, he  there  opened  on  office  and  began 
practice.  In  1877  Mr.  Lydecker  came  to 
Kansas,  securing  a  claim  near  Caldwell 
when  that  section  of  the  state  was  wild  and 
unimproived.  He  at  once  began  its  develop- 
ment and  later  he  went  upon  the  range  in 
the  Indian  Territory  and  Texas.  He 
bought  a  herd  of  cattle  and  herded  in  what 
is  now  Harper  county,  Kansas,  when  there 
was  but  one  other  white  man  who  had  a 
farm  in  the  coimty.  Caldwell  was  his  head- 
quarters, being  the  first  town  on  the  trail 
proceeding  northward  from  Texas.  Dur- 
ing one  winter  he  was  forced  to  remain  in 
Caldwell  on  account  of  an  injury  he  sus- 
tained, and  while  there  he  was  called  upon 
to  go  to  Anthony  just  after  the  town  was 
started  to  take  charge  of  a  lawsuit.  He 
had  tried  to  keep  back  the  knowledge  that 
he  was  an  attorney,  preferring  to  de\'ote  all 
his  attention  to  the  cattle  business  while  en- 
gaged in  it,  but  in  some  way  the  report 
spread  that  he  had  studied  for  the  bar  and 
he  became  widely  known  throughout  that 
country  as  the  "cowboy  lawyer."  He  tried 
some  cases  in  Caldwell  on  behalf  of  friends 
but  he  has  ever  made  it  his  policy  to  engage 
in  only  one  kind  of  business  at  a  time,  and 
herein  lies  one  secret  of  his  success.  At 
length  he  ceased  to  deal  in  range  cattle  and 
turned  his  attention  to  domestic  cattle,  com- 
ing to  Kingman  with  his  cattle  to  get  feed. 
Here  he  ultimately  abandoned  stock-raising 
and  has  since  devoted  his  time  and  energies 
to  the  practice  of  law,  although  he  has  car- 
ried on  a  farm.  However,  his  law  practice 
has  occupied  his  attention  chiefly  and  his 
legal  business  has  assumed  extensive  pro- 
portions. He  tries  only  those  cases  in  which 
he  has  reason  to  believe  in  the  justice  of  his 
client's  cause  and  therefore  he  is  usually 
successful  in  winning  the  verdict  desired. 
He  is  thoroughly  informed  concerning  all 
departments   of  the  legal    science,   and   his 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


forceful  argument,  logical  deductions  and 
skillful  pleadings  never  fail  to  impress 
court  or  jury  and  seldom  fail  to  convince. 

Mr.  Lydecker  is  the  owner  of  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  adjoining  the  city  on 
the  northwest,  and  thereon  he  raises  corn 
exclusively.  When  he  came  into  possession 
of  the  property  only  ten  acres  had  been 
broken.  It  had  been  proved  up  by  Captain 
Sherman,  who  was  formerly  chief  of  police 
in  Chicago  and  who  had  built  a  sod  house, 
but  there  were  no  other  improvements.  Mr. 
Lydecker  has  made  his  home  thereon  con- 
tinuously since  and  now  has  a  very  valuable 
property,  supplied  with  all  modern  conveni- 
ences and  accessories.  He  has  been  inter- 
ested in  the  banking  business  as  a  stock- 
holder and  officer  but  is  now  connected  with 
neither  of  the  banks  of  Kingman  in  an  offi- 
cial capacity,  although  he  owns  stock  in 
one  of  them. 

In  1881,  in  Kankakee,  Illinois,  Mr.  Ly- 
decker was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  F. 
Enos,  a  daughter  of  R.  H.  Enos,  a  prom- 
inent farmer  of  that  locality.  They 
are  .people  of  culture  and  refinement, 
moving  in  the  best  circles  of  society  in  King- 
man, where  intelligence  is  taken  as  the 
standard  of  admission.  Mr.  Lydecker,  with 
one  exception,  has  the  finest  general  library 
in  Kingman.  He  has  always  been  deeply 
interested  in  education  and  is  himself  a  man 
of  scholarly  attainments  and  broad  general 
information.  In  politics  he  has  been  a  stal- 
wart Democrat  since  attaining  his  majority 
and  supported  that  party  here  when  it  had 
Ijut  three  adherents  in  Kingman  county. 
He  is,  however,  a  sound-money  man. 


JAMES  KIRK. 

James  Kirk,  the  efficient  superintendent 
of  the  Western  Salt  Works  and  a  resident 
of  Hutchinson,  was  born  in  Penns3'lvania, 
July  14,  1864.  His  father,  George  Kirk, 
was  a  native  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  He  was  married 
near  his'  native  city,  in  1861,  to  Jane  Copper; 
also  born  in  the  land  of  hills  and  heather,  a 


daughter  of  James  and  Margaret  Copper. 
In  1863  George  Kirk  crossed  the  At- 
lantic to  America,  locating  in  Penn- 
sylvania, where  for  seven  years  he 
was  superintendent  of  a  coal  mine  sit- 
uated near  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  In 
the  fall  of  1870  he  removed  to  Harvey 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  secured  a  claim  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  located  in  Hal- 
stead  township.  He  is  still  residing  there 
and  has  placed  many  improvements  upon  his 
property,  for  which  he  has  refused  an  offer 
of  twelve  thousand  dollars.  He  hasi  erected 
a  fine  residence,  substantial  barns  and  com- 
modious granaries,  has  planted  a  grove  and 
has  an  excellent  orchard  comprising  ten 
acres.  Since  coming  to  Kansas  he  has  fol- 
lowed general  farming  and  stock-raising 
and  success  has  attended  his  efforts.  In  his 
political  views  he  is  a  stalwart  Republican, 
and  fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  while 
both  he  and  his  wife  hold  membership  in  the 
Methodist  church.  In  their  family  were  ten 
children,  as  follows :  William,  who  was 
formerly  a  master  mechanic  in  the  Independ- 
ence mine  and  is  now  a  macliinist  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Denver  Machine  Company  at 
Battle,  W>x»ming;  James,  of  thisi  review; 
Agnes,  the  wife  of  William  Curtis,  a  section 
foreman  located  at  Halstead,  Kansas ;  Jane, 
the  wife  of  Frank  Hamilton,  of  Barton,  this 
state ;  George,  who  died  in  Dighton,  Lane 
county,  Kansas ;  Margaret,  the  wife  of  Sam- 
uel Crouch,  of  Halstead;  Thomas,  an  en- 
gineer at  the  Western  Salt  Works,  at  Hutch- 
inson; Albert,  now  a  student  in  the  Baker 
University,  of  Kansas,  his  home  being  in 
Halstead,  this  state;  Mary,  who  died  in 
childhood  in  Halstead;  and  Charlie,  who 
died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Kirk  of  this  review  was  only  six 
years  oid  when  his  father  removed  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Kansas  and  in  the  public 
schools  of  Halstead  he  obtained  his  educa- 
tion. He  remained  with  his  father  until 
twenty  years  of  age  and  assisted  in  carrying 
on  the  work  of  the  farm.  From  1884  until 
1888  he  was  engineer  of  a  threshing  machine 
through  the  threshing  season  and  in  the  win- 
ter months  acted  as  engineer  in  a  flouring 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


413 


mill  in  Halstead.  During  that  time  he  also 
learned  the  plasterer's  trade.  In  1888  he 
came  to  Hutchinson  and  was  engaged  in 
plastering  for  four  years  when  he  accepted 
the  pi'sition  of  engineer  at  the  Riverside 
Salt  \\'orks,  being  employed  in  that  capac- 
ity for  fourteen  months,  when  he  was  given 
the  position  of  night  foreman  and  acted  in 
that  capacity  for  three  years.  He  then  went 
to  Cripple  Creek,  Colorado,  and  operated 
tlie  hoisting  engine  in  the  Kitty  M.  goW 
mine,  owned  by  the  Anaconda  Mining  Com- 
pany, filling  the  position  for  five  months. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  returned 
to  Hutchinson  and  took  a  position  in  the  ice 
plant  of  Carey,  Puterbaugh  &  Company, 
which  he  held  for  a  short  time,  when  he  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  day  foreman  in  the 
Western  Salt  Works.  He  served  so  faith- 
fully and  efficiently  for  a  year  and  a  half 
that  he  was  made  superintendent  oi  the  en- 
tire works  and  in  that  capacity  has  remained 
continuously  since,  enjoying  the  unqualified 
confidence  of  his  employers.  Through  years 
of  experience  while  serving  in  various  ca- 
pacities in  this  line  of  work  he  gained  a 
minute  and  thorough  knowledge  of  every  de- 
tail rif  the  work,  and  this  knowledge,  com- 
bined with  his  natural  ability  to  direct  and 
superintend,  has  placed  him  in  the  responsi- 
ble position  to  which  he  was  called. 

The  Western  Salt  Works,  of  which  Mr. 
Kirk  ig  superintendent,  were  erected  at  a 
cost  of  about  thirty  thousand  dollars,  and 
the  entire  plant  covers  about  three  acres  of 
ground.  It  is  equipped  with  four  pans,  each 
twenty-five  by  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet, 
with  a  capacity  of  six  hundred  barrels  of  salt 
per  day.  Forty  tons  of  coal  are  daily  co^n- 
sumed  in  the  operation  of  the  works.  The 
product  is  largely  shipped  to  Kansas  City, 
Omaha  and  St.  Joseph.  The  present  com- 
pany lias  expended  about  nineteen  thousand 
dollars  "W  improvements  on  the  plant,  built 
a  new  packing  room,  remodeled  the  building 
and  rebuilt  the  pans.  Mr.  Kirk  has  entire 
supervision  of  the  active  working  of  the 
plant,  and  his  justice  and  consideration  for 
those  who  work  under  him  has  won  him 
their  warm  esteem,  while  the  confidence  of 
the  company  in  his  ability  and  trustworthi- 


ness is  indicated  by  his  retention  in  the  posi- 
tion. 

On  the  26th  of  March,  1887,  in  Hutchin- 
son, occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Kirk  and 
Miss  Rose  Carey,  who  was  born  in  Shelby 
county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Jane  (Bundy)  Carey.  Her  parents  were 
both  natives  of  the  Buckeye  state  and'  in 
early  life  were  connected  with  the  Society 
of  Friends,  while  later  bothjoined  the  Meth- 
odist church.  Mrs.  Carey  died  in  Hutchin- 
son in  1896,  but  her  husband  is  still  living 
here.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kirk  have  been 
born  four  children:  Grace,  born  in  1888; 
Mamie,  who  was  born  in  1890  and  died  in 
1895;  Arthur,  born  in  1892;  and  Harry,  in 
1894.  Mr.  Kirk  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows 
fraternity  and  to  the  Fraternal  Aid.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  entirely  independei-rt,  voting  for 
the  man  whom  he  regards  as  best  qualified 
for  office  without  regard  to  party  affiliation. 
He  has  never  sought  or  desired, political  pre- 
ferment, giving  his  attention  entirely  to-  his 
business  and  his  enterprise,  ambition  and 
honesty  have  enabled  him'  to  advance  to  a 
leading  place  among  the  prominent  young 
business'  men  of  this  portion  of  the  state. 


"     REV.   SIMEON  SWARTZ. 

As  one  of  the  old  and  honored  residents 
of  Kansas,  where  for  many  years  he  devoted 
his  attention  to  the  work  of  the  Divine  ]Mas- 
ter,  in  the  uplifting  of  liis  fellow  men  as  a 
clergyman  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  it  is  certainly  incumbent  that  a  re- 
view of  the  life  of  Mr.  Swartz  be  incorpor- 
ated in  this  work,  and  the  publishers  feel 
that  no  better  tribute  can  be,  in  the  main, 
offered  than  to  enter  the  modest  autobiog- 
raphy offered  by  Father  Swartz  himself: 

"I  was  born  on  the  banks  of  Rush  creek, 
in  Fairfield  county,-  Ohio,  nine  miles  south- 
east of  where  the  city  of  Lancaster  stands, 
on  the  2 1  St  of  December,  A.  D.,  1832.  I 
am  of  German  descent,  my  great-grandfather 
having  emigrated  from  Wurtemberg,  Ger- 
many, about  the  year  1754.  My  grandfa- 
ther, George  Swartz,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


vania,  in  1775,  removed  from  Little  York, 
Pennsylvania,  to  Fairfield  county,  Ohio, 
about  the  year  1800,  and  there  my  father, 
George  Swartz,  was  born  in  the  month  of 
August,  1807.  He  there  married  Miss 
Mary  Beery,  whose  parents  came  from  Vir- 
ginia. All  my  grandparents,  three  of  whom 
I  well  remember,  were  honest,  upright  Chris- 
tian people.  Both  of  my  parents  also^  lived 
strictly  religious  lives,  and  as  far  back  as  I 
can  remember  they  kept  up  their  family  al- 
tar, morning  and  evening.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Evangelical  Association  to  the 
end  of  their  lives. 

"I  was  converted  to  God  August  18, 
1846,  when  not  yet  fourteen  years  of  age, 
and  was  licensed  to  preach  in  August,  1853, 
in  my  twenty-first  year.  I  was  married  to 
j\Iiss  Sarah  Kring,  October  2,  1856,  she  be- 
ing the  eldest  daughter  of  Rev.  Conrad 
Kring,  late  of  Franklin  county,  Ohio.  My 
marriage  relations  with  her  have  been  all 
these  years,  indeed,  fraught  with  happiness. 
The  Lord  blessed  our  union  with  two  daugh- 
ters and  six  sons,  and  one  of  the  latter  died 
in  infancy,  but  the  rest  are  all  living  and 
doing  well.  I  think  my  wife  and  I  can  say 
what  few  parents  can:  Our  children  are 
all  converted  and  manbers  of  the  church. 
Our  second  son,  William  L.,  is  in  the  active 
ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  is  at  present  in  the  Oklahoma  confer- 
ence; while  our  third  son,  Daniel  B.,  is  a 
local  preacher,  living  in  the  Concord  circuit, 
western  district  of  the  Oklahoma  confer- 
ence. 

"About  two  years  after  my  marriage  I 
entered  the  Ohio  conference  of  the  Evan- 
gelical Association,  the  church  of  both  my 
own  and  my  wife's  parents,  as  an  itinerant 
minister,  and  I  labored  in  this  conference 
for  six  years,  soon  after  which  we  removed 
to  a  farm  near  Elpaso,  Woodford  county, 
Illinois,  where  we  maintained  our  home 
about  three  years,  after  which,  in  1869,  I 
entered  the  Illinoas  conference,  in  which  I 
traveled  for  five  years.  In  the  spring  of 
1874  we  fell  in  the  current  of  the  stream  of 
emigration  headed  for  the  'notorious'  state 
of  Kansas,  made  so  by  her  alternate  successes 
and   failures.      Li   mv  ministry,  calls   were 


made  through  our  church  papers  for  aid, 
and  I  solicited  means  for  the  suffering  in 
Kansas.  My  last  charge  in  the  east  was  at 
Savannah  Mission,  on  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  Mississippi  river.  We  left  there  for 
Kansas  o^n  the  last  day  of  March,  in  a  two- 
horse  wagon,  crossed  the  'great  river'  on  a 
ferry-boat ;  came  through  Iowa  by  way  of 
Iowa  City,  Oskaloosa  and  Sheridan,  and 
while  traveling  through  Missouri  we  met 
many  teams  returning  from  Kansas.  'Where 
are  you  bound  fox?'  would  be  the  first  salu- 
tation of  the  returning  parties.  'To  Kan- 
sas,' was  my  reply,  better  turn  around  and 
go  back,'  was  invariably  returned.  'We  have 
been  there  and  tried  it,  and  nobody  can  make 
a  living  there.'  Some  of  them,  when  they 
saw  we  were  determined  to  go  on,  would 
hoot  at  us,  and  I  felt  like  telling  seme  of 
them  that  'Where  the  wasp  gets  her  poison 
there  the  bee  gathers  honey.'  Though  some- 
times my  heart  failed  me  when  looking  on 
my  almost  helpless  family,  there  was  one 
thing  of  which  I  was  erver  conscious, — that 
a  Divine  Providence  was  watching  over  us. 
We  regularly  kept  up  our  family  devotions 
while  on  our  journey.  Every  morning  we 
would  not  only  ask  the  Lord  to  go  with  us 
through  the  day  but  also  ask  Him  to  direct 
us  to  a  suitable  camping  place  at  night ;  and 
we  were  never  disappointed.  We  also  asked 
Him  for  a  suitable  place  to  stop  over  for  the 
Lord's  day,  and  this  was  invariably  grant- 
ed. We  also  asked  Him  to  direct  in  our  lo- 
cation in  Kansas,  which  I  to  this  day  belie^-e 
He  did.  We  were  headed  for  Great  Bend 
and  had  previously  arranged,  to  have  our 
household  goods  consigned  to  that  place, 
expecting  to  go  northwest  from  there.  But 
when  we  arrived'  on  Plum  creek,  on  the  4th 
of  June,  1874,  and  saw  the  beautiful  prairies 
stretching  away  in  every  direction,  as  far  as 
eye  could  see,  and  having  been  told  that  Rice 
county  afforded  protection  by  law  from  be- 
ing overru.n  by  Texas  cattle  and  that  there 
were  yet  many  claims  still  vacant,  we  soon 
decided  to  go  no  further. 

"While  we  were  camped  near  the  gov- 
ernment crossing  on  Plum  creek  I  heard  of 
'Squire  Earl,  whom  I  soon  found  :ind  who 
showed  me  two  claims,  in  section  2,  town- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ship  i8,  range  lO, — one  for  a  pre-emption 
and  the  other  for  a  timber  entry.  Mr.  Earl 
went  with  me  next  day  to  old  Atlanta,  then 
the  county  seat,  and  there  made  my  filings 
before  the  county  clerk.  As  it  was  now  al- 
ready the  beginning  of  June,  I  was  anxious 
to  inaugurate  forthwith  the  work  of  break- 
ing sod,  so  I  hired  another  team  and  with 
the  two  went  thirty  miles,  to  Great  Bend, 
after  our  ho-usehold  effects  and  some  lumber 
with  which  to  build  a  shelter  for  ourselves. 
As  our  quarters  were  hurriedly  arranged,  1 
went  to  breaking,  and  the  chi!fh-en,  with  an 
old  o.x,  ]3lanted  the  ncAvly  broken  ground 
with  corn,  and  we  thus  continued  our  work 
until  we  had  twenty  acres  broken  and  plant- 
ed to  corn.  Though  the  summer  was  dry, 
yet  the  sod  corn  grew  remarkably  wrell,  and 
on  the  last  day  of  July,  as  nearly  as  I  now  re- 
call, there  came  a  good  rain,  the  first  plant- 
ing of  corn  being  then  just  producing  good 
roasting  ears.  During  the  show-er  the  wind 
changed  to  the  north,  and  behold  it  began  to 
rain  grasshoppers !  Our  melons,  onions, 
beets,  corn  and  all,  afforded  the  voracious 
little  creatures  hardly  a  breakfast  and  din- 
ner, to  say  nothing  of  a  supper,  and  during 
the  several  weeks  they  afterward  lay  around 
some  of  the  settlers  cut  some  of  their  corn 
and  shocked  it,  but  the  grasshoppers  were 
not  in  the  least  baffied  in  their  efforts  to  dis- 
pose of  the  product  as  thus  protected.  This 
made  the  settlers  feel  blue.  I  sat  around 
with  nothing  that  I  coMld  do  to  relieve  the 
situation,  and  this  enforced  apathy  made  the 
condition  all  the  worse.  Finallv  a  thought 
was  suggested  to  my  mind  tn  make  a  cave, 
but  the  question  would  cumc,  'What  for? 
There  is  nothing  to  put  into  it.'  But  the  idea 
haunted  me  and  I  finally  began  to  work. 
My  neighbors  would  enquire  what  I  wanted 
of  such  a  thing  as  the  cave,  and  all  I  could 
reply  was  that  I  might  need  it  some  time. 
I  made  the  cave  twenty  by  ten  feet  in  dimen- 
sions and  saw  to  it  that  it  was  good  and 
warm.  In  the  month  of  September  there 
came  a  three  days"  rain,  which  abundantly 
wet  up  the  earth.  I  then  secured  the  aid  of 
three  or  four  neighbors  and  we  put  up  a 
sod  house,  with  a  door  opening  into  the  cave 
which    I    had    previously    constructed,    the 


house  being  covered  with  the  lumber  which 
had  aiforded  us  shelter  during  the  summer. 
After  this  I  prepared  twenty  acres  to  sow  in 
wheat  and'  also  rented  ten  acresi  tO'  a  neigh- 
bor. I  procured  the  seed'  fromi  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad  Company,  wdio  shippedi  in 
wheat  and  sold  it  to  the  settlers  on  time,  ex- 
tending thenii  credit  until  they  were  able  to 
harvest  the  resultant  crop.  When  seeding 
was  over  and  winter  quarters  for  the  stock 
were  prepared,  the  question  was  discussed 
among  the  settlers  as  to  whence  provisions 
were  to  be  secured  for  the  winter.  It  was 
decided  by  three  of  us  to^  gO'  out  on  the  buf- 
falo range  to  secure  some  meat.  We  started 
late  in  October,  and  went  sixty  miles  south- 
west of  Dodge  City  before  we  found  any 
buffaloes  worth  mentioning.  For  various 
reasons  we  were  delayed  there  for  more  than 
four  weeks,  and  during  a  severe  storm  some 
of  our  horses  were  'alkalied,'  and  this  and 
the  scantiness  of  feed  so  cut  them  down  in 
flesh  that  we  could  haul  little  meat  after  we 
had  procured  it,  while  two  of  oiir  horses 
died  from  the  effects  of  the  alkali.  That 
winter  (1875)  was  perhaps  the  severest  in 
the  history  of  the  west. 

"On  the  night  of  January  8,  1875,  there 
came  such  a  blizzard  that  a  man  who  has 
never  experienced  it  can  form  no  idea  of  its 
terrific  character.  When  it  struck  our  house 
it  piled  our  wooden  roof  on  one  side  of  the 
sod  walls,  and  such  a  blinding  snow  bath  as 
came  in  upi in  us  I  can  never  forget !  My 
exclamation  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment 
was,  "What  in  this  world  will  we  do?'  Our 
son  Charles,  then  about  fourteen  years  old, 
said,  'Run  intO'  the  dug-out.'  Of  course  we 
did  thus  take  refuge  in  the  cave,  and  had  it 
not  been  for  the  protection  there  afforded 
we  would  have  all  perished  in  the  storm. 
From  that  day  to  this  I  have  not  doubted  the 
providence  of  God  that  moved  me  to  build 
the  dug-out.  The  cold  weather  kept  us  in  ff 
for  six  weeks,  and  then  the  neighbors  came 
and  helped  to  replace  the  roof  on  the  sod 
house.  In  the  meantime  aid  also  came  to 
us  from  our  friends  in  the  east,  so  that  our 
wants  were  supj^lied  until  the  following  har- 
vest, which  yielded  about  twelve  and  one- 
half  bushels  per  acre.     Yet,  notwithstanding 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


this  .seemiingly  rough  experience,  I  think  of 
our  removal  to  Kansas  as  very  providential, 
and  that  it  has  proven  a  great  blessing  to  my- 
self and  my  family.  Truly  the  great  west 
has  made  its  impression  on  our  minds  and 
lives, — an  impression  for  good  which  can 
not  be  obliterated.  Western  push,  western 
enterprise  and  western  prosperity,  both  in 
state  and  church,  are  characteristics  not  to 
be  valued  lightly." 

A  few  additional  words  from  the  editor- 
ial pen  may  not  prove  inconsistent  in  sup- 
plementing this  interesting  record  given  by 
Mr.  Swartz.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  fre- 
quently called  upon  in  the  early  days  to  ad- 
minister medical  aid,  assist  in  sickness,  com- 
fort the  sorrowing  and  distressed,  officiate 
at  births,  etc.  Father  Swartz  has  probably 
conducted  more  funerals  and  preached  more 
funeral  sermons  than  any  other  clergyman 
in  Rice  county.  He  was  an  influential  fac- 
tor in  the  establishing  of  the  first  schoul, 
which  was  conducted'  on  the  subscription 
plan,  in  his  locality,  and  which  was  taught 
by  ]Mrs.  Alma  D.  Thompson  in  her  sod 
house,  one  and  one-half  miles  sou'th  of  the 
present  town  of  Bushton,  in  1875.  He  dis- 
tributed among  his  neig'hbors  food  and  other 
necessaries  which  had  been  sent  him  by 
friends  in  the  east  during  the  memorable 
grasshopper  years  of  1874-5,  and  his  influ- 
ence in  the  community  has  ever  been  kindly, 
generous  and  helpful,  so  that  he  has  gained 
a  wide  circle  of  devoted  friends.  In  1886 
he  was  associated  with  others  in  having  the 
Missouri  Pacific  Railroad  ran  its  Colorado 
Sliort  Line  through  Farmer  township,  and 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  Bushtoni  station, 
located  on  this  line  and  on  his  farm.  Before 
this  time  the  nearest  railroad  station  was 
Chase,  fourteen  miles  distant,  and;  prior  to 
1880  the  nearest  stations  Avere  Ellsworth, 
on  the  Union  Pacific,  twenty-five  miles  dis- 
tant, and  Ellinwood,  on  the  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
road, twenty-one  miles  distant.  He  was  the 
prime  mover  in  organizing  the  First  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  in  Bushton  and  in 
the  erection  of  the  present  church  edifice  in 
1887.  He  and  his  family  continued  to  re- 
side on  his  fann,  which  he  developed  into 
one  of  the  best  in  the  county,  until  the  year 


1894,  when  they  sold  out  and  removed  to  a 
point  near  Concord,  Woods  cormty,  Okla- 
homa, in  order  to  secure  a  larger  tract  of 
land  for  the  children,  all  of  whom  are  at  this 
time  living  on  farms  of  their  own  in  the  im- 
mediate neighborhood  with  their  parents, 
with  the  exception  of  the  second  daughter, 
Emma,  who  is  the  wife  of  George  F.  Hau- 
ser,  who  purchased  the  old  homestead  of 
Mr.  Swartz  in  1897,  adjoining  the  town  of 
Bushton.  During  afl  these  years  Mr.  Swartz 
continued  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  pioneer 
settlers,  often  being  absent  for  more  than 
six  weeks  on  his  itinerant  tours.  He  and  his 
devoted  wife  occasionally  visit  their  old 
neighbors,  who  always  accord  them  a  hearty 
welcome,  and  Father  Swartz  is  invariably 
asked  to  preach,  which  he  always  does,  in 
both  English  and  German,  having  acquired 
the  latter  by  personal  study  and  reading  and 
speaking  it  with  no  little  fluency.  The  lives 
of  him  and  his  wife  have  proved  a  benedic- 
tion to  all  who  have  come  within  the  sphere 
of  their  influence,  and  their  names  are  held 
in  grateful  memory  by  those  with  whom  they 
endured  the  privations  and  vicissitudes  of 
the  early  days  in  Rice  county. 


DAVID  PLANKENHORN. 

David  Plankenhorn.  a  well  known  and 
successful  farmer  residing  on  section  8, 
Kingman  county,  was  born  near  Richmond, 
Wayne  county,  Indiana,  in  185 1.  His  fa- 
ther, John  Plankenhorn,  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  but  came  to  the  United  States 
when  a  boy,  and  from  the  age  of  eleven  years 
was  reared  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  He 
was  there  married  to  Margaret  Reigles,  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  the  Hoosier  state. 
He  followed  the  tilling  of  the  soil  as  a  life  oc- 
cupation, and  was  a  Democrat  in  his  politi- 
cal views.  His  life's  labor's  were  ended  in 
death  when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  seven- 
ty years,  and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty  years.  Unto  this  worthy  couple  were 
born  thirteen  children",  namely:  John; 
Henry ;  Joseph ;  Lizzie ;  Noah  ;  Maria :  Da- 
vid; the  subject  of  this  review;   Malinda; 


(ru<. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


417 


Jacob;  Mary;  Lewis,  who  makes  his  home 
at  Great  Bend,  Kansas;  Daniel;  and  Lydia, 
who  died  when  young. 

David  Plankenhorn  was  reared  on  an 
Indiana  farm,  where  he  was  early  taught 
the  value  of  industry  and  honesty,  and  his 
educational  advantages  were  those  afforded 
by  the  common  schools  of  his  locality.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years  he  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  in  DeWitt  county,  and  he  was 
there  married  to  Lizzie  Garrett,  who  was 
born  near  Green  Castle,  Putnam  county,  In- 
diana, and  in  that  state  and  iTlmois  she  was 
reared  and  educated.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Elijah  and  Amanda  (Cheneworth)  Garrett. 
The  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
reached  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-eight/ 
years  and  ten  days  and  his  wife  lived  to  the 
age  of  seventj'-three  years,  two  months  and 
fourteen  days.  In  their  family  were  the  fol- 
lowing children :  William' S.,  who  was  a  soJ- 
dier  during  the  Civil  war ;  Mary  E. ;  James 
M.,  who  also  wore  the  blue  in  defense  of  his 
country;  Hester  Ann;  Orlando;  Carrie;  Al- 
mira;  Emsley  and  Lizzie.  The  union  of 
our  subject  and  wife  has  been  brightened  and 
blessed  by  the  presence  of  two  sons, — Edgar 
Ernest,  who  is  now  nineteen  years  of  age, 
and  is  a  student  in  Nickerson  College,  and 
Elmer  Wallace,  a  bright  and  promising 
youth  of  sixteen  years. 

In  1885  Mr.  Plankenhorn  cast  in  his  lot 
among  the  settlers  of  Kingman  county, 
Kansas,  and  on  section  8,  Galesburg  tolwn- 
ship,  he  now  owns  a  valuable  and  highly  im- 
proved farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
located  two  miles  east  of  Varner.  His  po- 
litical support  is  given  to  the  Democracy,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  are  prominent  and  zeal- 
ous members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 


PAUL  REAUME. 


Paul  Reaume  is  a  self-made  man  who 
ha.s  achieved  splendid  success  in  his  business 
career,  yet  his  prosperity  has  l>een  so  worth- 
ily won  that  the  most  envious  could  not 
grudge  him'  his  success.  Difficulties  and  ob- 
stacles have  impeded  his  progress.,  but  he 


has  persevered  in  the  pursuit  of  a  definite 
purpose  and  through  his  indefatigable  en- 
ergy and  self-reliance  has  worked  his  way 
upward  until  he  now  occupies  a  prominent 
position  among  the  repre'sentative  farmers 
and  stock-raisers  of  Ellsworth  county.  He 
makes  his  home  on  section  28,  Garfield  town- 
ship, where  he  has  resided  since  1877. 

Mr.  Reaume  was  born  at  Chatham,  Can- 
ada, February  7,  1857,  a  son  of  Charles  S. 
and  Julia  (Demars)  Reaume,  both  of  whom 
died  when  our  subject  was  about  fifteen 
years  of  age.  ,  He  afterward  began  earning 
his  living  with  a  telegTaph  company,  being 
engaged  on  construction  work  for  four 
years.  He  then  came  to  Kansas,  residing 
in  Junction  City  for  a  short  time,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1878  he  mad'e  his  way  to  Ellsworth 
county,  where  he  began  dealing  in  stock.  He 
herded  cattle  for  a  time  and  gradually  se- 
cured some  capital,  so  that  in  1886  he  was 
able  to  purchase  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  on  section  16.  The  drouth  and  the 
fall  in  the  price  of  stock  in  1887  was  a  severe 
blow  to  him,  entainng  heavy  losses, — in 
fact,  all  that  he  had  accumulated  up  to  that 
time.  His  business  ability  and  integrity, 
however,  were  well  known  and  secured  to 
him  good  credit.  Not  discouraged,  he  la- 
bored energetically  to  retrieve  his  lost  pos- 
sessions, and  soon  had  made  a  second  start. 
He  has  added  to  his  landed  estate  until  he 
now  O'wns  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  and 
leases  over  fifty-five  hundred  acres  in  this 
locality,  including  the  Adams  ranches.  He 
has  four  miles  on  tTie  Elkhorn  creek,  giving 
him  excellent  bottom  land  for  the  raising  of 
corn  and'  at  the  same  time  furnishing  a 
splendid  water  supply  for  the  stock.  He 
cultivates  about  five  hundred  acres,  raising 
all  of  the  corn  which  he  feeds,  and  upon  his 
place  he  has  between  five  and  six  htmdred 
head  of  cattle,  which  he  purchased  in  Colo- 
rado, New  Mexico  and  as  far  south  as  old 
Mexico,  his  experience  having  proven  tO'  him 
that  the  southern  stock  does  best  in  this  lo- 
cality. The  range  here  is  so  good  that  by 
feeding  the  grass  alone  he  has  increased  the 
weight  of  cattle  two  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  in  ninety  days.  With  rough  feed, 
such  as  Kaffir  corn,  he  carries  them  through 


4i8 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


the  winter  with  ten  or  twelve  bushels  of 
corn.  In  all  of  his  pastures  there  is  but  one 
that  is  not  supplied  with  running  water  and 
in  it  is  a  well  with  wind-mill  attachment. 
Most  of  his  pastures  are  in  section  lots,  com- 
prising eight  hundred  acres.  Mr.  Reaume 
has  broken  the  greater  part  of  the  land 
which  he  cultivates,  operating  all  the  bottom 
land,  while  the  other  is  given  to  pastu'rage. 
At  least  eighty  acres  which  he  purchased  was 
marshy  and  considered  worthless,  but  he 
dug  a  drain  ten  feet  deep  and  from  twenty  to 
twenty-five  feet  wide  and  has  made  it  one  of 
the  richest  portions  of  his  farm.  He  is  a 
man  of  splendid  business  ability  and  keen 
discernrrient  and  knows  how  to  utilize  his 
facilities  and  make  the  best  of  his  opportuni- 
ties. 

On  the  1 8th  of  April,  1888,  was  cele- 
brated the  marriage  of  Mr.  Reaume  and 
Miss  Emma  L.  Gilkeson,  a  daughter  of  Ab- 
ner  Gilkeson,  of  Ellsworth  county,  born  in 
Ohio.  They  have  four  children, — Ina,  Earl, 
Mabel  and  Fay.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Reaume  is  a  Democrat,  and  socially  he  is  a 
very  prominent  Mason,  belonging  to  the 
lodge,  chapter  and  council  at  Ellsworth  and 
to  St.  Aldemar  Commandery,  Knights  Tem- 
plar. He  is  also  a  member  of  Isis  Temple 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  at  Salina.  His  life 
proves  conclusively  that  success  will  crown 
enterprising  efforts;  that  it  does  not  result 
from  genius,  fortunate  circumstances  or  the 
aid  oi  influential  friends.  Fate  has  been  at 
times  unkind  to  him  and  he  has  received  no 
assistance  from  wealthy  relatives,  but  he  has 
depended  entirely  upon  his  own  resources, 
placing  his  faith  on  the  foundation  of  earnest 
work. 


B.  S.  WESTFALL. 


B.  S.  Westfall  is  one  of  the  old  and 
highly  respected  citizens  of  Ellsworth  coim- 
ty.  His  character  is  of  such  strength  and 
sj-mmetry  that  it  must  make  an  impression 
upon  its  surroundings.  Men  often  achie\'e 
brilliant  success  in  some  special  aA-emie  of 
life,  and  their  victories  are  permitted  to 
shadow  their  defeats  and  defects.     In  some 


one  feature  of  human  character  they  are 
sometimes  dazzlingly  brilliant,  while  in  oth- 
ers they  are  conspicuously  lacking.  But  Mr. 
Westfall's  character  is  roundly  developed ; 
it  is  the  healthy  development  of  the  virtues 
that  make  strong  manhood.  Absolutely  hon- 
est and  upright,  illustrating  in  his  thonghts 
and  life  the  nobility  and  reliability  of  loyal 
citizenship,  and  with  a  clear,  strong  mind  to 
comprehend  existing  difficulties  and  to  solve 
business,  social  and  political  problems,  he  is 
a  pillar  to  popular  government  and  an  im- 
perial shield  to  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity. The  world  is  none  too  rich  in  some 
men — men  of  practical  judgment,  of  good 
intellect  properly  directed  and  of  untarnished 
and  unwavering  patriotism.^in  a  word,  of 
robust  and  unbending  manhood.  As  in  the 
case  of  Mr.  Westfall,  such  men  are  always 
siuccessful,  either  in  private  business  enter- 
prise or  public  life.  He  has,  however,  never 
sought  advancement  save  through  the  legiti- 
mate channels  of  his  business,  wherein  his 
keen  discrimination,  capable  management 
and  well  directed  energy  have  brought  to 
him  success. 

Mr.  Westfall  was  born  at  Phelps,  On- 
tario county,  New  York,  Januarj^  20,  1865, 
and'  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Amanda  ( Swart- 
hout)  Westfall.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
Samuel  Swarthout,  was  a  pioneer  of  Orange 
county.  New  York,  building  the  first  mill 
within  its  borders,  and  was  prominently 
identified  with  its  early  history,  contribut- 
ing in  a  large  measure  to  its  improvement 
and  upbuilding.  The  father  of  our  subject 
was  also  a  representative  of  a  prominent 
family.  He  made  farming  his  life  work  and 
always  remained  in  the  Empire  state,  where 
he  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs. 

B.  S.  Westfall  remained  upon  the  home 
farm  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  during 
which  time  he  laid  the  foundation  for  a  good 
education  by  attendance  at  the  common 
schools.  He  afterward  entered  the  Phelps 
high  sthool  and  subsequently  completed  a 
commercial  course  in  the  Rochester  Business 
College,  in  which  he  was  graduated.  In 
March.  1883,  when  eighteen  3-ears  of  age, 
he  started  westward,  locating  in  Calhoun 
county.    Michigan,    where    he    engaged    in 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


419 


farming  througli  the  summer  months,  while 
in  the  winter  season-  he  followedl  school 
teaching  for  two  years.  In  March,  1885,  lie 
took  up  his  abode  at  Clyde,  Kansas,  where 
he  accepted  the  position  of  bookkeeper  in  the 
Bank  of  Clyde,  acting  in  that  capacity  until 
the    following    September.      In    December, 

1885,  in  connection  with  his  brother,  M.  P. 
Westfall,  he  established  a  bank  at  Glenelder, 
Kansas,  under  the  name  of  the  Bank  of  Glen- 
elder, conducting  the  institution  until  June, 

1 886,  when  they  sold  out.  The  business  was 
carried  on  by  our  subject,  the  brother  being- 
only  financially  interested  in  the  concern.  In 
August,  1886,  they  organized  the  Wibon 
State  Bank,  at  Wilson,  of  which  B.  S.  West- 
fall  became  president, — a  position  which  he 
still  holds.  In  the  fall  of  1887  they  insti- 
tuted the  Hollyrood  .Bank,  which  they  sold 
in  December,  1888,  and  in  January,  1889, 
Mr.  Westfall  and  associates  purchased  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  Central  National 
Bank,  of  Ellsworth,  of  which  he  is  now  pres- 
ident. He  also  organized  the  Sylvan.  State 
Bank,  of  Sylvan  Grove,  Kansas,  in  1892, 
and  is  still  a  member  of  its  directorate.  He 
has  a  record  in  the  banking  business  and  in 
financial  circles  which  many  a  man  of  twice 
his  years  might  well  envy.  The  banks  of 
which  he  has  had  charge  have  pasised 
through  the  panics  and  financial  crises  of  the 
past  decade,  when  many  older  institutions 
were  overwhelmed  with  disaster  and  sank 
in  the  general  ruin,  but  those  of  which  Mr. 
Westfall  had  control  weathered  the  financial 
storms  and  established  a  reputation  for  sta- 
bility and  financial  soundness  that  has  gained 
uniform  confidence  of  their  many  depositors. 

On  the  I2th  of  September,  1893,  Mr. 
Westfall  was  united  in  marjiage  to  Grace 
\Y.  Ballon,  a  daughter  of  L.  M.  Ballon,  a 
representative  of  a  Massachusetts  family. 
Her  parents  removed  to  Minneapolis,  Kan- 
sas, where  the  father  engaged'  in  the  hotel 
business,  and  afterward  came  to  Ellsworth, 
where  he  conducted  the  White  House.  In 
1899  ]VIr.  Westfall  was  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  o-n  the  9th  of 
December  of  that  year,  leaving  one  child, 
Pauline.  In  January,  1901,  he  married  Miss 
Nellie  M.  ]\Iorton,  of  Clav  Centei".  Kansas. 


Through  his  well  conducted  and  extensive 
business  interests  he  has  become  the  possess- 
or of  considerable  means,  and  is  enabled  to 
surround  his  family  with  all  of  the  comforts 
and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  Nothing 
affords  him  greater  happinessi  than  to  min- 
ister to  them  and  he  cannot  do  too  much  to 
enhance  their  welfare.  He  has  one  of  the 
most  elegant  homes  in  the  city  of  Ellsworth, 
which  he  remodeled  and  improved,  supply- 
ing it  with  all  modern  conveniences,  while  its 
furnishings  are  all  that  wealth  can  secure 
when  gtiided  by  good  taste  and  culture. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Westfall  is  a 
Democrat.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar Mason  and  has  filled  various  offices  in 
the  different  Masonic  bodies,  being  now 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  credentials  in 
the  grand  commandery.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workirren.  His 
has  been  an  e\'entful  record  and  one  which 
illustrates  most  forcibly  the  power  of  enter- 
prise, industry  and  sound  judgment  in  con- 
quering fate  and  winning  prosperity.  At  tlie 
age  of  fourteen  years  he  was  left  an  orphan 
and  has  since  made  his  own  wav  in  the 
world.  He  was  still  in  his  niinnrity  when 
he  first  entered  the  banking  business,  at 
Glenelder,  and  to-day  he  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  most  successful  business  men  and 
leading  financiers  of  central  Kansas. 


DAVID  M.  SHUYLER. 

The  subject  of  this  review  is  certainly 
entitled'  to  be  considered  not  only  one  of  the 
enterprising  farmers  of  Huntsville  township, 
but  is  also  one  of  its  respected  and  honored 
citizens.  He  was  born  in  IMaryland,  on  the 
22d  of  August,  1828,  a  son  of  Michael  P. 
Shuyler,  who  was  born  in  Bucks  county, 
Pennsylvania,  about  1798,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred in  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  in  1853. 
He  was  a  mechanic  by  trade,  as  was  also  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject.  The  original 
ancestor  of  the  family  in  this  countrv  was 
Philip  Shuyler,  who  came  from  Germany, 
and  was  an  American  general  in  the  Revo- 
lutionarv  war. 


420 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Da,vid  :M.  Shuyler,  the  subject  of  this  j 
review,  attended  the  schools  of  his  locahty 
until  twelve  years  of  age,  after  which  he  be- 
came a  student  in  the  Chambersburg  Acad- 
emy, where  he  enjoyed  superior  educational 
advantages.  After  leaving  the  school-room 
as  a  student  he  entered  the  teacher's  profes- 
sion, which  he  followed  for  three  winter 
terms  in  Cincinnati,  but,  preferring  the.  life 
of  an  agriculturist  to  that  of  instructing  the 
young  along  lines,  of  mental  advancement, 
he  accordingly  rented  land  in  Spencer  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  on  which  he  remained  for  one 
year.  He  then  became  the  possessor  of  an 
eighty-acre  tract,  on  which  only  five  acres 
had  been  improved,  and  iinmediately  began 
the  laborious  task  of  clearing  his  land.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  the  Hoosier  state  he 
cleared  three  farms  from  the  native  timber, 
but  in  1^74  he  sold  his  possessions  there  and 
came  to  Reno  county,  Kansas,  where  he  has 
ever  since  made  his  home,  with  the  exception 
of  the  winter  in  which  the  grasshoppers  vis- 
ited this  section  in  such  great  numbers  and 
caused  such  terrible  havoc.  He  was  at  that 
time  residing  in  Hutchinson,  to  which  place 
he  had  removed  in  order  that  his  children 
might  enjoy  better  educational  facilities.  As 
his  means  permitted,  Mr.  Shuyler  has  in- 
creased his  landed  possessions  until  he  now 
owns  two  farms,  each  containing  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  on  which  he  is  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  On 
the  nth  of  June,  1901,  he  was  stricken  with 
paralysis,  since  which  time  he  has  been  un- 
able to  engage  actively  in  the  work  of  the 
farm. 

While  residing  in  Spencer  county,  In- 
diana, on  the  7th  of  November,  1850,  Mr. 
Shuyler  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lo- 
dana  Burdick',  a  native  of  Hamilton  county, 
Ohio,  her  birth  having  occurred  within  nine 
miles  of  Cincinnati,  April  4,  1832.  Her  par- 
ents. Squire  and  Hannah  (Lovell)  Burdick, 
were  natives  of  the  Empire  state,  but  in  an 
early  day  removed  to  Ohio,  casting  in  their 
lot  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  com- 
monwealth. Her  grandfather  was  a  tavern 
keeper  there  in  a  very  early  day.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Shuyler  have  been  born  twelve 
children,  nine  of  whom  grew  to  years  of 


maturity,  as  follows:  G.  A.,  who  was  born 
August  7,  1851,  and  is  a  resident  of  Hills- 
dale, Oregon,  having  one  son  and  two 
daughters;  F.  M.,  who  is  married  and  re- 
sides at  Bourbon,  Missouri;  Jane,  the  wife 
of  James  Wallace;  of  Dexter,  Kansas ;  Etta, 
wife  of  Charles  G.  Case,  of  Kansas  City, 
Missouri ;  Viola,  who  resides  with  her  par- 
ents and  is  engaged  in  teaching  both  piano 
and  organ  music ;  \\'.  G.,  who  is  married  and 
resides  in  Huntsville  township,  having  a  son 
and  daughter;  Cora,  wife  of  Robert  Con- 
stant, of  Pawnee,  Oklahoma,  by  whom  she 
has  five  children,  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters; Emma,  wife  of  Melvin  Cassill,  of 
Langdon,  Kansas,  and  they"  have  a  son  and 
daughter;  and  Alice  Pliler,  who  is  deceased, 
leaving  a  son  and  daughter.  In  political 
matters  Mr.  Shuyler  gives  his  support  to  the 
Republican  party,  and  for  seven  years  he 
held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  are  w-orthy  and  consistent 
members  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  in  the 
community  where  they  have  so  long  resided 
they  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem.  He  is 
indeed  an  honored  pioneer  of  Reno  county, 
and  one  whose  close  identification  with  the 
interests  of  this  section  well  entitles  him  to 
representation  in  this  volume. 


TRUSTIMON  B.  TOTTEN. 

The  well  known  resident  of  Reno  county 
whose  name  is  above  was  the  first  postmaster 
at  Huntsville,  the  postoffice  having  been  es- 
tablished in  his  dwelling  February  15,  1878, 
and  he  was  again  appointed  to  the  same  of- 
fice in  April.  1899.  He  is  also  one  of  the  lead- 
ing farmers  of  Huntsville  township  and  his 
farm  on  section  6,  township  23,  range  9,  is 
one  of  the  best  in  its  vicinity. 

Trustimon  B.  Totten  was  born  in  Oneida 
county.  New  York,  March  12,  1838,  a  son 
of  Joseph  P.  Totten,  who  w'as  born  in  that 
state  September  6,  1800.  He  removed  to 
Indiana  in  1842,  and  died  there  September 
30,  1864.  He  was  a  grandson  of  James 
Totten.  who  was  born  October  11,1771,  and 
died    in    Wilmington    township,    De    Kalb 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


421 


county,  In-diana,  September  27,  1857.  The 
American  ancestors  of  the  family  of  Totten 
cam'e  from  Holland.  James  Totten  married 
Joanna  Wing,  November  10,  1799,  and  they 
reared  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of 
whom  except  two  of  the  daughters  had  chil- 
dren and  all  are  dead.  Joanna  (Wing)  Tot- 
ten died  in  New  York,  February  14,  1835, 
aged  nearly  sixty-four  years.  Joseph  Totten 
married  Betsy  Barnes,  January  21,  1822. 
She  was  born  in  1804  and  died  June  27, 
1880,  aged  seventy-six  years.  Joseph  Tot- 
ten died  Septerruber  30,  1864.  They  had 
children'  as  follows  :  Leverett  J.,  born  April 
2,  1823,  who  died  in  Gratiot  county,  Michi- 
gan, leaving  five  children;  Henry  J.,  born 
December  9,  1824,  now  living  in  Toledo, 
Ohio;  Squire  Totten,  of  Natoma,  Osborne 
county,  Kansas,  who  was  born  May  31, 
1827;  William  B..  who  was  born  November 
21,  1829,  and'  died  at  Gatesville,  Texas,  in 
December,  1890:  Helen  P.,  who  was  born 
April  4,  1832,  and  married  E.  W.  Fosdick, 
and  died  May  15,  1856;  Jonathan  J.,  who 
was  born  May  8,  1835,  and  is  a  lawyer  and 
a  farmer  who  lives  near  Castle  Rock, 
Colorado;  Trustimon  B.,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Pamela  J.,  who  married 
David  Beggs  and  died  in  1871  leaving  a 
son  four  years  o-ld;  Albert  P.,  who  was  born 
in  Indiana,  September  2,  1844,  and  died  at 
Evansville,  that  state,  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  and  six  months,  ]\Iarch  8,  1862.  while 
sen.'ing  as  a  private  in  Company  F,  Forty- 
fourth  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, leaving  an  enviable  record  as  a  good  sol- 
dier won  ini  action  at  Fort  Donelson  and  in 
other  memorable  engagements. 

Trustimon  B.  Totten  was  reared  to  farm 
work  and'  received  a  primary  education  in 
public  schools,  which  he  supplemented  by 
attendance  at  a  select  school  and  at  aiT  acad- 
emy. When  he  was  twenty  years  old  he 
taught  one  term  of  school.  After  that  .he 
was  a  clerk  in  a  store  for  a  year  and  then 
he  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  provision 
trade  at  Auburn,  Indiana.  September  7, 
1S65,  he  married  Hannah  A.  Davis,  who 
was  bornj  at  Black  Rock,  Erie  county,  New 
York,  Januarj'  21,  1840,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Deborah   f\\'hite)   Dutcher  Davis. 


The  father  was  born  April  6,  1801,  and  the 
mother  August  15,  1804.  They  were  reared 
in  Cherry  Valley,  Oneida  county,  New- 
York,  and  were  there  married  September  25, 
1825.  They  made  their  wedding  tour  by  a 
packet  on  the  Erie  Canal  to  Black  Rock,  now 
suburban  town  O'f  Buffalo',  where  the  father 
engaged  in  making  soft  fur  hats,  being  a 
hatter  by  trade.  They  dwelt  there  until  their 
family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters 
reached  niature  years.  One  daughter  died 
at  the  age  of  six  years  and  ten  months.  The 
parents  and  children  have  gone  to  their  final 
rest,  save  one,  their  daughter,  Hannah  A. 
Totten.  She  was  a  teacher  in  the  district 
schools  in  northern  Indiana.  In  1864  she 
became  a  teacher  in  the  contraband  schools, 
in  which  negroes  were  instructed  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Indiana  branch  of 'the  f  reed- 
men's  bureau,  and  was  thus  employed  at 
Murphysboro.  ]\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Totten  have 
had  children'  as  follows :  Herbert  C,  born 
November  12,  1866,  who  has  a  wife  and  one 
son  and  lives  in  Hutchinson,  Kansas ;  Hattie 
D.,  who  married  Harr\'  S.  Schall  and  lives 
in  Hutchins'on,  Kansas ;  Marion  D.,  who  was 
born  February  14,  1869,  ^nd  has  a  wife  and 
three  children  and  is  a  merchant  in  Hunts^ 
ville,  Kansas  ;  Dora  V.,who  was  born  June  i, 
1870,  and  died  March  5,  1873;  Norman  R., 
a  teacher  and  a  law  student  at  the  State  Uni- 
versity at  Lawrence,  Kansas,  who  was  born 
Septem'ber  23,  1873;  Carrie  L.,  who  was 
born  April  24,  1875,  and  is  a  member  of  her 
parents'  household  ;_Jennie,  who  was  born 
April  6,  1877,  and  died  December  2,  1878; 
and  Mervale  E.,  who  was  born  April  23, 
1884,  and  is  now  assisting  his  father  and 
attending  school  at  the  State  Agricultural 
College,  at  Manhattan,  Kansas. 

In  September.  1861,  Mr.  Totten  enlisted 
in  Company  F,  Forty-fourth  Regiment,  In- 
diana Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he 
served  four  years  as  a  drummer  and  as  a 
corporal.  He  veteranized  at  Chattanooga 
by  re-enlistment.  He  was  in  action  at  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh,  Chickamauga  and  Stone 
River  and  in  other  historic  fights.  His  eyes 
became  afifected  and  he  was  for  a  consider- 
able time  under  medical  treatment  for  chron- 
ic ophthalmia.  He  remo\-ed  from  Indiana  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Kansas  in  1877.  arriving  on  October  5. 
November  13,  following,  he  moved  to  his 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  homestead  farm 
ill  Huntsville  township,  and  he  and  his  fam- 
ily took  up  their  residence  in  a  house  sixteen 
by  twenty-four  feet  in  area.  Only  twenty- 
five  acres  of  this  land  had  beeii  improved 
and  he  paid  a  previous  settler  upon  it  three 
hundred  dollars  for  his  claim.  Since  then 
he  has  improved  the  place  until  it  is  one  of 
the  best  farms  iu  the  county  and  has  built 
upon  it  a  good  residence  and  adequate  barns 
axid  outbuildings.  Politically  he  is  a  strong 
Republican,  and  he  was  once  the  nominee  of 
his  party  for  the  office  of  register  of  deeds 
for  Reno  county.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episicopal  church,  in 
the  local  body  of  which  he  has  long  been  an 
official;  and  he  was  instrumental  m  bringing 
about  the  erection  of  its  present  fine  church 
edifice.  He  selected  a  site  for  the  building 
ten  years  before  work  on  it  was  begun  and 
circulated  the  first  subscriptior-  list  to  raise 
funds  for  it  and  gave  his  time  to  it  almost 
entirely  until  the  building  was  completed 
and  turned  over  to  the  trustees  in  1894. 

Mrs.  Totten,  who  possesses  marked  lit- 
erary ability,  has  for  many  years'  been  a  cor- 
respondent for  the  press.  Her  work  long 
appeared  in  the  Hutchinson  News  and  is 
now  a  feature  in  the  Sterling  Bulletin.  Her 
son,  Marion  D.  Totten,  is  now  the  Hunts- 
ville correspondfent  of  the  Hutchinson  Daily 
News.  Both  Mrs.  Totten'  and  her  son  evince 
great  capacity  for  local  correspondence  and 
their  newsy  letters  to  the  journals  mentioned 
compare  more  than  favorably  with  those  of 
most  local  correspondents.  Marion  D.  Tot- 
ten v;as  educated  in  the  schools  at  Hunts- 
ville and  Hutchinson.  He  left  the  farm  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  and  for  three 
years  attended  school  and  clerked  in  a  store 
at  Hutchinson.  The  succeeding  four  years 
he  spent  in  learning  the  machinist's  trade 
with  the  Eagle  Manufacturing  Company,  at 
Davenport,  Iowa.  Then,  in  company  with 
Harry  Scholl,  he  organized  the  Cedar  Trans- 
fer Company,  which  built  up  a  very  success- 
ful business.  He  was  married  in  Septem- 
ber, 1897,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Fleischer,  of 
Pittsburg,    Pennsylvania,    and    they    began 


their  domestic  life  at  Hutchinson,  in  their 
own  home  in  a  house  which  Mr.  Totten  still 
owns.  He  removed  to  Huntsville  in  1899 
and  opened  a  small  general  store,  upon  a 
capital  of  less  than  five  hundred  dollars,  and 
two  years  later  his'  establishment  invoiced 
twenty-one  hundred  dollars.  Marion  D.  and 
Mary  E.  (Fleischer)  Totten  have  three 
daughters  :  Vera  A.,  aged  six  j-ears ;  Vita 
I.,  aged  three  years,  and  Lucile  C,  aged  one 
year.  Mt.  Totten  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and 
a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
He  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party  and 
w"hile  a  citizen  of  Hutchinson  was  active  in 
political  work.  Mrs.  Totten  is  a  member 
of  the  Fraternal  Aid  Association  and  of 
other  local  organizations.  Her  parents  were 
born  in  Germany  and-  emigrated  to  Penn- 
.sylvania,  where  they  lived  out  their  days, 
and  died  leaving  two  children,  herself  and  a 
brother,  Fred  Fleischer,  of  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania. Her  father,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was 
late  in  life  in  the  real-estate  business.  For  a 
time  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Totten,  of  this  review, 
lived  in  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  where  they 
went  to  educate  their  children  and  where 
Mr.  Totten  was  in  the  mercantile  business. 
Norman  R.  Totten  was  a  snare  drummer  in 
the  regimental  band  of  the  Twenty-first 
Kansas  Regiment  during  the  service  of  that 
organization  in  the  Spanish  war. 


GEORGE  H.  MINER,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  George  H.  ^liner,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  dentistry  in  Hutchinson,  has 
won  a  creditable  position  in  the  profession 
because  his  equipment  was  good  and  be- 
cause his  mechanical  skill  ably  supplements 
his  theoretical  knowledge.  He  now  enjoys 
a  large  and  growing  patronage  and  the  suc- 
cess which  crowns  his  efforts  is  well  merited. 

Tire  Doctor  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  his  'birth 
having  occurred  in  Brookfield,  that  state,  on 
the  I2th  of  April,  1852.  He  is  the  second 
of  the  three  children  of  Joel  and  Polly 
(Bushnell)  Miner.  His  father  was  born  in 
Litchfield.   Connecticut,   in    1807,   while  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


mother  was  a  native  of  Trumbull  county, 
Ohio.  In  1828,  when  a  young  man,  Joel 
jMiner  removed  to  Ohio  where  he  was  mar-  | 
ried  and  engaged  in  merchandising,  con- 
ducting a  store  first  in  Brookfield  and  after- 
ward in  Hartford,  during  an  early  epoch  in 
the  history  of  the  Buckeye  state.  The  coun- 
try was  wild  and  new  and  the  work  of  civ- 
ilization was  just  being  introduced  into  that 
portion  of  the  country.  Mr.  Miner  remained 
in  Ohio  until  1872  and  in  connection  with 
his  business  afifairs  he  also  took  an  active 
part  in  pul.ilic  interests,  filling  for  years  the 
. ifhccs  lit  justice  of  the  peace  and  postmaster. 
He  was  most  loyal  to  the  trust  reposed  in 
him  and  his  official  service  won  him^  high 
commendation.  In  his  political  views  he 
was  a  Republican.  In  1872  he  removed  to 
Ann  .\rbor,  Michigan,  where  he  lived  re- 
tired until  his  death  in  1898.  His  children 
were:  Joel,  a  resident  of  Ann  Arbor; 
George  H. ;  and  Mary  L.,  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools  of  Detroit,  Michigan. 

The  boyhood  days  of  the  Doctor  were 
quietly  passed  in  his  parents'  home,  his  time 
being  divided  between  work  on  the  farm  and 
the  duties  of  the  school-room.  His  prelim- 
inary education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools  of  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  later  he 
was  a  student  in  Wayland  Academy,  at 
Beaver  Dam,  Wisconsin,  and  his  collegiate 
Avork  was  accomplished  in  the  University  of 
]\Iichigan.  where  he  was  graduated  with  the 
class  111  1876,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bach- 
elm'  if  Science. 

After  his  graduation  the  Doctor  went  to 
Bea\er  Dam,  Wisconsin,  where  for  a  period 
of  five  years  he  was  the  principal  of  the  high 
schiml  of  that  city.  In  1881  he  accepted  the 
position  of  chemist  for  the  Oxmoor  Iron 
Company,  of  Birmingham,  Alabama,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  for  three  years.  In 
1884  he  entered  the  dental  department  of 
the  University  at  Ann  Arbor  and  after 
studying  for  several  years'  established  an 
office  at  South  Lyon,  Michigan,  where  he 
remained  for  a  year.  In  1887  he  came  to 
Hutchinson,  where  he  began  practice,  which 
he  has  followed  here  continuously  since.  As 
the  _\ears  have  passed  he  has  demonstrated 
his  ability  and  his  satisfactory  workmanship 


has  gained  for  him  a  continually  growing 
patronage.  He  has  kept  fully  abreast  of  all 
the  latest  improvements  in  d'ental  work  and 
his  skill  has  gained  him  prestige,  winning 
him  rank  among  the  ablest  representatives  of 
the  profession  in  this  part  of  the  state.  His 
spacious  and  elegant  apartments  in  the  Ma- 
sonic Temple  building  are  fully  equipped 
with  all  the  latest  devices  that  facilitate  his 
work  and  the  constantly  growing  support 
accorded  him  by  the  public  is  abundant  evi- 
dence of  his  high  standing  in  public  opinion. 
The  Doctor  was  happily  married  August 
23,  18S2,  to  Miss  Fannie  I.  Miter,  of  Ri- 
pon.  Wisconsin,  and  their  home  has  been 
blessed  with  three  children,  Helen,  Harold 
and  Fannie.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife  have 
a  wide  acquaintance  in'  Hutchinson  and  the 
hospitality  of  many  of  the  best  homes  of  the 
city  is  freely  accorded  them.  He  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Masonic  society  and  is  a  wor- 
thy exemplar  of  the  craft.  Of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows Lodge  here  he  is  past  noble  grand  and 
past  chief  patriarch  of  the  encampment, 
while  to  the  grand  lodge  of  the  order  he  has 
served  as  delegate.  He  also  has  manbership 
relations  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  the  Modern^ W^oodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  the  Court  of  Honor.  Prominent  in 
poHtics  he  is  a  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party  and  has  served  as  a  manber  of  the 
Republican  county  central  committee.  He 
has  bear  a  delegate  to  the  various  county, 
congressional  and  state  conventions  and  his 
opinions:  carry  weight  in  their  councils.  His 
labor  in  behalf  of  the  party  is  purely  disin- 
terested, arising  frnm  firm  belief  in  the  party 
platform,  for  he  has  ne\er  sought  or  desired 
office,  preferring  to  give  his  attention  in  un- 
divided manner  to  his  profession,  in  which 
ability  has  gained  him  honorable  distinc- 
tion. 


BERT  STRATMANN. 

That  sturdy  element  of  our  population 
which  has  come  from  Germany  has  long 
been  well  represented  in  Kansas  and  has 
been  greatly  instrumental  in  the  develop- 
ment of  leading  interests  of  this  state.     One 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


of  the  best  known  Germans  O'f  Ellswortli 
county  is  Bert  Stratmann,  a  prominent  mer- 
chant of  Hollyrood.  Mr.  Stratmann  was 
born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  May  2,  1859, 
a  son  of  Christopher  and  Caroline  (Clop- 
ner)  Stratmann,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Hanover.  Christopher  Stratmann  be- 
came a  contractor  on  railway  construction, 
and  for  nearly  forty  years  was  concerned  in 
the  building'  of  railways  in  Germany, 
France  and  Russia.  In  1877  he  came  to 
America  and  bought  five  quarter-sections 
of  railroad  land  in  Ellsworth  county,  Kan- 
sas, and  engaged  in  farming.  He  improved 
his  land  and  developed  it  into  good  agricul- 
tural property.  He  died  February  23, 
1898,  and  his  widow  lives  on  his  old  home- 
stead with  their  son  Herman. 

Bert  Stratmann  is  one  of  six  children 
born  to  Christopher  and  Caroline  (Clop- 
ner)  Stratmann.  Albert,  the  eldest,  is  op- 
erating one  of  the  Stratmann  farms,  and 
Alexander  is  a  farmer  in  Ellsworth  county ; 
Emilie  married  William  Stoltenberg,  a 
fanner  of  Ellsworth  county ;  Freda  married 
Ernest  Peterman,  a  farmer  of  Ellsworth 
county;  and  Herman  manages  the  Strat- 
mann homestead.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  eighteen  years  old  when  he  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  America  and  to 
Kansas.  He  came  to  this  country  equipped 
with  a  good  literary  education,  gained  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  land.  Until  he  was 
twenty-five  years  old  he  assisted  his  father 
in  the  management  of  his  business  and  after 
that  he  operated  one  of  his  father's  farms 
until  1890,  when  he  bought  an  interest  in 
the  firm  of  H.  C.  Frevert  &  Company,  the 
namie  of  which  was  changed  to  Frevert  & 
Stratmann.  Nine  years  later  Mr.  Strat- 
mann bought  the  interest  of  Mr.  Frevert, 
and  he  has  one  of  the  best  equipped  and 
most  attractive  general  stores  in  his  part 
of  the  state  and  carries  a  large  and  compre- 
hensive stock  of  dry  goods,  clothing  and 
household  necessaries.  The  erection  of  his 
large  and  sightly  store  building  was  begun 
in  1886,  when  a  one-story  building,  cover- 
ing a  ground  space  of  thirty  by  seventy 
feet,    was    built.     The  size  of  the  building 


has  been  increased  to  thirty  by  one  liun- 
dred  feet,  and  in  1900  a  second  story  was 
built  by  Mr.  Stratmann.  It  is  a  substantial 
stone  building,  the  only  one  of  its  class  in 
town,  except  the  bank  building. 

Politically  Mr.  Stratmann  is  a  Demo- 
crat and  he  has  always  been  active  in  con- 
nection with  public  matters.  He  was  the 
trustee  of  his  township  for  three  years,  held 
the  office  of  township  clerk,  was  for  six 
years  a  notary  public  and  for  six  years  he 
has  been  secretary  of  the  school  board.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church. 


S.  L.   SMITH. 


One  of  the  successful  and  extensive  ag- 
riculturists of  Kingman  county  is  S.  L. 
Smith,  who  owns  a  fine  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  White  township. 
He  was  born  in  Ritchie  county,  West  Vir- 
ginia, in  1854,  and  is  a  member  of  a  promi- 
nent old  southern  family  of  that  common- 
wealth. His  father,  Barnes  Smith,  was  a 
son  of  Barnes  Smith,  Sr.,  and  both  wlere 
natives  of  that  state  and  of  English  descent. 
The  former  married  Harriet  Dye,  a  native 
of  the  Old  Domninon  and  a  daughter  of 
Dennis  Dye,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Unto 
this  couple  were  born  seven  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Oliver;  S.  L.,  of  this  review:  J.  D., 
a  resident  of  the  state  of  Washington ;  L.  C, 
of  Oklahoma ;  A.  G. ;  Rosa ;  and  Mary.  The 
father  of  this  family  was  called  to  his  final 
rest  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  He  fol' 
lowed  the  tilling  of  the  soil  as  a  life  occupa- 
tion, was  identified  with  the  Republican 
party,  and  was  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist 
church.  His  widow  is  still  living,  having 
reached  the  sixty-third  milestone  on  the 
journey  of  life. 

S.  L.  Smith,  the  only  representative  of 
the  above  family  in  the  Sunflower  state,  was 
reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  county,  and 
in  that  state  he  continued  to  make  his  home 
until  1887,  which  year  witnessed  his  arrival 
in  Kansas.  His  first  purchase  of  land  in  this 
county  consisted  of  a  tract  of  one  hundred 


QjS.^.rru:U 


MRS.   S.    L.   SMITH. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


42s 


and  sixty  acres,  but  by  giving  strict  atten- 
tion to  bis  business  interests  be  bas  been  en- 
abled to  add  to  bis  landed  possessions  until 
be  is  now  tbe  owner  of  tbree  bundred  and 
twenty  acres,  all  of  wbich  is  under  a  fine 
state  of  cultivation.  Wben  be  purcbased 
bis  land  nine  years  ago  it  was  wild  and  un- 
cultivated, biit  be  now  bas  it  all  fenced,  bas 
erected  a  comfortable  borne,  fourteen  by 
twenty-four  feet,  witb  an  L  sixteen  by  six- 
teen feet  and  witb  one  of  the  best  cellars  in 
tbe  county,  bas  also  erected  a  barn,  twenty- 
four  by  forty  feet,  granaries  and  sbeds  for 
bis  bogs  and  cattle,  keeping  about  seventy- 
five  bead  of  tbe  latter.  He  also  raises  the 
Red  Berkshire  bogs,  of  wbich  he  keeps  a  nice 
drove.  All  of  bis  possessions  have  been  ac- 
quired since  locating  oh  bis  present  farm. 
All  tbe  improvements  of  a  well  regulated 
place  are  seen  upon  bis  premises,  and  in  the 
county  of  his  adoption  he  is  now  regarded  as 
a  leading  and  representative  agriculturist. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Smith  was  cele- 
brated in  1873,  when  nineteen  years  of  age, 
Miss  Mary  McCray  becoming  bis  wife.  She 
was  born  in  tbe  state  of  Pennsylvania,  but 
while  yet  young  she  moved  to  Calhoun  coun- 
ty, Virginia,  and  was  reared  and  educated 
there  and  was  also  married  in  that  state. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth 
McCray.  Ten  children  have  blessed  tbe 
union  of  our  subject  and  wife,  namely: 
Llontuzuma,  Calvin  A.,  M.  Van  Buren, 
Laura  M.  Stanberg,  Rosa  F.,  Albertus  G., 
Pearl,  Maud  and  Kenneth.  A  little  daugh- 
ter also  died  when  a  babe.  Mrs.  Smith  is 
a  worthy  and  active  member  of  tbe  United 
Brethren  church.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  No. 
199,  of  Kingman,  Kansas.  Tbe  Republican 
party  receives  Mr.  Smith's  active  support 
and  co-operation,  and  on  its  ticket  he  has 
been  elected  to  many  positions  of  honor  and 
trust.  For  many  years  he  served  as  a  jus- 
tice of  tbe  peace,  and  was  also  treasurer  of 
tbe  scbol  board.  A  progressive  farmer,  a 
competent  official  and  a  man  whose  social 
qualities  commend  him  to  tbe  friendship  and 
regard  of  all,  he  is  both  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  Kinoman  countv. 


F.  M.  LONNON. 

In  central  Kansas  F.  !M.  Lonnon  is  well 
known,  having  been  a  resident  of  this  por- 
tion of  the  state  since  1876,  the  year  of  his 
arri\"al  in  l^llsworth  county.  He  is  now 
living  in  Atlanta  township,  Rice  county, 
where  he  bas  a  valuable  fann.  He  was  born 
April  4,  1842,  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  a 
son  of  William'  and  Nancy  (Hoover)  Lon- 
non, the  former  a  native  of  the  Buckeye 
state  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
mother  was  of  Holland  descent  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Abraham  Hoover,  whi;'  was 
also  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Tbe  parents  of 
our  subject  have  bad  nine  children,  namely : 
John,  Mrs.  Mary  Crowley,  Francis  M., 
Abraham,  Mrs.  Delilah  Jolly,  Thomas,  who 

I  is  living    in    Miami  county,  Kansas.  Mrs. 

I  Elizabeth  Wilson  and  two  who  are  now  de- 
ceased. George,  .the  eldest  of  the  family^ 
was  a  soldier  in  tbe  Nineteenth  Iowa  In- 
fantry during  the  Civil  war,  and  died  at 
Springfield,  Missouri,  while  anotlier  son, 
William,  bas  also  passed  away.  The  fa- 
ther died  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years,. 
in  Miami  county,  Kansas,  and  tbe  mother 
passed  away  in  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas, - 
about  1884.  He  bad  made  farming  bis  life 
work,  and  through  that  occupation  had  pro- 
vided comfortably  for  bis  wife  and  children. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Republican.  .  Both  were- 
honored  and  loved  by  all  who  knew  them,, 
and  they  bad  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

F.  M.  Lonnon,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
A-iew,  spent  tbe  greater  part  of  his  youthi 
in  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  upon  a  farm, 
where  from  the  time  of  early  planting  in  the 
spring  he  worked  in  tbe  fields  until  harvests 
were  garnered  in  the  late  autumn.  His  edu- 
cational privileges  were  those  afforded  by 
the  public  schools.  His  patriotic  spirit  was 
arbused  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  and  ori 
the  15th  of  August,  1862,  be  responded  to 
President  Lincoln's  call  for  tbree  hundred 
thousand  troops,  enlisting  for  three  years' 
service  in  tbe  Nineteenth  Iowa  Infantry, 
under  Colonel  Crabb  -and  Captain  Payne. 
He  participated  in  tbe  battle  of  Spring-field^ 
Missouri,  in  tbe  siege  of  Vicksburg,  tbe  bat- 
tle of  ]\Iol)ile,  Alabama,  and  in  tbe  campaign 


426 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


in  Texas,  and  at  the  close  of  tlie  war  was 
honorably  discharged  with  a  creditable  mili- 
tary record,  having  ever  been  found  at  his 
post  of  duty  as  a  faithful  defender  of  the 
Union.  Laying-  aside  his  suit  of  blue,  he 
then  resumed  fanning  in  Scotland  county, 
^Missouri,  near  Memphis,  where  he  resided 
until  1876,  the  year  of  his  arrival  in  Ells- 
^vorth  county,  Kansas.  He  was  among  its 
early  settlers,  and  from  that  time  to  the 
present  has  been  an  active  factor  in  the  sub- 
stantial growth  and  development  of -this 
portion  of  the  state.  He  first  lived  near 
Lorraine,  where  he  opened  up  a  farm,  con- 
tinuing its  cultivation  for  twenty-four 
years.  He  then  sold  that  i^roperty  and  then 
purchased  what  was  known  as  the  God- 
schockt  farm,  adjoining  Lyons.  Here  he  yet 
makes  his  home.  The  property  is  improved 
with  a  good  residence,  substantial  barns,  a 
fine  orchard,  a  wind-mill. for  pumping  water 
to  the  pastures,  all  indicating"  the  super- 
vision of  an  energetic,  practical  and  pro- 
gTessi\e  owner.  Everything  about  the  place 
is  in  excellent  condition,  and  the  iarm  is  a 
valuable  one. 

In  Scotland  county  Mr.  Lonnon  was 
united  in  marriage,  in  January,  1866,  to 
Miss  Catherine  Close,  an  estimable  lady, 
who  was  born  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (Thomp- 
son) Close,  the  latter  a  native  of  the  Buck- 
eye state,  while  the  former  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania.  Her  parents  had  the  follow- 
ing children:  ]\Ialinda  Lonnon;  ^Irs.  Caro- 
line Lonnon;  Malachi:  John;  Thomas; 
AVillard:  ^Irs.  Cornelia  Mallett.  of  Colo- 
rada ;  Stephen,  deceased :  Jeremiah,  who 
(lied  in  childhood ;  and  Eliza,  who  has  also 
passed  away.  Mrs.  Lonnon,  the  wife  of  our 
-object,  was  a  little  girl  when  her  parents 
removed  to  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa.  There 
they  remained  until  called  to  the  home'be- 
yond,  the  mother  passing  away  at  the  age 
of  sixty,  while  the  father  reached  the  sixty- 
iiinth  milestone  on  the  journey  of  life. '  He 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  was  an  active 
factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  adopted 
county.  His  political  support  was  given 
the  Re])ublican  party,  and  in  religious  faitli 
he  was  a  Methodist  in  his  later  life,  but  in 


former  years  was  connected  with  the  United 
Brethren  church.  The  marriage  of  our  sub- 
ject and  his  wife  has  been  blessed  with  six 
children:  Ella,  wife  of  W.  K.  Foster,  of 
Xess  county,  Kansas;  Alma,  wife  of  Charles 
Williams,  of  Rice  county;  Ross,  of  Ells- 
worth county;  Grace,  wife  of  John  Frantz, 
of  Ellsworth  county;  Pearl,  who  has  been 
a  successful  teacher;  and  Earl,  at  home. 
The  parents  belong  to  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  and  Mr.  Lonnon  votes  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  co-operates  in  all 
movements  for  the  general  good,  and  assists 
in  every  measure  that  he  believes  will  bene- 
fit the  community.  At  the  same  time  he 
successfully  carries  on  his  farming  opera- 
tions, and  as  the  result  of  his  diligence  and 
capable  management  he  is  now  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  very  comfortable  competence. 


REUBEN  B.  SHUMWAY. 

In  all  life's  relations  R.  B.  Shumway 
has  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
his  fellow-  men,  and  to-day  he  is  known  as 
a  representative  and  leading  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  of  Rice  county,  as  one  of  its 
honored  early  settlers  and  as  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war.  He  has  also  occupied  pub- 
lic offices,  and  as  county  treasurer  displayed 
his  fidelity  to  the  best  interests  of  the  people 
whom  he  represented.  Mr.  Shumway  is  a 
native  of  Ohio,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Scioto  coimty,  on  the  3d  of  January, 
1844,  his  parents  being  John  O.  and  Hettie 
(Snyder)  Shumway,  who  were  also  natives 
of  the  Buckeye  state.  The  father  was  a  son 
of  Sylvanus  T.  Shumway,  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  great-grandfather  of  our  subject 
was  Reuben  Shumway,  a  native  of  New 
York.  He  was  of  French  descent.  His 
ancestors  were  French  Huguenots,  who 
were  banished  from  their  country  on  ac- 
count of  the  religious  difiiculties  with  the 
Catholics  and  therefore  came  to  America 
during  colonial  days,  settling  in  New  York, 
whence  they  became  loyal  citizens  of  their 
adopted  country.  Reuben  Shumway  served 
through  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


patrii.tic  spirit  has  been  manifest  in  the  h\-es 
of  his  descendants,  who  have  ever  been  true 
and  loyal  to  the  best  interests  of  America. 
He  reared  a  family  of  four  sons,  namely : 
Darias.  Alvah,  Sylvanus  and  Cyrus,  all  of 
whom  served  in  the  \\ar  of  1812.  After  re- 
turning from  the  war  of  1812  Sylvanus 
Shumway,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
emigrated  to  Ohio.  Building  a  raft,  he 
with  his  family  and  effects  floated  down 
tlie  Alleghenv  river  tij  the  Ohio  river  and 
thence  to  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Scioto  river, 
in  Ohio.  This  occurred  about  1717  or 
1 718.  He  established  a  home  in  that  state, 
and  there  resided  until  his  death.  He  was 
a  broad-minded,  intelligent  man  and  exer- 
cised strcjng  influence  for  good  in  the  com- 
munity with  which  he  Vvas  associated.  He 
was  a  civil  engineer  and  in  an  early  day  fol- 
lowed surveying  in  the  Buckeye  state.  He 
also  improved  a  large  farm,  upon  which  he 
spent  the  years  of  an  active  and  honorable 
business  career.  He  was  enterprising  and 
public-spirited  and  was  favorably  known 
for  his  sterling  integrity  and  honor.  His 
children  were:  Polly,  who  became  the  wife 
of  H.  \'an  Gorder  and  after  his  death  mar- 
ried William  Jenkins ;  Harriet,  the  wife  of 
N.  McCowan;  John  O. ;  and  Mrs.  Julia  T. 
Crabtree.  The  parents  held  membership  in 
the  ?\Iethodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in  his 
]X)litical  views  the  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject was  a  Whig.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  people  of  the  highest  respectability, 
their  lives  being  in  harmony  with  their 
Christian  professions. 

John  Q.  Shumway,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  and  reared  in  Ohio  and 
his  was  an  upright  and  useful  career.  His 
birth  occurred  in  Scioto  county,  July  24, 
1823,  and  he  died  on  the  7th  of  Alarch, 
1897.  When  he  had  arrived  at  years  of  ma- 
turity he  wedded  ]\Iiss  Hettie  Sn>der,  who 
was  born  November  2~.  1S25,  and  died  De- 
cember 14.  1893.  They  always  resided  in  the 
state  of  their  nativity  and  after  their  mar- 
riage located  on  the  old  Shumway  home- 
stead, which  had  been  entered  and  improved 
by  his  father.  In  early  life  John  Q.  Shum- 
way joined  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and   remained  a  loyal  member  throughout 


the  years  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage.  He 
contributed  liberally  to  the  support  of  the 
church  and  was  a  man  of  high  Christian 
character,  cheerful  disposition  and  of  broad 
charity.  His  many  virtues  made  him  an  in- 
fluential resident  of  his  community,  and  he 
left  the  impress  of  his  individuality  not  only 
upon  the  members  of  his  own  household  but 
upon  many  friends,  and  his  memiory  re- 
mains as  a  blessed  benediction  to  all  who 
knew  him.  He  voted  with  the  Whig  party 
in  early  manhood  and  on  its  dissolution 
joined  the  Republican  party,  but  never 
sought  or  cared  for  ofifice.  In  1862  he  aided 
in  organizing  Company  F,  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Seventeenth  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, which  on  the  lOth  of  August,  1863, 
was  re-organized  as  a  company  of  Ohio 
heavy  artillery.  At  that  time  he  became 
lieutenant,  serving  as  such  until  the  com- 
pany was  mustered  out,  August  10,  1865. 
He  kept  a  complete  diary  during  the  war, 
giving  a  brief  but  concise  account  of  army 
life  with  all  the  engagements.  It  is  now  a 
valuable  memoir,  containing  a  record  of  the 
battles  and  incidents,  and  thus  giving  a 
correct  and  vivid  picture  of  war  life.  He 
voted  for  Abraham  Lincoln  on  the  8th  of 
November,  1864,  while  at  the  front.  No 
braver  man  shouldered  a  musket  in  defense 
of  his  country  than  John  Q.  Shumway,  but 
it  was  with  great  joy  that  lie  returned  to  his 
home  and  family  when  the  war  was  over 
and  the  preservation  of  the  Union  was  as- 
sured. He  re-entered  the  walks  of  civil  life 
with  an  earnestness  that  was  characteristic 
of  the  man  and  lived  out  his  three  score 
years  and  ten;  until  the  Great  Commander 
called  his  volunteers,  and  on  the  7th  of 
March,  1897,  he  answered  the  roll  call 
above.  His  was  a  noble  and  upright  char- 
acter, commanding  uniform  respect,  and  he 
was  widelv  known  as  a  considerate  neigh- 
bor, a  faithful  friend  and  a  devoted  hus- 
band and  father,  as  well  as  a  man  of  sterling 
integrity  and  honor.  His  wife  was  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Sally  (Mead)  Sny- 
der, the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the 
latter  of  New  York.  After  their  marriage 
they  located  in  Ohio,  where  they  became 
prominent  and  well  known  farming  peri[)le. 


428 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


Their  children  were  Judah,  Ezra,  Hettie, 
Jonathan,  Esther  and  Mary.  The  three 
sons  served  their  country  in  the  Rebehion 
and  Judah  laid  down  his  life  in  defense  of 
the  Union  and  was  buried  at  Helena,  Ar- 
kansas. Both  parents  were  members  of  the 
Baptist  church.  The  children  of  John  O.  and 
Hettie  (Snyder)  Shumway  were  Reuben 
B. ;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  D.  W.  Strouse;  Cy- 
rus W.,  who  came  as  a  pioneer  to  Rice  coun" 
ty  in  1 87 1  and  here  spent  his  remaining 
days  as  a  prominent  and  honored  early  set- 
tler and  a  leading  Republican,  serving  at  one 
time  as  county  treasurer;  John,  who  is  liv- 
ing in  Ohio ;  Milton,  who  occupies  the  office 
of  auditor  of  Scioto  county,  Ohio;  Maria, 
the  wife  of  H.  Ketter,  of  Ohio';  and  James 
O.,  who  owns  and  operates  the  old  family 
homestead  in  the  Buckeye  state. 

It  was  upon  that  farm  that  Reuben  B. 
Shumway  was  born  and  reared.  He  re- 
ceived his  elementary  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  afterward  attended  an 
academy,  his  training  at  farm  work  being 
received  in  the  fields  under  his  father's 
direction.  When  about  twenty  years  of 
age,  aroused  by  a  spirit  of  patriotism,  he 
joined  Company  F,  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fortieth  Ohio  Infantry,  which  was  as- 
signed to  the  Department  of  West  Virginia. 
He  joined  his  regiment  at  Gallipolis,  Ohio, 
and  was  there  mustered  out  on  the  3d  of 
September,  1864,  receiving  an  honorable 
discharge.  His  command  was  detailed  to 
guard  service  and  also  engaged  in  skirmish- 
ing to  some  extent,  but  ^Ir.  Shumway  re- 
ceived no  wounds.  Returning  home  he  re- 
sumed work  on  the  farm  and  there  remained 
until  December  24,  1865,  when  he  was  mar- 
ried. In  the  spring  of  that  year  he  had 
been  elected  assessor  and  the  following  year 
was  re-elected  tO'  the  same  office,  thus  serv- 
ing for  two  years.  Having  located  upon  a 
small  farm,  he  cultivated  the  fields  and  in 
connection  carried  on  surveying,  executing  ' 
some  contracts  on  public  works,  such  as 
turnpikes  and  bridges.  He  superintended 
the  construction  of  the  big  bridge  over  the 
Scioto  river  and  continued  farming  and 
contracting  until   1885. 

In    that    \ear    ]\Ir.    Shumwav  came  to 


Kansas,  where  he  has  since  inade  his  home, 
locating  in  Rice  county.  He  took  his  fam- 
ily to  the  home  of  his  brother,  who  was  then 
coimty  treasurer,  and  he  employed  Mr. 
Shumway  as  his  assistant.  For  eight  years 
he  filled  the  position  of  deputy  treasurer  and 
was  then  elected  to  the  office  for  a  term  of 
four  years,  so  that  he  was  connected  with 
the  position  continuously  for  twelve  years,  a 
fact  which  indicates  in  an  unmistakable 
manner  his  fidelity  to  duty  and  the  care  with 
wliich  he  superintended  the  financial  inter- 
ests of  the  community.  While  acting  as 
treasurer  he  was  also  made  assignee  of  the 
Bank  of  Lyons  to  settle  up'  its  business.  In 
the  fall  of  1885  he  purchased  the  farm  upon 
which  he  yet  resides,  and  there  located  his 
family,  while  each  day  for  twelve  years  he 
drove  to  and  from  his  business.  During  the 
boom  in  Lyons,  Mr.  Shumway  was  actively 
interested  therein  and  lost  considerable 
money  in  the  collapse,  but  altogether  his 
business  career  has  been  a  profitable  and 
successful  one,  and  to-day  he  owns  valuable 
farms,  comprising  altogether  about  twelve 
hundred  acres.  He  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing and  raises,  buys  and  handles  stock.  He 
has  improved  the  grade  of  stock,  giving 
special  attention  to  shorthorn  cattle,  and 
he  now  has  a  number  of  fine  registered  ani- 
mals upon  his  place,  including  a  head  of 
registered  Jerseys. 

Mr.  Shumwa}^  was  joined  in  wedlock 
to  Miss  Barbara  Schuster,  who  was  born  in 
Oliio,  No\ember  19,  1844,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Margaret  (Getschell)  Schuster, 
who  were  natives  of  Germany  and  became 
successful  farming  people  of  Ohio.  Her 
father  died  in  1865,  after  which  his  widow 
found  a  good  home  with  her  daughter, 
Mrs.  Shumway,  there  spending  her  last 
days,  her  death  occurring  in  1895,  at  the 
very  advanced  age  of  ninety-one  years. 
Both  were  consistent  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran church.  Their  children  were  INIrs.  Au- 
gusta Groff,  Mrs.  Laura  Mink,  Christina, 
who  became  the  wife  of  H.  ]\Iyers  and  is 
now  deceased,  and  Barbara,  wife  of  our 
subject.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shumway  has  been  blessed  with  nine  chil- 
dren :     John  ^^^.  v>-ho  is  agent  for  the  Wa- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


bash  Railroad  Company  at  Council  Bluffs, 
Iowa;  Ella,  wife  of  W.  D.  Thompson,  a 
resident  fanner  of  Rice  county;  Henry, 
Charles  and  Edward  A.,  who  are  also  fol- 
lowing agricultural  pursuits  in  the  same 
county;  Bertha,  at  home;  Hettie,  wife  of  C. 
Plank;  and  Clay  and  James  M.,  who  are 
with  their  parents.  Mr.  Shumway  holds 
membership  with  Kit  Carson  Post,  No.  20, 
G.  A.  R.,  of  Lyons.  His  wife  belongs  to 
the  Lutheran  church,  while  he  is  a  worthy 
member  of  the  Methodist  church.  He  takes 
a  very  active  interest  in  Sunday-school 
work,  is  serving  as  superintendent  and  co- 
operates earnestly  in  the  work  of  the  church 
along  lines  of  advancement.  During  his 
residence  in  Kansas  he  has  progressed  finan- 
cially and  is  to-day  one  of  the  substantial 
agriculturists  of  his  adopted  county.  He 
has  a  com.mendable  record  for  fidelity  in 
office,  for  Icivalty  to  the  duties  of  citizenship 
and  fi  r  the  faithful  discharge  of  the  obli- 
gatii.ms  whicli  devolve  upon  him  in  relation 
to  his  fellow  men. 


S.  J.   SMITH. 

At  an  early  period  in  the  develop'ment 
of  Rice  county  S.  J.  Smith  came  to  Kansas, 
settling  in  this  portion  of  the  state,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  been  numbered  among 
its  prominent  and  representative  farmers. 
He  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio, 
September  17,  1835,  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  A.  fSoper)  Smith.  The  Smith  fam- 
ily is  oi  Scotch-Irish  descent  and  the  Soper 
family  is  of  German  lineage.  The  father  of 
our  subject  was  born  in  Washington  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  and  was  one  of  five  chil- 
dren, namely:  Thomas  and  Jedediah,  who 
died  in  Oliio;  Samuel;  Mary,  the  wife  of 
W.  Barnes,  who  removed  to  Iowa,  where 
her  last  days  were  spent;  and  Nellie,  who 
became  the  wife  of  J.  K.  Barnes  and  died 
in  Ohio.  Samuel  Smith,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  reared  and  married  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. His  wife  was  a  native  of  Maryland. 
Soon  afterward  they  went  to  Ohio,  where 
he  piuxhased  a  tract  of  raw  land^nd  began 


the  development  of  a  farm.  Subsequently 
he  purchased,  improved  and  sold  three 
farms.  All  of  his  children  were  born  in 
Ohio,  and  in  1806  he  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  ]\Iichigan,  settling  in  the  northern 
peninsula,  where  he  purchased  and  sold  real 
estate,  there  spending  his  remaining  days. 
He  died  in  Benzonia,  Michigan,  October  20, 
1875.  While  in  Ohio  he  served  as  captain 
of  a  militia  comipany.  Politically  he  was 
a  Whig  and  abolitionist  in  early  life,  being 
strongly  opposed  to  the  institution  of 
slavery.  He  filled  many  minor  township 
offices  and  was  a  progressive  and  loyal  citi- 
zen. In  early  life  he  held  membership  in 
I  the  Presbyterian  church  and  later  became 
identified  with  the  Reformed  or  Congrega- 
tional church,  in  which  he  served  as  deacon 
for  many  years.  He  was  also  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sunday-school  for  more  than 
twenty  years.  He  contributed  liberally  to 
church  work  and  gave  of  his  time  and  effort 
to  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  religion. 
Much  of  his  thought  and  labor  .was  devoted 
to  measures  calculated  to  prove  of  benefit 
to  his  fellow  men  and  he  was  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  all  charitable  institutions.  A 
devoted  Christian,  he  was  enterprising  and 
public-spirited  and  had  a  high  sense  of  in- 
tegrity and  honor.  The  poor  and  needy 
found  in  him  a  friend  and  his  neighbors 
knew  him  to  be  a  considerate,  just  and 
straightforward  man.  He  passed  away  at 
the  a.ge  of  seventy-six  years,  and  his  wife, 
long  survi\'ing,  departed  this  life  in  July, 
1896,  when  eighty-six  years  of  age.  They 
had  eight  children,  namely:  Ruth  A.,  the 
wile  of  J.  H.  Ford,  who  became  the  parents 
of  ]\Irs.  Governor  Altgeld,  of  Illinois;  Mar- 
tha, the  wife  of  C.  C.  Baldwin,  a  Congre- 
gational' mmister  of  Ohio ;  James  W.,  who 
died  in  childhood ;  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of 
C.  G.  Bryant,  a  merchant  of  Knox  county, 
Ohio ;  Charles,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six 
years;  S.  J.,  whose  name  introduces  this 
review;  Edward  P.,  of  Chicago;  and  Mary 
M.,  the  wife  of  William  Patterson,  of  Ohio. 
No  event  of  special  importance  occurred 
to  vary  the  routine  of  farm  life  for  S.  J. 
Smith  in  his  youth.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  had  attained  his  majoritv  and  then 


430 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


went  to  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school,  for  he  had  enjoyed  liberal  edu- 
cational privileges,  his  early  mental  disci- 
pline having  been  supplemented  by  a  course 
in  the  Oberlin  Academy.  He  continued  to 
follow  the  teacher's  profession  until  1862, 
when,  feeling  that  his  country  needed  his 
service,  he  offered  his  aid  tO'  the  govern- 
ment, enlisting  for  three  years  or  during  the 
war,  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Seventy- 
seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  under 
command  of  Colonel  D.  P.  Greir.  The  regi- 
ment was  assigned  to  the  western  depart- 
ment, becoming  a  member  of  the  Thirteenth 
Army  Corps,  with  Sherman  in  command. 
Mr.  Smith  participated  in  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg  and  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post 
and  was  with  General  Grant  in  all  of  his 
campaigning  in  the  vicinity  of  Vicksburg 
imtil  the  capitulation  of  the  city.  After  the 
close  of  that  campaign  he  was  granted  a 
twenty-days  furlough,  the  only  leave  of  ab,- 
sence  which  he  had  during  his  entire  term 
of  military  service.  On  its  expiration  he  re- 
turned to  his  command  and  continvied  with 
his  regiment  until  the  close  of  the  w-ar.  His 
military  duty  was  often  arduous.  He  was 
in  much  skirmishing  and  in  seventeen  hotly 
contested  battles.  At  the  time  of  Lee's  sur- 
render he  was  located  in  Alabama,  in  whicli 
state  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  and 
went  to  Springtield,  Illinois,  where  Mr. 
Smith  recei\ed  an  honorable  discharge  and 
was  paid  off  in  July,  1865. 

He  then  returned  to  his  home  and  fam- 
ily and  resumed  school  teaching,  which  he 
followed  continuously  until  1867  when  he 
accepted  a  position  as  "bookkeeper  in  Peoria. 
A  year  later  failing  eye  sight  and  close  con- 
finement compelled  him  to  seek  an  occupa- 
tion that  would  enable  him  to  have  some  out- 
door exercise.  He  therefore  purchased  a 
small  farm  in  Peoria  county,  upon  which  he 
remained  for  several  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1875  he  came  to  Kansas,  locating  in  Rice 
county,  where  he  rented  a  tract  of  land  and 
Ijegan  its  cultivation.  He  lived  alone 
through  the  summer,  during  which  time  he 
located  a  homesteadi  and  built  a  house,  and 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  vear  he  sent  for  his 
family.     He  is  yet  residing  on-  his  original 


claim,  which  at  first  comprised  one  hundred  , 
and  sixty  acres,  but  to  this  he  has  since 
added  a  tract  of  eighty  acres.  His  home  is 
a  commodious  two-story  frame  residence, 
in  the  rear  of  which  stands  substantial 
barns  and  outbuildings,  and  these  in  turn 
are  surroxmded  by  well  tilled  fields.  He  also 
has  a  good  orchard  and  a  grove  of  over  five 
acres,  in  which  are  many  squirrels  which 
have  their  haunts  in  the  trees.  He  and  his 
wife  planted  seed  and  set  out  trees  and  are 
to-day  enjoying  the  fruits  of  their  labor. 
Their  beautiful  home  and  farm  is  situated 
six  miles  north  of  Lyons  and  is  one  of  the 
most  attractive  country  seats  in  this  portion 
of  the  state.  When  they  came  here  there 
were  few  permanent  settlers  and  farming 
was  carried  on  only  on  a  small  scale,  but  the 
coimtry  settled  and  developed  rapidly  and 
towns  and  villages  were  founded.  There 
were  some  buffaloes  and  many  antelopes  }et 
in  the  district,  but  Mr.  Smith  had  no  time 
to  hunt  and  within  a  comparatively  short 
period  advancing  civilization  had  driven  all 
wild  animals  from  this  district.  Occasion- 
all}'  crops  have  been  poor,  but  usually  the 
return  for  labor  has  been  a'Dundant.  The 
wheat  crop  is  always  reliable  and  his  farm 
has  ever  been  self-supporting  and  for  many 
years  his  labors  have  been  crowned  with  a 
high  degree  of  prosperity.  He  has  every 
reason  to  be  pleased  w-ith.  his  adopted  state, 
for  here  he  has  established  a  good  home. and 
has  gained  success. 

It  was  in  i860  that  ^Ir.  Smith  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucinda  A. 
Gardner,  w"ho  was  born  in  the  city  of  Peoria, 
Illinois,  November  3,  1840,  and  is  a  lady  of 
intelligence  and  culture.  Her  parents,  An- 
sel M.  and  Lucinda  (Bishop)  Gardner, 
were  both  natives  of  New  York,  where  they 
were  married.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Adam  Gardner,  was  also  born  in  the  Em- 
pire state  and  was  of  English  lineage.  By 
trade  he  was  a  shoemaker,  and  on  leaving" 
the  east  he  removed  to  Illinois,  where  his 
last  days  were  passed.  His  children  were : 
Otis,  v.-ho  died  in  Illinois;  Ansel  ]\I.,  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Smith ;  Roxana,  wife  of  W. 
]Meggs ;  IMrs.  Lydia  ^leggs :  Sophia,  the 
wife  of  Tudge  Hunt;    and    Clarinda,    who 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


431 


married  Isaac  Spencer.  Ansel  M.  Gardner 
was  reared  in  New  York  and  was  ordained 
as  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  church.  In 
1835  he  went  to  Peoria,  Ilhnois,  where  he 
acted  as  local  preacher  until  old  age  necessi- 
tated his  retirement.  By  occupation  he  was 
a  mechanic,  and  in  1844  he  took  up  his 
abode  vipon  a  farm,  where  he  resided  for  a 
numiber  of  years,  after  which  he  retired  to 
Osceola,  his  death  there  occurring  in  1876. 
Throughout  his  entire  life  his  career  was 
in  harmony  with  his  Christian  teachings, 
and  he  died  in  the  tirm  hope  of  everlasting 
happiness.  His  wife  survived  him  some 
time  and  spent  her  last  days  with  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Smith,  where  slie  found  a  good 
home.  Her  death  occurred  January  i,  1895. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Joel  Bishop,  of  New 
England,  who  served  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  and  was  a  farmer  by  ocupation. 
His  death  occurred  in  the  Empire  state. 
He  had  thirteen  children,  namely :  Chaun- 
cy,  Joel,  Elijah,  Reuben,  Anna,  Clara, 
Roxy,  Sallie,  Phoebe.  Lucinda.  Harriet, 
Martha  and  Rachel.  The  children  of  the 
(lardner  family  were:  Martin  A.,  who  is 
now  deceased;  Phoel^e  L.,  who  became  ]\Irs. 
\\'eaver  and  after  the  death  of  her  first  hus-' 
band  she  v^•as  again  married ;  Harriet,  the 
widow  of  William  Calhoun  and  a  resident 
of  Crawford  county,  Kansas;  Adam,  who 
is  living  in  the  state  of  Washington;  ]\Iar- 
tha  F.,  the  wife  of  Joseph  A.  Smith;  Reu- 
ben B.,  of  Illinois;  Lucinda,  wife  of  S.  .J. 
Smithj  Chauncy  H.,  of  Iowa;  Mary  J.,  the 
wife  of  C.  H.  Drury,  of  Illinois;  and  John 
A.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  \  ears. 
The  parents  of  this  family  were  members 
of  the  Baptist  church  and  in  that  faith 
reared  their  children. 

The  home  of  ;\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Smith  has 
been  blessed  with  seven  children,  as  fol- 
lows; Charles  J.,  of  Utah;  Samuel  E.,  a 
farmer  of  Rice  county;  Ella  ]M.,  wife  of 
V''.  E.  Cassingiiem,  a  grain  merchant  of 
Xoble.  Kansas ;  Frank,  a  stockman,  at 
home:  L<4ta  B.,  the  wife  of  J.  Blakeley,  of 
Oklalioma;  Ransom  T..  of  Utah;  and  Mary 
L.  Air.  Sniitli  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  likewise  beli.'.ngs  to  Kit 


Carson  Post.  Xo.  20,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Lyons.  . 
He  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Whig 
party  and  in  i860  supported  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  who  was  the  author  of  the  Squat- 
ter's Sovereignty  plan  for  Kansas.  After 
entering  the  army,  however,  he  became  a 
stanch  advocate  of  Republican  principles 
and  has  since  supported  the  party.  While 
in  Illinois  he  filled  a  number  of  township 
offices  and  was  clerk  and  treasurer  for  some 
time.  Since  coming  to  Kansas  he  has 
served  for  eight  years  as  clerk  of  the  courts 
and  was  deputy  clerk  for  three  years,  while 
in  1890  he  was  elected  to  serve  in  the  state 
senate.  He  is  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  leading  members  of  his  party,  and  was 
at  one  time  the  nominee  for  county  treas- 
urer, but  on  account  of  the  great  strength 
of  the  Populist  m(j\enient  he  was  defeated. 
In  the  positions  which  he  has  filled  he  has 
discharged  his  duties  with  marked  prompt- 
ness and  fidelity,  and  over  the  record  of  his 
public  career  there  falls  no  shadow  of 
wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil.  He  has  con- 
tributed' in  no  unsubstantial  manner  to  the 
progress  and  improvement  of  his  portion  of 
the  state,  and  his  worth  as  a  citizen  is 
widely  acknowledged.  As  an  honored  pio- 
neer and  man  oi  genius,  abilitv  and  worth 
he  well  deser\-es  representation  in  this  vol- 
ume. 


SAMUEL  AIATORS. 


Samuel  Majors  is  tlie  efficient  and  popu- 
lar postmaster  of  Waterloo,  Kansas,  to 
which  position  he  was  appointed  in  June. 
1897.  He  was  born  in  White  county.  Illi- 
nois, April  14,  1837.  The  family '  is  of 
English  lineage,  but  for  several  generations 
has  been  represented  in  America.  William 
Majors,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject., was 
a  valiant  soldier  in  the  war  of  l8i2,  and 
served  under  General  Jackson  at  Horseshoe 
Bend.  His  son,  Isaac  Majors,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Giles  county,  Ten- 
nessee, and  when  he  had  reached  man's  es- 
tate he  married  Martha  Lay,  who  was 
Ijorn  in  North  Carolina,  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Tesse  Lav,  a  native  of  that  state,  of 


432 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Scotch  descent.  Mr.  Majors  held  member- 
ship in  the  Baptist  church  and  his  wife 
in  the  M'ethodist  Episcopal  church.  They 
instilled  intoi  the  minds  of  their  children  les- 
sons concerning'  the  value  of  honesty  and 
uprightness.  Mrs.  Major  died  at  the  early 
age  of  twenty-six  years.  By  her  marriage 
she  became  the  mother  of  two  sons  and 
three  daughters,  namely :  Samuel ;  Will- 
iam ;  Rebecca ;  Mary ;  and  Martha.  After 
the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Majors  was 
again  married,  and  by  the  second  union  had 
a  son,  Jacob  W.  In  his  political  views  the 
father  was  a  Democrat,  and  was  a  citizen 
very  loyal  to  the  best  interests  of  his  county, 
state  and  nation.  His  long  and  honorable 
career  covered  a  period  of  eighty  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  was  called  to  his 
final  rest. 

Sam'uel  Majors  spent  his  youth  in  the 
usual  manner  of  farmer  lads,  wori<ing  in  the 
fields  on  the  Illinois  homestead,  while  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  neighborhood  he  ac- 
quired his  education.  \Vhen  the  country 
became  involved  in  the  Civil  war  and  needed 
the  aid  of  her  loyal  sons,  he  enlisted  on  the 
25th  of  July,  1861,  at  the  second  call  of 
President  Lincoln  for  troops,  becoming  a 
member  of  Company  C.  Fortieth  Illinois 
Infantry,  under  command  of  Captain  E. 
Stewart  and  Colonel  S.  G.  Hicks.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Belmont,  Fort 
Denison,  Fort  Henry  and  Shiloh,  and  on 
being  taken  ill,  was  sent  to  the  hospital  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged  June  14,   1862. 

Mr.  Majors  then  returned  to  his  home 
and  wife,  for  in  i860  he  had  married  Eliza- 
beth A.  Upton,  a  lady  of  culture  and  intelli- 
gence, who  has  been  a  miost  able  assistant 
to  him  in  his  life  work.  She  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  Springertown,  Illi- 
nois, a  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Cain)  LTpton,  the  former  a  native  of 
N'lrth  Carolina  and  the  latter  of  Tennessee. 
Biith  -pent  their  last  year  in  Illinois.  Their 
family  was  well  represented  by  two  brave 
sons  who  aided  in  the  defense  of  the  Union. 
James  B.  Upton,  who  is  now  deceased,  was 
a  member  of  the  Fortieth  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  William  W.,  who  became  a  member  of 


the  Fifty-sixth  Illinois  Regiment,  was  lost 
on  the  ship  "General  Lyons"  at  the  time  it 
was  burned.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Majors  has  been  blessed  with  eight 
children,  namely:  Martha  A.,  Delpha  E., 
j  Mary  E.,  Rebecca  J.,  Charles  E.,  Minnie 
A.,  Eliza  A.  and  John  A.  The  family  are 
now  living  in  Woodward  county,  Okla- 
homa, near  Curtis. 

In  the  year  1879  Mr.  Majors  disposed 
of  his  business  interests  in  his  native  state 
and  came  to  Kansas,  locating  first  in  Sum- 
ner county,  where  he  remained  until  1886, 
when  he  came  to  Kingman  county.  He  has 
since  been  identified  with  the  work  of  de- 
velopment and  progress  in  this  portion  of 
the  state,  and  is  a  citizen  who  places  the 
public  welfare  before  personal  aggrandize- 
ment. His  political  support  is  given  to  the 
Republican  party  and  he  never  wavers  in 
his  allegiance  to  its  principles.  Appointed 
!  to  his  present  position  as  postmaster  of 
I  Waterloo  in  June,  1897,  his  administration 
has  been  one  commending  him  to  the  con- 
fidence and  support  of  the  best  citizens,  for 
he  is  prompt  and  reliable  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties.  He  keeps  well  informed  on  the 
issues  of  the  day  and  takes  just  pride  in 
public  progress  and  improvement.  Socially 
he  is  connected  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  with  the  Odd  Fellows  society, 
and  in  his  life  he  exemplifies  the  beneficent 
spirit  of  these  fraternities. 


N.  J.  YEAROUT. 

N.  J.  Yearout,  superintendent  of  the 
Kingman  County  Infirmary  and  one  of  the 
early  and  highly  respected  residents  of  his 
locality,  was  born  in  Blount  county,  Tennes- 
see, in  1859.  His  father,  J.  J.  Yearout,  was 
a  native  of  Kuolx  county,  that  state,  and  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  Rebellion  he  served 
for  three  and  a  half  years  as  a  brave  and  gal- 
lant soldier.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Jane  Symerly,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many. In  1866  Mr.  Yearout  removed  with 
his  family  to  Crittenden  county,  Kentucky, 
where  thev  made  their  home  for  six  vears, 


MR.  AND  MRS.  N.  I.  YEAROUT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


433 


after  which  they  took  up  their  abode  near 
Newton,  in  Newton  county,  Missouri,  there 
spending"  the  following  five  years.  On  tho 
■expiration  of  that  period  they  came  to  the 
Sunflower  state,  securing  a  farm  on  section 
35,  Iveno  township,  Reno  county.  The  land 
was  then  known  as  Osage  Indian  land  and 
was  in  its  primitive  CMnditirm.  luit  Mr.  Year- 
out  succeeded  in  placing  his  fields  under  a 
fine  state  of  cultivation,  and  there  the  family 
made  their  home  for  many  years.  The  fa- 
ther's death  occurred  at  Hunnewell,  Sumner 
■county,  Kansas.  He  was  a  life-long  farm- 
er, and  in  his  social  relations  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  in 
■which  he  maintained  pleasant  relations  with 
liis  old  army  comrades.  His  widow  still 
survi\es  and  resides  at  Hunnewell,  being 
nijw  in  her  sixty-sixth  year.  They  became 
the  parents  oi  eight  children,  four  sons  and 
four  daughters, — Jacob,  Catharine,  Martha 
S..  N.  J..  Mar>-  J.,  J.  E.,  Alice,  and  J.  C. 

N.  J.  Yearout,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
various  removals,  and  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  Missouri  and 
Kansas.  He  remained  under  the  parental 
Toof  until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  and  in 
the  following  year  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Martha  Whitehead,  daughter  of  Samuel 
3.nd  Margaret  Whitehead.  They  now  mak~e 
their  home  at  Cheney,  Kansas.  Since  as- 
suming the  duties  of  superintendent  of  the 
county  poor  farm  and  infirmary  Mr.  Year- 
out has  given  to  it  his  undivied  attention. 
He  has  indeed  proved  himself  an  efficient  and 
worthy  man  for  the  position,  and  the  county 
commissioners  are  to  be  congratulated  in 
securing  him  for  this  responsible  office.  The 
farm  consists  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  which  is  under  cultivation,  while  the  re- 
mainder is  devoted  to  pasturage,  in  which 
may  be  seen  an  excellent  grade  of  stock. 
About  sixty  head  of  cattle,  seventy  hogs  and 
about  seven  horses  are  usually  kept  upon  the 
place.  The  place  is  adorned  with  neat  and 
substantial  building-s  and  from  six  to  twenty- 
three  inmates  yearly  find  excellent  homes 
here. 

The  Republican  party  receives  ]\Ir.  Year- 


out's  hearty  support  and  co-operation,  ancl 
in  his  social  relations  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  oi  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  Mrs.  Yearout  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church,  and  both  she 
and  her  husband  are  highly  esteemed  by  all 
and  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes 
in  this  section  of  the  county,  the  circle  of 
their  friends  being  almost  co-extensive  with 
the  circle  of  their  acquaintances. 


SAMUEL  JONES. 

In  no  profession  is  there  a  career  more 
open  to  talent  than  in  that  of  the  law,  and  in 
no  field  of  endeavor  is  there  demanded  a 
more  careful  preparation,  a  more  thorough 
appreciation  of  the  ethics  of  life  or 
of  the  underlying  principles  which  form  the 
basis  of  all  human  rights  and  privileges. 
Unflagging  application  and  intuitive  wis- 
dom and  a  determination  to  fully  utilize  the 
means  at  hand  are  the  concomitants  which 
insure  personal  success  and  prestige  in  this 
great  profession,  which  stands  as  the  stern, 
conservator  of  justice;  and  it  is  one  into 
which  none  should  enter  without  a  recog- 
nition of  the  obstacles  to  be  overcome  and 
the  battles  to  be  won,  for  success  does  not 
perch  on  the  falchion  of  every  person  who 
enters  the  competitive  fray,  but  comes  only 
as  the  diametrical  result  of  capability  and 
unmistakable  ability.  Possessing  all  the 
requisites  of  the  able  lawyer,  Mr.  Jones  is 
now  occupying  an  enviable  position  among 
the  leading  attorneys  in  central  Kansas,  his 
home  being  in  Lyons,  where  he  has  a  large 
and  distinctively  representative  clientage. 
He  came  here  in  1888  and  has  since  been  a 
resident  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Jones  is  a  native  of  Bloomfield,  Da- 
vis county,  Iowa,  born  May  10,  1857,  and 
is  a  sbn  of  M.  H.  Jones,  one  of  the  promi- 
nent lawyers  of  the  southern  portion  of  that 
state  through  nearly  half  a  century.  The 
family  is  of  English  lineage  and  was 
founded  in  the  south  in  early  colonial  days, 
the  first  of  the  name  having  come  to  x^mer- 
ica  with  Lord  Baltimore.     A  settlement  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


made  in  Queen  Anne  county.  Mainland,  the 
,  original  American  ancestor  being  the  grand- 
father of  Benjamin  Junes,  the  great-grand- 
father of  our  subject.  The  family  has  been 
represented  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  the 
war  of  1 812  and  the  Civil  war,  and  have 
always  been  found  on  the  side  of  liberty,  of 
right  and  of  progress. 

Benjamin  Jones,  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  reared  in  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia and  was  a  son  of  Mrs.  Pamelia  ( Se- 
gar)  Jones  of  Frederick  county,  Maryland. 
He  became  superintendent  of  a  large  mill 
race  which  was  being  erected  in  Virginia, 
and  in  that  capacity  directed  the  labors  of 
many  slaves,  but  being  convinced  that  the 
habit  of  holding  human  beings  in  bondage 
was  unscriptural,  he  espoused  the  abolition 
cause  and  announced  to  his  wife  his  inten- 
tion of  lea\ing  Virginia  and  seeking  a  home 
in  a  new  country  free  from  the  nfiuence  of 
slavery.  He  had  married  Miss  Kate  Alex- 
ander, who  belonged  to  a  prominent  and 
distinguished  family  of  YJ^ginia  that  was 
also  represented  in  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Her  parents  resided  in  Rockbridge 
county^  Virginia,  where  they  had  many 
slaves.  They  were  wealthy  and  influential 
and  it  w  ill  thus  be  seen  that  Mrs.  Jones  was 
descended  from  prominent  ancestry.  As 
j\Irs.  Jones"  views  were  in  harmony  with 
those  of  her  husband  they  liberated  their 
slaves  in  1819  and  removed  to  Putnam  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  locating  near  Greencastle, 
where  the  grandfather  of  our  subject 
erected  oue  of  the  first  log  houses  in  that 
portion  of  the  state.  He  then  devoted  his 
energies  to  the  development  of  a  home  for 
his  family  and  to  the  work  of  preaching  the 
gospel  among  his  friends  and  neighbors, 
carrying  the  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  into 
the  frontier  region.  The  Rev.  Benjamin 
Jones  and  his  wife  became  the  parents  of 
five  children,  namely:  Peter  A.,  deceased; 
Samuel;  M.  H.,  deceased;  Benjamin, 'who 
served  as  colonel  of  the  Third  Iowa  Cavalry 
in  the  Civil  war ;  Thomas,  of  Wayne  coun- 
ty, Iowa ;  Mrs.  Kate  Tolbert,  deceased ;  and 
Mrs.  Jane  May,  who  has  also  passed  away. 
The  grandfatlicr  died  at  the  old  homestead 
in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  in  1845,  ^^  '^'"'^ 


age  of  sixty-five  years.  He  has  devoted 
much  of  his  life  to  the  work  of  the  gospel 
and  hisi  influence  had  been  far-reaching  and 
beneficial. 

M.  H.  Jones,  father  of  him  whose  name 
introduces  this  review,  was  born  near 
Greencastle,  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  and 
was  reared  on  a  farm,  assiating  in  the  ardu- 
ous task  of  developing  and  improving  the 
fields  in  those  early  days.  He  was  in- 
structed concerning,  the  value  of  industry 
and  honesty  in  the  affairs  of  life  and  ac- 
quired a  good  education  in  the  public 
schools.  Determining  to  enter  i)rufessiunal 
life  he  became  a  student  of  law  and  when  a 
young  man  took  up  his  abode  in  Bloomfield, 
Davis  county,  Iowa,  where  for  many  years 
he  successfully  engaged  in  practice.  For 
nearly  half  a  century  he  was  regarded  as  one 
of  the  distinguished  attorneys  and  promi- 
nent and  influential  citizens  of  the  southern 
portion  of  the  state.  He  was  an  imix)rtant 
factor  in  its  progress  and  upbuilding  and 
contributed  in  large  measure  to  its  general 
advancement.  He  left  the  impress  of  his 
individuality  upon  pulilic  thought  and  ac- 
tion and  his  influence  and  efl^urts  were  ever 
on  the  side  of  right  and  <if  inii)rii\enient. 
He  married  Miss  Emalinc  ji!(K"ii  Sjicncer, 
a  lady  of  superior  nature,  culture  and  rcline- 
ment,  who  was  born  in  Couscu,  Xew  York, 
January  3,  1824.  Her  father  was  Benjamin 
Spencer,  of  the  Empire  state.  Her  grand- 
father, Thomas  Spencer,  and  the  latter  was 
a  son  of  General  Joseph  Spencer,  of  Revo- 
lutionary fame,  who  served  on  the  staff  of 
General  Washington.  Benjamin  Spencer 
married  a  Miss  Abigail  Wheeler,  of  the  Em- 
pire state.  Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Jones  became  the 
parents  of  four  children:  Charles  Benja- 
min, who  is  residing  in  Davis  county,  Iowa ; 
Samuel,  of  this  review;  Mrs.  Alice  Esther 
Deuijree,  now  deceased;  and  M.  A.,  who  is 
li\'ing-  in  Iowa.  The  mother  of  this  family 
pased  away  in  i88g,  dying  in  the  faith  of  the 
Christian  church,  of  which  she  had  long 
been  a  consistent  member.  Mr.  Jones  was 
a  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations  and 
took  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  party. 
He  served  as  district  attorney  of  the  sec- 
ond judicial  district,  which  embraced  seven 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


435 


counties  of  Iowa,  and  also  as  district  at- 
torney fully  sustained  the  dignity  of  the 
law.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  M.  H. 
Jones  niianifested  his  patriotism  and  loyalty 
Ijy  joining  the  Union  army,  serving  as  a 
lieutenant  in  the  Forty-fifth  Iowa  Infantry, 
under  General  A.  J.  Smith.  In  his  social 
relations  he  was  a  Mason  and  attained  the 
Knight  Templar  degree  in  the  command- 
ery.  In  manner  he  was  jovial  and  in  social 
life  was  easily  approachable,  but  in  the 
court-room  had  the  dignified  bearing  of  one 
who  recognized  the  fact,  too  often  forgot- 
ten, that  he  stood  as  the  conservator  of 
right,  justice  and  the  liberty  of  the  people. 
\\'here\-er  he  went  he  won  friends  by  his 
cordiality  and  genuine  worth  and  he  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-one  years,  honored  and 
respected  by  all  who^  knew  him. 

Samuel  Jones,  the  well  known  attorney 
of  Lyons,  was  reared  in  the  city  of  his  birth 
and  acquired  his  preliminary  education  in  its 
public  schools,  after  which  he  matriculated 
in  the  State  Normal,  of  Iowa,  and  was  grad- 
uated in  1876,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts.  The  following  year  he  entered  the 
W'esleyan  University,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1877,  as  Bachelor  of  Science.  In 
1878  he  was  admitted  'to  the  bar  and  was 
elected  district  att(jrney  for  the  second  ju- 
dicial district  of  Iowa  in  1882,  embracing 
the  counties  "of  Van  Buren,  Wayne,  Appa- 
noose, Lucas.  Monroe  and  Davis.  In  1888 
he  came  to  Lvuns,  where  he  has  since  en- 
gaged in  [iractice.  being  regarded  as  one  of 
the  nmst  ca])alile  and  distinguished  lawyers 
of  Rice  county.  He  is  remarkable  among 
lawyers  fur  tliis  wide  research  and  iiroxident 
care  with  which  he  prepares  his  cases.  In 
no  instance  has  his  reading  ever  been  con- 
fined to  the  limitations  of  the  question  at 
issue:  it  has  gone  beyond  and  compassed 
every  contingency  and  provided  not  alone 
for  the  expected,  but  for  the  unexpected, 
which  happens  in  the  courts  quite  as  fre- 
quently as  out  of  them.  His  logical  grasp 
of  facts  and  principles  and  of  the  law  ap- 
plicable to  them  has  been  another  potent 
element  in  his  success ;  and  a  remarkable 
clearness  of  expression,  an  adequate  and  pre- 
cise diction,  which  enables    him    to    make 


others  understand  not  only  the  salient 
points  of  his  argument  but  his  every  fine 
gradation  of  meaning  may  be  accounted 
one  of  his  most  conspicuous  gifts  and  ac- 
complishments. In  addition  tO'  his  law  prac- 
tice Mr.  Jones  is  also  connected  with  finan- 
cial interests  in  Lyons  as  one  oi  the  direc- 
tors of  the  Lyons  National  Bank. 

In  1881,  in  Bloomfield,  Iowa,  Mr.  Jones 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah 
Young,  who  was  born  in  that  state  and 
was  educated  at  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity, in  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa.  Her  par- 
ents were  Ephraim  and  Elizabeth  (  French  ) 
Young,  formerly  of  Virginia.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jones  now  have  three  children:  Rob- 
ert Young,  Benjamin  Samuel  and  Eliza- 
beth Z.  They  have  lost  one  .laughter, 
Mary,  the  second  l)iini,  wh.i  died  at  the  age 
of  four  years.  Mrs.  Junes  is  a  member  of 
the  Christian  church  and  is  an  estimable 
lady,  whose  many  excellencies  of  character 
have  gained  her  a  large  circle  of  warm 
friends.  Socially  Mr.  Jones  is  a  Mason  and 
has  taken  the  degrees  of  the  blue  lodge  and 
chapter.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  ^\'orkmen  and  Knights  of 
Pythias.  In  hi-  ]io]itic;il  atliliatidn^  lie  is 
a  Repulilican,  uiisw  er\  1111^'  in  lii>  supptirt  of 
the  principles  uf  liic  party.  In  sucial  life 
he  is  a  genial,  cordial  and  courteous  friend. 
He  is  well  versed  in  the  principles  of  juris- 
prudence and  in  addition  to  his  compre- 
hensive legal  knowledge  he  employs  wit 
and  satire  with  good  effect  as  he  presents 
to  the  court  the  points  in  litigation  which 
Ijear  ui)(jn  his  case. 


A.   D.    SPECK. 

A.  D.  Speck  is  one  of  the  well  known, 
successful  and  prominent  pioneers  and  ag- 
riculturists of  Rice  county,  whither  he  came 
in  the  year  1870.  He  was  born  in  York 
county.  l\-iinsyl\ania,  January  19,  1839, 
and  reprcs.;m^  a  well  known  and  honored 
family,  e\-er  characterized  for  straightfor- 
ward dealing,  energy    and    integrity.     His 


436 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


father,  ]\Iartin  Speck,  was  also  a  native  of 
the  Keystone  state  and  was  there  reared 
upon  a  farm  belonging  to  his  father,  Adam 
Speck,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but 
was  of  German  lineage.  The  family  was 
founded  in  the  new  world  at  an  early  period 
in  its  development,  and  in  Pennsylvania 
both  x\dam  and  Martin  Speck  followed 
farming.  The  latter  was  married  in  York 
county,  Pennsylvania,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Leighty,  whose  birth  occurred  in  that  coun- 
ty and  who  also  belonged  to  one  of  the  old 
families  of  York  county,  of  German  origin. 
Martin  and  Elizabeth  Speck  became  the  par- 
ents of  three  sons  and  six  daughters,  name- 
ly :  Catherine ;  Nancy  and  Joanna,  both  de- 
ceased ;  John ;  Barbara,  who  has  also  passed 
away;  Elizabeth,  deceased;  Margaret;  Jo- 
seph; and  A.  D.,  of  this  review,  whO'  is  the 
only  one  living  in  Kansas.  The  father  was 
born  Septemlber  2,  1798,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 21,  1849,  lifter  devoting  his  time  and 
attention  throughout  his  active  business 
career  to  farming.  He  voted  with  the 
Whig  party  and  in  religious  faith  was  a 
Lutheran.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in 
1796,  also  held  membership  in  the  same 
church,  and  her  death  occurred  September 
28,  1873.  She  was  loved  by  all  for  her 
many  good  qualities  of  heart  and  mind,  and 
the  father  of  our  subject  was  recognized  as 
a  man  whose  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond. 
On  the  old  homestead  farm  in  Pennsyl- 
vania A.  D.  Speck  was  reared,  and  lessons 
of  industry  and  perseverance  were  early  in- 
stilled into  his  mind  and  formed  an  excellent 
foundation  upon  which  to  rear  a  character 
of  worth.  His  education  was  obtained  in 
the  public  schools  and  in  the  practical  school 
of  experience,  where  he  learned  many  les- 
sons of  value.  He  was  married  May  28, 
1863,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Stickel,  who  was 
born  in  York  coimty,  Pennsylvania,  a 
,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Margaret  (Gentz- 
ler)  Stickel.  In  1863  Mr.  Speck  left  his 
Pennsylvania  home.  In  1870  he  removed 
with  his  family  from  White  Pigeon,  Michi- 
gan, to  Blackhawk  county,  Iowa,  and  there 
his  wife  died,  leaving  four  children,  of 
whom  two  are  now  living :  ]\Irs.  Laura  E. 
Mertz,  of  Lyons,  and  ^Irs.  Clara  Jane  Mar- 


kle,  wife  of  PI.  INIarkle,  of  Rice  county. 
Those  who  have  passed  away  are :  Eliza- 
beth M.,  who  died  in  Iowa,  and  Albert  E., 
whose  death  occurred  in  Williamsport, 
Pennsylvania.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife  Mt.  Speck  was  again  married,  on  the. 
;  4th  of  July,  1873,  the  wedding  being  cele- 
j  brated  in  Iowa,  at  which  time  Esther  Ever- 
hart  became  his  wife.  She  was  born  in  In- 
diana, but  was  reared  in  Iowa,  and  her 
death  occurred  August  3,  1874.  For  sev- 
eral years  ]\Ir.  Speck  remained  single  and 
was  then  married,  on  the  5th  of  July,  1879, 
in  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  to  iVIiss  Carry 
Stokes,  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  good  fam- 
ily, who  was  born  and  reared  in  Michigan, 
pursuing  her  education  in  St.  Joseph,  that 
state.  Her  father  was  Richard  Stokes, 
who  was  born  in  England  about  1828  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  early  manhood. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  forty-three  years. 
[  Her  mother  was  born  in  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
fifty-three.  They  were  Lutherans  in  relig- 
ious belief,  and  the  former  made  farming 
his  life  work.  In  their  family  were  ten 
children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  as 
follows :  William,  who  died  in  early 
youth;  Sarah;  Mary;  Emma,  who  has  also 
passed  away;  Ella;  Mrs.  Speck;  John,  who 
died  in  childhood;  Henry;  George  and 
Charles. 

Prior  to  his  last  marriage  Mr.  Speck  re- 
moved from  Iowa,  in  1874,  locating  in  St. 
Joseph  county,  Michigan,  where  he  made 
his  home  until  1879,  when  he  removed 
to  Kansas.  He  located  in  Atlanta  township. 
Rice  county,  and  has  since  successfully  car- 
ried on  agricultural  pursuits.  He  here  owns 
five  hundred  and  sixty,  acres  of  valuable 
land,  and  his  rich  and  fertile  fields  yield  to 
him  excellent  harvests.  Tlie  land  borders 
on  Cow  creek  and  is  thus  well  watered.  In 
addition  tO'  the  cultivation  of  the  cereals 
best  adapted  to  this  climate,  he  has  also  de- 
voted considerable  attention  to^  tlie  raising 
of  stock.  His  farm  is  splendidly  improved 
with  a  comfortable  and  commodious  resi- 
dence, a  good  barn,  fine  orchard,  a  good 
grove,  verdant  pastures  and  fields  of  g'olden 
grain.     He  is  now  the  owner  of  the  finest 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


residence  in  Rice  county.  It  is  located  in 
Lyons  and  is  known  as  the  Ed  Dupree  prop- 
erty, having  been  erected  by  Mr.  Dupree  at 
a  cost  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  It  is  sup- 
plied with  all  modern  conveniences,  includ- 
ing hot  and  cold  water,  is  tastefully  fur- 
nished and  gives  every  evidence  of  the  cul- 
ture and  refinement  of  the  inmates.  The 
house  is  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  lawn, 
and  in  the  rear  of  the  property  stands  a 
splendid  barn  and  a  good  orchard. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Speck 
has  been  blessed  with  two  sons, — Harry  and 
John,  aged  respectively  sixteen  and  thirteen 
years.  They  also  lost  three  children.  Their 
appreciation  of  the  absolute  ethics,  of  life,  or 
beautiful  home  is  celebrated  for  its  gracious 
hospitality,  and  its  social  functions  are 
among  the  most  important  given  in  the 
community.  In  his  political  affiliations  Mr. 
Speck  is  a  Democrat,  and  religiously  is  con- 
nected with  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mrs. 
Speck  is  also  a  member  of  that  denomina- 
tion. 


WESLEY  S.  BROWN. 

Among  those  who  are  devoting  their  en- 
ergies to  farming  and  stock-raising  in 
Kingman  county  is  Wesley  S.  Brown,  of 
Ninnescah  township.  He  was  born  in 
Holmes  county,  Ohio,  in  1859,  a  son  of  Ste- 
5>hen  Brown,  who'  was  born  on  the  banks  of 
the  Rhine,  in  France,  eighty-one  years  ago. 
The  latter's  father,  Paul  Brown,  was  also 
a  native  of  that  locality,  as  was  his  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Elizabeth 
Dedrick.  They  subsequently  left  the  land 
of  their  birth  and  came  to  the  United  States, 
and  both  passed  away  in  death  in  Ohio. 
The  mother  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty- 
two  years,  leaving  six  children, — Catherine. 
Barbara,  Anthony,  Andrew,  Frank  and 
Stephen.  The  father  reached  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
active'  churcJT  members,  and  were  honored 
and  respected  by  a  large  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances.  Their  son,  Stephen 
Brown,  the  father  of  our  subject,  accom- 
panied his  parents  on  their  removal  to  the 


new  world  in  1859,  and  was  reared  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits  in  the  Buckeye  state, 
where  he  also  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  locality.  He  was 
married  in  Carroll  county,  that  state,  to 
Margaret  Shull,  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Shull.  Mrs.  Brown  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years,  leaving  two 
children,  both  of  Avhom  have  joined  their 
mother  in  the  home  beyond.  For  his  sec- 
ond wife  Mr.  Brown  chose  Ann  W'ass,  who 
was  born  in  England,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Phoebe  Wass.  By  this  union  Mr. 
Brown  had  six  children,  namely:  Sarah, 
the  wife  of  John  Gilchrist,  a  well  known 
citizen  of  Kingmlan  county;  Ella  Weiler,  a 
resident  of  this  township;  Wesley  S.,  the 
subject  of  this  review;  and  three  now  de- 
ceased. John  Brown  was  a  loyal  defender 
of  the  starry  banner  in  the  Civil  war,  serv- 
ing as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Forty-second  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  Indi- 
ana, and  he  was  called  upon  to  lay  down  his 
life  on  the  altar  of  his  country,  dying  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  years.  Two  of  the  chil- 
dren died  when  young.  Stephen  Brown, 
the  father  of  this  family,  gives  his  political 
support  to  the  Republican  party,  and  relig- 
iously he  is  a  member  of  the  3Iethodist 
church,  in  which  he  held  membership  for 
fifty  years.  His  wife  was  also  a  worthy  and 
acceptable  member  of  that  denomination. 

W'esley  S.  Brown,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  spent  his  youth  and  early 
manhood  on  his  father's  farm  in  Allen  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  and  the  educational  ad\"antages 
which  he  enjoyed  were  those  afforded  by 
the  schools  of  his  locality.  Remaining  in 
the  Hoosier  state  until  1878,  he  then  came 
with  his  father  to  Kansas.  After  attaining 
to  vears  of  maturity  he  secured  a  claim  in 
Ninnescah  township,  but  after  proving  his 
land  he  went  to  Arkansas,  where  he  re- 
mained for  a  time.  He  then  again  came  to 
Kingman  county,  where  he  has  ever  since 
made  his  home  and  has  devoted  his  time 
and  attention  toi  agricultural  pursuits  and 
the  raising  of  a  fine  grade  of  stock.  He 
now  owns  eight  hundred  acres  of  land, 
three  hundred  of  which  is  under  cultivation. 
His  well  directed  efforts  in  his  chosen  line 


438 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


of  endeavor  have  been  abundantly  rewarded, 
and  he  now  holds  rank  with  the  leading 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  the  township. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years  Mr. 
Brown  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
Bell,  who  was  reared  and  educated  in  Illi- 
nois, a  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Margaret 
(Jones)  Bell,  the  latter  now  deceased.  At 
her  death  she  left  four  children, — Oscar, 
Lula,  Martha  and  Henry.  The  father  of 
these  children  is  a  native  of  the  Prairie 
state,  and  is  now  Vn'mg  near  Indianapolis, 
Indiana.  The  Republican  party  has  long 
received  his  hearty  support  and  co-opera- 
tion, and  his  religious  preference  is  indi- 
cated by  his  membership  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  The  union  of  our  sub- 
ject and  wife  has  been  brightened  and 
blessed  by  six  children, — Mabel,  Roy, 
Roxie,  Frank,  Lawrence  and  Herbert.  Mr. 
Brown  also  votes  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  public 
welfare  he  takes  an  active  and  commend- 
able interest,  although  he  has  never  desired 
the  honors  of  public  office.  He  has  been  a 
successful  man  in  business  affairs,  and  his 
success  has  been  the  result  of  earnest  and 
persistent  effort  in  the  line  of  honorable 
^iid  nianlv  dealing. 


W.  F.  RITCHEY. 


\\'.  F.  Ritchey,  one  of  the  extensive  and 
leading  agriculturists  of  Kingman  county 
and  one  of  its  esteemed  pioneers,  was  born 
in  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  November  22, 
1848.  His  father,  A.  B.  Ritchey,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Greene  county,  Ohio,  and  was  a  son 
of  John  Ritchey,  who  was  born  in  the  east 
and  was  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  He  be- 
came the  father  of  the  following  children : 
John;  Martha  Sellers,  of  California;  Dan, 
who  was  a  member  of  an  Illinois  regiment 
during  the  Civil  war,  and  his  death  occurred 
during  that  struggle;  and  Addison  Boyd. 
The  latter  was  reared  in  both  Ohio  and 
Indiana,  and  in  the  latter  state  he  was  mar-  i 
ried  to.  Mary  A.  Hayes,  who  was  then  but  I 
fifteen  years  of  age.     She  was  a  daughter  I 


of  John  Hayes,  of  the  Buckeye  state.  This 
union  was  blessed  with  fifteen  children, 
namely:  J.  O.,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-seventh  Illinois 
Infantry  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion; 
W.  F.,  the  subject  of  this  review ;  W.  \\". ; 
Sarah  E. ;  Mary;  Robert,  deceased;  Cath- 
erine; H.  L. ;  Ida;  Charles  D. ;  Delia;  Net- 
tie; and  three  who  died  in  childhood.  The 
father,  who  was  born  in  1817,  passed  away 
in  death  in' Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  at  th.e 
age  of  eighty  years.  Throughout  his  en- 
tire business  career  he  followed  the  tilling 
of  the  soil,  and  his  ballot  was  cast  in  favor 
of  the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican 
party,  while  prior  to  the  organization  of 
that  party  he  ga\-e  his  support  to  the  Whig 
candidates.  His  v.-idow  is  still  living,  hav- 
ing now  reached  lier  seventy-second  year, 
and  she  is  a  worthy  Christian  w^oman,  hold- 
ing membership  in  the  Baptist  church, 
with  which  religious  denomination  her  hus- 
band also  was  identified. 

W.  F.  Ritchey,  of  this  review,  was 
reared  on  the  old  family  homestead  in  the 
Prairie  state,  where  he  was  early  taught  the 
work  of  the  farm*  in  all  its  departments, 
while  the  district  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood afforded  him  the  educational  privi- 
leges which  he  enjoyed  in  his  youth.  In 
1877  he  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  early  pio- 
neers of  Kingman  county,  Kansas,  securing 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  Osage  In- 
dian land  in  Vinita  township,  on  which  he 
has  ever  since  made  his  home.  As  the  years 
have  passed  by  and  prosperity  has  attended 
his  efforts  he  has  added  many  improvements 
to  his  place,  has  placed  his  fields  under  an 
excellent  state  of  cultivation,  has  erected 
large  and  substantial  buildings  and  in 
many  other  ways  has  added  to  the  value  and 
attractive  appearance  of  his  homestead. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  ]\Ir. 
Ritchey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  J. 
Barnes,  who  w^as  born  near  Johnstown. 
Pennsylvania,  but  when  only  three  years  of 
age  she  was  taken  by  her  parents  to  Illi- 
nois, where  she  was  reared  to-  mature  years. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Keziali 
(Cooper)  Barnes.  The  father  has  been 
called  to  his  final  rest,  but  the  mother  still 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


survives  and  makes  her  home  in  Illinois. 
Their  son,  W.  A.  Barnes,  assisted  his  coun- 
try in  the  struggle  between  the  north  and 
south.  Four  children  have  been  born  unto 
the  union  of  our  subject  and  wife :  Hattie, 
the  wife  of  E.  J.  Goldsborough,  of  Sapulpa, 
Indian  Territory ;  Emmett,  who  is  now  six- 
teen years  of  age;  Leonard,  who  has  reached 
the  age  of  thirteen  years;  and  Addison 
Clyde,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years. 
The  Republican  party  receives  Mr.  Ritchey's 
active  support  and  co-operation,  and  on  its 
ticket  he  has  been  elected  to  many  positions 
Qif  honor  and  trust,  having  for  four  years 
served  as  township  trustee,  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board  for  many  years  and  has 
been  a  delegate  to  many  conventions.  So- 
cially he  is  a  member  of  Morton  Lodge,  No. 
258,  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  religiously  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Alethodist  Epis- 
copal church.  They  have  hosts  of  warm  and 
sincere  friends  in  this  locality,  and  all  speak 
in  the  highest  terms  of  the  Ritchey  house- 
hold. 


B.  F.  DERN. 

Among  the  prominent  and  useful  citi- 
zens cjf  Kinginian  county,  Kansas,  who  are 
thcfroughly  representative  is  B.  F.  Dern, 
Avho  resides  on  section  3,  in  White  town- 
ship, having  been  a  resident  of  this  state 
since  1883,  coming  to  this  locality  in  1891. 

The  birth  of  B.  F.  Dern  was  in  Carroll 
county,  Lidiana,  October  25,  i860,  and  he 
Avas  a  son  of  Ethan  and  Zelda  (Shafifer) 
Dern,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in 
Ohio,  where  he  was  reared  and  married. 
Later  he  moved  to  King'man  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  he  successfully  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, and  wlicre  lie  died  Jani-iary  i,  1894,  at 
tin.-  ;"_;c  <'i  seventy-three.  Mr.  Dern  was  a 
man  w  In  ^e  life  was  without  reproach  and 
he  is  remembered  with  affection  and  respect. 
In  liis  political  affiliation  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican, and  all  his  life  was  a  consistent  and 
worthy  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  since  the  death 
of  her  husband  has  been 'making  her  home 
with  her  children. 


A  family  of  eight  children  was  born  to 
Ethan  Dern  and  wife,  their  names  being  as 
follows  :  [Martin,  who  was  a  gallant  soldier 
during  the  Civil  war,  now  lives  in  comfort 
in  Yeoman,  Carroll  county,  Indiana;  Isaac, 
vi'ho  also  testified  to  his  loyalty  by  entering 
the  army,  died  in  this  county,  in  1893,  his 
widow  and  four  children  still  surviving; 
Nelson,  who  is  a  prosperous  resident  of 
Kingman  county;  A.  J.,  who  is  a  prominent 
physician  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri ;  Mrs. 
Josie  Woodworth,  who  lives  in  Dublin,  In- 
diana; Mrs.  Dema  Bunnell,  who  lives  in 
Ford  county,  Kansas;  B.  F.,  who  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biography;  and  Mrs.  Emma 
Daugherty,  who  resides  in  Rensselaer,  Jas- 
per county,  Indiana. 

B.  F.  Dern,  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  to 
farm  life,  and  agricultural  pursuits  have  in- 
terested him  more  than  any  other  line  of  ac- 
tivity ever  since.  Until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  of  age  he  remained  in  Carroll  county, 
Indiana,  and  then  made  his  first  trip  to  the 
far  west  Jocating  for  a  time  in  central  Colo- 
rado, going  thence,  about  1884,  to  Gray 
county,  Kansas,  where  for  some  time  he  was 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  and  later  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  In  1891  Mr. 
Dern  came  to  King-man  county  in  order  to 
take  charge  of  the  county  farm,  wdiere  he 
immediately  inaugurated  such  changes  and 
made  such  improvements  that  the  public 
farm  became  a  credit  to  the  county.  It  w^as 
under  his  superintendency  that  the  present 
admirably  constructed  buildings  were, 
erected  and  methods  of  agriculture  intro- 
duced which  have  continued  with  success 
ever  since. 

Mr.  Dern  is  the  fortunate  owner  of  a 
fine  farm,  well  watered  by  the  Ninnescah 
river,  which  he  has  brought  to  a  fine  state 
of  productidu  and  which  is  well  adapted  to 
stock-raising.  His  estate  is  located  within 
two  miles  of  Kingman,  his  residence, 
erected  at  a  cost  of  twelve  hundred  dollars, 
combining  all  the  comforts  and  conveniences 
suitable  for  comfortable  living.  Mr."  Dern 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  substantial  farm- 
ers of  this  locality  and  well  represents  the 
best  element  of  Kansas  citizenship. 

In   1888  ^Ir.  Dern  was  united  in  mar- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


riage  to  Miss  Jessie  Williams,  a  lady  ol  edu- 
cation and  intelligence,  who  was  born  and 
reared  in  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Thornton 
Williams,  who  was  a  well  known  farmer  of 
White  county,  Indiana,  now  deceased.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  and 
was  always  interested  in  its  success.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  leading  member  of  the 
:\Iethodist  church.  The  mother,  nee  ]Mary 
E.  Rinsler,  was  born  in  Virginia,  but  early 
in  life  moved  with  her  parents  to  Indiana, 
where  she  lived  until  her  marriage.  _  She 
has  two  brothers  and  three  sisters  living: 
T.  R.  and  W.  H.  Williams,  both  farmer?, 
and  the  latter  has  held  the  office  of  trustee 
of  Honey  Creek  township.  White  county, 
Indiana,  for  four  years,  where  they  both 
now  reside;  Mrs.  Belle  Sejonour,  of  Clin- 
ton, lo-wa;  Mrs.  Alice  Wysong,  of  Kokc- 
mo!  Indiana;  and  Mrs.  H.  H.  Asley,  of 
Kingman,  Kansas. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dem  are  highly 
esteemed  in  their  locality  and  both  are  earn- 
est members  and  liberal  supporters  of  the 
Methodist  church.  Fraternally  Mr.  Dern 
is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Workmen  Lodge,  No.  161,  of 
Kingman,  and  is  devoted  to  its  interest. 
Mrs"!  Dern  is  also  a  member  of  the  Degree 
of  Honor,  connected  with  the  Workmen,  in 
which  she  has  taken  great  interest,  and  the 
lodge  has  honored  her  with  the  highest 
office  within  its  gift.  He  is  a  pleasant, 
genial,  whole-souled  man,  whose  frank  ex- 
pressions of  interest  are  known  to  be  gen- 
uine, and  the  result  is  that  he  has  a  wide 
circle  of  personal  as  well  as  a  large  follow- 
ing of  business  friends.  He  has  been  a  life- 
long Republican,  although  he  has  not  been 
any  seeker  for  political  preferment. 


JOHN  N.  NUTTER. 

On  one  of  the  well  improved  and  highly 
developed  farm  of  White  township  resides 
John  Nutter,  an  enterprising  agriculturist 
who  in  the  Sunflower  state  has  found  op- 
portunity to  work  his  way  upward,  anW 
by  determined  purpose  and  unflagging  en- 


ergy has  reached  a  position  of  affluence.  A 
native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  he  was  born  on 
the  26th  of  July,  1846,  and  is  a  son  of  John 
C.  Nutter,  who  was  born  in  Harrison  county. 
West  Virginia.  The  latter's  father,  Andrew 
Nutter,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  but 
his  last  days  were  spent  in  West  Virginia, 
where  his  wife  also  died.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Emily 
Vinson,  and  by  her  marriage  to  John  C. 
Nutter  she  became  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren,— Mary,  Cassie,  Julia,  Derenda,  Ellen, 
Andrew,  John  N.,  Joseph  and  Thomas.  She 
j  passed  to  the  home  beyond  when  yet  in  the 
j  prime  of  life,  but  her  husband  reached  the 
1  ripe  old  age  of  three  score  years  and  ten,. 
He  gave  his  political  support  to  the  Dem- 
ocracy, and  was  ever  a  public-spirited  and 
loyal  citizen. 

John  N.  Nutter,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
I  view,  was  reared  to  the  vocation  which  has 
since  engaged  his  efforts,  having  been  early 
inured  to  the  labor  of  field  and  meadow, 
and  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state 
he  received  his  early  educational  advantages. 
The  Nutter  family  have  been  represented  in 
every  war  in  which  the  United  States  has 
taken  part,  and  when  the  trouble  arose  be- 
tween the  north  and  the  south  our  subject 
enlisted  for  service  in  1863,  becoming  a 
member  of  the  Eleventh  West  Virginia  In- 
fantry, under  Colonel  Frost,  Lieutenant  Col- 
onel Burk  and  Captain  Simpson.  At  the 
I  time  of  his  enlistment  he  was  but  a  boy  in 
:  his  'teens,  but  on  the  field  of  battle  he  proved 
him.self  an  intrepid  and  gallant  soldier,  and' 
as  such  served-  until  the  cessation  of  hostil- 
ities.  As  a  member  of  General  Sheridan's 
noted  cavalry  company  he  took  part  in  many 
of  the  important  battles  of  the  war,  serving 
in  General  Crook's  division,  with  General 
Steadman  in  command.  He  was  at  Winches- 
fer  when  General  Sheridan  mae  his  famous 
ride  of  twenty  miles,  and  at  Snicker's  Gap, 
Virginia,  where  Colonel  Frost  was  wounded, 
he  assisted  in  carying  that  gentleman  to  his 
tent,  where  he  afterward  died.  At  the  time 
of  General  Lee's  surrender  Mr.  Nutter  was 
stationed  at  Petersburg,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  war  he  was  mustered  out  of  service  at 
Appomattox  Court  House,  after  which  he 


MR.   AND   MRS.  J.   N.   NUTTER. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


returned  to  his  home  and  once  more  took  up 
the  quiet  pursuits  of  the  farm.  In  1887^ 
liowever,  he  left  his  Virginia  horne  and 
sought  a  new  location  in  central  Kansas,  and 
on  section  ten.  White  township,  Kingman 
county,  he  became  the  owner  of  a  well  im- 
proved and  fertile  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  to  the  attention  of  which  he  de- 
voted his  time  and  attention  for  a  number  of 
years.  But  he  has  recently  sold  his  farm 
and  purchased  a  home  in  the  city  of  King- 
man, where  he  intends  to  spend  the  remaind- 
er of  his  days  in  quiet  retirement,  the  injuries 
he  sustained  while  assisting  in  the  defense 
of  the  Union  cause  rendering  it  impossible 
for  him  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the  farm. 
Since  coming  to  this  favored  section  pros- 
perity has  abundantly  rewarded  his  efforts, 
and  he  is  now  numbered  among  the  leading 
and  representative  citizens  of  this  locality. 
In  1867,  in  the  Old  Dominion.  ]\lr.  Xut- 
ter  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizalietli  Dye. 
who  was  born  in  Virginia  in  184'),  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dennis  Dye,  a  native  of  Prince  Will- 
iam county,  that  state,  and  a  Revolutionary 
hero.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Anna  Webb,  was  a  native  of  that  com- 
monwealth and  a  daughter  of  Ben  A\'ebb. 
The  latter  also  claimed  Virginia  as  the  state 
of  his  nativity.  Unto  Mr.  and  J\Irs.  Dennis 
Dye  were  born  eleven  children,  namely : 
Julia,  Jane.  Eliza,  Harriet,  Nancy.  ^lary, 
Druzilla,  Elizabeth.  Ben,  \\"illiam  and  Da- 
vid. The  father  of  this  family  was  a  Re- 
publican in  his  political  views,  and  his  death 
occurred  when  he  had  reached  the  serventieth 
milestone  on  the  journey  of  life,  while  his 
wife  reached  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife 
has  been  blessed  with  nine  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Winfield  Sheridan,  who  makes  his 
home  in  Oklahoma;  Dove  T.,  the  wife  of 
Sanniel  Kuhns.  a  farmer  of  this  county,  and 
thev  have  two  children.  Harry  M.  and  Mel- 
vina;  William  T.,  J.  Allison,  John  R.  and 
James  Anderson,  all  of  whom  reside  in  Okla- 
homa ;  Anna,  who  is  married  and  resides  on 
a  farm  in  Kingman  county;  Charles  A.,  also 
a  resident  of  Oklahoma;  and  Daisy  M.,  a 
little  maiden  of  fifteen  years.  Tlie  Repub- 
lican party  receives  Mr.  Nutter's  hearty  sup- 


port and  co-operation,  and  religiously  he  is 
a  prominent  and  worthy  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist church. 


IDA  M.  MITCHELL. 

Ida  M.  Mitchell  resides  on  a  fine  farnx 
on  section  30,  Galesburg  township,  and  is 
widely  known  throughout  her  locality, 
wherff  many  years  of  her  life  ha\e  been 
passed.  She  is  the  widow  of  the  late 
Charles  S.  Mitchell,  who  first  came  to  King- 
man county  in  1884,  and  with  the  excei)tion 
of  three  years  he  lived  contiinmu-Iy  here 
until  his  life's  labors  were  emlrd  m  ^icalh. 
He  was  born  in  York  county,  I'enns}!'.  ania, 
in  September,  1857,  a  son  of  Mathias  and 
Sarah  (Stermer)  Mitchell,  natives  a,lso'  of 
the  Keystone  state.  The  father  was  a  brave 
and  loyal  soldier  during  the  .struggle  be- 
tween the  north  and  the  smith,  and  his  death 
occurred  in  the  state  of  his  nativity,  but  is 
still  survived  by  his  wife,  who  yet  makes 
her  home  in  York  county,  Penns}-Ivania. 
Unto'  this  worthy  couple  were  born  eight 
children,  six  sons  and  two  daughters. 

Charles  S.  Mitchell  was  foiu'teen  years 
of  age  when  he  left  his  native  state  for 
Ohio,  and  after  remaining  in  that  state  for 
a  time  he  removed  to  Illinois,  locating  near 
Peoria.  While  there  residing,  in  1880,  he- 
was  married  to  Miss  Ida  M.  Brubaker,  who- 
proved  to  him  a  loving  companion  and  help- 
mate for  the  journey  of  life.  Tlie  Brubaker 
family  removed  frum  Ohin  to  Wi:'Hlford' 
ciiunt\-,  lllini'is,  in  1  S3  i ,  wlicrc-  thev  lifcame- 
infiucntial  and  represent;iti\e  citizens. 
Aaron  Brubaker,  an  uncle  of  Mrs.  ^Mitchell,, 
was  a  member  of  the  Illinois  legislature. 
Her  father,  Abraham  Brubaker,  was  laorn 
in  Richland  county,  Ohio,  July  4,  1830.  In; 
i860  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Cath- 
erine Sentle,  who  died  eight  year?  later,. 
leaving  three,  children, — Ida  'SI..  William- 
A.  and  Henry.  For  his  second  wife  he  chose 
Sana  Sentle,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  and 
their  union  was  blessed  with  two  daughters, 
— ]\Iary  and  Norah.  Mr.  Brubaker  fol- 
lowed the  tilling  of  the  soil  as  a  life  occupa- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


tion,  and  in  political  matters  he  was  identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  party.  He  passed 
to  his  final  reward  at  the  comparatively  early 
age  of  forty-nine  years,  loved  and  respected 
by  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaint- 
ance. Six  children  blessed  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  .Mrs.  jMitchell,  four  sons  and  two 
daug-hters,  namely :  May  I.,  Roy  H.,  Clyde 
E.,  Eva  v.,  Ralpli  C.  and  Earl  W. 

In  1884  Mr.  Mitchell  came  to  the  Sun- 
flower state,  first  locating  in  Dale  town- 
ship, Kingman  county,  but  a  short-  time 
afterward  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  there 
spent  the  following  three  years.  On  com- 
ing again  tc«  this  state  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  section  30, 
Galesburg  township,  where  his  widow  now 
resides,  and  four  years  ago  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  additional. 
The  Und  has  been  placed  under  an  excel- 
lent state  of  cultivation,  is  improved  with 
all  the  necessary  farm  buildings,  and  a 
beautiful  grove  and  orchard  add  much  to  its 
value  and  attractive  appearance.  Since  the 
death  oi  her  husband  Mrs.  Mitchell  has  had 
entire  charge  of  this  large  homestead,  but 
.she  is  an  excellent  business  woman,  and  un- 
der her  careful  supervision  the  fields  annu- 
ally yield  golden  returns.  In  addition  to 
the  raising  of  the  cereals  best  adapted  to 
this  soil  and  climate  stock-raising  is  also 
carried  on  at  this  place,  about  fifty  head  of 
cattle  and  fifteen  horses  being  usually  kept 
upon  the  farm.  During  his  residence  here 
Mr.  Mitchell  imported  many  thoroughbred 
Norman  horses,  thus  greatly  enhancing  the 
(juality  and  ^■alue  of  horses  in  Kingman 
county.  He  passed  away  in  death  on  the 
:29th  of  July.  1898-.  and  his  demise  was  the 
cause  of  wide-spread  regret,  while  jthe  com- 
munity mourned  the  loss  of  one  of  its  truest 
and  best  citizens.  His  friends  were  many, 
and-  on  the  list  were  numbered  many  of  the 
representative  men  of  the  county. 


SAMUEL  A.  SPERRY. 

Samuel  A.  Sperry,  a  horticulturist  and 
gardener,  who  resided  with  his  daughter, 
Mrs.    Heryer,    the    wife    of    David    Her- 


yer,  a  wholesale  grocer  at  No.  21G  East 
Fifth  avenue,  Hutchinson,  was  esteemed 
by  his  fellow  citizens  of  Reno  county  no 
less  for  his  admirable  reputation  won  by  hon- 
orable dealing  in  every  relation  of  life  than 
for  his  innate  geniality  which  causes  his  so- 
ciety to  be  sought  by  all  who  knew  him.  Mr. 
Sperry  was  born  in  Portage  county,  now 
Summit  county,  Ohio,  September  27,  1819, 
and'  came  from  a  line  of  illustrious  ancestors 
which  took  root  in  America,  as  family  tra- 
dition has  it,  abuut  thirty-seven  years  after 
the  landing  of  the  PilgriniiS.  It  is  said  that 
the  ancestor  of  one  branch  of  the  family 
joined  the  colony  at  Plymouth  and  that  the 
ancestor  of  another  branch  of  the  family 
who  came  with  him  from  England'  settled 
in  Virginia.  It  is  from  the  Plymouth  an- 
cestor that  Samuel  A.  Sperry  is  descended. 

LjTnan  Sperry,  father  of  Samuel  A. 
Sperry,  was  born  in  Waterbury  county, 
Connecticut,  about  1767  and  was  a  nephew 
of  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Lyman  Beecher,  fa- 
ther of  the  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  After 
Henry  Ward  Beecher  had  attained  to  emi- 
nence he  often  remarked  that  he  was  [jroud 
of  the  fact  the  blood  of  the  Sperrys  ran  in 
his  veins.  Lyman  Sperry  was  a  farmer  in 
Connecticut  until  18 19,  when  he  emigrated 
to  Ohio,  making  the  trip  with  ox-teams  and 
carrying  with  him  his  wife  and  eleven  chil- 
dren, five  of  whom  were  by  his  previous  mar- 
riage to  Deborah  Newton,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut. His  second  wife  was  Lydia  Peck, 
alsii  a  native  of  Connecticut  and  a  cousin  of 
the  late  Bishop  Jesse  T.  Peck,  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  The  children  of 
Lyman  and  Deborah  ( Newton)  Sperry  were 
named  A.  M.,  Mary,  Amanda,  Phoebe  and 
Adna.  The  children  of  Lyman  and  Lydia 
(Peck)  Spern,',  several  of  whom  were  born 
after  the  worthy  couple  located  in  Ohio,  were 
named  Lyman,  Lydia,  Elizabeth,  Levinas, 
Lewis,  Ira,  Samuel  A.,  Ebenezer,  Willis. 
Of  these  the  first  five  mentioned  are  dead. 
Ira  is  living  in  Summit,  Tallmadge  county, 
Ohio.  Samuel  A. 'is  the  immediate  subject 
of  tlu's  sketch.  Ebenezer  lives  at  Carthage, 
Missiiuri.  \\'illis  is  a  physician  at  Tall- 
madge. Ohio. 

Upon  his  arrival  in  Ohio,  Lyman  Sperry 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


bougiit  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
which  was  densely  timbered,  and  began  the 
work  of  erecting  a  double  log  cabin  and 
clearing  away  the  forests  to  make  room  for 
crops.  The  family  arrived  at  their  prospec- 
tive home  September  17,  1819,  and  only  ten 
days  later  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
in  the  midst  of  that  almost  endless  forest, 
where  the  cries  of  wild  animals  w'cre  among 
the  sounds  which  first  greeted  his  ears. 
There  for  many  years  the  father  and  his 
sons  worked,  clearing  and  improving  their 
land,  and  in  doing  so  they  cut  down  and 
burned  quantities  of  fine  timiber,  then  an  in- 
cumbrance, which  would  now  be  worth 
thousands  of  dollars.  After  a  time  the  father 
turned  his  attention  to  quarrying  stone  and 
allowed  his  sons  to  run  the  fami  and  late 
in  life  turned  the  place  over  tO'  his  youngest 
son  by  his  first  wife,  with  whom  he  lived 
in  his  declining  years.  While  Lyman  Sperry 
was  an  unostentatious  man  who^  sought  no 
personal  preferment,  he  was  of  that  solid, 
sturdy,  substantial  stufif  of  which  good  pio- 
neers were  made,  and  his  sterling  qualities 
were  recognized  by  all  who  knew  him.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Whig  and  in  religion  he 
was  originally  an  old-school  Presbyterian, 
but  later  in  life  a  Congregationalist.  He 
died  about  the  year  i860,  having  attained 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three  years.  His 
wafe  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years,  in 
183.3. 

Samuel  A.  Sperry  spent  his  youth  on  his 
father's  farm  and  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  at  an  academy  at  Tall- 
madge,  Ohio.  He  cheerfully  underwent 
all  the  toil  and  privation  incident  to  pio- 
ueer  life  and  enjoyed  his  work  for 
work's  sake  and  his  regular  and  tem- 
perate habits  and  out-door  life  amidst 
the  forest  odors  tended  toi  strengthen 
a  good  constitution,  which  he  afterward 
found  to  be  of  inestimable  value.  In  1839, 
when  he  was  twenty  years  old,  having  heard 
that  large  wages  were  being  paid  in  Illinois, 
and  anxious  to  secure  monev  with  which  to 
complete  his  education,  he  set  nut  with  his 
brothers,  Levinas  and  Ebenezer,  with  a  team 
for  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  where  it  was  his 
purpose  to  work  a  year  or  two  at  twenty- 


fi\-e  dollars  a  month  and  then  return  tO'  Ohio 
and  re-enter  school. '  But  when  they  arrived 
they  found  that  no  such  wages  were  being 
paid  in  Fulton  county  and  that  nothing  be- 
yond a  living  was  obtainable  there  by  hard 
work  at  wages.  Levinas  had  a  little  money 
and  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  on  which  the  three  brothers  farmed 
for  two  or  three  years.  Then  leaving  his 
brothers  to  manage  the  farm,  Levinas  went 
to  Bernadotte,  where  for  a  year  he  was  in 
the  lumber  trade.  Meantime  the  brothers 
sold  the  farm  and  Ebenezer  bought  a  quar- 
ter section  of  land  near  Bushnell,  Illinois, 
and  Samuel  A.  went  to  Bernadotte  and  car- 
ried! on  a  cooperage  business  there  until 
1850,  when  he  went  overland  to  California, 
where  he  mined  successfully  for  a  year  and 
a  half.  Then  the  condition  of  his  health  be- 
came such  that  he  was  obliged  to  return  to' 
his  old  home  in  Illinois. 

Previous  to  moving  to  BenuKlMttc  and' 
while  living  on  the  farm  in  luilimi  iwuntv, 
Mr.  Sperry's  nearest  town  and  pi  ist<  iHicc  wasi 
Fairview,  a  settleinent  of  New  Jersey  peo- 
ple. Under  the  leadership  of  the  minister 
of  the  Dutch  Refomied  church  at  that  place, 
the  men  of  Fairview  favored  slavery  to  an 
extent  that  was  almost  fanatical.  Mr.  Sperry 
was  an  outspoken  abolitionist  and  when,  the 
Republicans  first  put  a  ticket  in  the  field  he 
was  the  only  man  at  Fairview  who  voted  for 
it,  and  that  he  did  in  the  face  of  threats  that 
were  little  short  of  murderous.  Even  the 
reverend  gentleman  referred  to  menaced 
him  with  tar  and  feathers  andl  declared  his 
intention  to  lead  a  mob  against  him  in  case 
he  had  the  temerity  to  vote  the  "black  aboli- 
tion ticket."  Mr.  Sperry  calmly  assured 
him  that  on  election  day  he  would  most  cer- 
tainly vote  the  ticket  which  the  jireacher  so 
denominated,  and  he  did  so  and  was  not 
harmed ;  but  was  w&rned  to  leave.  He  re- 
plied that  he  would  be  there  to  vote  at  the 
next  election  and  denounced  the  iniinis- 
ter  and  the  spirit  of  his  teaching,  de- 
claring that  the  only  time  the  Alnfightv  harl 
e\'er  shown  an  interest  in  his  church  had 
been  on  an  occasion  \^•llen  during  service 
the  building  had  been  struck  by  lightning  and 
most  of  the  seats  and  a  majiirit\-  of  the  mem- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


bers  of  the  congregation  had  been  scattered 
in  all  directions  and  some  seats  at  the  rear 
of  the  house  containing  some  despised  ne- 
groes had  with  their  occupants  been  set 
down  uninjured  before  the  altar.  He  kept 
his  promise  to  vote  at  the  next  election  and 
when  he  did  so  several  others  voted  the  siame 
ticket.  After  his  removal  to  Bernadotte  he 
found  there  a  Hue  of  the  old  under-ground 
railway  in  full  operation  and  it  was  not  long 
before  he  was  doing  everything  in  his  power 
to  provide  for  fugitive  slaves  who  should 
stop  there  and  to  send  them,  on  their  way  to 
freedom.  He  received  the  fugitives  at  his 
house  and  place  of  business  and  sometimes 
got  them  out  of  town  in  loads  of  hay  or 
disguised  as  sacks  of  grain. 

After  his  return  from  California  'Mr. 
Sperry  ran  his  cooper  business  in  connection 
with  a  general  store  and  a  pork-packing  en- 
terprise. During  the  war  there  were  only 
five  loyal  men  at  Bernadotte  and  all  of  them 
except  Mr.  Sperry  were  advanced  in  years. 
Mr.  Sperry  would  not  smother  his  honest 
sentiments  for  fear  of  any  man,  and  his  life 
was  in  constant  danger  from  the  so-called 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  a  lawless  se- 
cret order  which  drew  its  membership  from 
the  disloyal  copperhead  element.  There  were 
many  plots  against  the  lives  of  the  five  abol- 
itionists and  at  one  time  a  mob  set  upon  one 
of  them,  an  old  man  named  Maxon,  and 
after  beatng  and  cutting  him  terribly,  sur- 
rounded Mr.  Sperry's  store,  where  Mr. 
Sperry  was  with  his  son  and  another  lad 
who  were  acting  as  his  clerks.  The  mob 
dispersed  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
and  Mr.  Sperry  did  not  leave  the  store  until 
later.  On  another  occasion  Mr.  Sperry's 
life  was  saved  by  a  physician,  who  was  his 
friend,  who  warned  him  that  he  was  to  be 
called  to  his  door  that  night  and  be  shot. 
When  the  call  was  heard  Mrs.  Sperry,  like 
the  heroine  that  she  was,  went  to  the  door 
carrying  a  lamp,  thus  foiling  the  plot  be- 
cause the  men  outside  had  not  con^e  to 
murder  a  wontan.  After  this  event  Mr. 
Sperry  bought  two  fine  six-shooters  and  on 
some  pretext  called  in  one  of  his  enemies  to 
show  him  ho^v  they  worked.  The  man  went 
to  his  comrades  and  assured  them  that  Mr. 


Spern,-  had  the  best  revolvers  in  the  county 
and  they  decided  that  it  would  not  be  best 
for  them  to  molest  him  again.  \Mien  green- 
backs were  first  issued  Mr.  Trickey,  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  disloyal  element,  who  had 
a  large  amount  of  the  money,  became  fearful 
that  it  was  not  on  a  sound  basis  and  would 
not  be  redeemed ;  and  when  Mr.  Sperry 
agreed  to  take  two  thousand  dollars  of  it 
and  guarantee  its  redemption,  Trickey 
gladly  let  him  have  it;  and  after  that  when 
plots  were  hatched  against  Mr.  Sperry's 
life,  Trickey  interfered  in  Mr.  Sperry's  be- 
half on  the  ground  that  if  the  latter  should 
be  killed  he  might  lose  his  two  thousand  dol- 
lars. In  1869  Mr.  Sperr\-  located  at  Ipava, 
Fulton  county,  Illinois,  where  he  conducted 
a  general  store  until  1876,  when  he  retired 
from  active  business  and  for  several  years 
lived  with  his  son  and  gave  his  attention  to 
a  settlement  of  all  his  outstanding  accounts. 
In  the  fall  of  1883  Mr.  Sperry  removed 
to  McPherson  county,  Kansas,  and  bought 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in 
Groveland  township,  a  part  of  which  was  im- 
proved. He  began  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing there  and  introduced  many  substantial 
improvements  and  was  prospering  \\hen, 
October  28,  1888,  his  wife  died.  ^  After 
that  sad  event  he  lived  two  years  with  his 
daughter  Ida,  at  Lyons,  and  then  removed  to 
Hutchinson,  where  he  has  since  lived.  In 
1894  he  bought  ten  acres  of  ground  at 
Hutchinson,  of  Judge  Martin.  This  land, 
which  was  originally  a  part  of  Glendale 
park  and  is  located  near  the  state  reforma- 
tory, was  covered  with  large  cottonwood 
stumps  to  the  number  of  about  three  hun- 
dred, which  ]\Ir.  Sperry  grubbed  out  unaided 
though  he  had  obtained  the  advanced  age  of 
seventy-se\en  years.  He  devoted  nine  acres 
of  the  land  to  an  apple  orchard  and  to  other 
fruits,  planting-  the  apple  trees  thirty  feet 
apart  and  planting  the  shorter-lived  trees, 
such  as  peach,  cherry  and  plum  trees  between 
them,  and  the  remaining  acre  he  turned  into 
a  fine  grape  vineyard.  In  1900  he  gathered 
fifty  bushels  of  fine  peaches  and  in  1901  his 
orchard  yielded  plenty  of  peaches  and  cher- 
ries and  began  to  be  valuable  as  an  apple  pro- 
ducer.      From    his    vinevard    he    gathered 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


445 


about  a  wagon  load  and  a  half  of  grapes 
each  year.  The  space  in  his  orchard  ht- 
tween  his  trees  he  made  profitable  each  year 
in  the  production  of  corn  and  vegetables. 
Until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
January  2},,  1902,  Mr.  Sperry  was  active  and 
was  in  full  possession  of  all  his  faculties. 
He  attributed  his  remarkable  possession  of 
all  his  powers  in  his  old  "age  to  his  having 
led  an  active  out-door  life  and  to  his  never 
having  used  liquor  or  tobacco  in  any  form. 
It  may  be  added  that  he  never  drank  tea 
or  coffee  and  seldom  ate  meat.  In  1899, 
when  he  was  eighty  years  old,  he  accom>- 
plisbed  a  feat  of  endurance  which  seem  al- 
most incredible,  but  which  could  be  vouched 
for  by  all  his  acquaintances  in  Hutchinson. 
A  citizen  of  the  tov.-n,  desirious  of  having  a 
piece  of  ground  cleared  of  a  number  of  large 
Cottonwood  trees,  offered  any  one  half  of  the 
wood  that  could  be  made  from  them  in  pay- 
ment for  cutting  them  dowh  and  work- 
ing them  up  for  wood.  After  several  per- 
sons had  promised  to  do  the  work  and  had 
failed  to  accomplish  it,  Mr.  Sperry  undertook 
it  and  he  cut  down  the  trees  and  sawed  them 
into  stove  wood,  which  measured  seventeen 
cords. 

Originally  a  W'Hig,  Mr.  Sperry  became 
an  aboIiti(?nist,  as  has  been  stated,  and  later  a 
Republican  ardently  devoted  to  the  princi- 
ples of  his  party.  He  was  during-  all  his 
life  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance and  active  worker  its  success.  He 
was  married,  March  25,  1845.  at  Bernadotte, 
Fulton  county,  Illinois,  to  Madalena  Mc- 
Whirt,  daughter  of  William'  and  Lucy 
(Sharp)  McAMiirt,  natives  of  Virginia. 
Mrs.  Sperry  bore  her  husband  four  children : 
James  A.  Sperry,  who  was  torn  November 
2,  1846,  and  died  August  16,  1886;  Clara, 
who  was  born  November  24,  1847,  ^"d  died 
in  infanc}- ;  Horace  L.,  w'ho  was  born  Au- 
gust 4.  1852,  and  is  station  agent  for  the 
Chicago.  Burlington  &  Ouincy  Railroad 
Company  at  Greenfield,  Illinois ;  and  Ida 
May,  who  was  born  December  19,  1853,  and 
is  the  wife  of  David  Herj-er,  of  Hutchinson, 
Kansas,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom 
will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this 
volume. 


GEORGE  HUYCKE. 

Among-  the  many  able  newspaper  men  in 
central  Kansas,  George  Huycke,  editor  and 
proprietor  of  the  Ellsworth  Reporter,  is  con^ 
spicuous  for  all  those  cpialities  which  con- 
tribute to  the  success  of  an  inland  newspa- 
per, devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  it  is  published  and  strictly 
up-to-date  in  all  its  aims  and  methods. 

George  Huycke  was  born  at  \\'ellington, 
Prince  Edward!  county,  Canada,  December 
25,  1842,  a  son  of  James  and  Eliza  (Bu- 
chanan) Huycke,  the  former  a  native  of 
Canada  and  the  latter  of  the  north  of  Ire- 
land. Mr.  Hu3'cke  spent  his  boyhood  days 
in  Canada  and  his  educational  facilities  were 
so  limited  that  his  entire  schooling  was  com- 
prised in  six  months  of  irregular  attendance 
in  the  public  schools  near  his  home.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  eight  },ears  of  age 
and  many  serious  responsibilities  fell  on  his 
young  shouldersi.  At  nineteen  years  of  age 
he  left  his  Canadian  home  and  located  at 
Watertown,  New  York,  where  for  about  a 
year  he  was  ariployed  at  railroad  work.  In 
January,  1863,  when  he  was  not  yet  twenty- 
one,  he  enlisted  in  Coinpany  M,  Fifteenth 
Regiment,  New  York  Cavalry,  with  which 
organization  he  served  in  the  Civil  war  until 
he  was  honorably  discharged,  in  September, 
1865,  at  Elmira,  New  Ynrk.  Enlisting  as  a 
private,  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  sergeant.  He 
saw  service  for  a  time  with  Duffield's  cav- 
alry and  later  was'  in  Custer's  command  in 
Virginia,  scouting  and  skirmishing. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Huycke  visited  his 
old  home  in  Canada.  He  then  took  a  posi- 
tion as  teamster  and  messenger  in  the  quar- 
termaster's department  of  the  United  States 
army  on  the  frontier  and  was  stationed'  at 
Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  whence  he  made 
trips  over  the  Santa  Fe  trail  to  Santa  Fe, 
New"  Mexico.  He  was  employed  thus  and 
otherwise  in  that  new  country  for  about  five 
years,  and  then  he  liuught  railroad  land  near 
Fort  Harker,  on  which  he  farmed  three 
years.  In  1875  he  was  elected  county  treas- 
urer of  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  which 
office  he  filled  so  satisfactorily  that  he  was 
re-elected  to  it  for  a  second  term.     In  1882, 


446 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


with  otliers,  he  organized  the  EHsworth  Su- 
gar Works,  with  a  view  to  ntihzing  home 
grown  sorghum  in  the  manufacture  of  su- 
gar. This  enterprise  was  unsuccessfuh  how- 
ever, and  resuhed  in  considerable  financial 
loss  to  Mr.  Huycke. 

While  filling  the  office  of  county  treas- 
urer of  EllsAvorth  county  he  bought  the  Ells- 
worth Reporter,  in  the  proprietorship  of 
which  he  associated  with  himself  W.  A. 
Gephardt.  In  1886  Mr.  Huycke  became  sole 
proprietor  of  the  paper,  which  he  has  since 
conducted  with  signal  success.  The  Reporter, 
which  has  always  been  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and  which  has  generally  been  the  official 
paper  of  Ellsworth  county,  has  a  large  cir- 
culation and  is  recognized  as  a  valuable  local 
advertising  medium.  It  was  established  in 
1 87 1,  and  is  the  oldest  ncAvspaper  in  the 
county.  Under  Mr.  Huycke' s  editorial  man- 
agement it  is  an  exceptionally  good  home 
newspaper,  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  up- 
building' of  the  best  interests  of  Ellsworth 
city  and  county. 

■  Mr.  Huycke  has  always  been  active  as  a 
Republican  and  has  been  prominent  for 
many  years  in  countv,  state  and  cougres- 
sional  conventions.  He  is  a  Knight  Tem- 
plar Mason,  and  a  member  of  Ellsworth 
Post,  No.  22,  Grand  Army  O'f  the  Republic. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  edu- 
cation of  the  city  of  Ellsworth  for  twelve 
years.  He  erected  his  ofiice  and  printing 
establishment  in  1892.  He  was  appointed 
postmaster  by  President  Arthur  and  again 
by  President  Harrison  and  filled  the  office  all 
together  between  six  and  seven  years.  He 
has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was 
Miss  Jennie  Folkes.  who  was  a  native  of  the 
state  of  New  York,  and  who  was  living  at 
Ellsworth  at  the  time  of  their  noarriage,  in 
1870.  She  bore  him  two  childrem  one  of 
whom  died  in  infancy,  while  the  other,  Paul, 
lives  at  Topeka,  Kansas.  In  1876  Mr. 
Huycke  married  Miss  Cora  J.  Folkes,  half- 
sister  of  his  deceased  wife,  and  she  has 
borne  him  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are 
living.  Their  daughter  Beatrice  died  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years.  Their  son,  Archi- 
bald, is  private  secretary  to  E.  R.  Nichols, 
at  Manhattan.  Kansas.    Vinton  is  a  teacher 


in  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas.  \\'illiam,  Ed- 
ward, Ruth,  Harold  and  Clarence  are  mem- 
bers of  their  parents'  household.  George 
died  in  infancy. 


ROBERT  ^^^  hughes. 

Robert  W.  Hughes,  one  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  Hoo'sier  townsliip,  Kingman  coun- 
ty, is  now  living  retired  on  the  home  farm, 
which  he  developed  from  unbroken  prairie, 
and  in  the  evening  of  life  is  enjoying  a  well 
earned  rest.  He  came  to  the  county  in  1881 
and  since  1878  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
state. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Hughes  was  bora 
October  14,  1828,  a  son  of  Jesse  Hughes, 
who  was  also  born  in  the  Buckeye  state  and 
served  his  country  in -the  war  of  1812.  He 
married  Sallie  Herron,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  Ohio,  and  upon  a  farm  they  began  their 
domestic  life  there,  but  subsequently  re- 
moved to  Indiana,  casting  in  their  lot  among 
its  early  settlers.  They  had  fourteen  chil- 
dren, namely:  Mark,  ]\Iartha,  Lucinda, 
James,  Jane,  Mary,  Martha,  Isaac,  Robert 
W.,  Jesse,  John,  Mansel,  Missouri  and  Liz- 
zie. The  father  was  a  wheelwright  by  trade, 
but  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  car- 
ried on  agricultural  pursuits.  For  four  years 
he  was  a  preacher  in  the  New  Lig-ht  church 
and  his  son  Mark  became  a  minister  of  the 
same  denomination,  but  was  turned  out  of 
the  church  because  he  refused  to  take  pay 
for  his  services !  Politically  the  father  was 
a  representative  of  the  Whig  party.  His 
death  occurred  in  Barth.olomew  county,  In- 
diana, in  1863.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife  he  was  again  married,  and  by  the  sec- 
ond union  had  a  daughter,  IMargaret,  who 
died  in  earl}-  childhood. 

Robert  W.  Hughes  was  reared  in  Law- 
rence county,  Indiana,  and  pursued  his  edu- 
cation in  an  old-time  schoolhouse,  which  was 
built  of  logs,  had  a  puncheon  floor  and  im- 
mense fireplace,  tO'gether  with  other  prim- 
itive furnishings.  On  the  7th  of  August, 
1853.  he  won  as  a  companion  for  the  journey 
of    life  ]\Iis3   Eliza   Ann    Browning,   their 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


wedding-  being  celebrated  in  Heltonville, 
Lawrence  count}-,  Indiana,  in  the  house  in 
which  the  lady  was  born  August  2,  1831. 
Her  father,  Nathan  Browning,  was  born  in 
east  Tennessee  July  30,  1785,  and  married 
Obedience  McPike,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
east  Tennessee  December  31,  1788,  and 
who  was  a  daughter  of  a  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier. Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Browning  were 
born  fourteen  children :  Polly,  Anizi,  Will- 
iam, Benjamin,  Malinda,  James,  John,  Jesse,. 
Richard,  Joseph  W.,  Amanda  J.,  Eliza  A., 
Leonard  M.  and  an  infant.  The  father  of 
this  family  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and 
died  in  Lawrence  county  at  an  advanced  age, 
while  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years.  In  his  political  views  he 
was  a  Democrat  and  belonged  to  the  New 
•  Light  church. 

Reared  upon  the  honie  farm,  Robert  W. 
Hughes  early  became  familiar  with  all  the 
duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
agriculturist  and  continued  to  work  upon 
the  home  farm  until  his  marriage,  when  he 
began  cultivating  the  soil  on  his  own  ac- 
count. He  was  thus  engaged  when  the  Civil 
war  commenced.  FeeUng  that  his  country 
needed  his  services,  he  bade  adieu  to  his 
family  and  in  1861  joined  Company  F,  Fif- 
teen„th  Indiana  Infantry,  with  which  he 
served  for  eighteen  months,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged,  owing  to  disability. 
He  now  receives  a  pensioq  of  seventy-twO' 
dollars  per  month.  The  most  important  bat- 
tle in  which  he  participated  was  that  of 
]\Iurfreesboro,  Tennessee. 

Although  reared  as  a  farmer  and  devot- 
ing some  time  to  agricultural  pursuits,  while 
residing  in  Indiana  Mr.  Hughes  learned  the 
trade  of  cabinetmaker  and  followed  that  and 
carpentering  for  several  years.  In  1878  he 
left  his  old  home  and  crossing  the  Missis- 
sippi continued  on  his  westward  way  tO' 
Stafford  counly,  Kansas,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years,  when  he  removed  to  King- 
man county,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
Plere  he  took  up  a  claim  on  the  Osage  In- 
dian Trust  land.  It  was  wild  and  unim- 
proved, not  a  furrow  having  been  turned  or 
an  improvement  made,  but  with  character- 
istic energ-)'  he  began  its  development,  and  it 


is  no'w  a  valuable  and  attractive  property. 
He  set  out  a  grove  and  orchard,  erected  a 
residence  and  the  necessary  outbuildings, 
and  although  his  health  prevented  him  from 
doing-  much  of  the  active  work  of  the  farm 
he  directed  the  labors  of  his  sons,  and  the 
place  was  transformed  into  a  valuable  farm. 
The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hughes  was 
blessed  with  twelve  children :  Hester,  de- 
ceased; G.  W. ;  John  C,  deceased;  Josie,  de- 
ceased; James  \\ . ;  E.  E. ;  Belle;  Sallie,  who 
has  passed  away ;  Oliver  P.  Morton,  de- 
ceased;  Ulysses  Grant;  Susan  F. ;  and  Will- 
iam L.  All  of  the  living  children  have 
started  out  in  life  on  their  own  account,  leav- 
ing the  parents  once  more  alone, — just  as 
they  began  their  married  life.  They  are 
stili  living  on  the  uld  hume-^tead,  where  they 
are  c]uietly  passing  the  exening  of  life,  hav- 
ing a  good  residence  and  many  comforts  and 
luxuries.  While  in  Indiana  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church,  and  his  wife  be- 
longed to  the  Methodist  church.  He  has  al- 
ways been  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics, 
having  never  voted  any  other  ticket,  and 
throughout  his  career  of  more  than  seventy 
years  he  has  ever  been  as  true  and  faithful 
to  his  duties  of  citizenship  as  when  he  fol- 
lowed the  nation's  starry  banner  upon  the 
battlefields  of  the  south. 


EDWARD  B.  SMITH,  A.  M. 

Edward  Birge  Smith,  the  president  of 
Nickerson  Normal  College,  was  born  in 
Steuben  county,  Indiana,  April  18,  1857. 
His  father,  Birge  Smith,  was  born  in  New- 
York,  on  the  upper  Schuylkill,,  in  1835.  He 
was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  was  a  loyal 
and  patriotic  citizen.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  helped  tO'  organize  two  military  com- 
panies, Company  A,  of  the  Forty-fourth 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  Company  A,  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-ninth,  being  com- 
missioned captain  of  the  latter  by  Governor 
Morton.  Howe^^er,  he  saw  most  of  his  serv- 
ice as  adjutant  on  General  Hovey's  staff. 
He  was  with  Sherman  in  his  march  to  the 
sea.  and  died  of  pneumonia  contracted  on 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


the  march  through  the  Carohnas.  His  re- 
mains rest  in  the  national  cemetery  on  Long 
Island.  He  wedded  Miss  Marietta  Bennett, 
of  Angola,  Indiana,  by  whom  he  had  two 
sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Frank 
E.  Smith,  now  living  at  Wakefield,  Nebras- 
ka. The  maternal  grandfather,  Malcolm 
Bennett,  and  two  of  his  sons  lost  their  lives 
in  their  country's  service.  One  of  the  sons, 
George  Bennett,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
l^ookout  Mountain,  while  serving  in  the 
ranks.  The  other  son,  Alexander,  died  in 
the  rebel  prison  at  Belle  Isle.  Many  other 
relatives,  on  both  the  maternal  and  the  pa- 
ternal sides,  served  on  the  Union  side  in  the 
war.  and  very  few  families  sacrificed  more 
for  the  national  cause. 

Edward  Birge  Smith,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review,  received  his  primary  ed- 
ucation in  the  country  schools  of  Indiana, 
usually  under  liis  mother's  instruction,  as 
she  was  a  teacher  both  before  her  marriage 
and  during  her  early  widowhood.  He  began 
his  life  work  at  a  very  early  age,  teaching  a 
district  school  in  Indiana  before  he  was  six- 
teen. He  attended  the  high  school  at  An- 
gola., Indiana,  and  Hillsdale  College,  Mich- 
igan, frequently  teaching  country  schools  to 
aid  in  defraying  his  expenses.  In  the  fall 
of  1876  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  Fre- 
miont,  Indiana,  schools,  and  held  the  posi- 
tion four  years.  He  was  next  appointed  to 
the  chair  ol  mathematics  in  the  normal 
school  at  Ladoga,  Indiana,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  He  taught  five  years  in 
West  Kentucky  College,  and  served  two 
years  as  superintendent  of  the  public  schools 
of  Pao'li.  Indiana.  In  1888  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  became  editor  ui  the  Daily  Chrono- 
scope.  at  Earned.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he 
soM  his  interest  in  the  paper  and  accepted 
a  position  in  the  Central  Normal  College  at 
Great  Bend.  In  the  fall  of  1896  he  entered 
Kansas  University  for  post-graduate  work, 
receiving  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from 
this  institution  in  1897 ;  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Central  Normal  College,  remain- 
ing there  one  year.  In  the  summer  of  189S 
lie  Ijecame  president  of  Nickerson  Normal 
College,  which  position  he  still  holds.  He  is 
the  author  of  several  books,  the  best  known 


being  a  granmiar.  Smith's  Etymology  and 
Syntax. 

In  1879  President  Smith  was  married  to 
Miss  Helen  E.  Merwin,  of  Fremont,  Indi- 
ana, a  daughter  of  C.  J.  and  Emily  (Beach) 
Merwin,  both  of  whom  are  still  living  in 
Steuben  county,  Indiana.  Mrs.  Smith  has 
also'  been  a  teacher  since  her  sixteenth  )ear. 
She  has  held  positions  in  all  the  institutions 
with  which  her  husband  has  been  connected. 
She  has  graduate  standing  at  the  State  Uni- 
versity of  Kansas,  her  specialties  being  Latin 
and  English.  It  is  difticult  to  overestimate 
the  influence  for  good  that  these  two  faith- 
ful teachers  have  exerted  upon  the  lives  of 
the  hundreds  of  young  people  who  have  been 
enrolled  in  their  classes.  Central  and  west- 
ern Kansas,  especially,  owes  much  to  them, 
and  cheerfully  acknowledges  the  debt.  They 
have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Miss  Helen 
Beach  Smith,  fourteen  years  of  age  and  a 
very  bright  student  m  the  college  in  whicli 
her  parents  are  teaching. 

The  Smith  home  is  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  city.  This  commodious  residence 
with  its  spacious,  well  shaded  groimds,  is 
one  of  the  nH'St  attractive  in  Nickerson,  and 
is  noted  for  its  gracious  hospitality,  for 
President  Smith  and  his  estimable  wife  and 
daughter  are  widely  known  and  have  a  large 
circle  of  warm  friends. 


JACOB  C.  SHIDELER. 

One  of  the  extensi\-e  land  owners  of 
Kingman  county  is  Jacob  C.  Shideler,  who 
resides  in  Galesburg  township.  His  resi- 
dence here  covers  a  period  of  a  quarter  of 
century,  which  fact  indicates  that  he  has 
been  a  witness  of  the  pioneer  development. 
In  th.e  work  of  progress  he  has  borne  his 
part,  and  to-day  is  accounted  one  of  the 
valued  representatives  of  his  community. 

Mr.  Shideler  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  MontsniiKTv  cnun- 
ty,  near  Dayton,  January  19.  1S4;,,  the  year 
in  which  President  McKinlex-  was  Imrn. 
The  Shideler  family  is  of  German  lineage, 
and  the  ancestors  of  our  subject  came  from 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


449 


Frankfort,  Germany,  'settling  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  were  people  noted  for  in- 
dustry, honesty,  courage  and  patriotism. 
The  grandfather  of  oiu"  subject  was  Henry 
Shideler,  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state, 
and  his  son  and  namesake,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  born  In  Washington  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania.  In  1804.  the  family  re- 
moved to  Ohio,  casting-  in  their  lot  with  its 
pioneer  settlers.  After  arriving  at  years  of 
maturity,  Henry  Shideler,  Jr.,  married 
Elizabeth  Swartsel,  who  was  born  in  Ohio 
and  was  a  daughter  of  Abraham  Swartsel, 
who  emigrated  from  Pennsylvania  to  the 
Buckeye  state.  Fourteen  children  were  born 
luito  the  parents  of  our  subject,  namely : 
Jefferson,  Joseph.  Abraham,  Henry.  Allen, 
Daniel,  Jacob,  Josiah,  Irving,  Elizabeth, 
Margaret,  Susanna,  Mary  E.  and  Angeline. 
Three  of  the  sons  were  valiant  soldiers  in 
the  Civil  war.  Daniel  wliri  enlisted  in  the 
Ninety-third  Ohio  Infantry,  wa';  in  the 
service  fur  thirty-three  months,  and  is  now 
living  in  Ibilden.  Missouri.  Josiah,  who 
■was  a  memliLT  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Ninety-sixth  Ohio  Infantry,  died  in  the 
Buckeye  state.  The  parents  have  Imth 
passed  away,  the  mother  having  died  in 
Ohio  at  the  age  of  fortv-nine,  while  the 
father's  death  occurred  when  he  was  eighty- 
six  years  of  age.  For  three-quarters  of  a 
century  he  lived  upon  the  farm  on  which 
his  father  located  in  1804.  He  was  a  Dem- 
ocrat in  his  political  belief  and  in  religious 
faith  was  a  Dunkard  or  German  Baptist. 
His  life  was  upright  and  honorable  and  won 
him  high  regard. 

Jacob  C.  Shideler  was  reared  upon  the 
old  homestead  farm,  and  after  acquiring  his 
education  in  the  public  schools,  engaged  in 
teaching  with  success  for  several  terms,  but 
in  March,  1865,  he  put  aside  all  personal 
consideration  in  order  that  he  might  aid 
the  Union  cause,  becoming  a  member  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Xinetv-sixth  Ohio  In- 
fantry, in  which  he  served  until  honorably 
discharged  after  the  close  of  hostilities.  He 
then  returned  to  Ohio  and  was  a  resident  of 
that  state  until  1876.  when  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas and  secured  a  claim  of  Osage  Indian 
land.     He  has  since  spent  about  two  years 


in  Holden,  Johnson  county,  Missouri, 
where  he  had  a  partial  living.  In  1882  he 
added  to  his  original  possessions  here  and 
by  judicious  investment  of  his  capital,  he 
has  become  the  owner  of  sixteen  hundred 
acres,  well  adapted  for  stock  or  grain  rais- 
ing. He  now^  has  several  well  improved 
farms  supplied  with  all  modern  accessories 
and  conveniences.  Hisi  property  is  the  vis- 
ible evidence  nf  acti\-e  and  honorable  labor, 
and  has  the  well  merited  reward  for  his 
industry  and  enterprise. 

On  the  26th  of  Seotemiber,  1897,  Mr. 
Shideler  was  married,  in  Galesburg  town- 
ship, to  Anna  Cawthon.  who  was  born  in 
Illinois,  but  was  reared  and  educated  in 
this  state.  Her  father,  James  Porter  Caw- 
thon. of  Galesburg  townshi]i,  was  born  in 
Tennessee  in  1850,  and  was  a  snn  of  Wes- 
ley and  Margaret  (Osborn)  Cawthon,  also 
natives  of  Tennessee,  whence  they  removed 
to  Saline  county,  Illinois,  and  from  there 
went  to  Williamison  county,  that  state, 
where  the  father  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years,  and  the  mother  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one.  Among  their  eight  children, 
James  Porter  Cawthon  was  married  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  to  Susan  Crossim,  wlm  was 
born  in  Tennessee  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Margaret  (Lebo)  Crosson,  Mr. 
and  Mrs,  Caw'thon  became  the  parents  of 
five  children,  namely:  Mrs.  Edna  Wallace; 
Mrs.  Shideler;  Herbert;  Mrs.  Roxy  Marks; 
and  Elden  W.  They  also  lost  one  child, 
Agnes,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
vears.  Mr.  Cawthon  came  to  Kai.sas  in 
1872  and  has  since  made  his  home  here. 
He  is  a  gentleman  of  the  highest  respecta- 
bility, who  holds  membership  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  and  has  served  there- 
in as  class  leader. 

The  home  of  Mr,  and  Mrs,  Shideler  has 
lieen  blessed  with  two  daughters,  Elizabeth 
Bernice  and  Susan  Angeline.  The  parents 
hold  membership  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  and  Mr.  Shideler  is  one  of 
its  trustees.  He  votes  independently  and  is 
a  citizen  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  his  county.  Splendid  suc- 
cess has  crowned  his  efforts  in  business  life, 
indicating  his  marked  ability,  unflagging  in- 


450 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


dustry  and  strong  detennination.  His  ex- 
ample is  one  well  worthy  of  emulation,  and 
with  pleasure  we  present  his  life  record  to 
owr  readers. 


JOSEPH  S.  GEORGE. 

Practical  industry  wisely  and  vigorously 
applied  never  fails  oi  success;  it  carries  a 
man  onward  and  upward,  brings  out  his  in- 
dividual character  and  acts  as  a  powerful 
stimulus  to  the  efforts  of  others.  The  great- 
est results  in  life  are  usually  attained  by 
snnple  means  and  the  exercise  of  the  ordi- 
nary qualities  of  common  sense  and  perse- 
A'crance.  The  every  day  life,  with  its  cares, 
necessities  and  duties,  affords  ample  oppor- 
tunities for  acquiring  experience  of  the  best 
kind,  and  its  most  beaten  paths  provide  a 
true  worker  with  abundant  scope  for  effort 
and  for  self-improvement.  It  is  along  such 
lines  that  Air.  George  has  won  a  most  prom- 
inent and  honorable  place  in  business  circles, 
being  the  secretary  and  manager  of  the 
Hutchinson   Wholesale   Grocery  Company. 

At  an  early  period  in  the  development 
of  America  the  George  family  was  founded 
in  America,  although  the  dates  of  emigra- 
tion to  the  new  world  of  the  first  American 
ancestor  is  not  definitely  known.  It  is  an 
established  fact,  however,  that  one  of  his 
ancestors  owned  the  land  upon  which  the 
present  city  of  Norfolk,  Virginia,  now 
stands,  and  this  proves  conclusively  their 
early  connection  with  the  country.  Martin 
H.  George,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was 
born  in  the  Old  Dominion,  and  his  brother, 
Enoch  George,  was  a  Methodist  bishop  who 
was  well  known  throughout  Ohio.  The  for- 
mer was  a  planter  in  early  life,  but  later  en- 
gaged in  merchandising,  which  he  followed 
in  Pennsylvania  until  the  early  '30s,  when 
he  removed  to  Ohio.  In  that  state  he  wed- 
ded Mrs.  Mary  A.  Black,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  three  children,  of  whom  our 
subject  was  the  youngest.  In  his  political 
views  he  was  first  a  Whig,  and  on  the  dis- 
solution of  that  party  he  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  new  Republican  party.  His  religious 
faith  was  that  of  the  Alethodist  denomina- 


tion, and  he  long  held  membership  in  the 
church.  He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight 
years,  but  both  the  paternal  and  the  mater- 
nal grandfather  of  our  subject  reached  the 
advanced  age  of  ninety-five  years. 

Joseph  S.  George  was  born  in  Xenia, 
Ohio,  March  31,  1850,  and  after  attending 
the  public  schools  of  that  city  took  a  course 
in  Xenia  College.  When  he  had  completed 
his  education  he  made  his  way  westward, 
and  in  1870  was  a  resident  of  Chase  county, 
Kansas.  From  1871  until  1873  he  was  en- 
gaged in  clerking  in  Newton  and  Wichita, 
when,  owing  to  failing  health,  he  was  ob- 
liged tO'  engage  in  some  other  occupation 
that  would  not  have  the  close  confinement 
of  the  store.  Accordingly  he  engaged  in 
herding"  cattle  for  a  time  and  the  free  life 
of  the  plains  restored  his  health.  He  then 
returned  to  Chase  county  and  for  a  year  he 
served  both  as  deputy  county  clerk  and  dep- 
uty district  clerk.  In  January,  1874,  he 
came  to  Hutchinson.  He  had  previously 
visited  the  city — then  but  a  village —  in 
1871,  but  did  not  make  it  his  permanent 
abode  until  three  years  later.  Here  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Frank  Gillett,  with 
whom  he  remained  for  a  year,  and  then 
formed  a  partnership  with  F.  Dunkin,  his 
father-in-law,  who  later  sold  his  interest  ti; 
J.  L.  Penny.  After  a  year,  however,  Mr. 
George  purchased  Air.  Penny's  interest  and 
from  that  time  forward  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness alone  until  1880.  when  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  J.  H.  Alauritius,  the  con- 
nection being  maintained  for  three  years, 
during  which  time  they  conducted  a  large 
retail  trade.  In  1883  Mr.  George  sold  his 
interest  in  the  retail  store,  and  in  company 
with  his  former  partner,  J.  L.  Penny,  began 
doing  a  wholesale  business  in  the  purchase 
and  sale  of  produce.  On  the  12th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1889,  was  consummated  the  plans 
whereby  was  established  the  Hutchinson 
\Miolesale  Grocery  House,  of  which  Mr. 
George  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  pro- 
prietors. This  was  not  only  the  first  whole- 
sale house  of  Hutchinson,  but  there  was  no 
other  in  the  city  for  ten  years.  The  enter- 
prise proved  a  valued  addition  tO'  the  trade 
interests  of  this  portion  of  the  country  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


returned  to  the  stockholders  a  good  divi- 
dend from  the  beginning.  The  company 
erected  its  present  building,  which  is  of 
stone,  and  is  thirty-three  by  one  hundred 
and  seventy-nine  feet,  three  stories  in 
height.  ]\Ir.  George  was  elected  secretary 
and  manager  of  the  company  on  its  organi- 
zation and  it  is  mainly  due  to  his  unceasing 
energy,  careful  management  and  familiarity 
with  the  grocery  trade  that  the  extensive 
patronage  of  the  house  has  been  secured. 
Eight  traveling  salesmen  represent  the  com- 
pany upon  the  road  and  cover  a  territory 
two  hundred  miles  to  the  north  and  south 
and  four  hundred  miles  east  and  west.  Not 
less  than  twenty-eight  families  receive  their 
support  from  the  business,  which  has  shown 
a  healthy  and  continuous  growth  from  the 
beginning. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1875,  Mr. 
George  married  Miss  Mary  J.  Dunkin,  of 
Hutchinson,  and  unto  them  have  been  born 
six  children :  Jennie,  the  wife  of  Lewis  B. 
Cory,  O'f  this  city;  Hugh  D.,  who  cultivates 
his  father's  farm  in  Harvey  county,  Kan- 
sas ;  Clara,  who  is  living  with  her  brother 
in  Harvey  county;  Alma,  Mary  and  Joseph 
D.,  at  home.  The  present  handsome  resi- 
dence, of  the  George  family,  at  No.  22S 
Sixth  avenue,  east,  was  purchased  by  Mr. 
George  and  is  one  of  the  attractive  and 
hospitable  homes  of  the  city.  Previous  to 
this  time,  however,  he  had  erected  a  dwell- 
ing. When  he  first  came  to  the  county  he 
secured  a  timber  claim  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  south  of  the  city,  consisting  of  eighty 
acres.  Tn-dax-  lie  also'  owns  a  well  im- 
proved farm  ■:{  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  liar\-e\  ci  iunty,  and  this,  as  we'l 
as  his  other  property  and  business  inter- 
ests, have  all  been  acquired  through  his  own 
efforts.  He  has  witnessed  the  development 
of  his  chosen  place  of  residence  from  a 
little  village  of  about  five  hundred  people, 
without  a  graded  street  or  even  a  grade  for 
the  Ijuildings.  He  has  watched  it  become 
one  lit  the  thrifty,  well  improved  cities  of 
central  Kansas,  and  in  the  work  of  public 
impro\emeiit  and  advancement  he  has  ever 
borne  his  part.  When  he  arri\-ed  in  the 
countv  the  condition  of  the  countrv  was  so 


new  that  large  herds  of  buffaloes  could  be 
seen  only  fifty  or  sixty  miles  to  the  west, 
and  he  has  enjoyed  many  a  fine  buffalo 
steak,  and  when  in  the  retail  business  pur- 
chased buffalo  hides  for  from  seventy-five 
cents  to  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  each.  Great 
changes  have  been  wrought  since  then  in 
the  business,  intellectual  and  social  life  of 
the  community,  for  the  people  of  Hutchin- 
son have  kept  pace  with  the  general  ad- 
vancement in  other  parts  of  the  country  and 
to-day  the  traveler  is  always  attracted  by 
the  enterprising  spirit  of  the  city  and  tlie 
progress  which  has  been  made  by  her  citi- 
zens. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  George  is  a 
Republican,  but  has  always  been  too  busy 
to  take  an  active  part  in  political  affairs, 
always  refusing  to  become  a  candidate  for 
office  save  that  of  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil, to  which  position  he  has  several  times 
been  elected,  accepting  the  nomination  at 
the  urgent  solicitation  oi  his  many  friends. 
In  1891  and  1892  he  took  an  active  and 
effective  part  in  the  organization  of  th:; 
Kansas  Jobbers'  Association,  of  which  he 
was  secretary,  and  which  appeared  before 
the  railway  commissioners  to  secure  job- 
bers' rates  for  interior  Kansas.  To  this 
work  he  gave  much  time  and  attention  in 
preparing  data  and  schedules,  and  it  was 
mainly  owing  to  the  intelligent  manner  in 
which  he  presented  the  facts  that  jobbers  at 
interior  points  secured  the  necessary  rates 
to  enable  them  to  compete  with  houses  on 
the  Missouri  river  who  could  take  advant- 
age of  the  cheaper  rates  of  navigation — a 
work  that  has  done  much  to  ad\'ance  the 
wholesale  interests  of  central  Kansas.  For 
more  than  twenty  years  Mr.  George  has 
been  a  memher  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
belonging  to  Reno  Lodge.  No.  140,  F.  & 
A.  M.;  Reno  Chapter,  No.  34.  R.  A.  M. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Euron  Lodge,  No. 
197,  K.  P..  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
Commercial  CIuIl  ^Vr.  George  is  an  earn- 
est and  entliusiastic  folliiwer  of  Izaak 
Walton,  his  chief  recreation  being  with  the 
rod  and  gun,  for  he  is  a  leading'  member  of 
the  Gun  Club  and  the  most  skillful  have 
reason  to  look  to  their  laurels  when  he  en- 


452 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ters  the  competitive  field.  The  hours  of 
recreation,  however,  have  been  comparative- 
ly few  with  him,  as  his  lime  has  been  mostly 
occupied  in  building  up  a  business  which 
has  now  assumed  extensive  proportions  an  1 
which  brings  to  him  a  handsome  and  de- 
sirable financial  reward,  of  which  he  is  we'l 
deserving. 


J A:\IES  M,  CAMPBELL. 

Virginia,  the  mother  of  presidents,  might 
iustiv  be  termed  also  the  mother  of  settle- 
ments. In  this  sense  the  name  Virginia  is 
intended  to  include  the  states  of  Virginia  and 
\\'est  ^'irginia,  wliich  were  under  one  state 
government  until  the  Old  Dominion  was  dis- 
rupted by  the  bitter  feeling  engendered  by 
the  Civil  war.  Virginia  has  sent  her  repre- 
sentatives to  almost  every  locality  of  impor- 
tance I'n  the  west,  northwest  and  southwest 
and  thev  have  not  only  grown  up  with  the 
country  but  have  been  foremost  in  every  pro- 
gressive movement.  Virginians  in  Kan- 
sas have  lived  up  to  this  reputation.  Among 
the  best  known  of  them  in  Reno  county  is 
James  M.  Campbell,  whose  residence  is  at 
No.  428  Tenth  street  w-est,  Hutchinson,  and 
who  operates  a  farm>  w-hich  is  the  east  one 
half  of  section  10,  Salt  Creek  tow^nship,  and 
which  consists  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  well  improved  land. 

James  M.  Campbell  was  born  within  the 
borders  of  the  present  state  of  West  Virginia 
February  3,  1829,  a  son  of  John  Campbell,  a 
native  of  Nicholas  county.  West  Virginia, 
who  was  born  in  1804,  and  was  a  farmer 
during  his  entire  active  life  and  w-ho  died  in 
1897,  aged  about  ninety-three  years,  after 
having  lived  in  the  same  log  house  for  more 
than  sixty  years.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  Fayette  county.  West  Virginia, 
he  and  his  father-in-law  having  been  the 
first  white  men  to  locate  there.  At  that 
time  the  country  was  new  and  wild,  much  of 
it  was  heavily  timbered  and  the  woods  were 
filled  with  abundant  game  and  in  their 
jungles  and  shadows  fierce  animals  roamed 
at  will.  !\lr.  Campbell  bought  a  farm  of 
about  two  hundred  acres  and  erected  cm  it 


a  log  house,  into  which  he  moved  when  he 
began  clearing  his  land  and  improving  it 
into  a  productive  farm.  He  was  married 
in  1827,  to  Elizabeth  Kesler,  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  Kesler  and  a  native  of  West  Virginia, 
whose  mother,  of  the  family  of  Funk,  was 
of  German  descent.  Year  after  year  !Mr. 
Campbell  labored,  enlarging  his  clearing  and 
putting  more  and  more  land  under  culti- 
vation, killing  off  dangeroiis  animals  and 
supplying  his  family  abundantly  with  wild 
game, — deer,  turkeys,  bear  and  other  game 
animals  and  birds  all  being  plentiful  about 
him.  As  the  country  became  settled  and 
Air.  Campbell's  circle  of  acquaintances 
w'idened,  the  influence  of  his  strong  per- 
sonality caused  him  to  be  regarded  as 
a  leader  among  his  fellows,  not  only  in 
political  and  religious  work  but  in  every 
movement  tending  to  their  mutual  welfare. 
He  held  numerous  im^portant  local  official 
positions  and  was  an  ofhcer  in  the  Bap- 
tist church.  In  political  affiliation  he  was  a 
Democrat.  The  locality  in  which  he  lived 
was  long  destitute  of  public  schools,  but  he 
taught  his  children  carefully  at  home  until 
subscription  schools  were  established,  and 
from  that  time  on  gave  them  as  good  edu- 
cation as  was  afforded  in  that  part  of  the 
country. 

When  James  M.  Campbell  was  seven  or 
eight  years  old  his  mother  died  suddenly  in 
the  prime  of  life,  for  she  had  scarcely  passed 
the  age  of  thirty  years,  leaving  a  family  of 
six  children,  only  two  of  whom  survive — the 
subject  of  this  sketch  and  Nancy  who,  un- 
married', is  living  on  her  father's  old  home- 
stead. Eventually  Mr.  Campbell  married 
Amanda  Alderson,  who  lived  near  liim  and 
to  them  five  children  were  born,  three  of 
whom  are  living  in  that  vicinity.  One  of 
them,  Susan,  became  the  wife  of  James 
Savy.  James  M.  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth  on  his  father's  fann  and  like  his  father 
became  a  hunter  of  much  experience  and'  ef- 
ficiency. He  killed  much  big  game,  incjud- 
ing-  bear,  panthers  and  wild  cats,  and  once 
killed  a  wild  cat  which  measured  six  feet 
from  the  tip  of  its  nose  to  the  tip  of  its 
tail,  the  largest  animal  of  its  species  ever 
killed  in  \'irginia,  so  far  as  is  known.     He 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


453 


shot  it  in  the  head  while  it  was  descending 
a  tree  with  the  intention  of  attacking  his 
favorite  dogs  by  which  it  had  been  treed. 
On  one  occasion,  when  a  mere  youth,  he  was 
bringing-  his  father's  sheep  into  the  fold  at 
dusk  and  was  pursued  by  a  panther,  but 
reached  liome  before  it  ventured  close  enough 
to  attack  him.  At  his  death  John  Campbell 
left  his  farm  in  a  fine  state  of  cultivation  and 
it  was  a  valuable  agricultural  property.  John 
Campbell,  father  of  John  Campbell  and 
g'randfather  of  James  M.  Campbell,  came 
over  from  Ireland  at  the  age  of  sixteen'  years 
and  some  time  afterward  was  captured  by 
the  Indians  and  was  held  a  prisoner  by  them 
four  years,  undergoing  many  hardships  be- 
fiire  he  was  finally  released. 

James  M.  Campbell  left  his  father's  farm 
when  he  was  twenty-one  years  old  and 
moved  to  the  vicinitj'  of  Harper's  Ferry. 
Virginia,  where  he  built  a  house  and  en- 
gaged in  farnfing.  There  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  Sarah  2^IcDunald,  a  daughter 
of  Benjamin  and  b'Hzabetli  (Stump)  Mc- 
Donald, whom  he  married  Octcjber  31,  1S51. 
Her  father  was  of  Scotch  descent.  After 
three  years'  residence  there  he  sold  this  land 
and  accepted  a  position  as  brakeman  for 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  Company. 
His  adaptability  to  railroad  work  and  his 
faithfulness  led  to  his  advancement  and  he 
filled  one  position  after  anijth'er  until  he  be- 
came engineer,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  railroad 
history  that  he  was  on  the  first  train  that 
crossed  the  Alleghany  mountains  on  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  line  between  Washing- 
ton, ■  District  of  Columbia,  and  Wheel- 
ing, West  Virginia.  During  his  railroad 
experience  his  home  was  at  Piedmont,  a 
quant  old  town  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains. Leaving  the'  railway  service,  he 
was  for  a  year  a  farmer  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, then  removed  to  Lee  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land 
on  which  he  farmed  successfully  twentv 
years,  improying  it  until  it  became  a  valuable 
property  and  which  he  sold  to  advantage  in 
April,  1877,  with  a  view  to  removing-  to  Kan- 
sas. Chartering  three  cars  in  Chicago,  he 
leaded  them  with  cattle,  hogs,  horses,  fami- 
ing  utensils  and  household  goods  and  pro- 


ceeded as  rapidly  as  possible  to  his  point  of 
destination.  He  bought  the  east  half  of 
section  10.  in  Salt  Creek  township,  and  at 
once  set  about  breaking  one  hundred  acres, 
which  was  the  first  land  broken  in  the  town- 
ship and  which  he  sowed  to  wheat.  He  rent- 
ed forty  acres  nearby  which  he  planted  with 
corn.  He  bought  lumber  at  Hutchinson, 
at  fifty-five  dollars  per  thousand  feet,  and 
built  a  house  which  cost  him^  a  thousand  dol- 
lars and  was  considered  a  fine  residence  in 
that  new  country  at  that  time  and  which 
was  distinguished  as  the  second  erected  in 
the  township.  With  the  assistance  of  his 
son  he  farmed  successfully,  raising  wheat 
and  corn  principally  and  was  successful  in 
handling  hogs  and  short-horned  cattle.  In 
the  season  of  1S79,  he  and  his  older  boys, 
each  operating  a  header,  harvested  thirteen 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  wheat.  When  he 
settled  on  his  farm  there  was  not  a  tree  any- 
where in  sight  and  he  was  obliged  to  haul 
posts  for  his  stable,  sheds  and  other  out- 
buildings from  Medicine  Loge,  seventy- 
five  miles  away,  each  round  trip  consuming 
about  a  week.  He  had  to  make  that  long 
and  ai-duous  journey  several  times.  Of  late 
he  has  experimented  to  some  extent  with  alf- 
alfa and  with  many  other  farmers  in  his  lo- 
cality believes  that  it  will  prove  one  of  the 
most  valualile  cr(j])s  that  can  be  raised  here. 
In  1898  he  biiught  three  U>\\n  lots  in  Hutch- 
inson, upon  A\hicli  he  niijved  a  residence 
which  he  had  purchased  and  which  had  for- 
m.erly  occupied  a  site  in  another  part  of  the 
town.  In  a  sense  he  is  retired  from  active 
life,  but  he  gives  close  attention  to  the  man- 
agement of  his  agricultural  interests.  Some 
time  since  he  suffered  a  partial  stroke  of  par- 
alysis, from  which  he  never  fulh-  recovered. 
Poltically  he  acts  with  the  Deniocrats  when 
state  and  national  questions  are  under  con- 
sideration. InU  is  an  independent  \-oter  of 
local  candidates.  Though  he  and  his  good 
wife  are  able  to  take  life  easy  and  have 
reached  an  age  when  most  people  do  so  thev 
continue  in  a  measure  to  lead  active  lives 
from  force  of  habit. 

James  M.  and  Sarah  CMcDonald) 
Campbell  have  had  five  sons  and  one 
daughter,  but  their  daughter  and  one  son 


454 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


are  deceased.  Their  son  William  is  married 
and  is  a  successful  farmer  in  Reno  county. 
John  H.,  formerly  a  progressive  farmer  of 
Stafford'  county,  Kansas,  where  he  still  owns 
a  good  farm,  is  now  employed  in  a  large  dry- 
goods  store  in  Kansas  City,  [Missouri. 
James  C.  is  prospering  as  a  contractor  and 
Luilder  at  Aurora,  Illinois.  Perry  L.  was 
formerly  a  school  teacher,  but  is  now  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  in  Salt  Creek  township,  Reno 
comity,  Kansas. 


CHARLES  HEDRICK. 

For  many  years  Charles  Hedrick  was  in 
the  railway  service  but  is  now  an  attendant 
at  the  state  insane  asylum  at  O'sawatomie, 
capably  discharging  his  duties  toward  the 
unfortunate  wards  of  the  commonwealth. 
He  was  born  in  Taylorville,  Illinois,  Au- 
gust 2,  1852.  It  is  thought  that  the  grand- 
father, Jacob  Hedrick,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  became  the  founder  of  the  fam- 
ily in  the  United  States.  John  E.  Hed- 
rick. the  father  of  our  subject,  w-as  bom 
in  Fleming  county,  Kentucky,  November 
16,  1829,  and  was  a  carpenter  by  trade. 
When  only  a  boy'  he  went  from  his  na- 
tive state  to  Illinois  and  was  bound  out  un- 
til twenty-one  years  of  age.  On  attaining 
his  majority  he  wlas  married,  January 
9,  1850.  in  Sangamon  county,  Illinois,  to 
Sarah  E.  Morris,  who  was  born  in  that  state, 
a  daughter  of  John  Morris,  a  farmer  of  San- 
gamon county,  where  he  made  his  home  for 
many  years  and  died  at  a  ripe  old  age.  He 
was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  that  section 
of  the  state  and  was  of  Scotch  and  English 
descent. 

After  his  marriage  John  E.  Hedrick  fol- 
lowed the  carpenter's  trade  until  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted, 
in  1861,  at  Peoria,  Illinois,  in  the  Eleventh 
Illinois  Cavalry.  Previous  to  this  time,  in 
1858,  he  had  removed  to  Missouri  with  the 
intention  of  locating  there  permanently, 
but  was  driven  out  on  account  of  his  strong 
Union  sentiments,  which  were  not  popu- 
lar  in  the  section  of  the  state    in    which 


he  located.  He  began  his  military  career 
with  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant  and 
saw  four  years  of  nearl)^  constant  ser- 
vice. He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh 
and  numerous  other  engagements  and  was 
discharged  at  Jackson,  Mississippi,  on  ac- 
count of  partial  paralysis  as  a  result  of  the 
concussion  of  heavy  artillery  fire.  After  the 
war  he  entered  the  United  States  revenue 
service  and  for  years  acted  as  ganger.  In 
1884  he  came  to  Kansas,  locating  in  Hutch- 
inson, and  purchased  thirty-five  acres  of 
land,  all  now  within  the  city  limits.  Here 
he  engaged  in  raising  fniit  and  vegetables 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
December  13,  1891.  His  wife  survived 
him  until  September  12,  1899,  when  she,  too, 
passed  away.  In  his  political  views  Mr. 
Hedrick  was  a  radical  Republican  and  at 
one  time  took  a  very  active  part  in  politics. 
He  entertained  strong  temperance  principles 
which  he  exemplified  in  his  life,  and  socially 
he  w-as  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  So- 
ciety for  forty  years,  while  with  Hooker 
Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Hutchinsoii,  he  also  held 
membership. 

Charles  E.  Hedrick  is  the  only  child.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Peoria  and  later  was  graduated  in  Bry- 
ant &  Stratton's  College,  in  that  city.  His 
course  in  the  last  named  institution,  howe\'er, 
was  not  consecutive,  for  he  left  the  college 
in  order  to  enter  railway  service.  But  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  returned  and 
completed  the  work  that  fitted  him  for  practi- 
cal business  duties.  Again  entering  the 
railroad  employ,  he  acted  as  brakeman  for 
about  three  years  and  was  then  promoted  to 
the  position  of  conductor,  in  which  capacity 
he  served  continuously  until  about  1894. 
He  w'as  first  employed  by  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  his  run  being  from 
Peoria  to  Chicago.  Later  he  accepted  a  po- 
sition with  the  Toledo,  Peoria  &  Warsaw, 
running  from  Peoria  to  a  point  one  hundred 
and  eleven  miles  distant  in  Indiana.  He 
continued  in  that  position  until  1876,  when 
he  went  to  Creston,  Iowa,  and  entered  the 
service  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad,  running  from  Creston  to  Council 
Bluffs,   one  hundred  and  one  miles.      For 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


seven  years  he  traveled  over  tl]at  route  and 
was  then  transferred  to  Lincoln,  Nebraska, 
^\•here  he  was  located  for  about  a  year  and 
a  half,  still  with  the  same  company.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  removed  tO'  Min- 
neapolis and  was  conductor  on  a  train  run- 
ning between  Minneapolis  and  Albert 
Lea,  in  the  employ  of  the  Minneapolis 
&  St.  Louis  Railroad  Company.  Sub- 
sequently he  ^Vas  connected  with  sev- 
eral other  companies  and  then  went  to 
Idaho,  but  remaining  there  only  a  short 
time  came  to  Kansas,  where  he  aided  in  the 
construction  of  the  Hutchinson  &  Southern 
Railroad.  On  its  completion  he  took  charge 
of  a  passenger  train  as  conductor  and  acted 
in  that  capacity  until  1894,  when  he  resign- 
ed, having  devoted  twenty  consecutive  years 
to  the  different  railroads.  \\"\t\\  the  exception 
of  three  years  spent  as  brakeman,  through- 
out the  entire  period  he  was  employed  as  a 
conductor. 

In  1895  Mr.  Hedrick  accepted  a  posi- 
tion on  the  police  force  of  Hutchinson 
and  for  four  years  was  assistant  marshal, 
rendering  efificient  and  faithful  service  in 
maintaining  law  and  order  in  the  commun- 
ity and  in  apprehending  the  offenders  who 
disregarded  the  rights  and  liberties  of  their 
fellow  men.  In  1900  he  was  appointed  an 
attendant  in  the  state  asylum  at  OsawSto- 
mie,  Kansas,  and  has  since  been  in  care  of 
the  unfortunate  people  in  the  epileptic  ward. 
There  are  now  one  hundred  ami  t\vent\  -five 
attendants  in  an  institution  which  was  li>und- 
ed  only  thirty-five  years  ago.  The  Imild- 
ings  are  thoroughly  modern  and  were  erected 
at  a  cost  of  three-fourths  of  a  million  dollars. 
The  grounds  contain  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  and  the  institution  has  ten 
hundred  and  forty  inmates. 

Mr.  Hedrick  has  been  twice  married. 
On  the  4th  of  January,  1875,  i'l  Peoria, 
Illinois,  he  made  Miss  Anna  Ahrens  his  wife. 
She  was  a  native  of  that  city  and  a  daughter 
of  Bernard  Ahrens,  a  cabinet-maker.  They 
had  two  children :  Edith,  who  was  born  Oc- 
tober 4.  1875,  in  Peoria,  and  is  now  the 
wife  (if  D.  R.  Hogeland,  of  St.  Louis,  an 
employee  nf  the  Adams  Express  Company: 
and  Homer,  who  is  now  engaged  in  mining 


at  Cape  Nome,  Alaska.  In  1888,  in  Hutch- 
inson, Kansas,  Mr.  Hedrick  was  again  mar- 
ried, his  second  union  being  with  Mary 
Elizabeth  McFadden,  who  was  born  in 
Macoupin  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Mary  F.  (McBride)  McFadden, 
the  fomrer  born  in  Ohio  in  1833,  the  latter 
in  Illinois  in  1843.  I"  1S61  I\Ir.  .McFad- 
den had  joined  the  Union  Army  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  H,  Fourteenth  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  participated  in  many  of 
the  important  engagements  and  campaigns, 
including  the  battles  of  Shiloh  and  Gettys- 
burg and  the  celebrated  march  to  the  sea 
with  Sherman.  He  was  taken  prisoner 
and  incarcerated  at  Andersonville  for  sev- 
eral months,  but  while  being  transferred 
to  another  prison  he  dropped  off  the  car 
and  managed  to  make  his  escape  under 
cover  of  the  night.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  was  mustered  out  at  Cincinnati. 
Soon  after  the  war  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Illinois,  where  he  remained  until 
1876,  when  he  came  to  Kansas,  locating  for' 
a  time  at  Fort  Scott.  He  then  remmed 
to  California,  but  returning  to  this  state 
took  up  his  abode  in  Reno  county,  where  for 
a  number  of  years  he  carried  on  farming 
operations  in  Grove  township.  In  1890  he 
removed  to  Lincoln,  Kansas,  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  electric  light  company,  but 
soon  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in  death. 
He  passed  away  November  14,  1891.  His 
wife  died  while  in  Texas,  July  19,  1900. 

By  the  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Hed- 
rick one  son  has  been  born,  ]\Ielvin  EarJ, 
who  was  born  May  15,  1889,  ^"d  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Hutchinson. 
The  family  have  recently  removed  from 
Hutchinson  to  Osawatomie.  althnugh  they 
expect  eventually  to  return  to  the  former 
city.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Hedrick 
has  always  been  a  stalwart  Republican,  in- 
flexible in  his  support  of  the  principles  of 
the  party.  Socially  he  is  identified  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  and  Ixith  he 
and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Fraternal  Aid 
Society.  He  was  formerly  connected  with 
the  Sons  of  Veterans,  was  very  prominent 
in  the  order  and  served  as  junior  vice 
commander  of  the  state.     In  all   life's  re- 


456 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


lations  he  has  been  found  very  true  and 
loyal  to  the  trust  reposed  in  him  and  to 
the  duties  which  have  devolved  upon  him, 
and  he  commands  the  unqualified  regard  of 
all  with  whom  he  was  associated.  He  has 
visited  many  parts  of  the  country  and  his 
knowledge  has  thereby  been  greatly  broad- 
ened. He  is  a  genial,  companionable  gen- 
tleman and  his  sterling  worth  is  widely 
acknowledged. 


HARRY  S.  SCHALL. 

When  we  examine  the  life  record  of  such 
men  as  Harry  S.  Schall  and  note  the  salient 
points  in  his  character  we  do  not  wonder  at 
the  rapid  development  of  the  west  or  marvel 
that  the  tiny  hamlets  of  a  few  decades  ag'j 
are  now  flourishing  cities.  He  possesses  un- 
daunted enterprise,  strong  will  and  forms 
his  judgments  after  mature  deliberation,  so 
that  in  an  opinion  on  business  matters  he  is 
rarely  at  fault.  At  the  same  time  he  is  quick 
to  note  and  improve  an  opportunity,  and 
thus  has  he  reached  a  commanding  position 
among  the  leading  citizens  of  Hutchinson. 
He  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Leader  Transfer 
&  Storage  Company,  and  has  made  his  home 
in  this  city  for  ten  years. 

i\  native  of  Knox  county,  Illinois,  he 
was  born  July  20,  1866,  a  son  of  William 
Schall,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
removed  to  Illinois  soon  after  the  close  of 
the  Civil  war.  There  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  1870,  when  he  came  to  Kansas,  lo- 
cating in  Sumner  county,  where  he  main- 
tained his  residence  until  1895,  since  whic'i 
time  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Hutchinson. 
He  married  Isabella  Dunmire.  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
Harr}'  S.  is  "the  eldest.  He  pursued  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  schools  of  Hutchinson  and  in 
the  college  at  Parkville,  Missouri,  and  then 
began  farming,  in  Kansas,  following  that 
pursuit  in  Sumner  and  SedgAvick  counties 
until  1892.  when  he  came  to  Hutchinson  and 
established  the  transfer  and  storage  business 
of  which  he  is  now  proprietor.  He  began 
operations  on  a  small  scale,  but  by  devoting 
his  entire  attention  to  the  business  and  by 


reliable  methods,  promptness  and  capable 
management  he  has  continually  extended 
the  field  of  his  labors  until  he  now  enjoys  a 
very  extensive  patronage  that  makes  his  en- 
terprise a  profitable  one.  He  now  utilizes 
nine  teams  and  the  best  transfer  trucks,  fit- 
ting for  handling  all  kinds  of  merchandise 
and  manufactures.  His  plant  includes  a 
large  storage  warehouse  for  machinery  and 
other  rooms  for  household  goods.  He  makes 
a  specialty  of  handling  machinery,  which, 
after  being  shipped  in  here,  he  distributes  to 
the  purchasers.  Twelve  men  are  regularly 
employed  and  his  business  has  reached  ex- 
tensive proportions.  In  the  summer  of  1901 
he  became  connected  with  the  street  sprink- 
ling— a  business  that  had  previously  been 
carried  on  intermittently  by  several  parties, 
[  but  neglected  at  times  left  the  city  subject 
to  the  discomforts  and  losses  caused  by  the 
sand  and  dust.  In  his  work  of  keeping  the 
city  streets  well  sprinkled  he  has  secured  the 
support  of  most  of  the  business  houses  and 
has  extended  the  scope  of  his  work  so  that 
the  great  damage  hitherto  done  by  the  dust 
is  now  almost  a  thing  of  the  past. 

On  the  2d  of  December,  1900,  occurred 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Schall  and  Miss  Hattie 
D.  Totten,  a  daughter  of  T.  B.  Totten,  of 
Huntsville,  Kansas,  and  they  now  occupy  a 
comfortable  residence  at  No.  520  avenue  B, 
east,  which  was  erected  by  Mr.  Schall  in 
1899.  Mr.  Schall  is  a  warm  advocate  of  the 
Republican  party  and  usually  attends  its 
conventions,  but  has  neither  time  nor  in- 
clination for  public  oftice.  Socially  he  is 
connected  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  and  was  formerly  active  in  team 
work  and  took  an  active  part  in  competi- 
tion drills,  but  the  growth  of  his  business 
has  rendered  this  impossible  in  recent  years. 
He  also  has  membership  relations  with  the 
Modern  ^^■oodmen.  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Red  IMen,  the  Social 
and  Fraternal  Circle  and  the  Knights  and 
Ladies  of  Security.  All  that  he  possesses 
has  come  to  him  as  the  reward  of  his  earn- 
est and  well  directed  labor,  and  while  he  is 
now  a  prosperous  man  his  life  stands  in  ex- 
emplification of  what  may  be  accomplished 
through  perseverance,  industry  and  honesty. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


457 


WILLIAAI  BARKHURST. 

William  Barkhurst,  of  Hutchinsuii, 
Kansas,  has  for  a  miniljer  of  years  been  a 
trusted  employe  of  the  Rick  Island  Rail- 
road Company,  and  as  sueh  is  deser\iug  of 
more  than  a  passing  mention  in  this  work. 
He  is  a  native  son  of  the  Buckeye  state,  his 
birth  occurring  in  Morgan  -county  August 
2,  1852.  His  father,  William  Barkhurst, 
also  claimed  Ohio'  as  the  state  of  his  na- 
tivity, his  birth  occurring  in  Harrison  coun- 
ty on  the  24th  of  [March,  1S17,  and  he  was 
of  English  and  German  descent.  He  fol- 
lowed the  tilling  of  the  soil  in  his  native 
county  until  1854,  when  he  removed  to 
Morgan  county,  Ohio,  the  birthplace  of  our 
subject,  there  purchasing"  ,a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  placed 
under  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation.  In 
Harrison  county,  in  1842,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Eleanor  Walraven,  and  unto 
that  union  were  born  six  children,  as  fol- 
lows :  Mary  Elizabeth,  widow  of  George 
Niciswanger  and  a  resident  of  ^Morgan  coun- 
ty, Ohio;  John,  who  died  in  Trenton,  IMis- 
souri,  in  1881  ;  James  K.,  who  was  born  in 
1845  and  now  farms  the  old  homestead  farm 
in  Morgan  county,  Ohio;  Sarah,  w'ife  of 
John  Atkinson,  a  prominent  agriculturist 
of  Morgan  county;  Lewis,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  in  Malta,  Ohio;  and 
Ella,  the  wife  of  Thomas  Van  Horn,  a 
farmer  of  Morgan  county,  Ohio.  The 
mother  of  this  family  passed  away  in  death 
in  1853,  ^iid  in  the  following  year  the  fa- 
ther married  Emily  Criimeley.  a. native  of 
Harrison  county,  Ohin,  burn  in  1827,  and  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  C.  Cromeley,  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  He  was  of  English  descent. 
This  union  was  blessed  with  four  children, 
namely :  Thomas,  who  died  in  2\Iorgan 
County.  Ohio,  in  1897;  William,  the  subject 
of  this  review ;  ]\Iary,  widow  of  Hugh 
Jaaies  and  a  resident  of  ^lorgan  county, 
Ohio;  and  Jennie,  the  wife  of  Eli  Smitli, 
^\•ho  is  engaged  in  the  hardware  business 
in  Malta,  Ohio.  ]\Irs.  Barkhurst  was  called 
ti.  her  final  rest  in  1887.  and  two  years 
later  her  husband  joined  her  in  the  spirit 
world.     He  resided  on  his  beautiful   farm 


n  Morgan  county  until  his  life's  labors  were 
ended  in  death,  and  in  the  community  in 
which  he  made  his  home  he  was  highly  es- 
teemed for  his  maixy  noble  characteristics. 
For  forty-three  years  he  was  a  ^vorthy  and 
zealous  member  of  the  Methodist  churcli, 
in  which  he  served  as  class  leader  and  trus- 
tee. The  cause  of  education  ever  found  in 
him  a  warm'  friend,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  he  served  as  a  memlier  .if  t'.ic  >c1imo1 
board.  In  his  political  at'tiliatii  ri>  he  was 
first  a  Whig  and  afterward  a  ivcpublican. 
He  was  honorable  in  all  his  business  deal- 
ings, loyal  in  citizenship,  faithful  in  friend- 
shii>,  and  his  fidelity  to  duty  ia  all  the  re- 
lations of  life  gained  him  the  respect  and 
good  will  of  all  who  knew  him. 

W'illiam  Barkhurst,  the  inmiediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  [Morgan 
county,  Oliii'.  and  during  his  youth  and 
early  manh>  '.•[  he  a-Msted  his  father  in  the 
work  of  the  farm,  also  spending  two  years 
in  a  tannery.  He  subsequently  went  to 
Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  having  been  a  resident  of 
that  city  when  it  was  visited  by  the  terrible 
cyclone,  and  there  he  secured  a  p">iti<iii  in 
the  car  department  of  the  railroad.  Re- 
maining in  that  city  about  six  months,  he 
then  returned  to  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
until  the  ist  of  January,  1887,  the  date  of 
his  arrival  in  Hutchinson,  Kansas.  In  this 
city  he  first  secured  work  with  the  Pacific 
Railroad  Company,  where  he  remained  for 
a  time,  and  was  then  given  a  position  in 
the  locomotive  department  of  the  Rock  Isl- 
and Railroad.  The  efficient  service  which 
he  rendered  the  company  and  his  close  at- 
tention to  duty  srion  wrn  him  promotion, 
and  two  years  after  enti-'-in^-  the  service  of 
the  Rock  Island  C"ni|:aiiv  he  was  made  a 
fireman,  which  positinn  he  held  until  1891, 
when  he  was  made  engineer.  As  the  road 
was  extended  westward  [Mr.  Barkhurst  re- 
sided at  different  points  along  the  road  until 
he  finally  located  in  Hutchinson,  where  he 
has  even  since  made  his  home,  his  present 
residence  being  at  227  F  street,  east.  For 
the  past  year  he  has  been  employed  on  en- 
gine No.  15,  in  the  switching  service  in  the 
company's  yards  at^  Hutchinson.    This  posi- 


458 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


tion  calls  fur  the  greatest  care,  watchfulness   j 
and  skill,  but  he  has  rendered  entire  satis- 
faction to  the  officers  of  the  road,  and  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  most  trustworthy  and 
reliable  employes  in  the  service. 

Tlie  marriage  of  Mr.  Barkhurst  was 
celebrated  on  the  29th  of  July,  188S,  at 
Dodge  City,  when  Miss  Annie  Elizabeth 
A\'ebb  became  his  wife.  She  was  born  in 
Audrain  county.  Missouri,  a  daughter  of  J. 
T.  and  Lucindy  (Evans)  Webb,  the  father  a 
native  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  the 
mother  of  Missouri,  born  near  Mexico, 
while  the  former  was  of  German  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Irish  descent.  The  maternal  grand- 
father of  Mrs.  Barkhurst  was  killed  during 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  by  the  notorious 
Anderson  gang  of  guerrillas.  Mr.  \\'ebb 
departed  this  life  in  Memphis,  Scotland 
county,  Missouri,  in  1888,  but  his  widow- 
still  survives,  and  since  1897  has  made  her 
home  in  Hutchinson,  now  residing  at  No. 
131  East  Sherman  street.  The  union  of  our 
subject  has  been  blessed  by  six  children, 
namely :  George,  born  on  the  28th  of 
March,  1881 :  Cora,  born  October  11,  1883: 
Edith,  born  May  6.  1889  :  Ethel  E..  born  De- 
cember 4,  1891 ;  Edward  Leslie,  born  Janu- 
ary 23,  1893;  and  Milford,  born  April  19. 
1897.  Ii'^  political  matters  Mr.  Barkhurst 
gives  his  earnest  support  to  the  Republican 
party,  and  for  one  term  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  education.  In  his  social 
relations  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Or- 
der of  United  W^orkmen  and  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  fraternities.  His  wife  is  a  leading 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Hutchin- 
son. Mr.  Barkhurst  is  interested  in  what- 
ever is  designed  for  the  public  welfare,  and 
is  a  public-spirited,  progressive  citizen,  who 
merits  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  uni- 
fr-rmlv  held.' 


CHARLES  ^^^  peckhaai. 

Among  the  best  citizens  of  Reno  comity, 
esteemed  alike  for  his  sterling  worth  of  char- 
acter and  his  activity  in  the  business  world, 
is  Charles  ^^'.  Peckham,  a  worthy  represen- 
tative of  an  honored  familv.     According  to 


tradition  the  original  ancestors  of  the  Peck- 
ham  family  in  America  came  over  in 
the  Mayflov.-er,  and  located  in  Rhode 
Island,  then  called  "Rhode  Island  and 
Providence  Plantation,"  and  it  is  be- 
lieved that  this  is  the  origin  of  the  entire 
Peckham  family  in  America  as  it  exists  to- 
day. Job  Peckham.  the  great-grandfather 
of  our  subject,  was  born,  lived  and  died  in 
Rhode  Island,  and  his  son,  01i\'er  Peckham, 
was  the  lirst  of  our  subject's  branch  of  the 
family  to  leave  that  commonwealth.  He  re- 
moved to  Madison  county.  New  York,  and 
while  there  residing  he  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Vvar  of  1812,  and  our  subject's  father  as 
long  as  he  lived  retained  a  distinct  recollec- 
ton  of  his  father's  home-coming  from  that 
cpnfiict.  The  death  of  Oliver  Peckham  oc- 
curred in  Madison  county.  New  York.  His 
brothers  and  sisters  were  as  follows :  Giles, 
wdio  made  his  home  in  Fulton,  New  York ; 
Gideon,  a  resident  of  Sunbury,  that  state: 
John,  who  resided  at  Madison,  New  York ; 
George,  whose  residence  is  not  known ;  and 
Nancy,  who'  became  the  wife  of  a  Mr. 
Brown,  a  prominent  shoe  merchant  of  Lock- 
port,  New  York.  A  strange  coincidence  is 
that  our  subject,  while  attending  school  in 
Lockport,  purchased  shoes  from  his  great- 
uncle  without  knowing  of  the  relationship 
which  existed  between  them,  and  afterward, 
happening  by  the  merest  chance  to  mention 
the  circumstance  to  his  father,  was  informed 
of  the  relationship.  John,  the  third  son,  be- 
came a  prominent  farmer  of  his  locality,  re- 
siding at  Parma,  ten  miles  horn  Rochester, 
He  was  a  shrewd  business  man.  and  always 
received  the  highest  market  jirice  for  his 
products.  At  that  time  the  Adventists  were 
so  positive  that  tlie  world  was  to  come  to  an 
end  he  was  one  day  approached  by  a  gentle- 
man of  that  faith  who  solemnly  informed 
liini  that  the  end  of  the  world  was  just  at 
hand.  ATr.  Peckham  replied  with  ecpial 
gravity  and  with  a  tone  of  regret.  "I  wish 
I  had  knovvn  it  sooner,  for  I  could  ha^-e  sold 
my  wheat  and  received  the  money  for  it." 
One. of  his  daughters.  Eugenia,  was  the  au- 
thor of  a  volume  of  poems  of  considerable 
note.  She  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Hartwell. 
ami  her  death  occurred  in  earlv  life.     Her 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


father  alterward  collected  her  poems  and 
had  them  published  in  a  \-<jlume.  01i\er 
Peckham  became  the  father  nf  six  children, 
namely;  Jt»hn  D.,  the  father  of  our  ^^'.il.jcct ; 
Eusebius,  whu  followed  farming  in  Mailisun 
county  and  there  spent  his  entire  life; 
Charles,  who  was  captain  of  a  canal  boat, 
and  also  spent  h,is  eiiiirc  life  in  the  Empire 
state;  Rebecca,  tlie  w  1 1\  •  i  Zara  Simmons, 
a  prominent  ami  succ/^slul  farmer  living 
one  mile  from  Hamilton,  New  York ;  and 
Xancy  and  the  youngest  daughter,  of  whom 
no  knowledge  could  be  gained. 

John  D.  Peckham,  the  father  of  him 
whose  name  introduces  this  review,  was 
born  in  Madison  county,  New  York,  on  the 
22<1  of  Dcccnilicr,  iSo8.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  dMiimon  schools  of  his  lo- 
cality, and  during  his  youth  and  early  man- 
hood he  assisted  his  father  in  the  work  of 
the  home  farm.  After  reaching  mature  years 
he  removed  to  the  town  of  Hamilton,  where 
he  learned  the  tailor's  trade,  and  there  fol- 
lowed that  occupation  until  his  removal  to 
Ohio.  On  the  i6th  of  May.  1833,  •"  ^ladi- 
son  county,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Azina  S.  I3rush,  who  was  there  born  on  the 
1 2th  of  Septenirber,  1809,  a  daughter  of 
George  Brush,  who  lived  in  Columbia  coun- 
ty. New  Y'ork.  The  year  following  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Peckham  removed  to  Maumee. 
Ohio,  making  the  journey  from  Buii'ab  1  t^  > 
Toledo  In'  steamboat.  In  that  city  he  c-lah- 
lished  a  merchant  tailor's  store,  opening  his 
establishment  with  a  stock  worth  fifteen 
hundred  dnllars.  but  unfortunately  his  store 
and  entire  stock  was  a  few  years  afterward 
destr(iyed  by  fire,  and  in  a  short  time  his 
dwelling  was  also  burned.  In  spite  of  these 
misfortunes  ]\lr.  Peckham  succeeded  in  his 
Inisincss  affairs,  and  soon  built  up  a  fine 
trade.  .\fter\\;ird.  however,  he  purchased  a 
farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near 
Maumee.  to  which  he  removed  his  family, 
and  there  he  was  engaged  in  agriculturnl 
pursuits  fi>r  a  jjeriod  of  fi\-e  y.'nrs.  (  )n  tin- 
expiraticn  of  that  period  he  rented  his  lami 
and  removed  with  his  family  to  the  town, 
but  soon  after  Asiatic  cholera  became  preva- 
lent in  this  section,  and.  believing  it  safer  in 
the    countrv.    he    hastilv  returned  with  his 


famdy  to  their  farm,  but  his  wife  was  soon 
stricken  with  that  terrible  disease,  and  her 
death  occurred  on  the  3d  of  Augiist,  1854. 
After  that  sad  event  the  family  again  left 
their  country  home  and  located  in  Maumee, 
and  the  household  was  presided  over  by  the 
eldest  daughter,  who  tenderly  cared  for  the 
children  umil  tlie\-  -rew  to  mature  \ears 
and  l^ee-nrr  ^.Mltued.  ',he  vouu-ist  d;',u-li- 
ter  g>  :ng  to  Xew  W^rk  to' ni;ike  her  home 
with  an  aunt,  wlule  the  eldest  went  to 
Toledo  and  found  employment  as  a  seams- 
tress. 

About  this  time  ]\Ir.  Peckham  sold  his 
interest  in  Alaumee  and  removed  tcj  Jackson 
county.  Michigan,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
both  farming  and  trading.  Later  he  secured 
a  homestead  in  Gratiot  county,  ^ilichigan, 
where,  in  partnership'  Avith  another  gentle- 
man, he  laid  out  the  town  of  St.  Louis,  now 
a  flourishing  little  city,  liut  at  first  its  growth 
was  so  slow  that  Mr.  PeckhanT  became  dis- 
couraged, and,  selling  his  interests  there,  re- 
turned to  ja-k-^on  cou.nlv.  where  he  followed 
both  tailoru-  a,'(l  f.-.rnuuL;-  unlil  1S7J.  In 
that  year  hj  came  to  the  SuntlowLr  siate, 
and  from  that  time  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  the  24th  of  October,  1883,  he 
made  his  home  with  our  subject.  Prior  to 
his  re?noval  to  this  state  he  was  very  promi- 
nent in  the  different  localities  in  which  he 
made  his  home,  and  was  always  an  active 
wiorker  in  the  cause  of  Christiaiiit) .  In 
early  life  his  political  support  was  gi\en  to 
the  Whig  party,  and  after  the  organization 
of  the  Republican  party  he  joined  its  ranks 
and  was  ever  active  in  supporting  its  i>rin- 
ciples.  During  the  later  years  of  his  life  he 
became  a  great  reader,  and  as  he  had  a  most 
remarkable  memory  he  became  exceedingly 
well  informed  along  many  lines,  but  his 
preference  was  given  to  general  history.  The 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peckham  was 
blessed  with  five  children,  namely  :  Frances, 
!  orn  September  10,  1834,  is  the  widow  of 
'  ie  rgc  Seciir  and  resides  in  Toledo,  Ohio; 
Aiary.  horn  July  lo.  1837.  died  August  31, 

1844.  at  Maumee:  Ge.  rge  B.,  born  Febru- 
ary 27,  1830.  died  at  Maumee  en  the  19th  of 
March,   1844:  drnelia    E..    born    July    27. 

1845.  is  the  wife    of    Charles    Doesher.    a 


460 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


prominent  fruit-grower  of  Petaluma,  Cali- 
fornia; and  Charles  W.  is  the  subject  of  this 
review. 

The  latter,  who  was  named  in  honor  of 
his  uncle,  Captain  Charles  Peckham,  was^ 
born  at  Maumee,  Ohio,  one  of  the  oldest 
towns  of  the  state,  on  the  26th  of  March, 
1849.  He  was  but  five  years  of  age  when 
his  mother  died,  and  during  his  youth  he 
first  attended  the  schools  of  his  native  city 
and  later  those  of  Jackson,  Michigan.  He 
subsecjuently  became  a  student  in  the  public 
schools  of  Adrian,  that  state,  and  afterward 
entered  the  high  school  of  Lockport,  Xew 
York,  in  which  iii!'titi;tir;n  lie  wa;  graduated. 
After  completing  lii^  -uidics  lit-  ,iiecc--lul'> 
passed  an  acadcnuc  cxainuialu  11.  I'rcMiai- 
to  entering  the  high  school  at  Lockport  he 
taught  one  term  of  school  in  Niagara  coun- 
tv,  New  York,  and  shortly  after  his  arrival 
in  this  state  he  resumed  the  teacher's  pro- 
fession, following  that  occupation  during 
the  winter  terms  of  1873-5-6-7  in  the  Bethel 
school  house,  in  district  No.  35.  His  career 
as  an  educator  was  eminently  successful, 
and  he  still  has  in  his  pLSsession  the  first 
certificate  which  he  received  in  Reno  county. 
After  completing  his  high  school  course  Mr. 
Peckham  returned  to  Michigan,  locating  in 
Lenawee  county,  where  he  had  previously 
made  his  home  with  a  'f.ddow  lady  named 
Spencer  after  his  father's  family  became 
scattered,  and  there  he  followed  farming  for 
one  year.  He  then  removed  to  Texas,  lo- 
cating at  Columbus,  where  he  resumed  the 
teacher's  profession  for  one  term  and  for 
the  following  six  mouths  was  the  proprietor 
of  a  meat  market.  His  next  occupation  was 
that  of  a  herder  on  a  ranch,  which  he  con- 
tinued for  one  year.  He  then  joined  a  party 
of  herders  who  were  employed  by  a  ranch- 
man I'i  -atlier  a  herd  of  cattle  along  the 
(Inlf  (if  .Mexico  and  drive  them  to  Abilene, 
Kan^a-.  a.  distance  of  eight  hundred  miles, 
and  the  journey  consumed  five  months.  On 
reaching  the  Indian  nation  the  red  skins  de- 
manded two  hundred  dollars  toll  on  their 
herd  of  eight  hundred  cattle,  but  the  fore- 
man of  the  herders,  a  brave  and  sturdy  fel- 
low, refused  their  demands.  The  Indians  at 
once  became  troublesome  and  the  cowbovs 


immediately  drew  their  six-shooters,  while 
in  return  the  Indians,  only  five  in  number, 
piiintcd  to  their  camp,  where  they  had  an 
ariin  i.'l  warriors.  Not  a  whit  intimidated, 
the  cowboys  kept  a  bold  front  and  by  ener- 
getic signs  conveyed  to  the  Indians  a  graphic 
picture  of  the  vast  number  of  Indians  they 
had  killed  thus  far  on  the  trail  just  to  "keep 
tiieir  hand  in,"  and  would  ask  for  no  greater 
pastime  than  to  kill  the  whole  tribe !  After 
many  threats  a  compromise  was  at  last 
effected,  and  the  Indians  accepted  a  steer  as 
toll. 

It  was  Mr.  Pcckham's  intention  on 
reaching  the  SunH.iwer  state  to-  return  to 
Michi,-:an,  lnU  '  n  ilicir  way  to  Abilene  the 
partv  passed  thr"i-,L,;i  a  magnificent  scope  of 
country  in  what  is  now  the  southeastern  por- 
tion of  Reno  county  our  subject  de- 
cided to  locate  here,  and  after  disposing  of 
the  cattle  he  accordingly  returned  here  and 
secured  a  claim.  At  that  time  there  were  but 
few  trees  in  this  section,  and  they  were  lo- 
cated along  the  Arkansas  river  and  not  a 
stick  of  timher  was  to  be  found  on  Mr.  Peck- 
ham'- claim.  Buffaloes  roamed  at  will  over 
the  i.raine-.  and  his  first  residence  here  was 
a  M.(l  Imnse,  with  a  roof  of  lumber,  and  in 
order  to  secure  a  cook  --tnxc  lie  was  obliged 
to  go  to  Newton,  a  distance  i>i  thirty  miles, 
but  just  about  this  time  the  Santa  Fe  road 
was  completed  to  this  point.  He  began  his 
farming  operations  here  with  four  Texas 
ponies,  which  he  had  brought  from  Texas, 
but  in  the  following  fall  he  secured  four  wild 
Texas  Steers,  for  which  he  built  a  corral 
thirty  feet  square.  After  much  difticulty  he 
succeeded  in  breaking  these  wild  animals  to 
the  yoke  and  plow,  and  he  soon  placed  about 
twenty  acres  of  hi^  cl.iini  under  culti\-ation. 
In  that  early  da_\-  Ins  nearest  neighbor  re- 
sided in  Sedgwick  count}-,  a  distance  of 
seven  miles  east,  and  his  residence  was  lo- 
cated the  farthest  west  in  the  state  of  Kan- 
sas south  of  the  Arkaiii^as  ri\'er.  Before  the 
dwelling  was  entirely  completed,  however,  a 
company  of  Texas  dro\ers  camped  near  his 
claim  with  a  herd  of  three  thousand  head  of 
cattle,  which  they  had  driven  from  Texas. 
Mr.  Peckham  secured  emplcyment  with  this 
company,     receiving    thirty-five    dollars    a 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


461 


month,  and  afterward  they  camped  on  his 
claim  and  their  cattle  grazed  in  this  vicinity 
for  months  or  nntil  a  party  of  hunters  care- 
lessly set  tire  to  the  grass  and  a  disastrous 
prairie  fire  was  the  result,  thus  compelling 
the  herders  to  journey  further  north.  Mr. 
Peckham  remained  with  this  company  until 
the  following  spring,  when  he  returned  to 
his  claim.  In  the  spring  of  1872  his  father 
took  up  his  abode  with  him,  and  for  two 
years  the  two  remained  here  alone. 

During  the  first  few  years  of  his  resi- 
dence here  Mr.  Peckham  engaged  in  many 
buffalo  hunts.  He  secured  altogether  eleven 
of  the  animals,  which  he  captured  on  differ- 
ent occasions,  five  of  the  number  having 
been  contracted  for  by  the  advance  agent  of 
a  brother  of  Dr.  Durand,  to  be  used  in  the 
great  eastern  menagerie.  At  another  time 
he  was  out  on  a  three  weeks'  hunt  far  to  the 
southwest  with  a  man  named  Rouse,  but  this 
trip  did  not  prove  as  successful  as  the  for- 
mer one,  and  our  subject  succeeded  in  cap- 
turing only  about  four  animals,  one  of 
which  was  a  powerful  animal  two'  years  old. 
It  made  a  desperate  struggle  for  liberty, 
dragging  Mr.  Peckham  and  his  horse  all 
over  the  prairie  l)cf>ire  it  was  worn  out.  By 
his  !ridu-ir\-  and  '^^ 1  management  our  sub- 
ject has  prii>iiored  ni  his  undertakings,  and 
year  by  year  has  added  to  his  possessions 
until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  a  magnificent 
landed  estate.  The  first  addition  which  he 
made  to  his  original  purchase  consisted  of 
the  north  half  of  the  northeast  ciuarter  of 
section  2,  which  was  then  but  slightly  im- 
proved. His  original  holdings  consisted  of 
eighty  acres  of  homestead  land  and  eighty 
acres  pre-emption,  and  the  latter  was  after- 
ward turned  into  a  timber  claim.  Later  he 
purchased  two  hundred  and  fi-rtx-  acres  cf 
adjoining  land,  ju  ^ccii'  11  _v  :,  I'l  ai'iri-\\,ud 
became  the  owner  ^'i"  ?i  Jii;  ni''/-.  11  ir  il'- 
ven,  but  the  latter  traa  lie  i'M-  '-'i^eii  !i'  'li^ 
eldest  son.  His  entire  ,<  ^-:~^'.  w-  le  ,,  i-  . 
sist  of  five  hundred  and  <e\"e;ily-ri\"e  a.ere-, 
which  includes  fifteen  acres  w  ithin  the  town 
site  of  Haven.  In  1878  he  em]>arked  in  the 
stock  business  in  partnership  with  another 
ge!itleman,  securing  a  herd  of  between  sev- 
enty and  eighty  cattle,  and  this    firm    be- 


came very  successful  in  their  chosen  line. 
Later  on  Mr.  Peckham  also  carried  on  the 
stock  business  in  partnership  with  a  gen- 
tleman from  ^Michigan,  keeping  from  two 
hundred  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  head,  but 
since  1890  he  has  carried  on  operations 
alone,  during  which  time  he  has  annually 
kept  about  one  hundred  head.  He  ships  on 
an  average  three  car-loads  a  year,  and  he 
also  carries  on  an  extensive  business  in  lin- 
ing and  selling  stock. 

The  Peckham  h.nnestead  is  .,ne  of  the 
beautiful  plaee>  .ii  Rcn^-  eMuuty.  liis  enter- 
prising and  prcgres-ive  naiiire  is  well  shown 
in  the  graded  evolutions  which  have  taken 
place  in  his  dwellings  from  the  year  1871 
until  the  present  time.  In  that  year  he 
erected  a  one-room  sod  house,  which  served 
as  his  abode  until  1875,  when  a  three-room 
frame  dwelling  was  constructed.  In  1S81. 
at  a  cost  of  t>ne  tli'-usand  dollars,  he  ereeie^l 
a  comntiodi/ais  and  attractive  h>>nie,  and  tins 
he  joined  to  his  second  residence,  making 
a  ten-room  house.  During  the  present  year. 
1901,  this  structure  was  replaced  by  a  mag- 
nificent dwelling,  which  is  supplied  with' 
every  comfort  and  convenience  known  to  the 
older  east.  It  contains  twelve  ri^ans  a.nd 
was  erected  at  a  cost  .'f  fi'iir  tli^'iisand  lini- 
lars.  The  hall  ami  stairwa)-  are  fin-ni>hed 
entirely  in  oak,  as  are  al>n  the  outside  doors 
and  window  casings,  w  hile  the  windows  are 
plate  glass.  The  entire  place  is  heated  by  a 
furnace,  the  grounds  are  beautiful  and  ex- 
tensive, and  in  both  its  interior  and  exterior 
appearance  the  home  is  indeed  beautiful. 
In  1892  JMr.  Peckham  erected  a  large  Ijarn, 
the  finest  in  Reno  county,  forty  by  ninety- 
five  feet,  with  a  capacity  I'Mr  1  ine  hundred 
tons  of  hay,  two  tli^iii-aml  liushels  of  grain, 
thirteen  Ivrses  and  hlt_\-  cattle,  and  when 
nece-.sai'\-  .ne  hundred  head  tif  cattle  can  lie 
sheilei-e(i  in  this  barn.  It  was  erected  at  a 
e-.t  ..1"  twenty-one  htmdre.l  dollars.  Mr. 
I'eckliani  (arms  all  of  ln>  land,  and  during 
the  \K\<  seasein  rme  liundi-ed  and  twenty- 
five  acres  of  his  place  was  planted  with 
wheat,  which  yielded  himi  three  thousand 
eight  hundred  bushels :  seventy  acres  with 
corn;  twenty  acres  with  alfalfa,  the  first 
three  crops  of  which  realized  fifty-two  dol- 


462 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


lars  per  acre.  His  orchard  contains  about 
three  acres,  and  in  his  splendid  garden  are 
two  hundred  grape  vines,  raspberries,  black- 
berries and  mam-  other  varieties  of  small 
fruits,  while  his  grove  of  twenty  acres  con- 
tains Cottonwood,  maple,  mulberiy,  osage 
orange,  ash  and  box  elder  trees. 

'Ihe  marriage  of  Mr.  Peckham  was  cele- 
brated on  the  19th  of  February,  1874,  when 
Sarah  Hess  became  his  wife,  the  wedding 
taking  place  at  the  heme  of  her 
brother,  two  miles  from  this  city.  She  was 
born  in  H^artford  City,  Indiana,  on  the  29th 
of  November,  1850,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Abrami  and  Elizabeth  (Gadbury)  Hess,  na- 
tives respectively  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio 
and  both  of  German  descent.  The  father 
followed  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Hart- 
ford City,  and  he  and  his  wife  died  within 
a  year  of  each  other,  leaving  a  family  of 
five  children,  who,  with  courage  and  de- 
cision that  was  truly  marvelous  and  in  spite 
of  the  remonstrances  of  their  friends,  sold 
their  little  Indiana  home  and  came  to  Kan- 
•sas,  the  wife  of  our  si-Jjcct  It  Ming  her  little 
sister,  the  yo-ungest  oi  liio  fianii}',  on  her  lap 
during  nearly  the  entire  distance.  On  their 
arrival  here  they  Ljcated  on  section  14,  Pla- 
ven  township,  wiiere  they  remained  until 
Wrs.  Peckham's  marriage,  and  her  youngest 
sister  then  made  her  home  with  her.  She 
was  one  of  five  children,  namely:  Da\id, 
who  is  employed  as  a  traveling  salesman  for 
the  Page  Fence  Company,  of  Adrian,  Mich- 
igan, and  is  located  in  Hutchinson;  Sarah, 
the  wife  of  our  subject ;  Nelson,  who  op- 
erates the  old  home  farm;  John,  proprietor 
of  the  Palace  livery  barn,  of  Hutchinson ; 
and  JNIartha,  the  wife  of  Ira  Fisher,  who  op- 
erates a  farm  adjoining  the  old  home  place. 
The  union  of  i\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Peckham  has 
been  blessed  with  ten  children:  John  D., 
who  was  born  on  the  5th  of  November, 
1874,  is  employed  as  a  clerk  in  Wichita  and 
is  also  the  owner  of  a  farm  near  Haven,  and 
he  was  married  to  Hattie  Van  Buren,  a 
daughter  of  George  Van  Buren,  of  Haven 
township;  Minnie,  born  January  19,  1877. 
is  the  wife  of  Everett  Bishop,  a  farmer  oi 
Alanchester,  Oklahoma;  Flora,  born  April 


5,  1879,  died  in  childhood,  on  the  15th  of 
November,  1885 ;  Ella,  born  January  19, 
1881,  died  February  15,  1900;  Arthur  Le- 
roy,  born  July  7,  1883,  is  attending  the 
Agricultural  College  at  Manhattan;  Bertha 
was  born  November  27,  1884;  Cora  was 
bcrn  May  27,  1886;  Eddie  D.  was  born 
January  14,  1888;  Ira  was  born  May  19, 
1889;  and  Laura  P.  was  born  Januarv  4, 
1891. 

In  matters  of  national  importance  INIr 
Peckham  gives  his  support  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  but  at  locaj  elections  he  votes 
independent  of  party  ties.  He  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board  since  its  or- 
ganization; was  the  first  trustee  of  Haven 
township,  elected  in  1873,  and  served  for 
one  ternt;  in  1888  was  president  of  the  Law 
and  Order  League,  and  during  his  services 
in  that  position,  with  the  aid  of  the  ministers 
of  this  locality,  he  succeeded  in  ridding  Ha- 
ven of  much  of  the  unlawful  licjucr  traffic; 
was  a  delegate  to  the  state  Prohibition  con- 
vention at  Tcpeka ;  and  has  frecjuently  been 
a  delegate  to  the  county  conventions  held  at 
Hutchinson.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
original  town  company  of  Haven,  which 
owned  one-half  of  the  land  included  in  the 
present  town  site.  During  that  time,  iit 
company  with  L.  O.  Smith,  he  erected  the 
Haven  Roller  :Mills  in  1887,  ^t  a  cost  of 
twehe  thousand  dollars.  He  is  president  of 
the  Farmers'  Co-operative  Grain  and  Stock 
Company,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  ele- 
vator operated  by  this  organization.  In  his 
social  relations  Mr.  Peckham  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order  and  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  of  which  he  is 
now  a  past  master.  Religiously  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  L'niversalists,  and  they  formerly 
held  membership  relations  with  the  church 
at  Haven,  but  the  organization  has  since 
been  discontinued.  Such  is  the  biography  of 
one  of  the  most  successful  men  of  Reno 
county.  He  has  carved  his  way  to  a  position 
of  affluence  unaided  and  alone,  by  constant 
application  and  hard  work,  and  he  is  a 
worthy  representative  of  the  progressive,  in- 
telligent and  public-spirited  citizens  of  cen- 
tral Kansas. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


463 


WILLIAM  RICHARD  LOVE. 

William  R.  Lo\-e  is  cne  of -the  respected 
fanners  of  Reno  count}-,  where  he  has  made 
his  home  for  many  years,  "being  closely  asso- 
ciated with  its  welfare.  He  is  a  thorough, 
i^ractical  agriculturist  and  man  of  business, 
and  has  been  the  architect  of  his  own  for- 
tunes. His  fidelity  to  duty  is  one  of  his 
marked  characteristics,  and  in  times  of  war 
and  peace  alike  he  has  ever  been  true  to  his 
honest  convictions. 

Mr.  Love  is  a  native  oi  South  Carohna, 
his  birth  having  occurred  on  the  loth  of 
April,  1839.  ■  tlis  grandfather,  Richard 
Love,  was  a  well  known  planter  of  that  com- 
monwealth, where  he  owned  many  slaves, 
and  there  he  spent  his  entire  life.  He 
reared  six  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of 
whom  became  worthy  citizens  and  were  an 
honor  to  the  good  old  family  name.  -  James 
H.  Love,  the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born 
in  .South  Carolina,  April  29,  1803,  and  in 
his  native  state,  in  1828.  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Sarah  Bowen,  who  was  there 
Ijorn  in  1806,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Bowen. 
In  the  fall  of  1842,  when  our  subject 
was  three  and  a  half  years  of  age,  they 
removed  to  Mississippi.  Avhere  they  be- 
came the  owners  of  five  hundred  acres 
uf  land,  on  which  they  raised  principal- 
ly cotton  and  corn,  and  they  also  owned 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  slaves.  They  reared 
six  of  their  nine  children,  four  daughters 
and  two  sons  :  and  the  I)ri  'ther  -.f  i-^vs  subject, 
Joseph  E.  Love,  is  now  a  pniminent  farmer 
of  Mississippi,  where  he  owns  about  seven 
hundred  acres  of  land  and  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  farming"  and  stock-raising.  The 
mother  departed  this  life  in  1863,  and  her 
husband  survived  her  until  Alay  8,  1885, 
when  he,  too,  passed  away,  dying  in  2\Iis- 
sissippi. 

William  Richard  Love,  whose  n.ame  in- 
troduces this  review,  has  ever  followed  the 
tilling  of  the  soil  as  a  life  occupation,  and 
after  attaining  to  man's  estate  he  w-as  en- 
gaged in  farming  with  his  father  for  seven 
years.  He  then  left  the  parental  roof,  and 
for  a  time  worked  on  his  own  place 
of     four     hundred     acres.        During     the 


Civil  war  both  he  and  his  brother  en- 
tered the  service  of  their  beloved  south- 
land, and  both  were  wounded  in  bat- 
tle. At  the  battle  oi  Franklin,  Ten- 
nessee, our  subject  was  wounded  and  cap- 
tured, after  which  he  spent  three  and  one- 
half  months  in  a  hospital  at  Nashville,  going  _ 
thence  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  next  to 
Camp  Chase,  Ohio,  and  finally  to  Point 
Lookout,  Maryland,  having  been  in  the  hos- 
pital most  of  the  time.  After  the  close  of 
hostilities  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Mis- 
sissippi, where  he  remained  until  May,  1884, 
when  he  came  to  Kansas  and  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  near  Part- 
ridge, the  purchase  price  being  twelve  hun- 
dred and  eighty  dollars.  From  time  to  time 
he  has  added  to  his  original  purchase  until 
he  now  owns  three  quarter  sections,  a  half 
section  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  while  the  remainder  is  devoted 
to  pasturage.  He  keeps  on  hand  about  fifty 
head  of  graded  cattle,  manj-  being  full- 
blooded  shorthorns,  and  also  has  from 
twelve  to  thirteen  mules.  Corn  and  wheat 
are  the  principal  crops,  eighty  acres  of 
his  land  being  planted  with  the  latter 
and  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  with  the 
former  cereal.  He  indeed  possesses  the 
enterprising  spirit  of  the  west,  and  the 
high  position  which  he  now  occupies  in 
the  business  world  has  been  reached  by 
his  unfaltering  industry,  his  close  attention 
to  business  and  his  wise  judgment. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1872,  was  cele- 
brated the  marriage  of  Mr.  Love  and  Miss 
Perneacy  Robinson,  a  daughter  of  Alexan- 
der and  Pamelia  (Estes)  Robinson,  O'f  Mis- 
sissippi, where  the  father  was  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  sixteen  children,  six  of  whom  grew 
to  years  of  maturity.  The  mother  departed 
this  life  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years,  and 
the  father  reached  the  age  of  sixty-seven 
years, 'passing  away  in  Mississippi.  Unto 
cur  subject  and  wife  have  been  born  thirteen 
children,  namely :  Pamelia,  the  wife  of  Pit- 
son  O'Hara.  of  Ohio,  and  they  have  two 
children:  Martha':  William:  Anna;  John; 
Robert :  Frederick  :  ]\Iyrtle :  and  Edgar  and 
Edwin,  twins.     Three  of  the  children  died 


464 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


in  infancy.  Both  ^Ir.  and  ilrs.  Love  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  church,  and 
in  his  political  affiliations  Isir.  Love  is  a 
Populist.  The  family  have  a  wide  circle  of 
friends  in  Reno  county  and  enjcy  the  hos- 
pitality of  many  of  its  best  homes. 


BARXETT  BURDICK. 

The  subject  of  this  review  has  reached 
the  eightj'-third  milestone  on  life's  journey. 
His  career  has  been  an  eventful  one  in  many 
respects,  including  almost  four  years  of  ser- 
^■ice  in  the  Civil  war,  and  now  in  the  even- 
ing of  his  life  can  look  back  on  a  well  spent 
past.  He  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  New 
York,  November  4,  iSiQ,  and  is  a  son  of 
Jonathan  A.  Burdick,  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island.  His  paternal  grandfather,  Allen 
Miles  Burdick,  was  also  born  in  the  same 
state  and  was  of  English  lineage,  the  an- 
cestry of  the  family  being  traced  back  to 
two  brothers  who  fought  with  Cromwell  in 
opposition  to  the  British  crown,  and  when 
the  Protectorate  was  overthrowar  they  fled 
to  the  United  States,  thus  founding  the 
family  on  American  soil.  Jouathan  B..  the 
father  of  our  subject,  wedded  Susanna  Still- 
well,  a  daughter  O'f  Barnett  Stillwell,  who 
was  of  French 'and  English  lineage.  They 
had  twelve  children.  The  father  was  a 
millwright  and  died  in  Oswego^  county, 
New  York.  His  political  support  was  given 
the  Democracy.  He  reached  a  very  ad- 
vanced age  and  died  in  the  faith  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  of  Avhich  he  was  long  a  member. 
The  mother  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-three 
j-ears. 

Barnett  Burdick  was  reared  in  Otsego 
and  Oswego  counties,  acquired  a  common 
school  education,  and  worked  in  the  fields 
through  the  summer  months  and  until  after 
the  harvests  were  garnered  in  the  autumn. 
He  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-four, 
in  1842,  to  Miss  ^lina  Ann  Eason,  who  rep- 
resented a  good  family  of  innate  culture 
and  refinement.  She  possessed  literary 
tastes  and  was  a  successful  teacher  prior 
to   her   marriao'e.      Her   birth    occurred    in 


New  Haven  township.  Oswego  county, 
New  York,  her  parents  being  Dr.  N.  S. 
and  Experience  (Severance)  Eason,  who 
were  from  ]\Iassachusetts,  and  were  people 
of  high  literary  culture  and  very  patriotic 
The  second  year  after  their  marriage  Mr. 
and  ]Mrs.  Burdick  rennoved  to  McHenry 
county,  Illinois,  and  in  1850  he  was  one 
of  the  Argonauts  who  sought  the  golden 
fleece  in  California,  crossing  the  plains  to 
the  Pacific  slope  with  an  ox  team.  He  re- 
mained there  for  two  years  and  then  re- 
turned home  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Pan- 
ama. In  his  work  in  the  far  west  he  was 
quite  successful.  ;Mr.  Burdick  then  engaged 
in  farming  in  Illinois  until  after  the  inaug- 
uration of  the  Civil  war,  \vhen  in  October, 
1861.  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Battery 
A.  Chicago  Light  Artillery.  His  son, 
Henry  E.,  also  joined  the  service,  and  side 
by  side  they  fought  for  the  preservation  of 
the  L'nion.  being  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain Charles  M.  Willard.  Mr.  Burdick  par- 
ticipated in  twenty-two  engagements,  in- 
cluding the  battles  of  Fort  Henry,  Fort  Don- 
elson,  Pittsburg  Landing,  the  siege  of  Cor- 
inth,- the  battle  of  Memphis,  and  with  Gen- 
eral Sherman  he  went  down  the  Missis- 
sippi river  to  a  point  below  Vicksburg,  and 
after  participatinp-  in  the  engagement  at 
Arkansas  Post  returned  to  take  part  in  the 
siege  of  Vicksbur?.  there  remaining  until 
after  the  surrender  oi  the  city.  He  was  also 
in  the  battles  of  Jackson,  Black  River 
Bridge,  Chattanooga,  Lookout  iMountain, 
iMissionary  Ridge.  Champion  Hill,  and  for 
some  weeks  was  in  the  campaign  at  Larkin- 
ville,  Alabama.  Subsequently  he  was  with 
General  Sherman  in  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
taking-  part  in  the  battles  of  Resaca  and  Dal- 
las, and  in  the  sieg-e  of  Atlanta,  being  en- 
gaged in  the  battle  on  the  22d  of  July,  1864, 
when  General  McPherson  was  killed.  With 
the  troops  he  then  proceeded  to  Savannah, 
also  taking  nart  in  the  battles  of  Nashville 
and  Jonesboro.  He  was  never  wounded, 
but  at  the  last  named,  had  a  very  narrow  es- 
cape. He  acted  as  rammer  for  the  big  gun. 
All  through  the  war  he  and  his  son  marched 
together  and  fought  together,  and  at  length 
thev    were    honoralilv    discharged    in    lulv, 


/^  h  fl^^  '^a^>t^:^^AM,^^^L/L^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


465 


1865,  returning-  home  with  the  most  credit- 
able military  record. 

The  four  children  of  Air.  and  I\Irs.  Bur- 
dick  are:  Henry  E.,  who  was  his  father's 
companion  in  arms,  and  now  resides  in 
Woodstock.  Illinois,  while  his  son,  Charles 
E.,  is  living  on  a  farm  adjoining  our  sub- 
ject's homestead;  Mrs.  Mina  Ann  Coleman, 
of  McHenry  coimty,  Illinois;  Barnett,  of 
Arkansas;  and  Ida  Elle  Collins,  of  Arkan- 
sas. 

In  the  year  1879  Mr.  Burdick  came  to 
Kingman  county  and  located  on  a  claim  in 
Evan  township,  and  in  1894  he  removed  to 
his  present  fine  farm,  where  he  has  a  good 
cottage  home  and  many  modern  improve- 
ments. In  the  evening  of  life  he  is  now  liv- 
ing retired,  enjoving  a  well  earned  rest.  He 
and  his  wife  are  memebrs  of  the  Cumber- 
land Presbyterian  church,  and  are  people  of 
the  highest  respectability,  honored  and  es- 
teemed by  all  who  know  them. 

On  the  adjoining  farm  resides  Charles 
E.  Burdick.  their  grandson,  who  was  born 
in  ]\IcHenry  countv.  Illinois.  As  his  mother 
died  during  his  early  youth  he  was  reared 
'bv  his  grandparents  at  their  home  in  the 
Prairie  state.  He  married  Prissilla  French, 
and  they  have  six  children,  namely  ;  Henry 
Melvin,'  Lydia  Ellen,  Cynthia  L..  William 
JNIcKinley,  Roy  and  Ray  E.  Their  home 
is  upon  a  good  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
thirtv-three  acres,  which  Mr., Burdick  has 
placed  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,, 
transforming  it  into  a  rich  and  productive 
tract. 


ROBERT  X.  WATSOX. 

Robert  N.  Wntson  i^  the  proprietor  of 
the  old  Dan  Thi.ma:;  livery,  feed  and  sale 
stable  at  Ellsworth,  on  Lincoln  a\-enue,  op- 
posite the  White  House.  He  is  doing  a  suc- 
cessful business  and  is  a  leader  in  his  line  in 
the  town.  He  was  born  near  Chatham,  On- 
tario, October  18,  1855,  and  his  parents, 
Jor.n  and  Sarah  (Campbell)  W'atson,  v>-ere 
both  natives  of  Canada  and  were  of  Scotch 
origin.      Tlie    father    engaged  in  merchan- 


dising at  Ridgetown.  Ontario,  for  many 
years,  and  there  died  in  1867,  while  the 
mother  passed  away  in  1863.  They  were 
the  parents  of  three  children,  namely  :  John, 
who  resides  near  the  old  home  in  Canada ; 
Robert  X.,  of  this  review;  and  Sarah,  the 
wife  of  John  Atkinson,  of  Canada. 

Our  subject  was  twelve  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  his  father's  death.  He  then  went 
to  make  his  home  with  his  uncle,  Verus 
Watson,  with  whom  he  remained  until  six- 
teen years  of  age.  For  two  3'ears  he  was 
engaged  in  farm  work  and  their  entered  upon 
an  apprenticeship,  in  his  native  village,  at 
the  trade  of  harness-n  "1  ''i  ,  -^ing  for 
three    years.      On    the    ■  f    th:;t 

period,  finding  the  tradi  i.  he  re- 

sumed farming.  He  was  ideutilied  with 
agricultural  pursuits  in  that  locality  until 
1884,  when  he  removed  tO'  Colorado  and 
purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land,  near  Fort  Collins.  In  that  locality  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  until  1895,  when  he 
shipped  a  car  of  horses  wdiich  he  had  on 
hand  to  X'orwocd,  W^'ight  county,  Missouri. 
There  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundr.ed 
and  sixty  acres  and  for  a  year  was  a  repre- 
sentative of  agricultural  pursuits  in  that  lo- 
cality, after  which  he  exchanged  his  prop- 
erty for  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  sec- 
tions T,;^.  J4  and  8  in  Sherman  township. 
Ellsworth  county.  He  afterward  sold 
eighty  acres  and  then  pinxiiased  another 
quarter  section.  Tire  house  which  was  upon 
his  land  burned  soon  after  he  took  possess- 
ion, but  he  believes  with  Shakespeare  that 
"W"hat"s  done  is  done;  things  without  rem- 
edy should  be  without  record."  Therefore 
he  did  not  spend  any  time  in  useless  lament- 
ing but  resolutely  set  ti  1  \\  >  rlc  l^  -  rctrice  liis 
lost  possessions.  His  sec  ml  (piartcr  ^ecti^Jn 
of  land  had  only  about  thirty  acres  broken 
when  he  took  possession  and  only  seventy 
acres  had  been  cleared  on  the  last  tract 
which  he  purchased.  He  made  the  neces- 
sary improvements,  building  fences,  barns 
and  outbuildings,  and  erected  a  new  resi- 
dence in  the  site  of  the  old  one.  There  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  with 
excellent  success,  keeping-  on  hand  from  fifty 
to  eightv  head  of  cattle,  which  he  bought. 


466 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


SL'kl  and  shipped.  In  Xnvember.  1900,  how- 
ever, he  disposed  of  his  farming  property 
and  purchased  the  Hvery  stable  in  Ellsworth, 
to  which  he  now  gives  his  attention.  Air. 
Watson  has  the  best  stable  in  the  entii  c 
county.  He  keeps  a  fine  lot  of  carriages, 
buggies  and  vehicles  of  all  kinds  and  splen- 
did horses,  being  able  to  meet  the  wants  of 
his  customers  on  short  notice.  The  main 
barn  is  a  frame  structure,  one  hundred  by 
sixty  feet,  with  ample  accommodations  ftr 
the  shelter  of  his  horses  and  carriages.  He 
is  also  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping 
horses,  and  in  this  way  has  added  to  his  in- 
come. 

On  the  loth  of  February,  1886,  was  cele- 
brated the  marriage  of  Mr.  \\'atson  and 
Aliss  Emma  Sainsbury,  a  daughter  of  J(.- 
seph  and  Mary  (Gorman)  Sainsbury.  The 
lady  was  born  in  ^Visconsin  and  with  her 
parents  went  to  Colorado,  the  wedding  being 
celebrated  at  Fort  Collins,  that  state.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  with  five  children, 
namely:  Joseph,  Charles,  Zenas,  Roy  and 
Harry.  Roy  was  accidentally  killed  in  Oc- 
tober, 1 90 1.  In  his  political,  views  Mr. 
Watson  is  independent,  voting  fijr  the  men 
whom  he  thinks  best  ciualified  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  the  office,  without  regard  to 
party  affiliations.  He  belongs  to  Ellsworth 
Lodge,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 
He  is  a  reliable,  enterprising  citizen,  a  man 
of  upright  character  and  sterling  c[ualities, 
and  whatever  he  has  achieved  in  life  is  the 
reward  of  earnest  purpose  and  honorable" 
effort. 


AIIKE  GERBER. 


This  well  known  f-armer  and  influential 
citizen  of  Galesburg  township,  Kingman 
county,  was  born  near  Bellevue,  Ohio,  in 
1862,  a  son  of  Jacob  Gerber,  who  was  born 
in  Alsace,  France,  now  Germany.  The  lat- 
ter received  tlie  educational  advantages 
afforded  by  the  schools  of  his  native  land 
until  his  fourteenth  year,  after  which  he  laid 
aside  his  text-books  to  engage  in  the  active 
battle  of  life  on  his  own  account.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  vears  he  sailed  for  America, 


and  after  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  was 
employed  as  a  sailer  on  the  Great  Lakes  for 
the  following  three  years.  He  then  returned 
to  his  native  land,  but  after  remaining  in 
Alsace  for  a  short  period  he  again  sought  a 
home  in  the  new  world,  this  time  locating 
near  Bellevue,  Ohio,  where  he  has  made  his 
home  for  the  past  sixty  years.  He  has  now 
reached  the  venerable  age  of  eighty-three 
years,  and  during  all  these  years  he  has  so 
lived  as  to  win  and  retain  the  love  and 
esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has  had  business 
or  social  intercourse.  He  has-  been  twice 
married,  his  first  union  being  with  Barbara 
Heitz,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  namely  : 
Jacob,  an  agriculturist  of  Evans  township, 
Kingman  county;  Barbara,  deceased;  Mary, 
of  Ohio;  John,  a  prominent  resident  of 
Galesburg  township,  this  county ;  James, 
who  died  in  Ohio;  and  Philopena,  who  also 
makes  her  home  in  this  locality.  After  the 
death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  the  fa- 
ther married  Lena  Snyder,  and  they  also  had 
a  family  of  children. 

Mike  Gerber,  the  subject  of  this  review, 
was  early  inured  to  the  labors  of  the  farm, 
and  the  educational  pri\ileges  which  he  en- 
joyed in  his  }-outh  were  those  afforded 
by  the  common  schools  of  his  native  lo- 
cality. In  the  Buckeye  state  he  contin- 
ued to  make  his  home  until  1890,  in 
which  year  he  came  to  Kingman  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  -and  his  first  purchase  of  land 
in  this  locality  consisted  of  eighty  acres 
in  Galesburg  tow-nship,  but  as  time  has 
passed  by  he  has  added  to  this  tract  until  his 
landed  possessions  now  consist  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres.  In  addition  to  the 
raising  of  the  cereals  best  adapted  to  this 
soil  and 'climate  he  is  also  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  cattle,  finding  this  a 
profitable  source  of  investment.  His  life 
has  ever  been  an  industri(jus  and  useful  one, 
and  the  success  which  has  come  to  him  is 
b'Ut  the  result  of  ceaseless  toil  and  strict  at- 
tention to  his  business  duties.  His  labors 
i  have  indeed  brought  to  him  a  very  desirable 
i  competence,  and  he  is  now  numbered  among 
the  substantial  citizens  of  the  community. 

As  a  companion  for  the  journey  of  life 
Mr.  Gerber  chose  Anna  Cobv,  who  was  born 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


467 


ill  Seneca  cuunty,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Vin- 
cent and  Lizzie  Coby.  The  parents  came  to 
this  country  from  Alsace,  France,  and  were 
among-  tlie  early  pioneers  of  Seneca  county, 
Ohio,  where  they  still  continue  to  make  their 
home.  UntO'  }\[v.  and  Airs.  Gerber  have 
been  born  six  children,  two  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely:  Ludwina,  Edwin,  Mar- 
cus H.,  Helen,  Nora  and  Sarah.  Mr.  Ger- 
ber is  independent  in  his  political  views,  pre- 
ferring to  vote  for  the  men  whbm  he  regards 
as  best  qualified  to  fill  positions  of  public 
trust?  The  family  are  nuenTbers  of  the  Catli- 
olic  church,  of  which  he  is  a  trustee,  and 
during  the  erection  of  the  present  church 
edifice,  -which  cost  thirty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars, he  was  a  member  of  the  building'  com- 
mittee. 


MICHAEL  B.  HEIST. 

This  prominent  early  settler  of  Kingman 
county,  whose  home  is  on  section  23, 
Hoosier  township,  is  the  possessor  of  a 
handsome  property,  which  now  enables  him 
t(T  spend  his  declining  years  in  the  pleasur- 
aljle  enji  i_\-nieiit  >  'f  liis  accnn-iulatii  ns.  A  na- 
ti\-e  mI  l'enn--yl\  ani:i,  h\>  hirtli  >  ccurred  in 
Bucks  ciiunty,  nn  tlic  4th  nf  June.  1839,  and 
his  paternal  grandfather  was  the  first  of  the 
family  to  come  to  America.  His  father, 
Joshua  Heist,  was  alsO'  born  in  tlie  Kexstnne 
state,  and  nearly  his  entire  lln-^inc--  c.irccr 
was  passed  in  an  official  capacit\ .  liaNinu;  f'  r 
a  number  df  \-ears  ser\-ed  as  a  tax  c^  llectnr. 
He  was  an  viiicion!  worker  in  the  cause  i:if 
the  Denii'cr;ic\-,  antl  was  a  \\-ia-thy  and  ci in- 
sistent member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  As 
a  companiiju  U_n-  tlie  j'jurney  of  life  he  chose 
Barbara  Brauchler,  and  they  had  five  chil- 
dren, but  O'Ur  subject  was  the  only  one  of  the 
family  to  come  to  the  west.  One  brother, 
David,  is  a  resident  of  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsyl\-ania,  and  these  twu  m  m^  are  nnw 
the  only  living  representatives  ct  lliis  once 
large  family. 

Michael  B.  Lleist  was  reared  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  place  of  his 
nativity,  and  there  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade.     In  1S77,  on  account  of  ill  health,  he 


came  to  the  Sunflower  state.  For  a  time 
he  had  been  gradually  failing  in  health,  hav- 
ing been  reduced  from'  one  hundred  and 
eighty  to  one  hundred  and  fifteen  pounds, 
■but  wiiliiii  ilircc  niontlis  after  coming  to  this 
fa\-oreil  section  he  had  sufficient]}-  regained 
his  strength  to  resume  work  at  his  trade. 
He  then  sent  for  his  family,  and  they  located 
in  Sterling,  Rice  county,  where  Mr.  Heist 
followed  the  carpenter's  trade  for  a  time. 
When  Lyo-ns  became  the  county  seat  (jf  Rice 
county  the  Hc'-t  fanfily  removed  to  that 
p'lacc,  ami  many  of  the  prominent  buildings 
of  that  cuy  ^tan.l  as  monuments  to  Mr. 
Heist's  skill  and  ability.  Among  the  many 
large  buildings  which  he  tlier^  erected  may 
be  mentioned  the  Palace  Hotel  and  tlie 
]\Ietliodist  church  and  he  also  erected  many 
private  residences.  He  continued  to  devote 
his  time  t  1  the  carpenter  trade  until  1895, 
and  for  the  hllow  ing  four  years  was  en- 
gaged in  the  hotel  business.  On  the  ex- 
piration of  that  period  he  came  to  Kingman 
and  purchased  the  farm  wdiere  he  now  re- 
sides. Shortly  after  his  arrival  here  he  pur- 
chased the  Brunsw  ick  Hotel,  which  he  co-n- 
ducted  for  a  short  time  and  then  sold,  and 
has  since  made  his  home  upon  his  farm.  The 
place  cousists  of  oue  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  the  finest  land  to  be  found  in  the 
county,  one  hundred  acres  of  which  is  under 
an  excellent  state  ( if  ciilti\  ation.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  before  he  purchased  the  prop- 
ert\  it  had  been  operated  by  tenants  and  was 
thei-ef(  re  greatly  run  down,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  devote  much  hard  labor  ti  again 
place  it  in  proper  shape.  Mr.  I  lei-~i  ha-  n.ow 
practically  retired  from  the  active  iluties  of 
farm  life  and  his  land  is  operated  by  his  son. 
The  marriage  of  our  subject  was  cele- 
brated in  1 86 1,  when  Louisa  Shade  became 
his  wife.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
Shade,  a  farmer  of  Pennsylvania.  Six  chil- 
dren have  been  born  unto  this  union, 
name]}- :  David,  who  farms  the  old  home- 
stead, married  Rosa  Doner,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Thomas;  Amanda  is  the  wife  of 
William  Brewer,  of  Columbus,  Kansas ; 
William  is  a  resident  of  Sterling;  Sallie  is 
the  next  in  order  of  birth ;  Henry  died  at 
the  age  of  one  vear;  and  Edward  is  em- 


468 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


ployed  as  a  traveling  salesman.  Mr.  Hei;t 
votes  with  the  Democracy  on  questions  of 
national  importance,  but  at  local  elections 
he  supports  the  men  whom  he  regards  as 
best  qualified  to  fill  public  positions.  His 
religious  tendencies  connect  him'  with  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  he  is  an  active  worker 
in  the  cause  of  Christianitv. 


J.   E.   LASHAIET. 


Throughout  almost  his  entire  life  J.  E. 
Lashmet  has  been  connected  with  pioneer 
experiences.  He  knows  what  it  is  to  fight 
the  Indians  upon  the  froartier  and  to  live 
distant  from  railroads,  towns,  and  all  the 
advantages  and  improvements  which  civil- 
ization afifords.  But  he  has  the  satisfaction 
of  having  witnessed  the  remarkable  devel- 
opment of  central  Kansas,  and  has  seen  the 
county  of  Kingman  take  its  place  among 
the  leading  counties  of  this  commonwealth. 

JNIr.  Lashmenb  was  born  in  Schuyler 
county.  Illinois,  March  6,  1834.  His  father, 
John  Lashmet,  was  a  native  of  North  Car- 
olina, and  his  grandfather  was  one  of  the 
heroes  whO'  fought  for  the  independence  of 
the  nation,  servine  under  General  Washing- 
ton. The  mother  of  our  subject,  who  bore 
the  maiden  name  of  Sarah  Woods,  was  also 
a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  her  family 
was  represented  in  the  Revolutionary  and 
Civil  wars.  About  1830  the  parents  of  our 
subject  resolved  to  seek  a  home  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley  and  made  their  way  west- 
ward to  Schuyler  county,  Illinois,  where 
they  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  early  settlers. 
Their  children  were  Mary,  Abigail,  Ana- 
nias. John  E.,  Thomas,  William,  Sarah 
and  Lydia.  Thomas  joined  ithe  Union 
army  as  a  member  of  the  Sixteenth  Illinois 
Infantry,  and  lovallv  aided  in  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  rebellion.  He  is  now  living  in 
Hamilton  county,  Kansas.  The  father  of 
this  family  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
aftiliations,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  died  in  Schuyler  county.  Illinois,  at  the 
age  of  seventy  years,  and  his  wife,  who'  was 


born  in   1802,  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
forty-five. 

Amid  the  wild  scenes  of  the  frontier, 
J.  E.  Lashmet  was  reared,  and  experienced 
all  the  hardships  and  trials  of  pioneer  life. 
He  was  educated  in  a  log  school  house, 
broke  the  prairie  with  an  ox  team  and  per- 
formed all  the  other  work  of  the  farm  wlt!i 
the  primitive  implements  of  the  time.  He 
was  taught  to  be  industrious  and  holiest, 
and  these  qualities  have  colored  his  entire 
career.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  went  to 
Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  after- 
ward secured  a  claim  of  government  land. 
He  also  worked  in  the  woods  in  making  rails 
with  which  to  fence  his  farm,  but  when 
he  felt  that  his  duty  was  to  his  country  he 
piiit  aside  all  personal  considerations  and 
in  March,  1863,  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany D,  Eighth  Minnesota  Infantry,  under 
command  of  Captain  Samuel  [McCarty  and 
Colonel  Thomas.  The  reeiment  performed 
gallant  service  in  the  northwest  in  protect- 
ing the  frontier  of  ilinnesota,  the  Dakotas 
and  Montana,  fighting  the  hostile  Indians, 
including  the  Sioux,  who  fourteen  years  la- 
ter again  went  upon  the  war  path  and  mas- 
sacred the  army  of  General  Custer.  The 
regiment  performed  important  service  in 
protecting  the  lives  and  property  of  the 
frontier  people  who  else  would  have  been 
sacrificed  to  Indian  barbarity.  The  trooos 
had  a  number  of  skirmishes  and  battles  with 
the  red  men,  whom  they  pursued  almost  to 
the  British  line,  and  westward  to  about 
fifty  miles  above  the  Yellowstone  river,  in 
Montana.  For  a  time  they  were  stationed 
at  Fort  Union.  Twenty-five  men  were  de- 
tailed from  each  company  to  go  to  the  res- 
cue of  Captain  Fisk,  who'  was  surrounded 
by  the  Indians,  and  to  accomplish  this  they 
traveled  two  hundred  miles  to  a  point  west 
of -the  Missouri  river.  The  Seventh  Iowa 
Cavalry  was  with  them  and  the  trip  was 
most  difficult  and  hazardous.  Returning 
to  Fort  Rice,  they  took  fiat  boats  and  fifty- 
two  men  on  a  boat  and  proceeded  down  the 
river  to  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  thus  making 
tiieir  way  across  the  state  to  Dubuque. 
Later  they  were  sent  south  to  ^lurfreesboro, 
Tennessee,  and  participated  in  the  engage- 


iyp 


J.   E.   LASHMET. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


469 


ment  at  that  place  against  the  forces  of  Gen- 
eral Forrest.  With  his  regiment  Mv.  Lash- 
met  was  also  in  the  Carolina  campaign,  pro- 
ceeding to  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  and 
from  thence  no!rth\\-ard,  where,  with  his 
comrades,  he  was  honorably  discharged  at 
St.  Paul,  Minnesota.  While  he  did  not  take 
part  in  as  many  battles  as  others  who  wore 
the  blue,  his  service  was  in  many  respects 
no  less  dangerous  and,  in  fact,  the  regular 
warfare  of  the  plains  called  for  great  endur- 
ance and  bravery. 

On  the  23d  of  March,  1854,  Mr.  Lash- 
met  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Smith,  a 
native  of  Wisconsin,  and  a  daughter  of 
J.  W.  and  Jane  (Wells)  Smith.  Her  father 
is  now  deceased,  but  her  mother  is  living  in 
Missouri.  They  had  one  son,  Levi  Smith, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  Eighth  Minne- 
sota, Company  D,  during  the  Ci\il  war,  and 
died  in  Kingman  county,  Kansas,  in  1899. 
]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Lashmet  have  one  daughter, 
Clara,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  S.  H.  Ritchie, 
of  Xewton  countv,  ^Missouri,  and  by  whom 
she  had  ten  children.  ]\Irs.  Lashmet,  who 
was  a  consistent  Christian  woman,  holding 
membership  in  the  IMethodist  Episcopal 
church,  died  in  1890.  and  on  the  6th  of 
Tune,  1898,  Mr.  Lashmet  married  Mrs.  O. 
E.  Sutherland,  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  re- 
finement. She  was  born  in  W'isconsin  and 
was  reared  and  began  her  education  in 
^Minnesota,  which  was  completed  after  her 
retiu^n  tO'  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  where  she 
attended  the  high  school.  She  belongs  to 
tlie  Seventh  Dav  Adventist  church.  Li 
if^frf)  Mr.  Lashmet  removed  from  Minne- 
-;"ia  I'  -"iithwestern  Missouri,  settling  in 
(ireLne  c  luity,  where  he  remained  until 
1878,  the  year  of  his  arrival  in  Kingman 
county.  Here  he  pre-empted  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  and  at  once  began  the  devel- 
opment of  his  farm,  which  is  now  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  yields  to  him 
a  golden  tribute  in  return  for  the  care  and 
labor  he  bestowed  uncn  it. 

Mr.  Lashmet  is  a  stalwart  Republican 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  He  stands  tc-day  as  a  worthy 
type  of  our  American  manhood,  true  to  the 
duties  of  citizenshiD.  honorable  in  business 
and  faithful  to  dutv  in  all  life's  relations. 


HERBERT  K.  LINDSLEY. 

Among  the  young  men  of  prominence 
whose  enterprise  and  diligence  are  in  har- 
mony with  the  spirit  of  progress  in  the  west 
is  Herbert  K.  Lindsley,  who  is  prominently 
connected  with  many  important  industries 
and  business  interests  in  Rice  connty.  He 
was  born  in  Delaware  county,  Indiana,  June 
21,  1874,  and  is  a  son  of  Captain  Aaron 
Kitchell  Lindsley,  who  was  born  in  ^lorris- 
town.  New  Jersey,  June  19,  18 16.  The 
grandfather,  Benjamin  Lindsley,  was  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  locality  and  was  a  carpenter 
and  builder  by  trade.  On  removing  to  Ohio 
he  1' jcated  in  3iledina  county.  He  first  mar- 
rietl  .Mi-r,  1  launa  Condit  and  unto  them  were 
born  >c\eu  children,  three  sons  and  four 
daughters,  and  with  the  exception  of  one 
daughter  all  reached  mature  years  and  were 
married,  while  five  of  the  number  had  chil- 
dren. Zenas  Lindsley  was  a  farmer  of 
prominence  in  Osage  City,  Iowa.  The 
mother  of  these  children  was  called  to  her 
final  rest  and  the  father  was  afterward  twice 
married.  By  his  third  wife,  a  widow,  he 
had  one  son,  Henrj-  B.  Lindsley,  who  is  now 
in  Brownhelm,  Lorain  county  Ohic,  where 
he  is  residing  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject  passed  away 
in  iMedina,  Ohio,  when  fifty-eight  years  of 
age. 

Aaron  Kitchell  Lindsley  was  first  mar- 
ried to  Harriet  Stowe,  of  2^Iedina,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Selden  Stowe,  and  she  became  the 
mother  of  two  daughters  and  one  son, 
namely :  Henrietta,  the  wife  of  Oscar  Her- 
rick.  of  Wellingtijn,  Ohio;  James,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years;  and  Flor- 
ence, the  vvife  of  Henry  Ashley,  of  Fari- 
bault, Minnesota,  by  whom  she  has  one 
daughter,  IMabel.  Mrs.  Lindsley  passed 
away  in  September,  1863,  her  death  occur- 
ring while  her  husband  was  aiding  in  the 
struggle  to  preserve  the  Union  upon  the 
battlefields  of  the  south.  On  the  28th  of 
April,  1868,  he  was  again  married,  his  sec- 
ond union  being  with  Elizabeth  S.  Buckles, 
who  was  born  Ncnember  10,  1840,  in  I\Iun- 
cie,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  S.  and 
Catherine  (Williams)  Buckles,  both  of 
whom  are  now  deceased.     Her  father  was 


47^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


born  near  Piqua,  Ohio,  July  29.  1819,  and 
died  in  ^luncie,  Indiana,  April  28,  1897. 
His  wife,  who  was  born  in  Fairfield  coimty. 
Ohio,  in  October,  1819,  passed  away  Sep- 
tember 3.  1888.  The  father  was  a  lawyer 
and  served  as  judge  of  the  circuit  court  for 
twelve  years.  From  1833  until  the  time  of 
his  death  he  resided  in  Muncie.  Indiana. 
He  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  state 
courts  in  1841  and  in  the  federal  and  su- 
preme courts  in  1850.  In  1855  he  was 
elected  prosecuting  attorney  and  in  1857 
was  chosen  state  senator.  While  serving  ni 
the  general  assembly  he  acted  as  chairman  of 
the  judiciary  committee,  and  he  left  the  im- 
[jress  I  if  his  indixiduality  upon  the  legisla- 
tion I  1'  tlie  slate,  lie  was  a  man  of  much 
pri_  annence  in  legal  circles,  in  politics  and  in 
business  life  and  was  a  recognized  leader 
in  public  thought  and  opinion.  After  the  de- 
feat of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  he  became  a  Re- 
publican, and  remained  a  stanch'  advocate 
of  its  principles.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buckles 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children  and 
reared  four  daughters,  namely :  Mrs.  Linds- 
ley :  Rebecca,  the  widow  of  John  McCrea, 
of  !\[uncie,  Indiana;  Josinah,  the  wife  of 
^\■.  E.  Yost,  O'f  San  Francisco,  California ; 
and  Cornelia,  the  widow  of  W.  C.  McVay. 
of  Sterling. 

Aaron  K.  Lindsley  responded  to  the  first 
call  for  volunteers  at  the  time  of  the  Civil 
war.  He  was  commissioned  as  a  recruiting 
officer  and  also  raised  a  company  of  cavalry 
at  his  home  in  Wellington.  This  company 
entered  the  service  and  was  assigned  as 
Company  H  of  the  Second  Regiment,  Ohio 
\"olunteer  Ca\-alry,  with  ]\Ir.  Lindsley  as  its 
captain.  The  regiment  was  ordered  to  Kan- 
sas, and  for  a  time  was  stationed  at  Fort 
Scott  and  assisted  in  protecting  the  Indians 
and  their  property  from  the  border  raids. 
On  July  17,  1863,  Mr.  Lindsley  received  a 
C(;mmission-  form  David  Tod,  then  gover- 
m  r  of  Ohi,  1,  ti  >  a  ca|itaincy  of  Company  C  of 
tlie  Eigliiy-ixili  (  )hio  Infantry.  This  regi- 
ment as-i-ted  in  tlie  capture  of  Morgan  on 
his  entering  sO'Uthern  Ohio.  On  the  8th 
of  September,  1864,  Mr.  Lindsley  was  com- 
missioned by  John  Brough,  then  governor  of 


Ohio,  as  captain  of  Compan}-  C,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Seventy-sixth  Ohio  Infantry,  with 
whom  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee, on  June  14,  1865. 

After  his  marriage,  which  occurred  at 
Muncie,  Indiana,  on  the  ist  of  April,  .1868, 
Mr.  Lindsley  located  at  Wellington,  in 
Lorain  county,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for 
four  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  I\Iun- 
cie,  continuing  his  residence  there  for  fi\-e 
years.  In  1879  he  came  tO'  Sterling.  Kan- 
sas. He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  while 
residing  in  Wellington  engaged  in  business 
as  a  wholesale  dealer  in  cheese.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  was  also  manager  of  the  large 
farm  owned  by  his  father-in-law.  Judge 
Bitckles,  at  Muncie.  At  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years  Mr.  Lindsley  is  an  active  and  pro- 
gressive man,  retaining  his  mental  and 
physical  faculties  unimpaired.  By  his  later 
marriage  he  had  two  children,  the  elder 
being  Joseph  B.,  who  was  born  in  Welling- 
ton, Ohio,  March  19,  1870.  He  is  now  a 
member  of  the  well  known  law  firm  of  Hen- 
ley, Kellam  &  Lindsley,  of  Spokane.  Wash- 
ingtim,  ai'id  is  reciignized  as  a  practitioner 
.  f  abilhy.  He  wedded  .Miss  Alice  Briscoll. 
(  f  Spokane.  The  parents  reside  in  their 
attractive  and  well  furnished  home,  which  is 
one  of  the  pleasant  residences  of  Sterling. 
In  the  home  is  a  choice  collection  of  bric-a- 
brac  and  many  rare  and  valuable  souvenirs, 
including  a  silver  dollar  which  ]\Irs.  Linds- 
ley- inherited  from  her  grandfather  Buckles 
and  on  which  is  the  genealogy  of  the  Buck- 
les family  traced  back  to  England.  She  also 
has  the  powder  horn  which  she  inherited 
from  her  mother's  grandfather,  \\'illiam 
Williams,  who  brought  the  article  from 
Wales  and  carried  it  throughout  the  Re\"0- 
lutionary  war. 

Herbert  K.  Lindsley,  whose  name  forms 
the  caption  of  this  review,  pursued  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Sterling, 
whither  he  came  with  his  parents  when  only 
five  years  of  age.  Leaving  school  at  the  age 
of  thirteen,  he  accepted  a  clerkship  in  a  gro- 
cery store,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years.    He  then  became  agent  for  the  Pacific 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Express  Cumpany,  serving  in  that  capacity 
for  three  and  a  halt  years,  and  in  1893  he  j 
embarked  in  the  brccmc.  rn  l)usiness  with 
Robert  Findlay,  under  tlie  name  of  Rob- 
ert Findlay  &  Company.  I'hey  are  still  en- 
gaged in  the  trade  and  are  doing  an  excel- 
lent business  aloug  that  line.  Air.  Lindsley 
was  also  vice-president  of  the  Citizens  Bank 
of  Lyons,  wihich  he  and  his  partner  pur- 
chased on  the  19th  of  March,  1900.  Two 
months  later  they  converted  it  into  the 
L)  ons  National  Bank,  and  our  subject  was 
chosen  president.  The  firm  is  also  dealing 
in  live  stock,  luaking  a  specialty  of  cattle  and 
hogs,  which  they  ship  throughout  the  year. 
They  own  a  number  of  farms  and  are  buy- 
ing lands  in  central  Kansas.  Their  business 
interests  are  very  extensive,  varied  and  con- 
stantly increasing  both  in  volume  and  im- 
jiortance.  Mir.  Lindsley  is  a  young  man  of 
only  tw^enty-seven  years,  but  has  already 
attained  a  success  tltet  many  a  person  of 
twice  his  years  mlight  well  envy. 

Socially  he  is  a  Thirty-second  degree 
Mason,  having  attained  to  that  rank  in 
Wichita  Consistory,  No.  2,  November  18, 
1897.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Sterling 
Commandery,  No.  47,  K.  T.,  and  is  serving 
as  eminent  commander.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  and  for  two  terms  has  served  as 
township  treasurer  of  Sterling  township. 
He  occupies  a  very  prominent  position 
among  the  leading  business  men  of  Rice 
county,  and  for  several  years  has  been 
closely  identified  with  the  history  of  Ster- 
ling as  a  representative  of  several  of  its 
most  important  business  interests.  He  has 
won  distinction  and  is  to-day  numbered 
among  the  leading,  influential  and  honored 
citizens  of  the  community,  in  which  almost 
his  entire  life  has  been  spent.  A  young  man, 
he  possesses  the  enterprising  spirit  of  the 
west,  wliich  has  been  the  dominant  factor  in 
prcducing  the  wonderful  development  of 
this  section  of  the  cmmtr}'.  Brooking  w 
obstacles  that  luinest  cl'f.  ti  can  1  verc^  me, 
he  has  steadily  wirked  his  way  upward  un- 
til, having  long  since  left  the  ranks  of  the 
man^'.  he  to-day  stands  among  the  success- 
ful few. 


LEVI   F.   LANDIS.  - 

Le\-i  F.  Landis,  foreman  of  the  Yaggy 
fruit  and  tree  farm,  an  extensive  tract  ol 
fifteen  hundred  acres  on  section  31,  Grant 
township,  is  one  of  the  leading  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Reno  county.  He  wa.T 
born  in  Cumberland  county.  Pennsylvania. 
October  8,  1853.  His  father,  George  Landis. 
was  a  native  of  Scotland,  that  state,  where 
his  birth  occurred  in  1825.  and  he  passed 
away  in  Newville,  Pennsylvania,  in  1898. 
He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  following 
that  occupation  for  sixteen  years,  and  in 
later  life  he  engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the 
soil.  His  wife,  who  was  in  her  maidenhood 
Elizabeth  Hoover,  still  survives  her  husl^and. 
They  reared  eight  of  theii;  nine  children,  one 
daughter  having  died  at  the  age  of  six 
years.  Of  the  six  sons  and  two  daughters 
who  grew  to  years  rf  maturity  all  are  mar- 
ried and  have  families  ,if  ihcir  own.  The 
mother  and  three  (if  tlie  cliildren  still  reside 
in  Pennsylvania. 

Levi  F.  Landis.  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, attended  the  common  schccls  cf  .his 
native  county,  and  remained  at  home  until 
arriving  at  years  of  maturity.  On  the  1st 
of  January.  1871.  he  secured  as  a  compan-- 
ion  for  the  journey  of  life  Miss  Mary  M. 
Brehm.  of  Newville.  Pennsylvania,  and  this 
union  was  blessed  with  twin  sons,  but  only 
one  is  now  living,  George  Brehm.  who  is 
now  fifteen  years  of  age.  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  August.  i.'-'N'.  l-^ii'tucn  }-ears 
ago.  in  1886.  the  Landis  i.niiilv  1  ^came  resi- 
dents of  the  Sunflower  state,  first  locating 
in  Carbondale.  but  a  year  later  removed  to 
Scott  City,  where  they  remained  for  two 
years.  (Jn  the  expiration  of  that  period 
they  took  up  their  abode  in  Hutchinson, 
where  Mr.  Landis  was  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business  for  three  years  with  the  firm 
cf  J-  Bailey  &  Comnanv.  In  1898  he  as- 
sinrtil  CMiitrdl  if  the  Yaggy  ranch,  which 
was  ]iurcliase<l  I'v  Mr.  ^'aggy  thirteen  years 
age  f<  r  twent^'-twl:  (l,;llars  an  acre,  and  was 
then  unimproved  prairie.  Five  hundred 
acres  of  the  place  is  now  devoted  to  catalpa 
trees,  of  which  there  are  about  two  thou- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


sand  to  the  acre,  making  a  total  of  one  mil- 
lion trees,  while  there  is  an  apple  orchard  of 
eight  hundred  acres,  consisting  of  about 
eighty  thousand  trees.  Forty  acres  is  de- 
voted to  pears,  which  yielded  three  thou- 
sand bushels  of  fruit  in  1900.  The  fine  man-- 
sion  on  the  place  was  erected  in  1895  by 
I\Ir.  Yaggy.  This  gentleman  has  risen 
from  the  humble  walks  of  life  by  his  own 
energy  and  business  enterprise  and  is  now 
one  O'f  the  hea\y  capitalists  of  Chicago. 

In  his  political  affiliation  Mr.  Landis 
A'Otes  independent  of  party  ties,  casting  his 
ballot  in  favor  of  the  men  whom  he  regards 
as  best  fitted  for  public  office.  His  religi- 
ous belief  is  indicated  by  his  membership  in 
the  Lutheran  church,  in  which  he  is  an  ac- 
tive and  zealous  worker. 


HEXRY  JOHNSON. 

A  well  known  representative  of  the 
agricultural  interests  of  Kingman  county, 
Henry  Johnson  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm 
on  section  21,  Galesburg  township.  His 
place  is  well  improved  with  all  modern  ac- 
cessories and  conveniences,  and  the  fields 
are  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  and 
abundant  harvests  are  garnered.  His  meth- 
ods are  progressive  and  practical,  his  work 
is  vigorously  prosecuted,  his  afifairs  are  ca- 
pably managed  and  he  is  justly  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  farmers  in  his  section  of 
the  state. 

Air.  Johnson  is  a  native  of  Berrien  coun- 
ty, Michigan,  his  birth  having  occurred  on 
the  23d  of  May,  1835.  His  maternal 
grandfather,  John  Johnson,  and  his  father, 
John  P.  Johnson,  were  both  natives  of 
JNIaryland,  and  the  latter  was  a  soldier  in 
the  war  of  181 2.  He  was  reared  in  the 
state  of  his  nativity,  and  in  Ohio  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Susanna  A.  Asher,  a  native 
of  that  state  and  a  dauehter  of  Luke  Asher, 
who  claimed  the  Buckeye  state  as  the  place 
of  his  nativity.  Mr.  Johnson  subsequently 
removed  from  Ohio  to  LaPorte  co'unty,  In- 
diana, and  still  later  became  a  resident  of 
Berrien  county,  Alichigan.     In  1853  he  re- 


moved from  the  latter  state  to  Iowa,  be- 
coming one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Flovd 
county,  that  state,  and  after  spemlin^  a  time 
in  that  locality  he  moved  tu  Xicullei  C(junt\', 
Alinnesota.  Subsec|uenth-  he  returned  to 
Iowa,  locating  in  Hamilton  county,  where 
he  spent  his  remaining  days,  passing  away 
at  the  age  of  ninety-twoi  years.  His 
wife  also  died  in  Iowa  in  1868  at 
the  age  of  seventy  years.  Unto  this 
worthy  couple  were  born  seven  sons  and 
four  daughters,  but  only  three  of  the  num- 
ber still  survive — Jacob,  a  resident  of  Iowa ; 
Nancy  Colp,  who  makes  her  home  in  La- 
Porte,  Indiana;  Henry,  the  subject  of  this 
review.  Those  deceased  are :  Abram,  who 
was  a  soldier  in  an  Iowa  regiment  during 
the  Civil  war,  and  his  death  occurred  in 
Nebraska ;   Rebecca,   Rhoda,   Nathan,   Har- 

i  riet,   John,   Luke  and   Lemuel.        The   lat- 
named  died  when  young. 

Henry  Johnson,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when 
he  accompanied'  his  parents  on  their  removal 
lO  Iowa,  but  prior  to  that  time  he  had  re- 
ceived his  education  in  a  log  school  house 
in  Michigan,  and  much  of  his  youth  and 
early  manhood  Avas  spent  upon  the  wild 
western  frontiers.  From'  Floyd  comity, 
Iowa,  he  removed  with  the  family  to  Nic- 
ollet county,  Minnesota,  but  in  1867  re- 
turned to  Iowa,  and  in  Hamilton  county, 
that  state,  at  the  age  O'f  twenty-five  years, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Emeline  Pres- 
tage,  a  native  d'  Mimu-.  iia  and  a  daughter 
of  Henry  and  luiiily  I'rcstage.  After  a 
short  but  happy  married  life  the  mother 
was  called  to  the  home  beyond,  passing 
away  in  Hamilton  county,  Iowa.  At  her 
death  she  left  two  children, — George,  a  res- 
ident of  Decatur  county,  Kansas,  and  Mrs. 
Emma  Lewis,  of  Montana.  For  his  sec- 
ond wife  Mr.  Johnson  chose  Loretta  Ran- 
del,  who  was  born  in  Shelbv  county,  Ohio, 
a  daughter  of  Job  and  Anna  C.  (Garber) 
Randel,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia,  and 
the  latter  of  Shelby  county,  Ohio,  and  they 
now  reside  in  Floyd  county,  Iowa.  Unto 
this  worthv  cO'Uple  were  born  nine  other  chil- 

\  dren.  namely:  Frances  R.,  John  N.,  William 
J.,  ^vlartin  E.,  George  W..  Elmer  E.,  James 


MR.   AND   MRS.   HENRY  JOHNSON. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


S.  and  ]\Ien-itt  G.  and  Rose  Ellen,  deceased. 
Unto  Ml",  and  Mrs.  Johnson  has  been  born 
one  son,  Elza,  who  was  born  in  Iowa  twen- 
ty-four years  ago.  He  married  Ceha  Mc- 
Guire,  and  now  resides  on  one  of  his  fa- 
ther's farms. 

Mr.  Johnson,  of  this  review,  came  from 
Hamilton  county,  Iowa,  to  this  state  in 
1S96,  and  in  Galesbure  township  he  now 
owns  a  well  cultivated  farm  of  five  hundred 
acres,  on  which  he  has  erected  a  large  and 
commodious  residence,  barns  and  other 
outbuildings,  while  a  beautiful  orchard  of 
eight  acres  further  adds  to  the  value  and 
attractive  appearance  of  his  place.  He  is 
a  stanch  advocate  and  an  active  worker  for 
the  Republican  party,  and  is  a  well  known 
and  popular  man  in  his  locality. 


G.  A.  BISHOP. 

G.  A.  Bishop,  a  well-known  resident  of 
Atlanta  township,  Rice  county,  where  he  is 
successfully  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. His  standing  in  the  community  is  in- 
dicated by  the  fact  that  he  is  now  serving 
as  justice  of  the  peace,  to  which  position  he 
was  elected  by  popular  ballot  for  the  third 
term  in  November,  1900.  He  came  to  Rice 
county  in  February,  1883,  and  since  made 
his  home  within  its  borders,  his  hearty  sup- 
port being  ever  given  to  those  measures 
which  are  calculated  to  prove  a  benefit  to  the 
community. 

Mr.  Bishop  was  born  in  Huron  county, 
Ohio,  near  Havannah,  March  23,  1848, 
and  is  a  son  of  Reuben  and  Sarah  Ann 
(Gardiner)  Bishop'.  The  ancestry  of  the 
family  is  English  and  the  first  of  the  name 
to  seek  a  home  in  America  crossed  the  At- 
lantic about  1700,  locating  in  Connecticut. 
In  that  state  Joel  Bishop,  the  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  1.759.  He  was 
tlierefore  a  young  man  at  the  time  of  the 
war  for  American  independence.  He  joined 
the  American  army  in  order  to  fight  for  the 
liberties  of  the  colonists,  and  being  cap- 
tured, was  sent  to  a  New  York  prison.  The 
hardsliiijs  and  horrors  there  endured  cannot 


be  adequately  described.  Mr.  Bishop  was 
one  of  only  three  men  who  survived  the 
prison  experience.  Reuben  Bishop,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Montgom- 
ery county,  New  York,  but  was  reared  in 
Wayne  county,  that  state,  and  when  he  had 
arrived  at  years  of  maturity  he  married 
Sarah  Ann  Gardiner,  a  native  of  New  York. 
A  farmer  by  occupation,  he  followed  that 
pursuit  in  order  to  provide  for  his  family, 
carrying  on  the  work  of  agriculture 
throughout  his  business  career.  His  politi- 
cal support  was  given  the  Republican  party 
after  its  organization.  In  early  life  he  held 
membership  with  the  Baptist  church  but  sub- 
secpiently  became  identified  with  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  He  passed  away  in 
Havana,  Ohio,  in  February,  1875,  ^^  the 
age  of  sixty-four  years,  but  his  widow  is  still 
living  and  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  is  en- 
joying good  health.  This  worthy  couple 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  namely: 
Deloss,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war; 
Evaline,  deceased;  William-  H.,  also  a  Union 
soldier;  Alonzo  T.,  who  was  one  of  the  de- 
fenders of  the  Union  in  the  Civil  war  and 
had  a  son,  Alonzo  T.,  Jr.,  who  fought  for 
his  country  in  the  Spanish- American  war; 
Harriet  Malissa ;  Gardner  A. ;  Eugene  M. ; 
Reuben  C. ;  Sarah  D. ;  and  Charles  E. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  G. 
A.  Bishop  we  present  to  our.  readers  the  life 
record  of  one  who  is  well  and  favorably 
known  in  Rice  county.  He  was  reared  to 
the  work  of  the  farm  and  lessons  of  industiy 
and  honesty  were  early  instilled  into  his^ 
mind.  His  literary  training  was  received  ini 
the  public  schools.  When  a  yomig  man  he 
went  to  Peoria,  Illmois,  and  was  there  mar- 
ried in  187s  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Bishop,  who 
has  proved  to  him  a  faithful  companion  and 
helpmeet  on  the  journey  of  life.  She  was 
born  in  Wayne  county,  New  ^'nrk,  ,111,';  i.  a 
daughter  of  D.  C.  and  Mary  ,\iiii  (  Ak-ad^ 
Bishop,  the  former  a  native  of  Wayne  coun- 
ty and  the  latter  of  Ontario  county,  New 
York.  Her  father  followed  farming  and 
was  a  man  of  the  strictest  honesty  and  up- 
rightness, his  life  being  in  perfect  harmony 
with  his  professions  as  a  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  in  which    he   filled  the  office  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


deacon.  His'  wife  also  held  membership  in 
that  organization  and  both  commanded  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom  I 
they  were  associated.  The  father  died  in 
Peoria  county,  Illinois,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven  years,  and  the  mother  passed  away  in 
the  same  county,  when  sixty-four  years  of 
age.  Unto  them  were  born  nine  children: 
Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Bishop,  wife  of  our  subject; 
H.  H. ;  Helen  N. ;  Cynthia  Z. ;  Justin  Mead : 
one  who  died  in  infancy ;  De  Witt  C. ; 
W.  W. ;  and  the  youngest,  who  also  passed 
away  in  infancy. 

After  his  marriage  ]\Ir.  Bishop,  of  this 
review,  resided  for  a  time  in  Peoria  county, 
Illinois,  and  then  removed  to  Eaton  county, 
Miichigan,  where  he  carried  on  farming  in 
the  midst  of  the  forest,  developing  a  good 
property.  In  1882,  however  he  sold  that 
place  and  in  February  of  1883  he  came  to 
Rice  county,  Kansas,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  Here  he  began  farming  op- 
erations and  everything  went  along 
smoothly  until  May  6,  1889,  when  his  home 
was  blown  to  splinters  by  a  cyclone.  He  lost 
not  only  his  property  but  his  furniture  was 
also  destroyed,  together  with  many  souve- 
nirs and  keepsakes  which  he  valued  highly. 
One  of  his  sons  had  his  leg  broken  in  the 
storm.  With  characteristic  energy  ]\Ir. 
Bishop  erected  a  new  residence,  which  now 
stands  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  lawn 
adorned  with  vines  and  other  evergreen 
trees.  On  the  farm  is  a  fine  grove  and  a 
Ijearing  orchard.  The  timber  tract  com- 
prises thirty-five  acres  and  there  is  a  grove 
of  two  thousand  walnut  trees.  Barns  and 
outbuildings  afford  ample  shelter  for  grain 
and  -t.)ck,  and  the  farm,  comprising  three 
lii-.v'L-red  and  twenty  acres,  is  one  of  the  valu- 
aMe  and  attractive  country  seats  of  Rice 
■  cuunty. 

The  marriage  of  ;Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishop 
has  been  blessed  with  five  children :  INIilton 
B.,  who  was  born  in  Eaton  county,  miichi- 
gan, married  Miss  Cora  M.  Greenfield  and 
has  one  child,  Waneta  V. ;  Lillie,  the  wife  of 
H.  E.  Bishop,  of  Rice  county,  and  has  one 
child,  Lnrin  Estelle;  and  Adelbert  C.  the 
j'^ctuigest,  is  now  a  youth  of  thirteen  years. 
Tliev  also  lost  two  children  :    Luella  C.  and 


an  infant  daughter.  Mr.  Bishop  is  an  advo- 
cate of  the  Populist  party  and  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leaders  of  this  party  in  his 
locality.  His  fellow  townsmen,  recognizing 
his  worth  and  ability  have  frequently  called 
him  to  public  office.  He  has  filled  the  posi- 
tion of  township  clerk  and  trustee,  and  for 
the  third  term  he  is  sending  as  justice  of  the 
peace.  His  rulings  are  strictly  fair  and  im- 
partial and  thus  he  has  "won  golden  opin- 
ions from  all  sorts  of  people."  In  the  Chris- 
tian church  he  is  serving  as  elder,  and  his 
wife  and  youngest  son  and  daughter  also 
hold  membership  in  the  same  organization. 
Mr.  Bishop  is  fo-und  a  champion  of  the 
causes  of  temperance  and  religion  and  of 
every  movement  that  tends  to  uplift  human- 
ity and  promote  the  general  good.  His 
word  is  as  good  as  any  bond  that  was  ever 
solemnized  by  signature  or  seal,  and  both  in 
public  and  private  life  he  bears  an  unassail- 
able reputation. 


GEORGE  AVERY 


For  many  years  Reno  county  has  num- 
bered George  Avery  among  its  most  promi- 
nent and  progressive  citizens.  He  is  the 
founder  of  the  city  of  Avery,  which  was 
established  on  a  part  of  his  farm  on  the 
6th  of  March,  1885,  and  to  his  zeal  and  un- 
tiring efforts  Reno  cottnty  owes  much  of 
its  prosperity  and  advancement.  He  has 
earned  for  himself  an  enviable  reputation 
as  a  careful  man  of  business,  and  in  his 
dealings  he  is  known  for  his  prompt  and 
honorable  methods,  which  have  won  him 
the  deserved  and  unbounded  confidence  of 
his   fellow  men. 

A  native  of  the  Prairie  state,  Mr.  Avery 
was  born  in  Galesburg,  Knox  county, Illi- 
nois, on  the  9th  of  April.  1854.  He  traces 
his  ancestry  back  to  Christopher  Avery,  who 
with  his  only  son.  afterward  known  as  Cap- 
tain Joe  Avery,  came  to  the  United  States 
from  England  with  Governor  W'inthrop, 
landing  in  Salem,  Massachusetts,  in  1630. 
They  afterward  located  in  Groton,  Con- 
necticut, where  they  spent  their  remaining 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


475 


days.  Tlie  son  was  "born  about  1620.  The 
great-grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Abra- 
liam  Avery,  who  was  the  sixth  son  of  Cap- 
tain Thomas  Avery,  who  was  born  in  New 
London,  Connecticut,  in  1690.  The  grand- 
father, W'iHiam  Thomas  Avery,  was  also 
born  in  New  London,  on  the  igtb  of  Janu- 
ary, 1764,  and  died  on  the  loth  of  Novem- 
ber, 1820.  George  Avery,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  a  native  of  the'  Empire  state, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  New  Lebanon, 
December  2,  1802,  and  his  death  occurred 
in  Galesburg,  lUinois,  December  31,  1886. 
Li  Knoxvihe,  that  state,  in  1838,  he  was 
imited  in  marriage  to  Miss  Saraphena 
Princess  Mary  Phelps,  who  was  born  in 
Massachusetts.  They  became  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  six  of  whom'  grew  to 
years  of  maturity.  The  eldest,  Robert  H., 
was  born  January  7,  1840,  and  died  while 
on  a  trip  to  California,  in  1892,  leaving  a 
large  fortune  to  his  six  children.  He  was 
the  inventor  of  the  Avery  machine  and  was 
also  president  of  the  Avery  Manufacturing 
Co.,  until  his  death.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Sevent}^-sev- 
enth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  remain- 
ing in  the  service  for  three  years,  and 
during  that  time  he  was  incarcerated  in 
Andersonville  and  other  prisons  for  seven 
months.  The  second  of  the  family,  John 
Thomas  Avery,  was  born  on  the  25th  of 
December,  1841,  and  is  now  a  wealthy 
farmer  and  stock  dealer  of  Galesburg,  Illi- 
nois. Mary,  who  was  born  August  13,. 
1S44,  is  the  wife  of  William  R.  Butcher,  a 
native  of  England,  and  a  prominent  min- 
ister of  the  Congregational  church.  They 
now  have  five  children.  Cyrus  Minor,  born 
January  19,  1846,  is  president  of  the  Avery 
Manufacturing  Company,  of  Peoria,  IIH- 
nois.  Phebe  was  bom  on  the  21st  of  De- 
cember, 1848.  The  subject  of  this  review 
is  the  next  in  order  of  birth,  and  the 
youngest  child,  Frederick  Arthur,  was  born 
in  1857,  and  died  on  the  25th  of  Novem- 
ber, i860.  The  mother  of  this  family  was 
called  to  her  final  rest  December  21,  1891. 
After  coming  to  this  locality  Mr.  Avery  fol- 
lowed ranching,  becoming  a  prominent 
farmer,  and  his  large  red  barn  was  erected 


in  1894  from  cottonwood  timbers  which 
were  sawed  from  trees  planted  by  him. 
They  were  prominent  and  well-to-do  people 
and  were  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  them. 

George  Avery,  the  immediate  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  educated  in  an  academy  in 
Galesburg,  Knox  county,  Illinois.  On  the  5th 
of  April,  1881  at  Galesburg,  Illinois,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ada  Adell 
Wood,  who  was  born  in  Quincy,  Illinois,  on 
the  29th  of  January,  1856,  a  daughter  oi 
John  and  Emily  (Fish)  Wood.  Her  ma- 
ternal grandmother  was  a  member  of  the 
Morgan  family  and  was  a  native  of  Groton, 
Connecticut.  Mrs.  Wood  was  born  in  Ca- 
yuga county,  New  York,  October  12,  1816, 
and  was  married  on  the  14th  of  January, 
1833,  her  husband  being  a  native  of  the 
Empire  state.  They  afterward  removed  to 
Illinois,  locating  near  Quincy,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuts.  Their  un- 
ion was  blessed  with  eight  children,  only 
three  of  whom  grew  to  years  of  maturity, 
namely:  Ambrose  F.,  who  is  an  extensive 
stock  dealer  in  Missouri,  and  has  two  sons 
and  one  daughter;  Mary,  who  became  the 
wife  Mathias  Crum  and  died  in  Farmer 
City,  Illinois,  leaving  three  children ;  and 
Ada  Adell,  who  became  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject. She  was  educated  in  a  female  college 
at  Elmira,  New  York,  and  also  graduated 
from  a  commercial  college  on  the  7th  of 
March,  1878.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Avery 
have  been  born  the  following  children : 
George,  born  January  3,  1882,  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years;  Princess,  born  August  16, 
1883,  died' October  13,  1884;  Edith  Lu- 
ella,  born  March  16,  1885,  is  now  a  young 
lady  of  sixteen  years ;  Saraphena  Princess 
Mary,  was  born  April  21,  1887;  Phebe  Em- 
ily, was  born  August  20,  1888;  George,  was 
born  February  19,  1890;  and  Caspar  W., 
was  born  October  18,  1895.  Mrs.  Avery  is 
a  lady  of  culture  and  refinement,  and  since 
the  age  of  twenty-four  years  she  has  been 
a  successful  and  popular  teacher  of  instru- 
mental music.  During  the  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition  she  accompanied  the  Kan- 
sas Jubilee  Singers  to  Chicago. 

When    twentv-one    vears    of    age    Mr. 


476 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY, 


Avery  cast  his  lot  with  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  the  golden  west,  and  has  nobly  per- 
formed his  share  of  the  work  necessary  to 
produce  the  wonderful  change  which  has 
taken  place  in  this  favored  section.  In  the 
spring  of  1875  he  located  a  timber  claim  in 
Reno  county,  and  he  also  set  out  trees  for 
two  other  claims  for  his  father  and  brother. 
His  farm  is  located  on  section  10,  Walnut 
township,  and  on  a  portion  of  his  land  is 
located  the  beautiful  little  town  of  Avery, 
which  stands  as  a  monument  to  his  thrift 
and  industry.  He  is  now  serving  as  the 
postmaster  of  the  town,  having  held  that 
responsible  position  for  the  past  sixteen 
years.  His  political  support  is  given  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  he  keeps  well  informed 
on  the  issues  of  the  day,  thus  being  able 
to  give  an  intelligent  support  to  the  ques- 
tions which  come  up  for  consideration.  Al- 
though never  an  office  seeker,  he  has  a  num- 
ber of  times  serv^ed  as  a  delegate  to  state  con- 
ventions. Of  the  United  Brethren  church 
the  family  are  worthy  and  consistent  mem- 
bers. As  a  citizen  and  business  man  he 
stands  among  the  first  citizens  of  Reno  coun- 
ty, and  his  name  should  occupy  a  prominent 
place  on  the  pages  of  the  history  of  his 
adopted  state. 


GILBERT  H.  STONE. 

The  proprietor  of  one  of  the  fine  stock 
ranches  of  central  Kansas,  Gilbert  H.  Stone, 
maintains  his  residence  at  Nickerson  and 
from'  that  point  superintends  his  extensive 
business  interests,  in  which  he  is  meeting 
with  good  success.  He  was  born  in  Medina 
county,  Ohio,  August  30,  1845.  His  grand- 
father, William  A.  Stone,  removed  from 
Connecticut  to  Rochester,  New  York,  and 
thence  to  Ohio,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-nine  years.  He  wedded  Elizabeth 
Branch,  and  they  reared  three  sons  and  six 
daughters,  but  all  are  now  deceased  with 
the  exception  of  Lucy  E.,  who  is  now  a 
widow  and  resides  in  Ohio,  aged  eighty 
years.  One  of  her  brothers,' William  B. 
Stone,  died  in  the  Buckeve  state  at  the  age 


of  ninety-one  years.  Orson  Stone,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  born  in" Connecti- 
cut, on  the  8th  of  August,  1809,  and  his 
death  occurred  in  Medina  county,  Ohio,  in 
1893.  When  three  years  of  age  he  was  ta- 
ken by  his  parents  to  Rochester,  New  York, 
and  in  1832  the  family  located  in  Ohio,  re- 
moving to  that  state  when  it  was  yet  a  wil- 
derness. He  was  there  married,  in  1842,  at 
the  age  of  thirty-eight  years,  to  Asenas 
Kim'ber,  a  native  of  New  York,  and  they 
had  three  children:  Gilbert  H.,  the  subject 
of  this  review;  William  A.  anl  Levi  A.  The 
second  son  was  born  in  1849  ^"d  was  a 
cabinet  maker  by  occupation.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Ohio,  in  1898,  and  he  is  survived 
by  his  wife  and  one  daughter.  The  youngs 
est  son  is  still  residing  in  the  Buckeye  state, 
and  is  engaged  in  farming  on  the  old  home- 
stead, which  at  the  father's  death  was  divid- 
ed between  the  three  sons.  He  is  married 
and  has  five  children. 

Gil1>ert  H.  Stone  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
place,  but  in  later  life  he  has  greatly  added 
to  his  knowledge  by  observation,  reading 
and  practical  experience.  When  the  trouble 
arose  between  the  north  and  the  south  his 
loyalty  to  his  country  asserted  itself  and  he 
valiantly  offered  his  services  to  the  Union 
cause,  but  on  account  of  his  youth  they  were 
rejected.  He  remained"  at  home  and  worked 
upon  the  old  farm,  of  which  he  had  charge 
until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  and 
he  also  farmed  a  portion  of  it  until  he 
reached  his  thirty-third  year.  In  1867  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Maranda 
J.  Patterson,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Patter- 
son, who  entered  the  war  of  181 2  at  the 
early  age  of  sixteen  years.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1848,  leaving  two  sons  and  six 
daughters.  His  wife  was  in  her  maidenhood 
]\Iiss  Rosanna  Mclntyre,  and  after  her  hus- 
band's death  she  was  again  married,  but 
had  no  children  by  her  second  union.  Her 
death  occurred  in  Ohio,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-six years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  have 
become  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely : 
Robert,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Mis- 
souri, is  married  and  has  three  children; 
Lillian  O.,  who  attended  school  at  Emporia 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


477 


and  also  the  Great  Bend  Xormal,  is  now  a 
successful  and  popular  teacher,  and  has  fol- 
lowed that  profession  in  Hutchinson  and  in 
the  district  schools ;  Walter  O.  is  engaged  in 
farming  operations;  Roy  H.,  who  for  three 
years  was  a  student  in  the  Nickerson  Xor- 
mal College,  is  now  in  the  shops  at  Akron, 
Ohio;  Clarence  A.,  who^  is  also  attending 
college,  is  a  youth  of  seventeen  years;  and 
Pearl  G.  is  a  young  lady  of  fifteen  years. 

In  the  year  1878  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Stone 
took  up  their  abode  in  Kansas,  first  locating 
on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  railroad 
land,  and  later  pre-empted  eighty  acres  in 
Huntsville  township.  In  1884  he  sold  that 
farm,  but  soon  afterward  bought  another, 
which  he  also  disp_osed  of,  and  in  ]\Iarch, 
1901,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Xickerson, 
where  he  now  owns  a  good  home  and  three 
blocks  of  land.  In  addition  to  his  city  prop- 
erty he  also  owns  eight}'  acres  west  of  Nick- 
erson and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Hayes  township,  where  he  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  raising  of  a  good  grade  of 
stock,  dealing  in  horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  He 
now  has  about  twenty-three  horses  and 
mules  on  his  place.  His  land  is  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  and  he  is  accounted 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  stock-raisers 
of  this  locality.  His  political  support  is 
given  the  Republican  party,  and  he  is  an  ac- 
tive and  efficient  worker  in  its  ranks,  believ- 
ing firmly  in  the  principles  set  forth  by  its 
platform.  Mr.  Stone  is  truly  a  self-made 
man,  and  as  the  architect  of  his  own  forr 
tunes  he  has  builded  wisely  and  well,  plac- 
ing his  confidence  in  those  reliable  qualities 
of  energy,  industry  and  honesty  which  in 
the  end  never  fail  to  bring  the  merited  re- 
ward. 


DAVID  BOYCE. 


David  Boyce,  who  followed  farming 
near  Sterling,  represented  a  family  widely 
and  favoralily  kmiwu  in  this  locality.  He 
was  linrn  in  Prelile  cnunty.  (;)hio.  near  Fair- 
haven,  liu  the  25th  of  January.  1826.  His 
father.  Robert  Boyce.  was  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,  born  in  a  fort,  on  the  2d  of  Aug- 


ust, 1776, — the  memorable  year  in  which 
the  nation  declared  its  indepeudence.  He 
became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Ohio  and  there 
spent  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occur- 
ring in  1847.  He  first  married  Miss  Mc- 
Gaw,  and  after  her  death,  wedded  Rachel 
Latti.  They  reared  five  of  their  seven  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  yet  living:  J.  L. 
Boyce,  who -is  upon  the  home  farm;  and 
Mary  J. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was  reared  in 
the  state  of  his  nativity  and  in  1858  went  to 
Iowa,  w'here  he  owned  and  operated  an 
eighty-acre  farm  near  Keokuk,  continuing 
its  cultivation)  until  1875,  when  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  purchased  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  school  land,  near  Sterling, 
for  three  dollars  and  a  half  per  acre.  He 
with  his  brother  and  sister  lived  in  Iowa  to- 
gether and  together  they  came  to  the  Sun- 
flower state.  His  brother  married  Mrs. 
Wolley,  a  widow,  but  they  had  no  children. 
The  brother,  the  sister-in-law  and  sister  all 
lived  together  as  one  family  and  the  relation 
between  them  was  one  of  utmost  harmony. 
The  brothers  carried  on  general  farming, 
raising  wheat  and  corn.  For  a  mnnber  of 
years  they  were  engaged  in  the  production 
of  broomcorn,  but  the  low  price  that  was 
paid'  for  that  product  led  them-  to  discon- 
tinue its  cultivation.  They  carried  on  farm- 
ing along  progressive  lines  and  the  richly 
cultivated  fields  of  the  homestead  of  our  sub- 
ject insured  him  a  gol(kn  reward  for  his 
care  and  labor.  He  su]i]H'rtcd  tlie  Repub- 
lican party,  as  does  also  his  Ijfdther,  casting' 
their  ballots  to  further  its  interests.  He  also 
belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Ster- 
ling and  was  deeply  interested  in  everything 
pertainir.g  to  the  welfare  and'  substantial 
progress  of  the  community.  Not  only  was 
he  numbered  among  the  early  settlers  of  this 
portion  of  the  state,  but  was  among  the 
worthv  and  highly  respected  citizens,  en- 
tirely free  from  ostentation,  and  his  conii- 
mendable  characteristics  won  for  him  the 
esteem  of  all  with  wdiom  he  was  associated. 
These  statements  also  hold  good  in  the  case 
of  his  brother,  with  whom  he  was  so  long 
and  intimately  associated,  having  had  a  home 
'  in  common,  as  he  never  married.  Mr.  Bovce 


478 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


was  summonedi  into  eternal  rest  on  the  13th 
of  November,  1901,  and  his  death  was  sin- 
cerely mourned  in  the  comraunit}-  where  he 
had  so  long  made  his  home  and  where  his 
sterhng  wortli  of  character  was  duly  appre- 
ciated. 


JOSEPH  McPEEK. 

The  influential  citizen  of  Kingman,  Kan- 
sas, whose  name  is  above  is  police  judge  of 
the  city  of  Kingman  and  ex-probate  judge 
of  Kingman  county.  His  residence  is  at 
Broadway  and  G  street,  Kingman,  and  he 
has  a  fine  farm  in  Dresden  township.  Judge 
McPeek  was  born  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio, 
August  28,  1837,  a  son  of  William  and  Re- 
becca (Bowers)  McPeek,  natives  of  that 
county.  Daniel  McPeek,  father  of  Rev. 
William  McPeek  and  grandfather  of  Joseph 
McPeek,  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  be- 
came a  pioneer  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  took  up  government  land.  He 
married  Lydia  Osborn,  a  native  of  the  state 
of  New  York.  His  son,  William  McPeek. 
became  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  church  and 
spent  forty-five  years  in  ministerial  work  in 
Washington,  Guernsey  and  Noble  counties, 
Ohio,  living  most  of  the  time  in  Noble  coun- 
ty, where  he  died  in  January,  1901.  In  pol- 
itics he  was  a  Democrat.  '  His  wife,  who 
died  in  1885,  bore  him  seven  children :  Elias, 
a  farmer  in  Hardin  county,  Ohio;  Eli,  a 
farmer  in  Noble  county,  Ohio;  Allen,  a 
farmer  and  millwright  and  lives  in  Wood 
county.  West  Virginia ;  Joseph,  the  immedi- 
ate subject  of  this  sketch ;  Philip,  who  died 
in  West  Virginia,  where  he  foimded  a  home 
and  left  a  family ;  Jane,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years;  Mary,  the  deceased  wife 
of  William  Springer,  of  Noble  county,  Ohio. 

Judge  Joseph  McPeek  was  carefully 
reared  by  his  father,  the  Rev.  William  Mc- 
Peek, who  owned  a  good  farm  in  Ohio  and 
who  afforded  the  boy  a  good  common-school 
education  which  he  supplemented  personally 
by  systematic  instruction.  He  early  devel- 
oped a  taste  and  talent  for  music  and  gave 
much  attention  to  musical  study  and  at  the' 
age  of  twenty-one  began  teaching  vocal  mu- 
sic during  the  winter  months  and  continued 


to  work  on  the  farm  during  the  remainder 
of  the  year.  Eventually  he  secured  a  small 
farm  of  forty-five  acres,  which  was  his  home 
until  he  removed  to  Kansas  in  September, 
1878,  and  filed  a  claim  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  34,  Dresden  township, 
Kingman  county,  which  he  improved  and 
still  owns  and  which  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  finest  farms  in  the  Ninnescah  valley.  His 
first  residence  was  a  two-room  sod  house, 
covering  a  ground  space  of  fourteen  by 
twenty-six  feet  and  which  had  a  roof  of 
brush  and  slough  grass  covered  over  with 
dirt.  In  that  little  house  he  lived  about  ten 
years,  devoting  himself  to  gene'ral  farming 
and  stock-raising.  It  should  be  stated  that 
he  was  one  of  the  first  in  his  vicinity  to  un- 
dertake horticulture  on  an  extended  scale. 
In  1S88  his  fine  young  orchard  of  thirty 
acres,  just  becoming  fruitful,  was  destroyed 
by  a  cyclone  and  hailstorm,  the  trees  being 
literally  stripped  of  bark  and  foliage.  He  at 
once  planted  an  orchard  of  four  acres,  in 
which  he  has  a  carefully  chosen  variety  of 
fruits,  which  the  moist  bottom  land  of  the 
valley  brings  to  perfection.  This  orchard, 
though  small,  is  considered  one  of  the  best 
in  the  county.  He  gave  much  attention  to 
grading  stock  and  still  keeps  on  his  farm 
about  fifty  head  of  high  grade  short-horn 
cattle. 

Judge  McPeek  lived  on  his  farm  until 
1894,  when  he  was  elected  probate  judge  of 
Kinginan  county,  to  which  he  was  re-elected 
in  1896  and  thus  has  served  two  full  terms. 
He  was  elected  to  his  present  office,  that  of 
police  judge  of  the  city  of  Kingman,  in 
1899.  Since  entering  upon  his  official  career 
he  has  divided  his  time  between  his  ofiice  and 
his  farm,  which  is  under  the  supervision  of 
his  son,  W.  S.  McPeek,  and  which  is  one  of 
the  best  in  the  county,  consisting  of  fertile 
bottom  land  and  equipped  with  every  mod- 
ern improvement,  including  a  fourteen  by 
twenty-eight  foot,  two-story  residence,  a 
sixteen  by  twenty-eight  foot  barn,  ample 
corn  cribs,  granaries  and  sheds,  while  a  good 
living  spring  of  water  adds  to  its  value  as  a 
stock  farm.  The  whole  place  is  well  fenced 
and  is  divided  into  fields  of  meadow,  pasture 
and  tilled  land. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


During  his  twenty-three  years"  residence 
in  Kingman  county  Judge  McPeek  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  its  growth  and 
development  and  has  taken  an  important 
part  in  its  social,  moral  and  religious  prog- 
ress. While  living  on  his  farm  he  served  two 
terms  as  trustee  of  Dresden  township  and 
two  terms  as  township  treasurer  and'  assisted 
in  the  organization  of  school  district  No.  26, 
in  which  he  was  one  of  the  first  directors, 
ser\'ing  in  that  capacity  until  he  removed  to 
Kingman.  He  was  one  of  the  incorporators 
and  was  vice-president  and  treasurer  of  the 
town  company  that  platted  the  town  of  Cun- 
ningham. He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote 
for  Abraham  Lincoln  and  acted  consistently 
with  the  Republican  party  until  1892,  when 
he  joined  the  reform  movement,  since  which 
time  he  has  supported  the  Populist  ticket.  A 
life-long  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  he 
has  filled  the  office  of  deacon  for  thirty-five 
years,  and  as  a  member  of  the  First  Baptist 
church  of  Kingman  he  is  especially  promi- 
nent in  the  religfous  work  of  the  town  and 
has  long  taken  a  leading  part  in  Sunday- 
school  work.  For  twenty  years  of  his  life 
he  has  been  a  Sunday-school  superintendent 
and  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Union  Baptist  church  at  Maud  schoolhouse 
in  district  No.  25. 

Judge  McPeek,  who  is  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war,  is  a  member  of  Kingman  Post, 
No.  263,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  in 
which  he  has  filled  most  of  the  chairs  and 
which  he  has  served  several  times  in  the 
office  of  chaplain.  He  enlisted  in  August, 
1862,  in  Company  K,  Ninety-second  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
as  corporal  until  March,  1865,  when  he  was 
discharged  for  disability,  after  nearly  three 
years'  continuous  experience  of  war  in  the 
southern  states.  After  taking  part  in  a  pre- 
liminary campaign  he  participated  in  the  sec- 
ond fight  at  Fort  Donelson.  From  there  his 
regiment  made  its  way  up  the  Cumberland 
valley  to  Nashville  and  from  there  to  Car- 
thage, skirmishing  all  the  w^ay.  From  Car- 
thage it  went  to  Murfreesboro  and  took  part 
in  a  lively  fight  near  that  place.  After  that 
it  participated  in  the  pursuit  of  Bragg,  and 
after  a  fight  at  Hoover's  Gap  went  southeast 


toward  Chickamauga  and  participated  in  six 
days'  heavy  skirmishing  before  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga.  After  that  the  regiment  was 
stationed  at  Chattanooga,  where  Judge  Mc- 
Peek saw  three  months  of  guard  duty  and 
took  part  in  occasional  irregular  engage- 
ments. At  ]\Iiss!Mnary  Ridge  he  received  a 
musket  ball  in  lii-  -i<k',  and  after  being  in 
hospital  twelve  da}s  at  lluzzard  Roost  and 
Ringgold  he  was  sent  home  on  a  thirty  days' 
sick  furlough.  At  the  expiration  of  his  fur- 
lough he  promptly  started  for  the  seat  of 
war  and  had  proceeded  as  far  as  Nashville 
when  he  was  stopped  by  a  surgeon  as  unfit 
for  duty  and'  sent  to  a  hospital  at  Louisville, 
Kentucky.  From  there  he  w^ent  to  Camp 
Dennison,  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  for 
a  time  he  did  such  light  duty  as  came  within 
his  physical  ability.  He  was*  at  Atlanta  with 
Sherman  and  his  regiment  followed  that 
great  general  in  his  historic  march  to  the 
sea,  but  he  was  unable  to  take  part  in  tliat 
movement  and  was  finally  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Camp  Dennison  at  the  date  men- 
tioned. 

April  8,  1858,  Judge  McPeek  married, 
in  Monroe  county,  Ohio,  Miss  Jane  Gard- 
ner, daughter  of  Samuel  and'  Amelia 
(Jones)  Gardner,  who  was  born  in  Belmont, 
county.  Ohio,  June  9,  1834.  Mrs.  ?vIcPeek"s 
parents  were  natives  of  Virginia  and  they 
settled  in  Ohio  at  an  early  day.  Joseph  and 
Jane  (Gardner)  McPeek  have  had  seven 
children,  the  following  information  concern- 
ing whom  will  be  of  interest  in  this  connec- 
tion: Louisa  is  the  wife  of  James  Vermil- 
lion, a  farmer,  who  lives  in  Rural  township; 
Isaphene  married  Charles  Cooley,  of  Dres- 
den township;  Andrew  F.  is  an  officer  in  the 
state  reformatory  at  Hutchinson,  Kansas; 
Samuel  lives  on  his  father's  home  farm ; 
Mary  is  the  wife  of  William  Cooley.  of 
Dresden  township;  Viola  married  Robert 
Gates,  who  is  a  hardware  merchant  at 
Kingman;  Bessie,  who  is  a  member  of  her 
parents'  household,  is  a  graduate  of  the  high 
school  of  Kingman,  and  is  now  a  clerk  in  a 
leading  store  in  the  town. 

Judge  McPeek  is  a  progressive,  up-to- 
date  man  who  is  popular  because  he  is  use- 
ful and  agreeable  and  w'ho  bends  his  energies 


48o 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


to  the  advancement  of  the  public  good  be- 
,cause  he  has  a  heartfelt  interest  in  the  people 
at  large  and  wants  to  see  all  of  them  prosper 
in  every  legitimate  way.  In  business  and 
public  affairs  of  importance  his  advice  is 
sought  and  it  is  followed  by  his  fellow  citi- 
zens with  full  confidence  because  it  has  been 
proven  good  in  many  emergencies.  He  is  a 
man  of  warm  and  ready  sympathies  and  has 
been  to  many  a  man  such  a  "friend  in  need" 
as  is  truly  a  "friend -indeed." 


JOHN    P.    WALKER. 

As  one  qf  the  sterling  oioneer  citizens  of 
Kingman  county  and  as  one  who  has  en- 
cotuitered  a  full  quota  of  the  vicissitudes 
which  marked  the  early  development  of  this 
section  of  the  state,  it  is  well  that  we  note 
in  detail  the  more  salient  features  in  the 
career  of  Mr.  Walker.  His  life  has  been 
one  of  indefatigable  industry'  and  inflexible 
integrity,  and  though  misfortune  has  not 
held  aloof  at  all  times,  he  has  been  persist- 
ent in  his  efforts,  has  bid  defiance  to  dis- 
couragement and  has  finally  won  success 
worthy  the  name,  being  one  of  the  substan- 
tial farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Rural 
township,  where  he  owns  five  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  fine  land  in  one  body  and 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  addition  to 
this,  his  estate  being  located  on  sections  19, 
20  and  29,  and  constituting  one  of  the  val- 
uable farm  proDerties  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Walker  comes  of  stanch  old  Ger- 
man lineag'e  and  is  himself  a  native  of  the 
old  Keystone  state,  having  been  born  in 
Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  28th 
of  June.  1848,  the  son  of  John  C.  and  Cath- 
erine (Snyder")  Walker,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany, 
of  which  great  empire  his  wife  likewise  was 
a  native.  John  C.  Walker  emigrated  from 
the  fatherland  to  America  when  twenty- 
four  years  of  age  and  located  in  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land,  to  which  he  subse- 
quently made  additions  until  he  had  a  good 
farm  property.     He  had  learned  the  cooper 


trade  in  his  native  land,  and  to  the  same  he 
devoted  his  attention  to  some  extent  after 
locating  in  Pennsvlvania.  There,  also,  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  and 
successfully  followed  these  lines  of  enter- 
prise there  until  1868,  when  he  disposed  of 
his  interests  and  removed  to  Franklin  coun- 
ty, Tennessee,  where  he  purchasd  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  After  his  sons  were  ar- 
rived at  years  of  maturity  he  assigned  to 
them  the  work  of  the  farm  and  removed 
to  Tullahoma,  Tennessee,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade  for  some  time.  Finally  he  ex- 
changed his  Tennessee  farm  for  a  tract  of 
land  in  Traverse  cotuitv,  Michigan,  to 
which  place  he  removed  and  there  passed 
the  residue  of  his  life,  though  he  died  in 
Missouri,  in  February,  1898,  while  there 
visiting  his  son,  David.  His  widow  still 
resides  in  Traverse  county,  Michigan. 
Christian  Walker,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  also  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  and 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Indiana  county, 
where  he  and  his  family  lived  for  a  number 
of  years.  Some  time  prior  to  his  death  he 
divided  his  estate  and  thereafter  he  lived 
with  his  children,  who  cared  for  him  dur- 
ing the  residue  of  his  life.  John  C.  and 
Catherine  \\^alker  became  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  namely:  John  P.,  the  im- 
mediate subject  of  this  sketch;  Christian  L., 
a  successful  farmer  of  Rural  township; 
George  M.,  a  resident  of  Texas;  Henry, 
who  died  in  earlv  manhood ;  Charles,  who 
resides  in  Texas;  Frederick,  who  resides 
on  the  homestead  in  IMichigan;  David  M., 
editor  and  publisher  of  the  Powersville  Rec- 
ord, at  Powersville,  Missouri ;  Anna,  who 
became  the  wife  of  L.  B.  Cornell,  died  in 
Michigan ;  and  Frank,  who  died  in  infancy. 
John  P.  Walker,  to  whom  this  sketch  is 
dedicated,  remained  at  the  parental  home 
until  he  had  attained  years  of  maturity,  and 
from  the  time  he  was  a  lad  of  nine  years 
he  assisted  his  father  in  the  hard  work  of 
brick-making,  and!  that  incidental  to  the  op- 
eration of  the  farm.  He  was  enabled  to 
attend  the  district  schools  during  the  short 
winter  terms,  and  thus  laid  the  foundation 
for  that  broader  education  which  was  to 
come  to  him  through  individual  application 


MR.   AND   MRS.    lOHN  P.   W.ALKER. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


and  association  with  t'ne  practical  affairs  of 
life  in  later  years.  He  gave  inception  to 
his  independent  career  in  1869,  when  he 
went  to  Arkansas,  and  began  working  for 
"wages  on  a  farm,  in  Prairie  county.  He 
remained  in  that  locality  about  two  years, 
and  in  July,  1871,  returned  to  Tennessee, 
where  he  assisted  his  brothers  in  the  erec- 
tion of  another  brick  kiln.  He  had  made 
arrangements  to  go  to  Illinois,  but  owing 
to  the  disaster  of  the  great  Chicago  fire 
he  was  led  to  change  his  plans.  During 
the  winter  he  attended  a  select  school,  and 
in  February,  1872,  he  started  for  the  west, 
proceeding  by  rail  to  Nashville  and  thence 
by  boat  to  St.  Louis.  About  thirty  miles 
cait  from  that  tity  he  secured  work  in  cut- 
ting cord-wood,  being  thus  employed  for 
several  weeks.  He  then  continued  his  west- 
ward journey,  arriving  in  Lawrence,  Kan- 
sas, on  the  8th  of  April,  1872.  There  he 
remained  two  months,  being  employed  in 
a  brick  yard  until  June,  when,  in  company 
with  two  other  Pennsvlvania  men  whom  he 
had  met.  he  started  for  the  Arkansas  val- 
lev,  which  was  at  that  time  attracting  much 
attention  and  numerous  settlers.  Upon  his 
arrival  in  this  section  of  Kansas  Mr. 
Walker  took  up  a  homestead  claim  in  Cas- 
tleton  township,  Reno  county,  the  same  be- 
ing located  ten  miles  south  of  Hutchison, 
wliich  was  tlien  a  hamlet  of  a  few  shanties, 
the  raih-(iad  having  but  recently  been  com- 
pleted to  this  point,  which  was  his  nearest 
postoftice  and  trading  place.  After  secur- 
ing his  claim  ^Ir.  Walker  became  identified 
with  the  construction  work  on  the  line  of 
the  Atchison,  To-peka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad, 
being  thus  engaged  until  October,  after 
which  he  made  his  home  w  itli  William  Wal- 
lace, who  founded  the  tnwn  <<i  Castleton. 
In  October,  1872,  having  built  a  small  box- 
house  on  his  place,  Mr.  Walker  proceeded  to 
break  some  of  his  land,  and  from  that  time 
forward  gave  his  attention  to  placing  the 
same  under  cultivation  and  making  such 
improvements  as  were  possible.  He  also 
did  teaming  and  other  work,  in  the  employ 
of  other  settlers,  and  was  thus  enabled  to 
add  somewhat  to  his  resources.  His  first 
team  was  a  yoke  of  oxen,  which  he  pur- 


chased in  the  spring  of  1874,  having  se- 
cured the  requisite  money  by  working  in 
the  harvest  fields  in  Chase  county.  He  also 
bought  some  seed  wheat  and  put  in  three 
acres  ini  1873.  In  May  this  crop  was  cut  down 
by  hail,  but  it  again  sprang  up  sufificiently  so 
that  it  could  be  cut. with  a  scythe,  and  the 
dim'inutive  crop  was  hauled  by  Mr.  Walker 
a  distance  of  some  two  and  one-half  miles 
in  order  to  have  it  threshed,  the  yield  being 
only  ten  bushels.  This  he  took  back  to  his 
farm  and  utilized  for  seed.  In  1874  Mr. 
Walker  put  in  about  eight  acres  of  wheat, 
and  this  likewise  was  cut  down  by  hail,  but 
revived  and  matured  before  the  grasshop- 
pers and  drouth  came  to  complete  its  final 
destruction.  After  tlue  hail  storm,  how- 
ever, our  subject  traded  his  wheat  field  for 
a  heifer  and  hve  dollars  in  cash,  being  well 
satisfied  \\ith  his  bargain,  as  was  also  the 
second  party  in  the  case,  who  managed  to 
secure  a  fair  crop.  In  the  fall,  after  the  grass- 
hoppers had  devastated  the  country,  Mr. 
Walker  went  to  the  Indian  Territory,  where 
he  was  employed  until  March,  1875,  when 
he  purchased  a  ponv  and  shotgun,  and  with 
this  equipment  returned  to  his  farm.  In 
the  spring  of  1875  he  purchased  ox  teams 
and  engaged  in  breaking  orairie  for  others, 
this  venture  proving  quite  profitable,  and 
in  1876  he  became  associated  with  Messrs. 
McQuaid  and  Staley  in  the  purchase  and 
operation  of  the  second  steam  threshing  out- 
fit brought  into  the  county,  the  equipment 
being  first-class  in  every  respect.  This  in- 
vestment, however,  proved  unprofitable,  as 
the  wheat  crop  was  not  sufificiently  large  to 
yield  proper  returns  for  the  operation  of 
the  machine.  The  owners  were  unable  to 
make  payments  on  their  outfit  and  Mr. 
Walker  was  compelled  to  mortgage  his 
farm  to  relieve  his  securities,  the  result 
being  that  he  lost  his  claim  and  was  left 
without  a  dollar,  the  misfortune  being  ag- 
gravated by  the  fact  that  he  had  but  recently 
assumed  a  responsibility  of  noteworthy  or- 
der, since,  on  the  17th  of  September,  1878, 
at  Castleton,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Mary  Hayes,  who  was  born  in  Bel- 
fast, Ireland,  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Margaret     (Bovland)     Hayes,    of    Scotch- 


482 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Irish  lineage.  Mr.  Hayes  emigrated  with 
his  family  to  America  in  1874  and  located 
in  Castleton  township,  Reno  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  he  still  resides,  being  an  exten- 
sive land  holder  and  one  of  the  representa- 
tive men  of  his  community.  His  first  wife 
died  in  1875,  their  union  having  been 
blessed  with  eight  children,  of  whom  six 
grew  to  maturity,  while  five  are  living  at 
the  present  time.  Of  them  we  enter  brief 
record,  as  follows:  Marv  is  the  wife  of 
our  subject;  Joseph  is  deceased;  Thomas  is 
the  owner  of  a  large  ranch  in  the  vicinity  of 
Spokane.  Washington;  William,  Jr.,  is  a 
farmer  nf  Castleton  township,  Reno  coun- 
ty; Jennie  is  the  wife  of  M.  E.  Bane,  of 
Hoosier  townshi]).  Kinginan  county ;  Mar- 
garet resides  in  the  home  of  her  brother, 
\\'illiam;  and  two  children  died  in  infancy, 
prior  to  the  emigration  to  the  United  States. 
After  thus  giving  up  his  farm  in  Reno 
county  Mr.  Walker  continued  to  reside  on 
the  place  for  one  year,  and  thereafter  rented 
other  land  in  that  county  until  1884,  when 
he  came  to  Kingman  county  and  entered 
'claim  to  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixtv 
acres,  the  same  being  a  portion  of  his  pres- 
ent fine  estate,  and  thus  he  ag^in  became 
a  land  owner.  His  first  residence  here  was 
a  box  house  twelve  feet  square,  with  a  cel- 
lar, and  an  addition  to  the  same  was  made 
in  the  second  year,  while  his  present  com- 
modious and  attractive  farm  dwelling  was 
erected  in  March,  1899,  his  former  resi- 
dence having  been  burned  in  February  of 
that  year.  He  has  made  several  additions 
to  his  original  claim,  being  now  the  owner 
of  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  the  greater 
nortion  of  which  is  under  fence,  while  two 
hundred  acres  are  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation, the  entire  place  giving  evidence  of 
the  prosperitv  which  has  attended  the  well 
directed  efforts  of  the  owner.  In  addition 
to  his  agricultural  enterprise,  Mr.  Walker 
also  devotes  considerable  attention  to  the 
raising  of  cattle  and  hogs,  keeping  an  aver- 
age of  about  one  hundred  and  fiftv  head  of 
the  former  and  about  an  equal  number  of 
the  latter,  while  he  has  shown  marked  judg- 
ment in  the  selection  and  the  breeding  of 
the  best  types. 


In  politics  Mr.  Walker  originally  aflnli- 
ated  with  the  Republican  party,  but  now 
maintains  an  independent  attitude,  support- 
ing the  People's  party  in  many  instances 
and  giving  his  influence  to  men  and  meas- 
ures rather  than  submitting  to  strict  party 
dictation.  While  a  resident  of  Reno  county 
he  served  in  the  oiifices  of  township  clerk 
and  treasurer,  while  he  has  also  served  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace 
in  1899,  but  resigned  the  position,  feeling 
that  he  could  not  devote  proper  attention 
to  the  duties  involved.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  prominent  and  valued  members  of  the 
Lawndale  ^Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in 
which  he  has  served  as  class  leader,  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  diretcors  and  as 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  in 
which  last  Mrs.  Walker  has  been  a  popular 
and  devoted  teacher. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  have  been  born 
ten  children,  namelv :  Anna,  who  is  a  suc- 
cessful teacher  in  the  public  schools  of 
Kingman  county;  Edna  and  George,  at 
home;  Jennie,  now  a  student  in  Winfield 
College;  and  Walter,  Luther,  Ruth,  Flor- 
ence, Paul  and  Gladys,  all  of  whom  remain 
beneath   the  parental  roof. 


WILLIA^I  H.  WATERMAN,  M.  D. 

^^'illiam  H.  \\'aterman  has  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  won  that  prominence 
that  can  be  attained^  only  when  l3ased  upon 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  principles 
of  medical  science  and  a  correct  application 
of  these  to  the  needs  of  the  patients.  He  is 
a  young  man,  but  his  reputation  classes  him 
among  medical  practitioners  many  years  his 
senior.  He  was  born  in  Morgan  county, 
Ohio.  January  7,  1852,  and  his  father,  A. 
M.  Watennan,  was  likewise  a  native  of 
Ohio.  His  grandfather,  Flavius  Waterman, 
was  born  in  New  York,  in  1800,  and  re- 
moved to  the  Buckeye  state  when  it  was  a 
western  frontier  district,  the  work  of  prog- 
ress and  civilization  being  scarcely  begun 
within  its  borders.     He  built  a  log  house 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


483 


and  cleared  a  farm  in  the  midst  of  the  for- 
est. He  was  married  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
nntO'  him  were  born  seven  children,  of  whom 
W.  M.  Waterman  was  the  second  in  order 
of  birth.    The  family  is  of- Scotch  lineage. 

The  Doctor's  father  was  reared  in  Ohio 
and^  pursued  his  education  in  a  log  school- 
house.  When  a  young  man  he  left  the  home 
place,  starting  out  to  make  his  own  way  in 
the  world  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  to  discover  oil  in  Ashland 
county,  in  the  Buck  Run  district,  and  did 
some  work  in  prospecting  there.  In  1861  he 
removed  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Fayette  coun- 
ty, near  Vandalia,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1871  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Kansas  and  secured  a  tract  of  government 
land  one  mile  south  of  Wilson.  This  was 
raw  prairie,  on  which  not  a  furrow  had  been 
turned  or  an  improvement  made.  He  broke 
it  with  ox  teams  and  horses  and  improved  a 
large  and  valuable  farm.  After  ten  years, 
however,  he  removed  to  Colorado,  hoping 
thereby  to  benefit  his  health,  and  engaged  in 
in  mining  in  Gunnison  county,  where  he  is 
still  located.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Dem- 
ocrat, and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church.  In  the  Buckeye  state  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Hannah  Miller,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  name- 
ly: William  H.;  Ella,  now  Mrs.  Dodge,  of 
Colorado;  M.  R.,  who  is  engaged  in  mining 
in  that  state;  Lena,  the  wife  of  H.  S.  Roe, 
superintendent  of  the  Courtland  Mining 
Company;  Mrs.  Ada  Townsend,  whose  hus- 
band is  also  interested  in  mining;  Isadora; 
and  Charles  F.,  who  follows  mining-  at  Salt 
Lake  City. 

The  Doctor  began  his  literary  education 
in  the  district  schools  and  pursued  his  pro- 
fessional course  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  in  Keokuk,  Iowa.  He  then 
returned  to  Kansas  and  began  practic- 
ing in  Wilson.  He  experienced  the  usual 
trials  and  difficulties  which  come  to  the 
new  practitioner,  but  success  eventually  at- 
tended his  efforts,  as  it  does  the  labors  of 
every  man  who  is  persistent  and  capable. 
He  now  has  a  large  and  lucrative  patronage, 
which  extends  to  Russell  and  Barton  coun- 


ties.     He  is  likewise  interested  in  mining 
in  Arkansas. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  1878,  the  Doctor 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  S.  Bain,  a 
daughter  of  John  Bain,  of  Morgan  county, 
Ohio.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  stalwart 
Republican.  He  is  one  of  the  honored  set- 
tlers of  Ellsworth  county,  having  been  an 
eye-witness  of  almost  its  entire  development, 
for  the  family  came  to  the  county  when  it 
was  a  frontier  settlement.  Herds  of  buf- 
falo roamed  over  the  prairies  and  the  family 
had  many  a  chase  to  keep  their  horses  and 
cattle  from  being  run  off  by  them.  On  a  cer- 
tain occasion  an  exceptionally  lare^e  buffalo 
which  they  shot  fell  over  a  cut  and  down  on 
the  railroad  track,  and  they  had  hard  work 
to  get  it  off  the  track  before  the  train  came. 
Wild  horses  were  also  seen  in  this  part  of 
Kansas.  Dr.  Waterman  relates  how  he  has 
seen  herds  of  buffalo  exteixling  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  see,  and'  among  them  would  be 
horses,  some  having  saddles  on.  The  greater 
part  of  the  land  was  not  }'et  claimed  and  in 
consequence  was  in  ils  primitive  condition. 
The  now  thriving  towns  and  \  illages  which 
indicate  the  progress  of  the  cuninuuiity  were 
unfounded  and  the  work  of  impr(i\-ement 
was  yet  in  the  future  when  Dr.  Waterman 
was  a  youth.  He  can  relate  many  interest- 
ing incidents  of  pioneer  days  here,  his  mem- 
OTv  forming  a  connecting  link  between  the 
primitive  past  and  the  progressive  present. 
In  this  community,  wdiere  he  was  reared,  he 
has  won  many  friends,  who  esteem  him 
highly,  by  reason  of  his  upright  life  as  well 
as  for  his  professional  skill. 


HARVEY  MORRIS. 


This  representative  agriculturist,  who 
owns  and  cultivates  a  well  improved  and 
valuable  farm  on  section  20,  Ninnescah 
township.  Kingman  county,  is  a  native  of 
Illin^li^.  his  birth  having  occurred  near  Roch- 
ester, TV-nria  county,  in  1853.  His  father, 
Xon.m  Mrirri-.  was  born  in  the  Empire 
state,  and  his  death  occurred  at  Ozark,  Mis- 


484 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


souri,  when  he  had  attained  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-one years.  He  was  reared  in  the  state 
of  his  nativity,  and  was  tliere  married  to 
Jane  Eliza  Bishop,  also  a  native  of  New 
York,  and  she  is  now  living  near  Independ- 
ence, Kansas.  Six  children  blessed  the  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ■Morris,  namely:  Lucretia, 
Sylvester,  Harvey,  Richard,  Etta  and  Alta. 

Harvey  Morris,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  remained  in  the  Prairie  state 
until  his  fifteenth  year,  when  he  removed  to 
Missouri,  and  in  that  comimonwealth  he 
made  his  home  for  the  following  ten  years. 
The  year  1878  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Kan- 
sas, and  his  first  purchase  of  land  here  con- 
sisted of  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  As  the  years  have  passed  by  and 
prosperity  has  attended  his  efforts  he  has 
been  enabled  to  add  to  his  landed  posses- 
sions until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  twO'  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres.  He  has  placed  his 
fields  under  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation, 
has  erected  all  the  necessary  farm  buildings, 
and  in  many  other  ways  has  added  to  the 
value  and  attractive  appearance  of  his  place 
until  it  is  now  one  of  the  desirable  homes  in 
the  locality. 

In  1882,  in  Linn  county.  INIissouri,  Mr. 
Morris  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
E.  Yoakum,  a  daughter  of  J.  P.  Yoakum, 
who  passed  away  in  death  in  Missouri  at  the 
age  of  seventy  years.  He  followed  the  till- 
ing of  the  soil  as  a  life  occupation  and  in  po- 
litical matters  was  a  stalwart  supporter  of 
Republican  principles.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  ser\-ed  as  a  member  of  the  IMissouri 
State  Militia,  in  which  he  rendered  efficient 
aid  to  his  country  in  her  time  of  need.  The 
mother  of  Mrs.  Morris  bore  the  maiden 
name  of  Mar\-  Pane  and  was  born  in  Mis- 
souri. She  is  now  living  at  Brookfield,  Linn 
county,  that  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yoakum 
became  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  nine 
of  whom  grew  to  years  of  maturity,  name- 
ly: George,  Maggie,  Lott,  Mary,  Colum- 
bus, Rhoda,  Martha  E.,  Jackson  and  Albert. 
The  latter  died  at  about  twenty-four  years 
of  age.  The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife 
has  been  blessed  with  nine  children,  six  sons 
and  three  daughters, — Dora.  Roy,  Norton, 
Joel,  Flora,  Goldie,  Leo,  Carl  and  an  infant 


not  yet  named.  In  political  matters  Mr. 
Morris  casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Populist  party,  and  for 
ai  number  of  years  he  served  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
worthy  and  acceptable  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  and  in  the  locality  where  they 
have  so  long  resided  they  are  loved  and  hon- 
ored for  their  manv  noble  characteristics. 


GEO.  L.  HAY. 


Geo.  L.  Hay,  whose  success  at  the  bar 
indicates  comprehensive  understanding  of 
legal  principles  and  careful  preparation  of 
cases,  and  who  is  now  serving  as  city  attor- 
ney of  Kingman,  was  born  in  Laporte  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  near  Union  Mills,  March  28, 
1863,  his  parents  being  Daniel  N.  and  Har- 
riet A.  (Case)  Hay,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Schoharie  county,  New  York.  The 
father  was  reared  to  farming  and  followed 
that  pursuit  in  the  Empire  state  until  the 
early  '50s,  when  he  emigrated  westward  to 
Indiana  and  secured  a  tract  of  timber  land. 
There  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  he  cleared 
his  fields  and  developed  a  good  farm.  The 
trees  were  cut  away  from  acre  after  acre, 
plowing  was  done  and  thus  gradually  nearly 
the  entire  tract  was  placed  under  cultivation. 
For  a  half  century  he  resided  upon  the  place 
and  for  forty  years  in  connection  with  gen- 
eral farming  he  engaged  in  raising  sheep. 
In  the  state  of  his  nativity  he  married  Har- 
riet A.  Case,  a  daughter  of  James  Case,  a 
resident  farmer  of  Schoharie  county.  New 
York,  who  served  there  as  justice  of  the 
peace  for  many  years  and  was  also  deputy 
sheriff. 

Geo.  L.  Hay,  the  fourth  of  their  ten  chil- 
dren and  the  only  one  living  in  Kansas,  for 
many  years  assisted  his  father  in  the  work 
of  the  home  farm  in  Indiana.  The  latter 
gave  his  political  support  to  the  \\h\g  party 
at  an  early  day  an9  when  the  Republican 
party  sprang  into  existence  joined  its  ranks. 
He  died  in  Indiana  October  17.  1899,  but 
his  wife  is  still  living  and  yet  makes  her 
home  in  the  Hoosier  state. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


485 


To  the  public  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood Geo.  L.  Hay  is  indebted  for  the  early 
education  privileges  which  he  enjoyed.  In 
order  to  gain  more  advanced  knowledge  he 
engaged  in  teaching  and  with  the  money 
thus  earned  paid  his  tuitiom  while  a  student 
in  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School  and 
Business  College,  at  Valparaiso,  that  state. 
He  pursued  his  studies  with  the  intention  of 
preparing  for  the  bar.  For  several  terms  he 
continued  teaching,  his  last  position  being 
as  principal  of  what  was  known  as  the  Union 
school,  being  attended  by  pupils  from'  both 
Union  Mills  and  Wellsboro,  Indiana.  At  the 
same  time  he  read  law,  and  after  coming  to 
Kingman  in  April,  1888,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  Since  that  time  he  has  devoted 
his  attention  almost  exclusively  to  his  pro^ 
fession  for  he  recognized  that  the  law  is  a 
jealous  mistress  and  will  receive  no  divided 
allegiance.  He  who  would  win  success  in 
law  practice  must  indeed  give  his  whole  time 
thereto,  studying  continually  in  order  to 
meet  the  ilitTerent  contingencies  that  arise, 
preparing  briefs  and  arguments,  citing  au- 
thorities and  lending  the  aid  of  oratOir}--  to  the 
logical  reasoning  and  sound  deductions 
which  ever  carry  weight  with  judge  and 
jury.  Mr.  Hay  practices  both  civil  and 
criminal  law  and  has  a  large  private  prac- 
tice, while  at  the  present  time  he  is  also 
discharging  the  duties  of  city  attorney, 
ha\  ing  been  twice  elected  to  the  posi- 
tion and  served  in  the  same  position  by  ap- 
pointment for  four  terms.  During  his  in- 
cumbency the  most  important  work  ever 
transacted  in  the  office  has  fallen  to  his  lot. 
The  bonded  indebtedness  fell  due,  the  mat- 
ter must  be  settled  and  in  the  discharge  of 
the  task  Mr.  Hay  manifested  a  superior  busi- 
ness and  legal  ability.  He  also  conducted 
the  suit  to  set  aside  the  franchise  of  the 
water  company  and  in-  both  of  these  cases 
he  was  successful.  During-  the  twelve  years 
of  his  practice  in  the  trial  court,  in  which 
time  four  different  judges  have  sat  upon  the 
bench,  in  but  one  of  his  cases  has  the  trial 
court  sustained  a  demurrer  to  his  petition,— 
certainly  a  creditable  record  and  one  which 
plainly  indicates  his  ability.  On  coming  to 
Kingman  he  located  his  office  in  the  First 


National  Bank  building  and  none  of  its  ten- 
ants have  been  so  long  here  as  he. 

On  the  8th  of  December,  1888,  Mr.  Hay 
was  married  to  Miss  Luetta  S.  White,  a 
daughter  of  Simeon  and  Louisa  White. 
Their  only  child  died  at  the  age  of  nine 
months  and  they  are  now  rearing  a  little 
nephew  who  was  left  motherless.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  home  property  in  Kingman  ]\Ir. 
Hay  owns  twelve  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
the  county.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
and  is  now  the  vice  president  of  the  tele- 
phone company  and  is  a  citizen  whose  inter- 
est in  the  welfare  of  Kingman  and  his 
adopted  state  is  deep  and  sincere.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  an  earnest  Republican  and  acted 
as  county  attorney  from  1894  until  1896. 
Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  is  one  of  the 
board  oi  managers  of  the  local  camp.  There 
are  man}'  sterling  qualities  in  his  character 
— the  determination  and  strong  intellectual- 
ity which  have  made  him  an  able  lawyer  j  the 
patriotic  devotion  that  renders  him  a  valued 
citizen;  the  promptness  and  fidelity  which 
have  gained  for  him  an  enviable  record  as  a 
public  official  and  the  kindness  and  geniality 
which  have  made  him  a  favorite  with  friends 
and  acquaintances. 


C.  C.  STAHL. 


O.  C.  Stahl  is  a  prominent,  enterprising 
and'  well  known  farmer  of  Rice  county,  re- 
siding in  Atlanta  township.  He  came  to 
this  locality  in  1884  and  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  of  Nelson  Reed. 
Later  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  Mrs.  Murphy  and  to-day  he  has  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  constituting  tlie 
Grove  Valley  farm,  one  of  the  finest  farming 
properties  in  this  portion  Oif  the  state. 

Mr.  Stahl  was  born  in  Wayne  county, 
Ohio,  January  7,  184S.  His  paternal  grand- 
parents were  Frederick  and  Catherine  (Kel- 
ler) Stahl,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  were  of  German  lineage. 
Their  son,  Anthony  Stahl,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was 


486 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


reared  in  Wayne  county,  Ohio.  He  married 
Sarah  Snyder,  whose  birth  6ccurred  in  the 
Keystone  state  and  who  was  a  daughter  of 
Jonathan  Snyder,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania 
and  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  of 
German  descent,  and  after  arriving  at  years 
of  maturity  he  married  a  Miss  Hoffman,  who 
was  likewise  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Mrs. 
Stahl  had  five  brothers  who  were  soldiers 
in  the  Civil  war,  namely:  John,  Joseph, 
Jonathan,  Daniel  and  Jacob.  All  wore  the 
blue  in  defense  of  the  Union,  and  after  loy- 
ally aiding  and  defending  the  old  flag  lived 
to  return  to  the  north.  The  parents  of  our 
subject  had  six  children,  namely:  Daniel, 
Mrs.  Maud  Dunmire,  Cornelia  C,  Cather- 
ine Ruby,  John  and  Sarah  Ellen.  The  par- 
ents both  died  in  Ohio,  where  the  father  had 
followed  farming  for  many  years,  and  his 
labors  were  ended  in  death  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty years.  In  politics  he  was  a  Douglas 
Democrat  and  both  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Her  death 
occurred  when  she  was  seventy-two  years  of 
age. 

C.  C.  Stahl,  whose  name  forms  the  cap- 
tion of  this  review,  was  reared  on  a  farm  in 
Knox  county,  where  he  was  trained  to  hab- 
its of  industry  and  ifitegrity.  He  acquired 
a  good  education  and  for  a  number  of  years 
was  a  successful  and  popular  teacher.  As  a 
companion  and  helpmate  for  the  journey  of 
life  he  chose  Miss  Olive  Leora  Horn,  the 
marriage  being  celebrated  in  Richland  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  in  1876.  She  was  born  in  Knox 
county,  Ohio,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Josiah 
Horn,  whose  birth  also  occurred  in  Knox 
county,  Ohio.  His  parents  were  Benjamin 
and  Anna  fPost)  Horn.  Josiah  and  Nancy 
Jane  Plorn  had  eight  children,  two  sons  and 
six  daughters,  namely:  Olive  L.,  now  Mrs. 
Stahl;  Mrs.  Sarah  Lodina  Wahlford,  of 
Harper  county,  Kansas;  Mrs.  Anna  Spayd^ 
of  Ohio  :  \\'illiam,  who  is  alsO'  living  in  that 
state:  ^Mrs.  Eunice  Cutnow,  of  Ohio;  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Stahl,  of  Ohio;  Mrs.  Mary  Stot- 
ler,  of  the  Buckeye  state;  and  Robert,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  ten  months.  The  father 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  He 
was  a  blacksmith  and  carpenter  who  pos- 
sessed excellent   mechanical   abilitv  and  he 


also  carried  on  farming.  His  wife,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-nine  years,  now  resides  in  Rich- 
land county,  Ohio.  She  is  a  meinber  of  the 
Evangelical  church,  as  was  alsoi  her  husband, 
and  the}-  have  ever  been  people  of  the  high- 
est respectability. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stahl 
resided  in  Ohio  until  1884,  when  they  came 
to  Rice  county,  Kansas,  and  took  up  their 
abode  upon  the  Grove  Valley  farm,  which 
place  obtained  its  name  from  the  splendid 
groves  here  seen.  The  farm  is  situated  at 
the  junction  of  two  railroads  and  is  one  of 
the  pleasant  country  places  in  this  portion  of 
the  county.  The  large  barn  is  thirty-si.x  by 
fifty-four  feet.  In  close  proximity  to  this 
are  good  sheds  and  feed  lots,  while  the  pas- 
tures are  green  with  rich  grasses.  The  fields 
are  well  cultivated  and  the  farm  is  splendidly 
adapted  for  the  production  of  grain  and  the 
raising  of  stock,  to  which  work  Mr.  Stahl 
is  devoting  his  energies. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  his  wife 
was  blessed  with  three  children:  William 
Walter,  now  twenty-one  years  of  age,  is  pur- 
suing a  five  years'  classical  course  m  Cooper 
College;  Ethel  Keturah,  now  eighteen  years 
of  age,  is  also'  a  student  in  Cooper  College ; 
and  Sarah  Jane  is  nine  years  old.  Mrs.  Stahl 
passed  away  in  death  April  9,  1901,  in  the 
faith  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of 
which  she  was  a  worthy  member  and  with 
which  Mr.  Stahl  is  also  connected.  He  is 
an  ardent  Republican,  inflexible  in  his  sup- 
port of  the  principles  of  the  party.  The 
cause  of  religion,  of  'temperance  and  moral- 
it)-  find  in  him  a  friend  and  earnest  worker. 


.       JESSE  AINSWORTH. 

Honored  and  respected  by  all,  there  is 
no  man  in  Lj^ons  who  occupies  a  more  en- 
viable position  than  Jesse  Ainsworth  in  in- 
dustrial and  financial  circles,  not  alone  on 
account  of  the  brilliant  success  which  he  has 
achie\'ed,  but  also  on  account  of  the  honor- 
able, straightforward  business  policy  he  has 
ever  followed.  He  possesses  untiring-  ener- 
gy,  is  quick  of  perception,  forms  his  plans 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


487 


readily  and  is  determined  in  their  execution,  ! 
and  his  close  applicatiisn  to  business  and  his  I 
excellent  management  have  brought  to  him 
the  high  degree  of  prosperity  which  is  to- 
day his.  He  is  now  superintendent  for  the 
Bevis  Rock  Salt  Company,  of  Lyons,  an  in- 
dustry which  has  made  this  city  known 
throughout  America. 

I\Ir.  Ainsworth  is  a  native  of  England, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  North  Stafford- 
shire, September  13,  1857.  He  represents  a 
^■ood  family  of  that  country.  They  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1876,  and  located  in 
Illinois.  His  father,  Samuel  Ainsworth,  is 
a  mining  superintendent  now  having  co-ntrol 
of  the  well  known  Taylorsville  mines,  of 
Illinois.  He  was  born,  reared  and  educated 
in  the  "merrie  isle."  and  in  his  nati\-e  county 
of  Staffordshire  he  wedded  ]\Iiss  ]\Iar\-  Ann 
Hall,  who  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  lo- 
cality, and  proved  to  her  husband  a  faithful 
companion  and  helpmate  on  the  journey  of 
life.  They  became  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, nine  of  whom,  three  sons  and  six 
daughters,  reached  years  of  maturity. 

Mr.  Ainsworth  of  this  review  acquired 
an  excellent  education  in  the  }ilechanics'  In- 
stitute, at  Hanley,  England,  where  he  be- 
came a  mining  engineer.  He  stood  well  in 
his  classes,  his  scholarship  indicating  his 
thoroughness  in  his  work.  Well  prepared 
for  the  practical  and  responsible  duties  of 
life,  he  then  put  aside  his  text-books  and  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  bade  adieu  to*  family, 
friends  and  native  land  and  sailed  for  the 
United  States,  believing  that  better  oppor- 
tunities were  afforded  to  young  men  in  the 
new  world  than  could  be  obtained  in  the 
older  countries  of  Europe,  where  competi- 
tion was  greater.  He  was  strong  and  hope- 
ful, had  an  accurate  knowledge  of  his  pro- 
fession and  was  possessed  of  a  laudable  am- 
bition. Good  health,  honestv  and  industry 
stood  him  instead  of  fortune  and  proved 
the  fonndation  upon  which  he  reared  the 
superstructure  of  his  present  prosperity. 
After  arriving  on  the  Atlantic  coast  he  made 
hi?  way  westward  and  secured  a  situation  in 
the  mines  in  Collinsville.  Illinois,  where  he 
remained  for  four  or  five  years.  He  then 
went  to  Colorado  and  was  engaged  in  min- 


ing at  Canyon  City  for  the  Colorado  Coal 
and  Iron  Company.  Later  he  returned  to 
Illinnis  and  entered  the  service  of  the  Leb- 
anon Coal  Company,  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected for  eigliteen  moinths.  He  next  went 
to  Smithboro,  Illinois,  where  he  sunk  a  shaft 
for  the  Smithboro  Coal  Company  and  re- 
mained in  charge  of  their  mining  interests 
for  a  period  of  eighteen  months.  On  the 
expiration  O'f  that  time  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Consolidated  Coal  Company,  of 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  with  mines  at  Richland 
and  White  Oak,  Illinois,  acting  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  company  for  four  years.  His 
advancement  had  been  steady,  continuous 
and  well  deserved,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
six  he  occupied  a  very  important  position, 
one  entailing  great  responsibility  as  well  as 
a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  mining  oper- 
ations. In  1890  Mr.  Ainsworth  came  to 
Lyons  as  superintendent  for  the  Bevis  Rock 
Salt  Company,  and  the  industry  of  which  he 
has  control  is  the  leading  one  in  Rice  coun- 
ty. The  business  was  established  in  1890 
and  the  plant  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  a 
quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars.  Employ- 
ment is  furnished  to  over  one  hundred  work- 
men, and  the  salt  which  is  mined  is  equal  in 
quality  to  any  produced  in  the  entire  world. 
This  has  made  Lyons  famous,  and  the  enter- 
prise has  proved  not  only  of  practical  benefit 
to  the  stockholders,  but  has  largely  promot- 
ed the  welfare,  prosperity  and  advancement 
of  the  community  in  which  it  is  located.  Mr. 
Ainsworth  is  well  qualified  for  his  position, 
having  a  thorough  understanding  of  mining 
and  the  great  scientific  principles  which  un- 
derlie the  work.  He  has  great  executive  and 
business  ability  and  is  capable  of  controlling 
the  eft'orts  of  those  under  him.  Kindness, 
amiability  and  courtesy  not  only  character- 
ize his  social  relations  but  are  a  marked 
feature  in  his  business  life,  and  the  humble 
employe  never  sees  a  trace  of  the  overbearing 
task-master  in  him.  In  addition  to  his  other 
business  relations  he  is  now  vice-president 
of  the  Lyons  National  Bank. 

;\rr.  Ainsworth  was  married  in  Casey- 
I  ville,  Illinois,  on  the  9th  of  October,  1883, 
I  to  Miss  Catherine  Jones,  a  lady  of  intelli- 
gence and  culture  and  a  daughter  of  Will- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


iam  L.  and  Mary  (Morgans)  Jones,  both'  of 
whom  camie  from  western  Wales.  The  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ains worth  has  been 
blessed  with  eight  children,  namely:  Ida, 
Samuel,  Jesse,  William,  Lydia,  Bessie,  Da- 
vid and  Alfred.  They  lost  one  child,  Lewis 
William,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years. 
Mr.  Ainsworth  was  reared  in  the  Episcopal 
faith,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  now  identified 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In 
Jiis  political  aihiiations  he  is  a  stalwart  Re- 
publican and  was  president  of  the  McKinley 
club  in  1896  and  1900.  He  does  all  in  his 
power  to  advance  the  growth  and  insure  the 
success  of  his  party  and  keeps  well  informed 
on  all  political  issues,  thus  being  able  to  sup^ 
port  his  position  by  intelligent  argument.  He 
is  a  prominent  and  valued  Mason,  having  at- 
tained the  Knight  Templar  degree  in  the 
York  Rite  and  the  thirty-second  degree  of 
the  Scottish  Rite,  being  a  member  of  Wich- 
ita Consistory.  In  manner  he  is  frank  and 
genial,  in  all  business  transactions  is  honor- 
able, straightforward  and  reliable,  and 
throughout  this  portion  of  Kansas  he  is 
known  as  one  of  the  popular  and  vaJued  cit- 
izens of  Lyons.  He  takes  an  active  interest 
in  everything  pertaining  to-  the  welfare  of 
the  community  and  his  devotion  to  the  public 
good  is  unquestioned  and  arises  from  a  sin- 
cere interest  in  his  fellow  men.  His  career 
has  ever  been  such  as  to  warrant  the  trust 
and  confidence  of  the  business  world,  for  he 
has  ever  conducted  all  transactions  on  the 
strictest  principles  of  honesty  and  integrity. 


WILLIAM  F.  HENDRY. 

William  F.  Hendry,  proprietor  and  edi- 
tor of  the  Nickerson  Argosy,  a  weekly  jour- 
nal, was  born  in  Meigs  county,  Ohio,  June 
II,  1842.  He  was  of  Scotch,  Irish  and 
English  lineage.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
Edward  Hendry,  was  born  in  the  old  coun- 
try, of  Scotch  ancestry,  and  after  coming  to 
America  settled  near  Knoxville,  east  Ten- 
nessee, where  he  died  at  a  ripe  old  age,  hav- 
mg  reared  eight  sons  and  three  daughters. 
One  of  his  sons,  Charles  E.,  was  an  able  and 


prominent  lawyer  of  Kokomo,  Indiana, 
where  he  died  about  1892.  He  was  also  the 
publisher  of  a  paper  during  the  Civil  war. 
Another  son.  Tames  I\I.,  was  an  attorney 
in  Lawrence,  Kansas,  where  he  went  in 
1856  and  was  in  Ouantrell's  raid,  in  which 
he  narrowly  escaped  death,  while  his  part- 
ner was  cruelly  murdered  by  the  despera- 
does. He  was  probate  iudge  of  Douglas 
county  twelve  years.  The  father  was  a 
slave  owner.  All  of  his  children  grew  to 
mature  years  and  some  settled  in  the  south, 
while  some  located  in  Ohio.  The  family 
in  i\merica,  especially  in  the  south,  are  all 
descended  through  this  line.  The  maternal 
grandfather  of  our  subject  was  John  Carr, 
a  prominent  planter  of  Virginia,  but  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland,  who  married  a  Miss  God- 
frey, a  native  of  England.  When  his  daugh- 
ter was  married  he  had  to  be  surety  for  his 
son-in-law  that  he  could  support  a  wife, 
which  was  the  requirements  of  the  law  in 
Virginia. 

Isaac  Newton  Hendry,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  spent  the  davs  of  his  childhood  and 
youth  under  the  parental  roof  and  in  1835, 
when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  married  Miss 
Louisa  Carr,  who  was  born  in  Virginia 
but  was  reared  in  old  "Tuckahoe,"  near 
Fairfax  Court  House,  and  was  only  fifteen 
years  of  age  at.  the  time  of  her  marriage. 
Their  miion  was  blessed  with  eleven  chil- 
dren, ten  of  whom  grew  to  years  of  ma- 
turity, seven  sons  and  three  diaughters,  and 
five  of  the  sons  were  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  war.  Sarah  Elizabeth  was 
a  very  successful  teacher  in  southern  Illi- 
nois. John  E.  served  three  years  in  the 
Sixteeiih  Illinois  Infantry,  in  the  ranks, 
and  was  lieutenant  in  the  Twenty-eighth' 
Illinois  Infantiy.  He  died  near  Brinkley, 
Arkansas,  September  6.  1891,  and  left  a 
wife  and  two  children.  Wilham  F.  is  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  James  M.  served 
as  sergeant  of  the  Eleventh  Kansas  Cavalry 
until  the  close  of  the  war  and  is  now  living 
in  Ibapah,  Utah.  Isaac  W.  served  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Ohio  Regi- 
ment during  the  Civil  war,  also  served  as 
clerk  of  the  district  court  and  deputy  sherifif, 
and  is  now  living  in  Kingman  county,  Kan- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


485> 


sas,  wliere  he  located  eighteen  years  ago. 
Charles  M.  served  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Eighty-seventh  Ohio  Infantry  and  is  now 
farming  in  Indiana.  Stephen  E.  died  un- 
married in  1876,  at  the  home  of  our  sub- 
ject in  Reno  county,  Kansas.  Ami  F.  is  a 
farmer  in  Bonham,  Texas.  Livonia  is  the 
widow  of  G.  A.  Dudley,  of  Salem,  Arkan- 
sas; and- Mrs.  Hettie  L.  James  is  living  in 
Sylvia,  Reno  countv,  Kansas.  The  mother 
of-  tliis  family  died  in  1872,  at  Carthage, 
Missouri,  and  the  father  died  on  the  loth 
of  May,  1876  at  the  home  of  William  F., 
in  Reno  county,  his  funeral  being  the  first 
Masonic  funeral  in  the  county. 

William  F.  Hendry,  whose  name  forms 
the  caption  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  to 
farm  life  and  from  early  boyhood  assisted  in 
all  the  labors  of  cultivating  the  fields  and 
harvesting  the  crops.  He  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  but  his  educational  advantages 
were  very  limited.  When  the  Civil  war 
was  inaugurated  he  enlisted  on  the  12th  of 
August,  1861,  in  Company  H,  of  the  Thir- 
ty-sixth Ohio  Regiment  and  served  in  the 
ranks  until  May,  1864.  He  was  only  in 
the  regimental  hospital  for  a  sin  iit  lime  and 
was  sent  home  to  die  of  hemorrhage  ni  the 
lungs,  but  instead,  his  health  improved  so 
that  he  was  alile.  in  August,  1865,  to  go  to 
Lawrence,  Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  In  the  spring  of  iSf>/  he  went 
to  Fort  Dodge  in  the  eniplo}-  of  the  gm-ern- 
nient,  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  fort, 
and  in  1868  he  served  in  the  same  capacity 
at  Fort  Supply  in  the  Indian  Territory. 
In  December,  1869,  he  returned  to  Law- 
rence. 

On  the  24th  of  February,  1870,  Mv. 
Hendry  was  married,  in  Ohio,  to  Miss  Ruth 
Rigg,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Matilda 
(Mitcher)  Rigg,  and  their  union  was 
blessed  with  two  children :  May,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  J.  W.  Thorp,  the  marriage 
taking  place  at  Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  and 
they  now  have  two-  sons ;  and  John  R.,  a 
very  manly  and  promising  youth  who  was 
stricken  with  lune  fever  and  died  in  1887, 
when  fifteen  years  of  age.  Our  subject 
and  his  wife  began  their  domestic  life  at 
Garnett,   Anderson   countv,    Kansas,   where 


in  1S72  he  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of 
land  and  engaged  in  farming,  after  locat- 
ing his  family  there  in  March,  1873.  I^ 
July,  1886,  he  purchased  the  Nickerson  Ar- 
gosy, a  weekly  journal,  at  a  sheriff's  sale^ 
and  in  August  the  firm  of  Hendry  & 
Humphrey  began  publishing  the  paper.  Orr, 
the  1st  of  January,  1896,  the  firm  dissolved,. 
Mr.  Humphrey  taking  the  paper,  which  he- 
conducted  until  1899,  when  Mr.  Hendry 
and  J.  L.  Magee,  of  Sterling,  bought  out 
Mr.  Humphrey.  Later  Mr.  Hendry  bought, 
out  Mr.  Magee's  interest  and  has  since  pub- 
lished the  paper  alone,  meeting  with  success-, 
in  the  undertaking.  The  paper  is  now  a^ 
six  column,  eight  page  quarto  weekly  and. 
is  the  leading  paper  in  the  county  outside: 
the  county  seat. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Hendry  is  connected' 
with  the  Odd  Fellows  society  and  has  takeii 
the  degrees  of  the  encampment  and  Rebekah 
lodge.  He  is  also  an  active  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  which  or- 
ganization he  served  as  the  assistant  adju- 
tant general  of  the  state  in  1887,  and  for 
six  or  seven  years  has  served  as  the  adju- 
tant of  Reno  Post,  No.  83,  being  also  com- 
mander for  one  year.  The  Grand  Army 
Hall  Association  o-f  Nickerson  was  formed 
in  1887,  and  Mr.  Hendry,  as  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers, was  made  secretary  and  manager 
of  the  hall  for  nine  years.  He  is  now  ser\"- 
ing  as  its  treasurer.  He  takes  an  active  iior- 
terest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the  pro- 
gress and  welfare  of  the  community  and.  is; 
one  of  the  trustees  of  Nickerson  Normall 
College,  which  position  he  has  held'  since 
its  organization  in  1898.  The  first  board  of 
trustees  comprised  the  following  gentlemen  r 
L.  C.  Brown,  W.  E.  Detter,  W.  F.  Hen- 
dry, J.  H.  Jackson,  E.  B.  Smith,  George 
Turbush  and  J.  A.  Wilson.  Mr.  Hendry- 
bought  a  lieautiful  residence  in  Nickerson,, 
Kansas,  in  1887,  in  which  he  was  very- 
happy  with  his  wife  and  children  until  i895„ 
when  the  wife  and  mother  was  called  to  her 
final  rest  on  the  17th  of  August.  She  was- 
born  on  the  fifteenth  of  November.  184^. 
She  was  a  noble,  Christian  woman,  a  faith- 
ful wife,  and  devoted  mother  and  the  fine 
memorial  of  her  published  by  her  husband' 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Ixit  faintly  represents  her  unselfish  and  use- 
ful life.  She  was  superintedent  of  the  Con- 
gregational Sunday-school,  a  member  of  the 
Woman's  Relief  Corps  and  the  Rebekah 
and  Eastern  Star  lodges  at  the  time  of  her 
death.  All  children  called  her  "Aunt  Ruth."" 
Mr.  Hendry  is  one  of  the  most  progressive 
and  enterprising  citizens  of  the  community 
in  which  he  makes  his  home  and  well  de- 
serves representation  in  this  volume. 


CHARLES  F.  TAYLOR. 

Charles  F.  Taylor  is  the  owner  of  a  very 
valuable  and  attractive  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  on  section  3,  Dale 
township,  Kingman  county.  jHe  is  pleas- 
antly and  conveniently  located  near  New 
Murdock  and  its  neat  and  thrifty  appear- 
ance indicates  the  careful  supervision  of  a 
progressive  owner.  Upon  this  farm  he  lo- 
cated in  1879  and  through  the  passing  years 
he  has  devoted  his  time  and  energy  to  its 
development  and  improvement,  with  the  re- 
sult that  he  has  nov;  one  of  the  most  desir- 
able country  places  in  this  portion  of  the 
state. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  born  in  Mason  county, 
Kentuckv,  May  9,  1853,  and  [s  a  son  of  John 
W.  and  Elizabeth  D.  (Knight)  Taylor,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
latter  of  the  Blue  Grass  state.  In  1861  the 
familv  removed  to  Chariton  coimty,  ^Nlis- 
souri.  where  they  maintained  their  residence 
until  1879,  wheu  they  came  to  Kingman 
cc  unty.  The  father  was~  a  mechanic  and  a 
sl-ioemaker  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  also 
followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  His 
life  was  at  all  times  in  harmony  with  his 
professions  as  a  member  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  served  as 
elder  for  many  years.  His  death  ciccurred 
■when  he  was  seventy-three  years  of  age,  but 
his  widow  still  survives  and  has  passed  the 
,  -seventy-seventh  milestone  on  life"s  journey. 
She  makes  her  home  with  her  son  Charles 
F..  and  is  still  well  preserved,  mentally  and 
-pbvsically.  This  worthy  couple  were  the 
■parents  of  fi\-e  children,  of  whom  three  are 


now  living,  as  follows :  Ashburn,  of  Chari- 
ton county,  Missouri;  Mary  C,  the  wife  of 
C.  C.  Stevenson  of  Galesburg  tov/nship ;  and 
Charles  F.  A  daughter  died  in  infancy,  and 
Clarence,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Kingman 
county,  passed  away  leaving  a  widow  and 
one  child. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of 
Charles  F.  Taylor  we  present  to  our  readers 
one  who  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in 
Kingman  county.  He  was  reared  in  Ken- 
tucky and  in  Chariton  county,  Missouri, 
where  he  early  became  familiar  with  farm 
work  and  at  the  same  time  lessons  of  indus^- 
try  and  honesty  were  instilled  into  his  mind 
by  the  family  fireside.  His  literary  educa- 
tion was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of 
the  two  states  mentioned,  but  as  his  school 
boy  days  fell  during  the  period  of  the  Civil 
war,  he  found  it  impossible  to  attend  as 
much  as  he  would  otherwise  have  done.  On 
starting  out  in  life  for  himself,  like  most 
other  young  men,  he  sought  a  companion 
and  helpmate  for  the  journey  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
C.  Willingham,  who  has  been  to  him  an  able 
companion.  She  was  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Chariton  county,  Missouri,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  George  Willingham,  who  is 
farmer  by  occupation.  At  the  time  of  the 
Civil  war  he  joined  the  Confederate  army 
and  his  death  occurred  in  Arkansas.  He 
held  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  and  was  a  man  of  many  sterling 
qualities.  His  wife.  Mrs.  Permelia  Willing- 
ham, is  now  living  in  Arkansas.  The  home 
of  Mr.  and  JNIrs.  Taylor  has  been  blessed 
with  eight  children,  namely:  Blanche  L.,  the 
wife  of  J.  S.  Endicott,  of  Waterloo.  Kansas ; 
W' alter  W. ;  Nellie  M. ;  Lewis  E. ;  Susie  B. ; 
Emmit:  Lizzie  and  Ruth  C,  but  the  last 
named  died  at  the  age  of  four  years. 

Mr.  Taylnr  c '"tinned  bis  residence  in 
Missouri  until  i87y.  when  he  came  to  King- 
man county,  where  he  has  since  lived,  his 
attention  being  given  toi  the  further  develop- 
ment of  his  farm  as  the  years  have  passed. 
It  is  supplied  with  all  modern  improvemients 
and  two  hundred  acres  is  under  cultivation. 
He  raises  both  grain  and  stock,  and  in  both 
hrancli'cs  of  his  business  is  meeting  with  cred- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


itable  success.  His  political  suppart  is  given 
the  Democracy,  and  he  capably  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Dale  township,  dis- 
charging his  duties  without  fear  or  favor. 
He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board  and  is  ever  found  on  the  side  of  pro- 
gress and  improvement  along  material,  edu- 
cational and  moral  lines.  He  is  now  a 
leader  in  tlie  Cumberland  Presibyterian 
church  of  Galesburg  township  and  is  an  ex- 
emplary memlier  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  principles  of  that  fra- 
ternity being  manifest  in  his  daily  life.  His 
career  shows  the  possibilities  that  lie  before 
young  men  of  determination  and  strong 
character,  and  his  example  should  serve  as 
a  source  of  encouragement  and  inspiration 
to  others. 


JOSEPH  W.  CALHOUN. 

Joseph  W.  Calhoun  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising young  agriculturists  of  Kingman 
county,  possessing  the  energy,  determina- 
tion and  sound  judgment  oi  his  ancestors. 
He  was  born  near  Sullivan,  Crawford  coun- 
ty, Missouri,  in  1874.  His  father  William 
Calhoun  was  a  member  o-f  a  prominent  Irish 
family  and  was  reared  in  Scotland.  When 
a  young  man  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
locating  in  Missouri,  and  he  was  there  mar- 
ried to  Elizabeth  Blair,  a  native  of  that  state, 
as  was  also  her  father.  In,  1883  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Calhoun  removed  from'  Missouri  to 
Vinita  township,  Kingman  county,  Kansas, 
where  they  improved  one  of  the  best  farms 
of  the  township.  He  was  called  to  his 
final  rest  while  a  resident  of  Wichita,  Kansas, 
when  he  liad  reached  the  good  old  age  of 
seventy-one  years.  He  was  a  Democrat  in  his 
political  views,  and  in  his  township  he  held 
a  number  of  local  offices,  while  for  many 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  school  board. 
His  social  relations  connected  him  with  the 
Masonic  fraternity.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Calhoun  were  born  nine  children,  namely': 
James.  Umphrey,  Joseph  W.,  John  W.,  Ed- 
ison, Martha  Andrews,  Mary,  Kate  and 
Willie.  The  last  named  died  when  j'oung. 
Three  of  the  sons,  Edison,  Umphrey  and 


John,  were  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits 
in  New  Murdock  for  a  number  of  years 

Joseph  W.  Calhoun,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  spent  his  youth  and  early 
manhood  on  his  parents'  farm,  where  he 
was  early  taught  lessons  of  industry  and 
honesty.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  excelleni  land, 
three  hundred  acres  of  which  is  under  a  fine 
state  of  cultivation,  and  his  place  is  improved 
with  modern  and  well  constructed  buildings. 
Everything  about  the  faruT  is  neat  in  its  ap- 
pearance and  shows  that  coaistant  care  and 
effort  on  his  part  is  made  to  keep  the  build- 
ings and  fences  in  good  repair  and  the  land 
under  effective  cultivation. 

When  twenty-four  years  of  age  Mr.  Cal- 
houn was  united  in  marriage  to  Flora  E. 
Warrell,  a  daughter  of  Mark  Warrell,  the 
history  of  whose  life  will  be  found  on  another 
page  of  this  volume.  On  the  12th  of  April, 
1899,  a  son,  Lloyd,  blessed  this  happy  union. 
In  his  social  relations  Mr.  Calhoun  is  con- 
nected with  the  Woodmen.  His  a  gentle- 
man of  excellent  education,  is  broad-minded 
and  patriotic  and  merits  the  genuine  regard 
which  everv  one  accords  him. 


TOHN  W.  WELLS. 


John  W.  Wells,  who  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising  on  sec- 
tion twenty-four.  Dale  township,  Kingman 
county,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  common- 
wealth' since  1879,  and  during  the  years 
which  have  since  come  and  gone  he  has  so 
lived  as  to  win  and  retain  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  all  with  whom  he  has  had  busi- 
ness or  social  intercourse.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  James  Wells,  was  a  native  of 
the  state  of  Kentucky,  but  after  reaching 
years  of  maturity  he  removed  to  Indiana,  and 
was  there  married  to  Sarah  J.  Walker.  Dur- 
ing the  struggle  for  American  independence 
his  grandfather  was  called  upon  tO'  lay  down 
his  life  on  the  altar  of  his  country,  having 
been  frozen  to  death  while  performing  guard 
duty.  His  son  Joseph  was  a  fanner  and  a 
Kentuckian  and  his  son,  James  Wells,  also 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


claimed  Kentucky  as  the  state  o-f  his  nativ- 
ity. He  was  married  to  Sarah  J.  Walker, 
and  she,  too,  was  a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass 
state.  Their  union  was  blessed  with  nine 
children, — Caroline,  jNIargaret,  Ellen,  John, 
Chimera,  Mary  J.,  Oliver  and  Sherman, 
twins,  and  Rebecca.  Three  of  the  number 
died  when  young.  After  their  marriage  the 
parents  removed  to  Osage  county,  Kansas, 
where  they  still  make  their  home.  The  fa- 
ther is  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  is  Re- 
publican in  his  political  views.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  loyally  responded  to  the  call 
of  his  countr}-,  entering  the  Fourteenth  In- 
diana Infantry,  also  the  Thirteenth  Indiana 
Cavalry,  and  during  his  military  career  he 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Mobile,  Antietam, 
Rich  Mountain,  and  many  of  the  other  hard- 
fought  engagements  of  the  war.  He  now 
holds  membership  relations  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  religiously  he  is 
a  member  of  the  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal 
church. 

John  W.  ^^'ells,  of  this  review,  is  a  native 
of  the  Hoosier  state,  his  birth  having  there 
occurred  in  Greene  county,  in  1855.  He  was 
there  reared  and  ediicated.  and  in  that  state 
he  made  his  home  until  his  ranoval  to  cen- 
tral Kansas,  which  event  occurred  in  1879. 
In  1883  he  came  to  Kingman  county  and  se- 
cured Osage  Indian  trust  land,  and  here  he 
has  ever  since  continued  to  reside.  He  now 
owns  a  fertile  and  well  cultivated  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  where  he 
is  extensively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  in  the  line  of  his  chosen  voca- 
tion he  is  meeting  witli  a  high  and  well 
merited  degree  of  success. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  Mr.  Wells 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Margaret  A. 
Workman,  a  member  of  a  prominent  old 
family  of  Indiana,  and  her  grandfather  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Josiah  and  Mary  A.  (Heaton) 
Workman,  the  former  of  whom  died  at  the 
early  age  of  twenty-nine  years,  but  is  still 
sui-vived  by  his  wife,  who  makes  her  home 
in  Indiana.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  have 
been  born  four  children.  The  eldest,  Har- 
\ey,  is  a  well  known  farmer  of  Kingman 
county.       He  married  Cozetta  Fitzgerald, 


and  they  have  have  one  daughter,  Lozella. 
The  second  son,  Herm,an,  is  a  prominent  and 
successful  teacher  of  this  county,  and  the 
two  youngest  children  are  Maud  and  Ches- 
ter, Mrs.  Wells  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church,  and  our  subject  holds  membership 
relations  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  gives  a  zealous  and  active  sup- 
port to  the  Republican  party,  and  is  a  pub- 
lic-spiritetl  and  representative  citizen,  inter- 
ested in  all  that  tends  to  uplift  and  benefit 
his  fellow  men. 


DAVID  HARBAUGH. 

David  Harbaugh  is  the  owner  of  a  fine 
farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
Galesburg  township,  Kingman  county.  He 
was  born  in  Fayette  coimty,  Pennsylvania, 
May  28,  1845,  s^d  is  a  son  of  David  Har- 
baugh, a  native  of  Somerset  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  grandson  of  Jacob  Har- 
baugh, also  a  native  of  the  same  county. 
The  Harbaughs  were  of  an  old  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch  family  that  for  two  hundred 
years  have  been  represented  in  American 
interests  and  noted  for  the  industry,  moral- 
ity and  determination  of  its  members,  who 
have  ever  been  honored  and  respected  peo- 
ple. David  Harbaugh  was  united  in  mar- 
riage tO'  Anna  Willson,  who  was  born  in 
Somerset  county  and  was  a  daughter  of 
W.  M.  W'illson,  who  was  likewise  a  native 
of  the  Keystone  state  and  was  of  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch  lineage.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Har- 
baugh became  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
namely:  William,  Washington.  George, 
Sarah,  Catherine,  Elizabeth,  James,  David, 
and  Samuel  and  Susie,  who  were  twins. 
The  family  Avere  well  represented  in  the 
Civil  war,  James  having  been  a  meinber  of 
the  Sixth  Pennsylvania  Heavy  Artillery. 
He  died  in  the  service,  offering  his  life  as 
a  ransom  for  the  Union.  The  father  died 
in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1871,  in 
the  seventy-first  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade  and  a  man  of  industry 
and  enterprise.  His  political  support  was 
given  to  the  Whig  party  in  early  life  and 
after  its  dissolution  he  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  Republican  party.    Both  he  and  his  wife 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


493 


were  consistent  Christian  people,  holding 
membership  in  tlie  Bai)tist  church.  Jtlrs. 
Harhaugh  (hed  in   i88r). 

The  suliject  of  this  review  was  reared 
upon  the  old  farm  in  Fayette  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  in  the  public  schools  acquired 
his  education.  In  early  life  he  engaged  in 
making  shingles,  but  when  the  Civil  war 
was  inaugurated  he  joined  the  Union  troops, 
in  August,  1864,  as  a  member  of  the  Sixtli 
Pennsyh'ania  Heavy  Artillery.  He  was 
then  but  nineteen  years  of  age,  but  his 
bravery  was  equal  to  that  of  many  a  veteran 
of  twice  his  years.  The  regiment  was  sta- 
tioned at  Washington,  D.  C,  in  defense  of 
the  capital,  and  in  August,  1885,  when  the 
war  was  over,  Mr.  Harbaugh  was  honor- 
ably discharged  and  returned  to  his  home 
in  I'ayette  county,  Pennsylvania. 

In  1867  h^  removed  tO'  Chariton  county, 
Missouri,  and  in  1873  he  was  married  tO' 
Susanna  Cox,  a  lady  of  intelligence,  who  has 
been  an  able  assistant  to  her  husband  in  his 
life  work.  She  was  born  in  Brown  county, 
Illinois,  and  is  a  daug'hter  of  WilliauT  Cox, 
a  native  1  >f  Kentucky,  now  deceased.  The 
home  of  Mr.  and  }ilrs.  Harliaugl:  has  been 
blessed  with  four  children:  Elva,  Lewis, 
Albert  and  Roy. 

In  1880  Mr.  Harbaugh  witli  his  family 
came  to  Kansas,  and  in  Galesburg  township, 
Kingman  county,  purchased  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land,  which  he  has 
transformed  intO'  a  valuable  farm,  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  acres  being  under  cultiva- 
tion, the  fields  annually  returning  to  him 
alxmdant  harvests.  Good  pastures  afiford 
excellent  feeding  grounds  for  his  stock,  an 
orchard  yields  its  fruits  in  season  and  every- 
thing about  the  place  is  in  excellent  con- 
dition, indicating"  the  careful  super\-ision  of 
a  progressive  owner.  'Mr.  Harbaugh  is  an 
invincible  adherent  of  Republican  belief  and 
never  fails  to  cast  his  ballot  for  the  men  and 
measures  of  the  party.  He  has  served  on 
the  township  board  of  supervisors,  for 
twelve  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  is  nmsi  faithful  and  prompt  in 
the  execution  of  lii>  pulilic  duties.  He  and 
his  wife  Iielong  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  take  an  acti\e    part    in    church 


and  Sunday-school  work.  He  has  ser\-ed  as 
trustee,  ci  intriljutes  liberally  to  the  cause  of 
Christianity  and  dues  all  in  his  power  for  its 
ad\'ancement.  In  the  years  of  his  residence 
in  Kingman  county  lie  has  made  many  warm 
friends,  for  his  life  has  been  one  of  industry 
and  uprightness  and  his  allegiance  tO'  all 
that  is  true  and  just  indicates  him  to  be  a 
man  of  high  moral  principles. 


FRED  B.  GORDENIER. 

Fred  B.  Gordenier,  who  since  the  spring 
of  1878  has  been  a  resident  of  Ellsworth 
county  and  is  now  one  of  the  enterprising 
farmers  and  stockmen  of  Sherman  township, 
his  home  being  un  sectiun  35.  was  born  in 
Henry  county,  Illinois,  in  ()cti'l)er,  1857. 
His  father,  Jacob  W.  Gordenier,  was  Imm  in 
Ulster  cpunty,  New  ^'ork.  XMvembor  30, 
1827,  and  was  a  son  of  Seth  Gordenier,  also 
a  native  of  the  Empire  state  and  an  agri- 
culturist by  occupation.  The  father  of  our 
subject  was  reared  in  the  state  of  his  nativ- 
ity and  beaame  a  contractor  and  builder. 
In  1855  he  removed  westward  to  Illinois  and 
was  identified  with  the  l)uilding  interests 
in  that  state  until  1885.  when  he  came  to 
Kansas.  Here  he  has  been  an  active  factor 
in  the  improvement  of  the  locality  in  which 
he  located.  He  has  erected  many  of  the  best 
buildings  here  and  under  contract  has  put 
up  many  fine  structures  in  Nebraska.  His 
warm  suppijrt  was  given  to  the  Republican 
party  and  his  firm  belief  in  its  principles 
leads  bim  to  take  an  acti\-e  interest  in  its 
work.  While  in  Illinois  he  served  as  collec- 
tor, but  has  never  been  a  politician  in  the 
sense  of  an  office  seeker.  Ere  he  left  the 
Empire  state  he  married  Miss  Harriet  Mid- 
daugh,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  Janu- 
ary 14,  1854.  UntOi  them  were  born  two 
children.  Fred  B.,  of  this  review,  and  Emma, 
who  died  in  childhood.  Tlie  father  attained 
the  age  of  seventy-two  years  and  passed 
away  in  January,  1900,  while  his  wife  died 
in  1899. 

Fred  B.  Gordenier,  the  only  surviving 
member  of  the  family,  pursued  his  educa- 


494 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


tion  in  the  public  schools  and  when  about 
fifteen  years  of  age  began  learning  the  car- 
penter's and  builder's  trade,  under  the  di- 
rection of  his  father,  with  whom  he 
worked  in  Illinois  until  he  came  to 
Kansas  in  1S7S.  To  some  extent  he 
had  engaged  in  feeding  hogs  in  the 
Prairie  state  and  decided  to  remove  to  a 
country  where  he  wordd  have  better  oppor- 
tunities to  engage  in  stock-raising  and 
where  there  was  more  to  do  in  the  building 
line.  Accordingly  he  came  to  Ellsworth 
county  and  purchased  a  quarter  section  of 
land  in  Shennan  township,  upon  which  he 
vet  resides.  It  was  then  a  tract  of  wild 
prairie  upon  which  not  a  furrow  had  been 
turned  or  an  improvement  made,  but  he 
broke  the  ground  with  oxen.  When  he 
came  here  he  had  a  team  of  horses  and  there 
was  but  one  other  team  then  kept  in  the  lo- 
cality. He  purchased  the  lumber  and  erected 
a  barn  and  also  built  the  northern  portion  of 
his  home,  sixteen  by  twenty-four  feet.  He 
secured  the  lumber  in  Illinois  and  brought 
it  with  him  to  Kansas.  He  began  raising 
grain  and  stock  and  raised  a  fine  lot  of 
Poland-China  hogs,  giving  his  special  at- 
tention to  the  raising  of  that  breed  for  a 
number  of  years.  Later,  however,  he  has 
devoted  his  time  more  exclusively  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  wheat  and  the  feeding  of  steers 
for  the  market.  He  has  added  to  his  land 
until  he  now  owns  six  quarter  sections,  of 
which  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  is 
under  the  plow.  A  creek  has  its  rise  upon 
his  fami  and  affords  the  best  water  supply 
for  the  stock.  In  1889  he  erected  an  addi- 
tion to  his  homle  and  now  has  one  of  the 
most  attractive  residences  in  this  portion  of 
the  county.  The  first  years  of  his  man- 
hood were  devoted  to  the  payment  of  his 
home. 

When  Mr.  Gordenier's  father  came  to 
Ellsworth  county  he  joined  him  in  the  build- 
ing business,  and  many  o-f  the  most  substan- 
tial structures  of  the  locality  stand  as  monu- 
ments of  their  thrift  and  enterprise.  Tliey 
erected  the  State  Savings  Bank,  the  Long 
building,  the  St.  Louis  and  San  Francisco 
Road  House,  the  Masonic  Temple,  the  Kan- 
opolis  Hotel,  the  schoolhoiise  of  Kanopolis, 


the  Lloyd  office  building,  the  fire  depart- 
ment building  and  many  other  structures 
which  have  indicated  the  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  the  locality.  In  1891,  when  he 
began  work  on  tlie  court-house  Mr.  Gor- 
denier  of  this  review  rented  the  farm  for 
a  year  and  took  up  his  abode  in  Ellsworth, 
but  on  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  re- 
turned to  the  fann  and  has  since  given  his 
entire  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  and 
stock-raising. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1880.  Air.  Gt-r- 
denier  was  united  in  marriage  to  ]Miss  Ollie 
McHenry,  a  daughter  of  \\'illiam  and  ]Mary 
McHenry,  and  they  now  have  three  chil- 
dren :  Maude,  William  and  Jay.  >ilr.  Gor- 
denier  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  and  of  the  Degree  of 
Honor. 

He  has  been  an  active  factor  in  the  de- 
velopment and  progress  of  the  county,  aid- 
ing in  its  upbuilding  as  few  other  men  ha\e 
done.  He  assisted  in  the  organization  of 
the  school  district  here  and  for  many  years 
has  served  on  the  school  board  and  the 
cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  warm 
friend.  The  first  term  of  school  taught 
in  his  district  was  held  in  the  basement 
of  his  dwelling-house,  the  teacher's  fa- 
ther bringing  her  to  the  new  school 
with  a  yoke  of  oxen.  He  is  -a  stanch 
Republican  in  politics  and  does  all  in  his 
power  to  promote  the  growth  and  secure 
the  success  of  the  party.  He  has  fre- 
quently been  a  delegate  to  its  conventions 
and  for  many  years  was  a  member  of  the 
Republican  central  conmiittee,  of  which  he 
acted  as  treasurer  for  seven  or  eight  years. 
For  some  time  he  filled  the  position  of  town- 
ship trustee  and  has  been  a  candidate  for 
I  the  office  of  county  treasurer.  His  name  is 
inseparably  interwoven  with  the  history  and 
development  oi  this  portion  of  Kansas, 
coming  here  in  pioneer  days  he  has  co-op- 
erated in  all  movements  for  the  general 
good  and  his  labors  have  resulted  in  the 
public  benefit.  In  his  business  affairs  he 
has  been  successful  and  has  accumulated  a 
handsome  competence  which  supplies  him 
with  all  the  comforts  and  many  of  the  lux- 
uries of  life. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


495 


D.  P.  DODGE. 

D.  P.  Dodge,  who  is  engaged  in  general 
farming-  on  section  26,  Galesburg  township, 
is  one  of  tiie  prominent,  popular  and  well 
known  citizens  of  Kingman  county,  who 
since  1878  has  I'esided  in  this  portion  of  the 
state.  He  was  born  in  Posey  county,  Indi- 
ana, February  10,  1842.  His  father,  Willis 
Dodge,  was  a  native  of  the  same  state,  and 
was  a  son  of  William  Dodge,  whose  birth 
occurred  in  Tennessee,  and  who  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Indian  wars.  Willis  Dodge  was 
reared  in  the  Hoosier  state  and  married 
Emily  Watson,  who  was  l>orn  in  Kentucky, 
as  was  her  father,  John  Watson.  He,  too, 
took  part  in  the  Indian  wars  which  formed  a 
part  of  the  early  history  of  the  settlement  of 
the  central  states.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dodge  were  born  the  following  children : 
James  :  Drury  P. ;  John  W. :  Anderson  R. ; 
Joseph;  Lewis;  Ben  F. ;  Lomena  Ellen;  Al- 
fred Harrison;  Nancy  E. ;  Malinda;  and 
Mary  Jane,  who  died  in  infancy.  Three  of 
the  sons  took  part  in  the  Civil  war,  namely : 
John,  of  Davis  county,  Iowa;  Anderson, 
who  is  now  living  in  Reno  county,  Kansas ; 
and  Joseph  G.,  of  Cowley  county,  Kansas. 
The  father  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight 
years,  after  having  devoted'  his  energies 
throughout  a  long  and  useful  career  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  His  political  support  was 
given  the  Democracy.  His  wife,  who 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-four, 
was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  church,  and  an  earnest  Chris- 
tian woman. 

D.  P.  Dodge,  of  this  review,  spent  his 
childhood  and  youth  in  Posey  county,  Indi- 
ana, and  in  McLean  county,  Illiniois.  He 
was  reared  to  farm  life,  and  the  occupation 
with  which  he  became  familiar  in  his  boy- 
hood he  has  since  followed.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  was  miarried  to  Malinda  S.  Neal, 
who  was  born  in  Posey  county,  Indiana,  an(* 
was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Nancy 
( Wilsnn)  Xeal,  the  former  a  native  of  Ken- 
tuck\-  antl  the  latter  of  Tennessee.  Both  died 
in  McLean  county,  Illinois,  when  well  ad- 
vanced in  years.  Her  father  was  an  agri- 
culturist and  in  politics  was  a  Republican, 


voting  for  Lincoln  in  the  early  period  of  the 
party's  existence.  His  church  relation  was 
with  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians.  IMrs. 
Dodge  had  three  sisters  who  died  in  Kansas. 
The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodge  has 
been  blessed  with  three  sons :  James  E. ; 
George;  and  E.  T.  In  1878  Mr.  Dodge 
brought  his  family  to  Kansas  and  took  up 
a  claim  of  Osage  Indian  land.  The  tract 
was  wild  and  unimproved,  but  he  has  trans- 
formed it  into  a  fine  farm,  making  it  one  of 
the  finest  properties  in  the  township.  He 
has  a  substantial  residence,  good  barns  and 
outbuildings  and  an  orchard  of  eight  acres. 
Of  the  farm,  eighty-tive  acres  is  under  cul- 
tivation, and  the  well  tilled  tields  indicate  the 
labor  and  careful  supervision  of  the  owner. 
His  sons,  like  himself,  are  industrious  farm- 
ers, carrying  on  business  on  their  own  ac- 
count. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dodge  is  an  independent 
Democrat,  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading" 
representatives  of  his  party  in  this  locality. 
He  has  served  as  a  township'  trustee,  justice 
of  the  peace  and  county  commissioner,  and 
in  all  has  discharged  his  duties  with  prompt- 
ness and  tidelity,  thus  winning  the  high 
commendation  of  all  concerned.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  and  their  }-oungest  son  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
take  an  active  part  in  church  and  Sunday- 
school  work,  Mr.  Dodge  now  serving  as 
deacon.  He  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
the  development  of  his  township  along  all 
lines  of  substantial  progress,  ■  and  is  inter- 
ested in  everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare 
of  the  community.  He  is  a  man  of  strong 
purpose,  upright  in  all  his  dealings,  and 
wherever  known  he  commands  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


JOSEPH  B.  PROSE. 

Joseph  Benson  Prose,  who  is  a  represer.t- 
ative  member  of  the  bar  of  Barton  countv, 
maintains  his  home  in  the  village  of  Hois- 
ington,  where  he  has  built  up  an  excellent 
practice,  attaining  professional  prestige  by 
reason  of  hi?  distinctive  ability  as  an  attor- 


496 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


ney  and  counselor.  Mr.  Prose  is  a  native  i 
<yi  the  old  Buckeye  state,  having  been  born  | 
in  Patriot,  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  on  the  8th  j 
of  February,  1856,  the  son  of  Rev.  John  R. 
Prose,  a  clergj'nian  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  When  our  subject  was  two 
vears  of  age  the  family  established  their 
home  on  a  small  farm  near  ^ilcArthur,  \'in- 
ton  county,  the  same  having  been  inherited 
')y  his  mother,  who'  was  an  invalid  during  1 
liis  early  boyhood,  though  she  accompanied 
her  husband  on  his  various  itineraries  as  a  J 
member  of  the  Ohio  conference,  our  subject 
and  his  older  brother  remaining  on  the  farm 
in  the  meanwhile.  There  Joseph  B.  Prose 
was  reared  to  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  his 
earlv  educational  privileges  being  such  as 
were  afforded  in  the  district  school  in  the 
-vicinity  of  his  home.  As  his  services  were 
required  in. connection  with  the  work  of  the 
farm  he  attended  the  school  only  during 
the  winter  terms,  of  about  three  months  each 
year,  and  the  advantages  were  very  inferior. 
Mr.  Prose  states  that  he  learned  mor-i 
through  his  personal  study  beneath  the  shade 
trees  at  his  home  than  he  acquired  in  all  his 
application  in  the  district  school.  He,  how- 
se\-er,  profited  largely  by  a  course  of  study 
in  a  select  school  taught  by  John  S.  Wither- 
spoon,  a  few  miles  distant  from  his  home. 
Our  subject  continued  to  work  on  the  farm 
xmtil  he  had  attained  the  age  of  eighteen 
years,  when  he  became  a  student  in  the  Ohio 
University,  at  Athens,  where  he  completed 
liis  literary  course.  Soon  afterward  he  took 
xip  the  study  of  law,  under  the  direction  of 
S.  A.  Bright,  of  Logan,  Ohio. 

Tlie  year  1885  witnessed  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Prose  in  Kansas.  He  came  to  Great 
Bend  and  for  two  years  was  there  engaged 
in  teaching  school.  In  the  meanwhile  he 
continued  his  legal  studies,  and  in  1887  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  state,  though 
he  thereafter  continued  to  devote  his  atten- 
tion to  the  pedagogic  profession  for  a  period 
oi  six  3-ears,  teaching  in  the  public  schools 
Tintil  March,  1893,  when  he  established  him- 
self in  the  practice  of  law  in  Hoisington. 
■where  he  has  since  maintained  his  home. 
He  is  now  the  only  practitioner  at  law  in  this 
place,  and  his  business  is  of  a  varied  char- 


acter, demanding  a  wide  knowledge  of  the 
principles  of  jurisprudence.  Mr.  Prose  has 
been  prominently  identified  with  the  inter- 
ests of  the  town  and  was  formerly  a  stock- 
holder and  vice-president  of  the  Hoisington 
State  Bank,  and  he  filled  the  office  of  presi- 
dent of  the  institution  for  a  time,  having 
been  incumbent  of  this  position  at  the  time 
of  the  reorganization  of  the  bank,  in  1900. 

In  politics  Mr.  Prose  gives  his  allegi- 
ance to  the  Republican  party,  and  frater- 
nally he  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  order, 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Alodern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Ac- 
cidental Association.  A  man  of  strong  men- 
tality and  forceful  character,  he  has  the 
qualifications  essential  to  success  at  the  bar, 
and  he  is  a  close  student  of  his  profession 
and  one  whose  fidelity  to  the  interest  of  his 
clients  is  unequivocal.  His  work  in  the 
line  of  his  chosen  calling  is  carried  on  with 
marked  energy  and  ability,  and  he  is 
known  as  a  safe  and  conservative  counselor 
and  an  able  advocate,  basing  his  arguments 
on  the  facts  involved  in  the  issue  at  hand 
and  on  the  law  pertinent  to  the  case,  and  he 
has  won  many  notable  forensic  triumphs. 

On  the  2d  of  September,  1896,  Mr.  Prose 
was  united  in  marriag-e  to  Miss  Olive  Lin- 
der,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  W.  Linder,  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  this  county,  where 
he  owns  a  large  amount  of  farm  and  town 
property,  including  valuable  lots,  residences 
and  business  structures  in  Hoisington.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Prose  have  two  daughters, — Helen 
H.  and  Bessie. 


sa:\iuel  sallee. 

Few  citizens  of  Reno  coupty,  Kansas, 
enjoy  a  higher  measure  of  esteein  than  Sam- 
uel Sallee,  a  very  successful  farmer  on  sec- 
tion 28.  in  Bell  township.  The  birth  of 
Mr.  Sallee  occurred  in  Preble  county,  Ohio, 
on  June  11,  1823,  and  he  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
and    Elizabeth    (Croft)    Sallee. 

Samuel  Sallee,  the  father,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  about  179.=;.  and  he  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  in  Ohio,  going  there 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


prior  to  his  marriag-e.  Later  he  met  and 
married  Elizabetii  Croft,  who  was  born  in 
Virginia,  and  they  had  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  these 
being:  William,  who  lives  in  ?iIorocco,  In- 
diana, at  an  advanced  age  still  robust  and 
vigorous ;  Samuel,  of  this  sketch,  who  bears 
his  years  with  remarkable  capacity,  also ; 
Urana,  who  married  Robert  Smeddy,  and 
lives  near  Lincoln,  Lidiana.  and  Mrs.  Lu- 
cinda  Jane  Cox,  who  died  in  middle  life,  in 
her  home  in  Lidiana  having  had  a  family  of 
ten  children.  Mr.  Sallee  removed  to  Lidi- 
ana from  Ohio  and  for  some  years  carried 
on  a  milling  business,  but  died  in  that  state 
at  the  age  of  fortv  years.  The  mother  con- 
tracted a  second  marriage  and  died  in  Lo- 
quois  county,  Llinois.  at  the  age  of  sixty 
years. 

Samuel  Sallee  of  this  sketch  was 
reared  on  the  farm  in  Lidiana  and  there 
learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  follow- 
ing the  same  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years 
and  continuing  in  the  same  business  after 
his  location  in  Kansas,  in  addition  to  his 
agricultural  labors.  Li  1841  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabetii  Clear,  who 
was  liorn  in  Preble  countv,  Ohio,  on  August 
6,  1828,  being  but  two  months  younger  than 
her  venera1)le  husliand.  To  this  happy  mar- 
riage was  born  a  family  of  ten  children, 
and  eight  were  reared  to  maturity,  these 
being  as  follows:  Joel  B.,  who  was  born 
in  1843.  became  a  soldier  during  the  Civil 
war.  aud  after  escaping  wounds  and  death 
came  home  only  to  die  of  disease  contracted 
in  the  army,  passing  awav  in  1865,  and  was 
buried  near  St.  Marys,  Llinois :  John,  who 
was  born  in  1845.  is  a  successful  farmer  in 
Kingman  county  and  has  reared  eleven  of 
his  twelve  children ;  William,  the  third  son, 
also  became  a  soldier  in  the  service  of  his 
country  and  was  mortally  wounded  at  Chat- 
tanooga, and  was  buried  at  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee; Mary,  who  married  Richard  De 
Foe,  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  now  resides  in 
Kingman  county,  Kansas,  and  she  has  six 
children ;  Adresta,  who  was  born  in  Llinois, 
married  Robert  Blanchard  and  lives  in 
Langdon.  Reno  county:  Delilah,  who  was 
born    in    Llinois.    married    John    Halstrom 


and  lives  in  her  native  state  and  has  a  fam- 
ily of  twelve  children;  Ellen,  who  married 
Benjamin  Moore,  lives  at  Lerado,  and  she 
has  a  family  of  ten  children;  and  Emma, 
who  is  the  widow  of  Edward  Murry,  has 
six  living  children,  but  has  suffered  several 
bereavements,  her  husband  being  killed  in 
July.  1900.  and  a  son  of  seventeen  years, 
being  drowned  in  June,  1901. 

Mr.  and  ]\L's.  Sallee  removed  some  years 
after  their  marriae'e  to  the  state  of  Lilnois, 
living  near  St.  Marys  for  some  eighteen 
years,  coming  thence  to  Kansas  on  March 
13,  1879.  Here  our  subject  bought  a  set- 
tler's claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  Osage  land,  paving  one  hundred  dollars 
and  the  pre-emption  fees.  Their  son,  John, 
had  preceded  them,  coming  here  on  March 
13.  1874.  All  have  been  verv  successful  in 
their  farminp-  operations.  Mr.  Sallee  has 
proved  himself  an  excellent  agriculturist 
and  has  land  which  produced  over  two  thou- 
sand bushels  of  wheat  in  1900,  from  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  in  1901 
yielded  the  enormous  amount  of  thirty-five 
thousand,  eight  hundred  bushels  of  this 
cereal. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sallee  have  had  the  usual 
amount  of  misfortune  attendant  upon  set- 
tlement in  a  new  country,  and  have  always 
been  industrious,  energetic  people.  For  the 
past  two  years  our  subject  has  not  operated 
the  farm  himself,  but  proposes  to  do  so  in 
the  future,  although  he  has  reached  the  age 
fit  which  many  men  feel  they  must  retire 
from  active  duty.  Their  remarkable  vigor, 
however,  makes  them  seem  only  in  the 
prime  of  life,  and  testifies  to  lives  lived  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  of  health  and 
high  morality.  They  have  journeyed  to- 
gether for  sixty  vears,  and  among  their 
many  blessings  they  number  their  sturdy 
and  intelligent  descendants  of  the  younger 
generations,  consisting"  of  fiftv-five  grand- 
children and  nine  e-reat-grandchildren. 
They  not  only  receive  the  affection  and  high 
regard  of  these  descendants,  but  also  of  the 
neighljorhnod  through  which  they  are 
known  for  those  qualities  calculated  to  win 
esteem  and  approbation. 

Li  his  political  life  Mr.  Sallee  has  always 


498 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


been  a  Democrat  and  has  taken  quite  an 
interest  in  public  affairs.  Both  he  and  his 
most  estimable  wife  are  consistent  members 
of  the  Christian  church  and  are  highly  val- 
ued for  their  innumerable  good  qualities.  _ 


W'lLLIA^I  J.  VAN  SICKLE. 

The  history  of  pioneer  life  in  Reno  coun- 
ty is  familiar  to  William  J.  Van  Sickle, 
who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  part 
of  the  state  and  has  contributed  in  large 
measure  to  the  improvement  and  develop- 
ment of  Reno  county.  He  now  resides  in 
Hutchinson  and  is  agent  for  the  De  Laval 
cream  separator,  having  the  agency  for 
Reno,  ^NlcPherson  and  Harvey  counties. 
His  life  record  began  in  Berkshire,  Dela- 
ware county,  Ohio,  where  he  first  opened 
his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  on  the  14th  of 
April,  1840,  his  parents  being  Garrett  and 
Elsie  A.  (Lott)  Van  Sickle.  The  Van 
Sickle  family  is  of  Holland  lineage  and  was 
founded  in  America  at  an  early  day.  Peter 
Van  Sickle,  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
was  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  became  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Delaware  county, 
Ohio.  His  well  directed  business  efforts 
brought  to  him  success  and  he  became  the 
owner  of  twelve  hundred  acres  of  rich  land 
in  the  Scioto  valley.  Among  the  leading 
farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  that  locality  he 
was  numbered  and  he  was  regarded  as  one 
of  the  prominent  and  influential  citizens. 
Li  his  political  views  he  was  a  stanch  Whig 
and  in  religious  faith  was  a  Baptist.'  He 
married  Elizabeth  Stevenson,  and  among 
their  children  was  Garrett  Van  Sickle,  who 
was  likewise  born  in  New  Jersey,  his  natal 
day  being  in  1806.  When  he  was  abotit  ten 
or  twelve  years  of  age  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Delaware  county,  where  in  the 
midst  of  the  heavy  forest  a  home  was  es- 
tablished and  a  farm  developed.  On  arriv- 
ing at  years  of  maturity  he  married  Elsie 
A.  Lott,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Lott,  who 
brought  his  family  to  Ohio  about  the  time 
the  Van  Sickles  came.  He,  too,  was  a  man 
of  ]>ri)niinence  and  influence  and  his  home 


was  the  place  of  entertainment  for  all  early 
preachers  of  the  Methodist  denomination 
who  visited  the  region.  He  served  as  a 
lieutenant  in  the  war  of  181 2  and  in  days 
of  peace  devoted  his  energies  to  the  work 
of  the  home  farm.  His  daughter,  Mrs. 
Van  Sickle,  was  a  native  of  Luzerne  county, 
Pennsylvania,  born  in  1808. 

Garretf  Van  Sickle  spent  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  and  youth  on  the  old  family  home- 
stead in  Oliio  and  experienced  all  the  hard- 
ships and  trials  incident  to  pioneer  life  and 
to  the  development  of  a  new  farm.  ■  He 
was  at  one  time  engaged  in  the  dairy  busi- 
ness, supplied  butter  to  the  Columbus  mar- 
ket and  the  proceeds  of  this  labor  enabled 
him  to  purchase  a  good  farm.  Leaving  the 
old  homestead  at  the  age  of  thirty  years  he 
erected  a  large  tavern  in  the  village  of  Berk- 
shire, on  the  old  state  road  or  stage  route 
from  Delaware  to  Zanesville,  Ohio.  This 
was  a  large  hostelry  for  that  day,  contain- 
ing one  hundred  rooms.  It  was  well  patron- 
ized by  the  travelers  who  made  their  way 
through  Ohio  and  its  proprietor  became 
widely  known  throughout  the  state.  After 
many  years  devoted  to  its  conduct  Mr.  Van 
Sickle  died  July  28,  1865,  while  his  wife, 
long  surviving  him,  passed  away  Februai-y 
24,  1887. 

It  was  in  the  old  hotel  that  William  J. 
Van  Sickle  was  born  and  there  he  remained 
until  sixteen  years  of  age,  assisting  in  its 
j  conduct.  He  also  attended  the  town  school 
and  later  entered  the  schools  of  Delaware, 
his  father  leaving  the  hotel  and  removing 
to  the  latter  place  in  order  to  educate  his 
children.  After  a  residence  of  four  years 
there  the  father  purchased  a  large  tract  of 
land  of  five  hundred  acres  within  two  miles 
of  Berkshire  and  there  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising,  his  son  William 
assisting  him  until  he  was  twenty-two  years 
of  age.  v.'hen  he  left  home  and  was  married, 
the  wedding  being  celebrated  on  the  24th 
of  November,  1861.  The  lady  of  his  choice 
was  Miss  Lauretta  Harris,  a  daughter  of 
George  Harris.  She  was  born  in  Virginia 
and  during  her  girlhood  was  taken  to  Ohio, 
where  her  parents  soon  afterward  died,  and 
she  was  reared  by  the  parents  of  our  sub- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


499 


ject.  Her  death  occurred  in  1864.  The 
second  marriage  of  Mr.  Van  Sickle  occurred 
in  April,  1866,  to  Miss  Annetta  Davis, 
torn  in  Glens  Falls,  New  York,  a  daughter 
af  Asher  A.  and  Jane  M.  (Gushing)  Davis. 
After  his  marriage  William  Van  Sickle 
began  cjperating  two  hundred  acres  of  land 
gi\en  him  by  his  father  and  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  sheep,  an  occupation  which  he 
followed  until  his  removal  to  the  west.  He 
had,  however,  sold  his  first  farm  and  pur- 
chased another  tract  of  land  of  two  hundred 
acres  near  the  county  seat  of  Delaware  comi- 
ty. He  had  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  pure 
bred  Spanish  merino  sheep,  paying  high 
])rices  for  excellent  animals  and  thus  keep- 
ing his  flock  up  to  a  high  standard.  In  1870 
he  sold  eight  hundred  head  of  thorough- 
bred sheep.  In  1862  he  left  the  fann  and 
established  a  general  mercantile  store  in 
Berkshire,  just  across  the  street  from  his 
birthplace,  but  in  1870  he  disix)sed  of  all 
his  business  interests  in  Ohio  and  went  to 
Atchinson  county,  Missouri,  in  search  of  a 
location.  He  spent  four  months  in  travel- 
ing over  the  states  of  Nebraska,  Missouri 
and  Kansas  and  finally  decided  to  make  his 
home  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Sunflower 
state.  On  the  6th  of  February,  1871,  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  what  has  since  been 
organized  as  Reno  county,  locating  a  home- 
stead on  section  26,  township  24,  range  4. 
There  he  erected  a  small  box  house,  twelve 
by  sixteen  feet,  after  living  for  four  months  , 
in  a  covered  wagon.  He  hauled  the  lumber 
from  Florence,  sixty-five  miles  distant.  In 
this  primitive  home  he  resided  for  seven  and 
a  half  years.  In  the  meantime  he  purchased 
a  claim  adjoining,  so  that  he  had  a  half  sec- 
tion of  land,  on  which  he  engaged  in  the  cat- 
tle business,  purchasing  a  foundation  herd 
of  forty  head  of  cows.  In  1872  he  planted 
a  small  corn  crop,  which  did  well,  selling  for 
two  dollars  and  a  half  per  bushel.  This 
made  him  very  hopeful  and  later  he  sold 
all  of  his  cattle,  purchased  a  large  tract  of 
land  and  put  in  a  very  extensive  corn  crop, 
but  in  that  year,  1874,  Kansas  suffered  from 
a  grasshopper  scourge,  the  insects  coming 
in  great  swarms  and  destroying  every  par- 
ticle of  vegetation,  so  that  he  lost  all  that 


he  had  invested_in  the  crop.  In  1872  he  had 
also  brought  to  Reno  county  the  first  drove 
of  Poland  Ghina  swine,  purchasing  fine 
registered  stock  from  eastern  breeders.  In 
1874  he  had  one  hundred  and  thirty  head, 
but  as  he  raised  no  corn  he  lost  all  but  sev- 
enteen head,  the  others  being  literally 
starved  to  death.  Mrs.  Van  Sickle  has  been 
of  the  greatest  assistance  to  her  husband, 
aiding  him  in  many  ways.  In  those  early 
days  of  pioneer  experiences  and  struggles 
she  has  spent  many  hours,  days  and  wrecks 
herding  the  swine.  In  1872,  when  the  town 
of  Hutchinson  was  platted,  Mr.  Van  Sickle 
took  a  contract  for  freighting  goods  and 
lumber  from  Newton,  a  distance  of  forty- 
three  miles.  He  had  two  teams  and  em- 
ployed an  Irish  lad  to  drive  one  team,  but 
Mr.  \'an  Sickle  uas  bitten  by  a  dog  the 
morning  he  was  ready  to  start,  so  Mrs.  Van 
Sickle  came  to  the  rescue  and  drove  a  team 
for  six  weeks,  thus  earning  money  enough 
to  build  a  good  barn  in  addition  to  the  house. 
Thus  the  years  passed,  the  husband  and 
wife  co-operating  in  the  work,  each  doing 
a  share  toward  gaining  a  start  and  securing 
a  home,  and  although  many  disasters  over- 
took them,  with  courageous  hearts  and  will- 
ing hands  they  pressed  forward  and  to-day 
they  are  comfortably  situated  in  a  good 
home  in  Hutchinson,  surrounded  with  many 
things  which  go  to  make  life  worth  the  liv- 
ing. After  his  losses  of  1874  our  subject 
engaged  in  general  farming.  In  1876  he 
had  succeeded  in  gaining  a  good  start  and 
purchased  a  flock  of  sheep,  but  that  enter- 
prise proved  unprofitable.  Again  adversity 
overtook  him  in  the  flood  of  June,  1877, 
which  destroyed  all  his  crops.  In  1878  he 
rented  the  farm  and  removed  to  Hutchin- 
son, where  he  engaged  in  the  dairy  business. 
There  came  then  a  change  in  his  fortunes. 
For  twenty-one  years  he  carried  on  that  en- 
terprise with  steadily  increasing  success  and 
acquired  a  handsome  competence.  In  1880 
he  sold  his  farm  and  purchased  twenty  acres 
of  land  in  the  city  on  Fourth  avenue  and 
kept  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  head 
of  cows,  supplying  the  main  city  trade. 
In  1898  he  sold  out  and  retired  from 
that     business,     but     is     now     the     gen- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


eral  agent  for  the  De  Laval  cream 
separator,  a  most  valuable  ■  invention 
of  great  use  in  the  creamer}^  business.  His 
agency  covers  the  three  counties  of  Reno, 
McPherson  and  Harvej'.  On  retiring  from 
the  dairy  business  he  erected  his  present 
comfortable  home  at  No.  822  A  avenue, 
east,  where  he  has  a  nice  little  tract  of  land, 
arranged  for  irrigation.  For  six  years  he 
has  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  Shetland 
ponies. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  \'an  Sickle  have  never  had 
any  childrft  of  their  own  but  adopted  a 
little  girl,  on  whom  they  lavished  all  the 
la\-e,  care  and  attention  which  would  have 
been  given  to  their  own  children  had  they 
had  any.  This  was  Elsie  Annetta,  who  was 
only  two  years  old  when  she  was  taken  to 
live  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Sickle,  remain- 
ing with  them  until  her  death,  which  oc- 
curred November  11,  1889,  when  fourteen 
years  of  age.  Mr.  Van  Sickle  has  been  hon- 
ored with  public  office.  He  was  elected  one 
of  the  first  county  commissioners  and 
served  for  two  consecutive  terms.  He  was 
active  in  the  organization  of  the  first  school 
district  in  the  count}-,  the  district  and  school 
still  bearing  the  name  of  the  Van  Sickle 
school  and  district,  its  location  being  in  Val- 
ley township.  His  mother  was  the  first 
woman  to  enter  Hutchinson  on  a  railroad 
train,  riding  from  Newton  on  a  Santa  Fe 
construction  train  in  June,  1872.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Van  Sickle  are  indeed  honored  pio- 
neer people  of  Reno  county.  They  have 
witnessed  almost  its  entire  development  and 
improvement  and  have  been  important  fac- 
tors in  its  upbuilding  and  progress,  their 
names  being  indelibly  engraved  on  its  his- 
torv. 


JOHN  J.  ^lARKHAM. 

John  J.  Markham,  an  enterprising  and 
prosperous  fanner  of  Reno  county,  living 
on  section  20,  Center  township,  was  born 
in  Jackson  county,  Ohio,  November  9,  1835, 
a  son  of  Richard  and  Eleanor  (Evans) 
Markham.  The  father  was  born  in  Vir- 
ginia   and    in  earlv   manhood  removed  to 


Jackson  county,  Ohio,  where  he  met  and 
married  Miss  Evans,  who  was  a  native  of 
Wales  and  in  childhood  was  taken  by  her 
parents  to  the  Buckeye  state.  In  the  midst 
of  the  forest  he  cleared  a  tract  of  land  and 
de\-eloped  a  good  farm.  Subsequently  he 
removed  to  Pike  county,  Ohio,  where  his 
death  occurred  in  1886.  In  his  political 
faith  he  was  a  Democrat  and  in  religious 
belief  a  Alethcdist,  long  holding  member- 
ship with  one  of  the  churches  of  that  de- 
nomination. The  cause  of  education  found 
in  him  a  warm  friend  and  he  took  an  active 
part  in  public  affairs  as  a  promoter  of  all 
practical  and  progressive  movements  for  the 
benefit  of  the  community.  In  his  family 
were  ten  children  and  with  one  exception 
all  are  A-et  living.  Three  of  the  sons,  John 
J.,  David  and  Lewis,  came  to  the  west. 
David  located  in  Butler  county,  Kansas,  and 
Lewis  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Jenkins, 
went  to  Andrew  county,  Missouri,  where 
they  are  still  living. 

In  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads  of 
the  period,  John  J.  Markham  spent  the  days 
of  his  boyhood  and  youth,  working  in  the 
fields  through  the  summer  months  and  at- 
tending school  in  the  wintei"  seasons.  When 
he  had  attained  his  majority  he  began 
farming  on  his  own  account,  operating  land 
which  belonged  to  his  uncle,  David  Evans, 
until  1861.  On  the  15th  of  October,  of  that 
year,  he  put  aside  all  personal  considera- 
tions and  offered  his  services  to  the  govern- 
ment as  a  defender  of  the  Union,  becoming 
first  sergeant  of  Company  E,  Fifty-sixth 
Ohio  Infantry,  in  which  he  afterward  won 
promotion  to  the  rank  of  second  and  then 
first  lieutenant  by  reason  of  his  meritorious 
conduct  on  the  field  of  battle.  He  saw  sen*- 
ice  at  Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh  and  the  siege 
of  Corinth,  and  on  the  24th  of  June,  1862, 
went  to  Flelena,  Arkansas,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  skirmishing  and  in  doing  patrol 
duty  on  the  Mississippi  river.  He  was  on 
the  Arkansas  expedition  until  February, 
1863,  when  with  his  command  he  crossed 
the  Mississippi  river  and  went  to  guard 
Yazoo  pass,  where  they  were  stationed  for 
two  months,  after  which  ^Ir.  Markham  and 
his  comrades  joined  the  army  at  Young's 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


501 


Point,  Louisiana.  He  took  part  in  the  bat^ 
tie  of  Port  Gibson  and  fought  the  first  real 
engagement  of  the  Vicksburg  campaign, 
and  was  woiuided  in  the  ann  at  that  place. 
During  that  campaign  he  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Raymond.  Jackson,  Champion 
Hills  and  the  siege  of  \'icksburg  and  was 
again  at  Jackson.  When  the  campaign  was 
ended  he  went  down  the  Mississippi  and  was 
engaged  in  skirmishing  and  scouting  at 
various  places  in  the  south  until  January, 

1864,  when  he  was  granted  a  furlough  and 
returned  home,  there  remaining  until  the 
following  April,  when  he  rejoined  his  com- 
mand in  western  Louisiana.  He  took  part 
in  the  Red  River  expedition  under  General 
Banks,  after  which  the  regiment  was  con- 
solidated into  five  companies,  more'  than 
half  its  number  having  been  lost  through 
death,  sickness  or  wounds.  This  left  a  sur- 
plus of  officers  and  by  general  order  Lieuten- 
ant ]\Iarkham  was  discharged.  He  then  went 
to  Nashville,  where  he  was  appointed  to  a 
clerical  position  in  the  quartennaster's  de- 
partment, thus  serving  for  nine  months, 
after  which  he  was  mustered  out  and  re- 
turned home. 

Thinking  that  he  would  enjoy  better 
business  opportunities  in  the  west  Mr. 
IMarkhamj  came  tO'  Kansas    in    November, 

1865.  locating  in  Doniphan  county,  where 
his  uncle,  Vinton  Evans,  was  living.  The 
fclldwing  year  he  purchased  a  farm  in  that 
county  and  carried  on  farming  and  stock- 
raising  for  two  years.  On  the  27th  of  June, 
1867,  he  further  completed  his  arrange- 
ments for  a  home  of  his  own  by  his  mar- 
riage to  Miss  M.  C.  Hulan,  a  native  of 
Maine,  who  went  with  her  parents  to  Mis- 
souri in  1854,  when  only  six  years  old. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Markham  purchased 
a  farm  and  two  sons  came  to  bless  their 
home,  James  O.  and  Louis  A.,  both  yet  with 
their  parents. 

Mr.  Markham  continued  in  the  opera- 
tion of  his  land  in  Doniphan  county  until 
1874  when  he  sold  his  property  there  and 
came  to  Reno  county,  securing  a  hom*estead 
claim — his  present  farm.  He  planted  some 
sod  corn,  but  that  was  the  year  of  the  grass- 
hopper plague  and  the  insects  entirely  de- 


stroyed the  crop.  He  then  returned  to  Don- 
iphan county,  where  he  remained  until  the 
following  spring,  when  he  again  hazarded 
his  fortune  in  Reno  county  and  this  time  met 
with  better  success.  He  has  since  engaged 
in  the  operation  of  his  land  in  Center  town- 
ship and  in  the  raising  of  stock.  He  has  a 
half  section  of  land,  much  of  which  is  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  the  well  tilled 
fields  returning  to  him  a  good  income  and 
making  him  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers 
of  the  locality. 

Li  his  ]).  liiical  views  Mr.  ^Markham  has 
been  a  stalwan  Republican  since  casting  his 
first  pre;i(lcniial  vdte,  and  he  has  filled  the 
offices  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  township 
trustee,  long  continuing  in  both  positions. 
In  the  former  his  decisions  have  ever  been 
strictly  fair  and  impartial,  neither  fear  nor 
favor  biasing  him  in  any  degree.  He  has 
been  a  delegate  to  the  county,  congressional 
and  state  couA-entions  and  has  done  all  in 
his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and  insure 
the  success  of  his  party.  For  thirty  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, being  at  the  present  time  connected 
with  Cable  Lodge,  No.  299,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Arlington,  Kansas.  He  maintains  pleasant 
relationship  \\-ith  his  old  army  comrades 
through  his  association  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  ;He  formerly  be- 
longed to  Joe  Hooker  Post  and  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  S.  Hatch  Post,  No.  178,  G. 
A.  R.,  of  Partridge,  and  its  only  command- 
er, being  continually  elected  to  that  posi- 
tion. He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church  and  his  life  is  actuated  by  noble 
Christian  principles. 


ELMER  EVERETT. 

Elmer  Everett  is  a  leading  farmer  and 
stock-raiser  of  Center  township,  Reno  coun- 
ty, and  the  history  of  his  life  may  be 
siunmed  up  in  the  expression  "through 
struggles  to  success."  ■  He  has  encountered 
many  difliculties  and  obstacles,  but  gradual- 
ly he  has  overcome  these  and  steadily 
worked  his  way  upward  until  he  now  occu- 


502 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


pies  a  prominent  position  among  the  pros- 
perous agriculturists  of  the  locality. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  he  was  born  in  Trum- 
bull county,  August  7,  1842,  a  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Catherine  (Lowrey)  Everett, 
the  former  a  native  of  New  York  and  the 
latter  of  Trumbull  county.  In  early  man- 
hood the  father  went  to  the  Buckeye  state, 
where  he  married  and  resided  until  1853, 
devoting  his  life  to  farming.  He  was  quite 
prominent  in  local  affairs  and  he  was  a  sec- 
ond cousin  of  Edward  Everett,  the  eminent 
statesman.  His  death  occurred  in  Illinois 
in  1889  and  his  wife  passed  away  about  a 
year  later.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children  who  lived  to  maturity,  while  five 
now  survive:  Ezra,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser  of  Greeley  county,  Kansas;  Elmer,  of 
this  review ;  Lucy,  the  wife  of  Adam  ]\Ior- 
ton,  a  stock-man  of  Cherrv  cnuntv,  Ne- 
braska; Amos,  who  is  extensi\elv  engaged 
in  the  breeding  of  fine  horses  in  Greeley 
county,  Kansas;  Benjamin  B.,  of  Partridge, 
Reno  county. 

In  1853,  when  a  lad  of  eleven  summers, 
Elmer  Everett  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  Knox  county,  Illinois, 
Avhere  the  father  purchased  land.  Here  he 
grew  to  man's  estate,  working  in  the  fields 
through  the  svunmer  months  and  when  crops 
were  harvested  in  the  fall  entering  the  public 
schools.  Five  days  before  he  had  attained 
the  age  of  twenty  years  he  enlisted  for  serv- 
ice in  the  Union  Army,  being  enrolled,  in 
August,  1862,  as  a  mem'ber  of  Company  K, 
Eighty-third  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
iinder  Colonel  Harding,  while  later  Colonel 
Arthur  Smith,  of  Galesburg,  Illinois,  com- 
manded the  regiment.  He  participated  in 
the  second  battle  of  Fort  Donelson,  when 
General  Forrest  attempted  to  capture  the 
fort.  His  regiment  held  the  battery  against 
a  force  of  ten  thousand  men  from  one 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  until  ten  o'clock 
at  night.  The  Eighty-third  was  then  left 
to  occupy  the  fort,  where  they  spent  a  year 
and  a  half,  also  doing  skirmishing  and  gar- 
rison duty  in  that  vicinity.  They  drove 
Forrest  from  Tennessee  when  General 
Hood  attempted  to  capture  Nashville  and 
tlie  regiment  did  effective  service  in  keeping 


him  from  crossing  the  Cumberland.  Mr. 
Everett  remained  with  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  under  Generals  Rosecrans, 
Thomas  and  Sherman  and  after  General 
Lee's  suiTender  was  stationed  at  Nashville 
for  twO'  months,  doing  guard  and  provost 
duty.  He  was  mustered  out  at  that  place 
and  discharged  at  Camp  Douglas,  Chicago, 
July  5,  1865.  Mr.  Everett  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate and  was  mustered  out  as  corporal.  He 
spent  eighteen  months  in  1863-4  on  de- 
tached duty  in  the  topographical  engineers' 
corps,  making  a  military  map  of  Stewart 
and  Montgomery  counties,  Tennessee.  He 
was  ever  a  faithful  soldier,  fearless  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duty  and  his  military  record 
is  a  creditable  one. 

Returning  to  Knox  county,  Illinois,  Mr. 
Everett  remained  upon  his  father's  farm 
for  a  year.  He  was  married  April  19,  1869, 
to  Miss  Nellie  Axtell,  of  Warren  county, 
Illinois,  and  unto  them  have  been  born  three 
children;  Arthur  C,  Leo  G.,  and  Elvessie. 
After  his  marriage  Mr.  Everett  located  in 
Knox  county  for  five  years,  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising.  He  invested 
all  that  he  had  in  live  stock,  but  the  high 
prices  which  prevailed  just  after  the  war 
and  the  subsequent  shrinkage  in  values 
caused  him  to  lose  all  that  he  had.  He  then 
resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  west, 
where  land  could  be  obtained  almost  for  the 
asking.  He  arrived  in  Reno  county,  in 
September,  1874  and  located  a  homestead 
and  timber  claim,  forming  the  nucleus  of 
his  present  fine  farm.  Of  this  twelve  acres 
had  been  broken  and  that  fall  he  planted 
wheat.  He  then  returned  to  Illinois,  spend- 
ing the  winter  with  his  family,  who  had  re- 
mained there  while  he  made  preparation  for 
a  home  and  who  accompanied  him  on  his  re- 
turn in  the  spring  of  1875.  A  small  box 
house  had  been  built  on  the  place  by  the 
man  who  had  first  owned  the  land  and  this 
was  their  residence  for  eighteen  months, 
when  it  was  replaced  by  a  more  commodious 
and  comfortable  dwelling.  Mr.  Everett 
could  find  no  suitable  team  for  breaking 
sod,  and  on  the  ist  of  April,  1875,  he  start- 
ed out  on  foot  with  money  in  his  pocket  to 
purchase     oxen.       He     made     his     way 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


503 


across  the  prairie  to  Wichita,  but  could  get 
nothing  there  and  then  proceeded  in  the 
same  way  to  Welhngton  with  no  better  suc- 
cess. Therefore  he  went  to  the  Indian  Ter- 
ritory, to  Oxford  on  the  Arkansas  river, 
where  he  succeeded  in  buying  a  yoke  of 
oxen  and  an  old  log  wagon  for  one  hundred 
and  ten  dollars,  while  a  second  team  was 
purchased  for  one  hundred  dollars. 
\\'hen  leaving  home  Mr.  Everett  had  ex- 
pected to  secure  a  team  in  Wichita 
and  to  return  in  three  days,  but  was 
gone  eleven  days,  during  which  time  he 
traveled  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
on  foot.  His  wife  was  almost  in  despair, 
.  having  given  up  all  hope  of  seeing  him  alive 
again,  for  she  knew  that  he  had  money 
with  him  and  that  the  country  was  infested 
with  desperadoes  and  lawless  people,  and 
when  she  heard  the  creak  of  the  old  wagon 
as  he  drove  home,  it  was  indeed  to  her  a 
welcome  sound. 

With  his  four  oxen  Mr.  Everett  turned 
the  sod  at  a  rapid  rate  and  broke  thirty 
acres  in  time  for  planting  to  sod  corn,  while 
eighty  acres  more  had  been  placed  under 
the  plow  by  the  time  fall  came  on.  Of  this 
he  "back  set"  seventy-five  acres  and  planted 
wheat.  This  yielded  him  about  twenty-five 
bushels  per  acre,  which  sold  for  from  eighty 
to  a  dollar  and  ten  cents  per  bushel.  He 
continued  breaking  and  improving  his  land 
witli  marked  energy  and  perseverance  and 
within  three  years  he  had  two  hundred  acres 
under  cultixation.  He  experienced,  how- 
ever, three  partial  failures  of  crops,  owing 
to  hail  and  drouth  and  this  led  him  in  a 
measure  to  aban<lon  grain  raising  and  give 
his  attention  tO'  the  raising  of  stock,  which 
is  now  the  principal  department  of  his  busi- 
ness. For  the  last  twenty  years  he  has  kept 
on  hand  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred 
head  of  cattle,  raising  high  grade  short- 
horns. In  1882  he  purchased  some  cows  of 
high  grade  and  by  the  use  of  the  best  thor- 
oughbred males  he  has  produced  a  herd  that 
is  thorimghbred  in  all  but  name.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  in  Reno'  county  tO'  introduce 
impro\-ed  stock  and  his  work  has  been  of 
.the  greatest  possible  benefit,  for  by  raising 


the  standard  of  the  stock  kept  by  farmers 
he  has  been  the  means  of  securing  better 
prices  and  thus  contributing  to  the  general 
prosperity.  He  has  also  brought  to  the 
county  thoroughbred  Poland  China  and 
Berkshire  swine  and  thorough-bred  horses, 
both  draft  and  roadsters.  Mr.  Everett  has 
added  to  his  original  tract  of  land  a  half  sec- 
tion of  railroad  land  and  now  has  alt'  igether 
in  one  body  six  hundred  and  fort}-  acres 
on  sections  fourteen  and  twenty-three.  Center 
township,  Reno  county.  He  also  owns  a 
section  in  Troy  township  which  is  cultivated 
in  parts  and  also  used  for  grazing  purposes. 
Mr.  Everett  has  ever  manifested  an  ac- 
tive and  commendable  interest  in  public  and 
political  affairs  but  is  not  in  the  commonly 
accepted  sense  of  the  term  a  politician.  He 
returned  from  the  war  on  a  furlough  in  order 
to  cast  his  first  presidential  vote,  which  sup- 
ported Lincoln  and  since  that  time  he  has 
been  an  ardent  Republican,  unfaltering  in 
his  advocacy  of  the  principles  of  the  party. 
At  the  urgent  solicitation  of  his  friends  he 
has  served  in  a  number  of  oificcs.  In  1S75, 
immediately  after  coming  to  the  county, 
he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  in  which 
capacity  he  remained  for  five  years,  while 
in  1876  he  was  elected  county  commissioner 
and  filled  that  p(jsition  for  two  consecutive 
terms  of  three  \ears  each.  He  was  sent  as 
a  delegate  to  various  county,  judicial,  con- 
gressional and  state  conventiuns  until  he 
refused  absolutely  to  serve  longer.  He  has 
served  as  the  leading  officer  in  both  the  local 
organizations  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
W drknieii  lo  which  he  belongs  and  is  a  val- 
ued representative  of  Joe  Hooker  Post,  No. 
17,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Hutchinson.  In  religious 
work  he  has  also  taken  an  acti\"e  and  helpful 
part,  has  long  been  a  member  of  the  official 
board  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  Partridge  and  has  been  superintendent 
and  teacher  of  the  Sunday-school.  He  is 
one  of  the  sohd  and  substantial  citizens  of 
Reno  county — a  self-made  man.  who  owes 
his  success  entirely  to^  earnest  labor,  honor- 
able purpose  and  perseverance.  The  years 
have,pro\-en  his  sterling"  worth  as  a  man  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


a  citizen  and  no  one  is  more  deserving  of 
representation  in  tliis  \-olume  than  the  hon- 
ored pioneer,  the  loyal  soldier  and  prominent 
farmer — Elmer  Everett. 


GEORGE  TOWNSEND. 

George  Townsend,  a  well  known  repre- 
sentative of  the  farming  interests  of  Reno 
connty,  owns  and  onerates  a  half  section  of 
land  in  Lincoln  township.  More  than  half 
the  width  of  the  continent  separates  him 
from  his  birthplace,  for  he  was  born  in 
Lincoln  county,  on  the  Kennebec  river,  in 
JNIaine,  January  8,  1830,  his  parents  being 
Benjamin  and  Lvdia  (Ridley)  Townsend, 
who  were  also  natives  of  the  Pine  Tree 
state  and  represent  old  and  honored  fam- 
ilies of  New  England.  The  grandparents 
of  our  subject  on  both  sides  spent  their  en- 
tire lives  in  Maine  and  all  were  consistent 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  John  Ridlev,  the  maternal  grand- 
father was  a  farmer  bv  occupation.  Ben- 
jamin Townsend  was  born  in  Lincoln  coun- 
ty and  he,too,  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. Like  many  residents  of  that  state 
he  also  devoted  a  nart  of  his  time  to  a  sea- 
faring life.  In  winter  seasons  he  made  a 
number  of  voyages  to  the  West  Lidies  and 
was  also  connected  with  the  coast  trade. 

In  his  early  youth  George  Townsend 
spent  the  winter  months  in  school,  having  to 
walk  a  distance  of  three  miles  each  morn- 
ing and  evening  in  order  to  secure  his  ed- 
ucation. When  a  youth  of  fourteen  he  went 
as  "boy"  on  a  coasting  voyage  of  a  few 
months  and  tlien  shipped  as  "royal  boy"  on 
the  B.  B.  Medcalf,  a  sailing  vessel  bound 
for  San  Francisco,  carrying  mining  sup- 
plies, for  gold  had  been  discovered  there 
and  men  from  all  sections  of  the  country 
were  flocking  to  the  mines.  Sailing  by 
way  of  Cape  Horn,  after  a  voyage  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  days  they  reached 
the  harbor  of  San  Francisco.  Remaining 
only  long  enough  to  unload  and  secure  a 
new  crew,  the  old  crew  having  deserted  for 
the  mines,  the  vessel  started  on  the  return 


trip,  stopping  at  Cgllao,  in  Chili,  and  from 
there  going  to  the  Chinci  Islands,  where 
they  loaded  a  cargo  of  guano,  returning  to 
Callao  to  "clear""  for  Cork  Island.  They 
proceeded  to  New  Orleans,  where  they  un- 
loaded and  there  Mr.  Townsend  left  the  old 
vessel  and  reshipped  on  a  vessel  carrying  cot- 
ton and  bonnd  for  the  port  of  Boston,  which 
Mr.  Townsend  reached  after  an  absence  of 
a  year  and  a  half.  When  he  first  sailed  he 
received  only  four  dollars  per  month,  but 
when  he  returned  he  was  receiving  fourteen 
dollars  a  month,  the  same  as  the  men  before 
the  mast,  for  he  was  performing  duties 
similar  to  theirs. 

.After  spending  about  ten  days  at  home 
Mr.  Townsend  again  sailed  for  New  Or- 
leans and  from  there  to  Liverpool,  later  to 
Caidiff  and  thence  to  New^  York,  the  en- 
tire voyage  consuming  eight  months.  His 
next  voyage  was  made  on  the  ship  America 
to  Chictiac  and  other  ports  and  finally  they 
loaded  a  cargo  of  deal  for  London,  but 
most  of  this  was  lost  in  a  storm.  After  re- 
turning from  this  voyage  to  Boston  our 
subject  became  a  member  of  the  crew  of 
the  John  Wesley,  which  sailed  from  Bos- 
ton to  New  Orleans,  then  to  Liverpool  and 
back  to  Boston.  On  another  voyage  he 
rounded  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  went  to 
Hong  Kong,  China,  thence  back  around 
the  Horn,  making  a  two-year  voyage,  in 
which  he  circumnavigated  the  globe.  He 
was  offered  a  position  as  second  mate  but 
refused  it.  He  spent  in  all  twelve  years  on 
the  seas,  visiting  many  ports  of  the  civilized 
world  and  thus  gaining  broad  knowledge 
of  the  different  countries  and  their  peoples. 
Mr.  Townsend  then  left  the  salt  water  for 
the  great  lakes,  going  from  Oswego,  New 
York,  to  Chicago.  He  then  purchased  a 
canal  boat  and  for  twenty-one  years  was 
engaged  in  boating  on  the  Michigan  and 
Illinois  canal  and  the  Illinois  river.  Dur- 
ing that  time  there  were  few  men,  women  or 
children  along  the  line  but  what  became 
acquainted  with  Captain  Townsend  as  he 
made  the  trips  up  and  down  his  course.  He 
was  a  notable  character  in  that  locality  and 
his  genial  and  obliging  disposition  won  him 
many  lasting  friendships. 


GEORGE  TOWNSEND. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


505 


After  following  the  water  for  thirty 
years  Mr.  Townsend  abandoned  that  life, 
and  in  1874  came  to  Kansas,  purchasing  the 
land  which  he  now  owns  from  the  railroad 
company  for  five  dollars  and  ten  cents  per 
acre,  on  the  eleven-year  installment  plan. 
He  used  this  means  of  purchase  because  he 
had  lost  his  savings  of  years  through  a 
company  in  Ottawa,  with  which  he  had  in- 
vested it.  In  1878  he  had  twenty  acres  of 
his  ground  broken  and  that  fall  erected  a 
farm  house,  installing  his  family  in  their 
new  home.  Since  then  he  has  given  his 
attention  to  farming  and  stock  raising  and 
now  owns  and  operates  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  valuable  land,  all  of  which 
is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 

Mr.  Townsend  was  married  in  Illinois 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Smith,  of  Washington, 
that  state,  and  unto  them:  were  born  two 
children:  George,  of  Salmon,  Idaho;  and 
'Lydia,  the  wife  of  George  Corfield,  a  farmer 
living  near  Partridge.  The  mother  died  No^ 
vember  14,  1884,  and  Mr.  Townsend  was 
again  married,  November  25.  1886.  his  sec- 
ond union  beine  with  Mary  Smith,  a  sister 
of  his  former  wife.  By  'this  marriage  there 
are  also  two  living  children:  Rachel  and 
Eva.  The  family  is  a  leading  one  in  the 
community  and  their  friends  are  many. 
They  have  a  pleasant  home  upon  the  farm 
and  Mr.  Townsend  is  now  engaged  in  stock 
raising,  retaining  his  pasture  in  order  to 
have  a  grazing  nlace  for  his  cattle,  while 
the  remainder  of  his  farm  he  rents.  Cap- 
tain Townsend  was  reared  in  the  faith  of 
the  Democracy  as  expounded  by  Jefferson 
and  Jackson,  but  did  not  embrace  the  tra- 
ditions of  his  fathers  in  this  respect,  becom- 
ing, instead,  a  loyal  supporter  of  the  Republi- 
can party.  He  has  always  declined  to 
serve  in  public  office  save  that  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  has  ever 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  educational  affairs 
and  uses  his  influence  toward  promoting  the 
standard  of  the  school  and  toward  securing 
good  teachers.  For  fifteen  years  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  was 
made  a  Master  Mason  in  Henry  Lodge, 
No.  119,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Henry,  Illinois, 
and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Independent 


Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  numbered 
among  the  early  settlers  and  honored  pio- 
neers of  the  county,  and  has  borne  his 
part  in  promoting  the  welfare  and  progress 
of  the  community.  From  early  life  he  has 
been  dependent  entirely  upon  his  own  re- 
sources and  gradually  he  has  advanced 
financially  until  he  is  now  among  the  pros- 
perous farmers  of  Reno  county. 


JACKSON  B.  BAXTER. 

A  leading  representative  of  the  indus- 
trial interests  of  Hutchinson  is  Jackson  B. 
Baxter,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Baker  & 
Baxter,  the  proprietors  of  the  onlv  foundry 
in  Reno  county.  Their  business  ability,  the 
excellence  of  the  workmanship  executed  in 
their  plant  and  their  reliable  methods  have 
given  the  firm  a  commanding  position  in 
business  circles.  Both  partners  are  practi- 
cal foundry  men  and  well  deserve  the  suc- 
cess which  is  now  crowning  their  well  direct- 
ed and:  honorable  efforts. 

Mr.  Baxter  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
his  birth  occurring  in  Westmoreland  county, 
on  the  5th  of  November,  1852,  his  parents 
being  Alexander  and  Eliza  G.  (Boggs)  Bax- 
ter, both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, residing  there  upon  a  farm,  on  which 
our  subject  remained  until  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age.  The  family  then  removed  to 
Butler  in  that  state,  where  he  attended  school 
until  he  attained  the  age  of  fifteen  when  he 
entered  upon  his  business  career  and  since 
that  time  has  been  dependent  upon  his  own 
efforts.  He  entered  the  foundry  of  Butler 
and  learned  the  trade,  being  employed  along 
that  line  in  various  towns  in  the  Keystone 
state  until  1875,  when  he  arrived  in  Reno 
county,  Kansas. 

For  two  years  after  his  arrival  Mr.  Bax- 
ter lived  with  his  brother  upon  the  latter's 
farm  and  in  1877  he  entered  a  blacksmith 
shop.  Later  he  was  employed  for  two 
years  in  the  barb  wire  works  of  South 
Hutchinson  and  in  the  foundry  of  the  Barb 
Wire  Manufacturing  Company,  of  the  same 
place.     In  1890  he  joined  Mr.  Baker  in  the 


5o6 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


establijhment  of,  tlie  present  firm  of  Baker 
8z  Baxter,  and  for  a  year  they  carried  on 
business  in  South  Hutchinson.  Their  pre- 
sent location  is  at  Xos.  119,  121  and  123  \\'. 
■Shennan  street,  where  they  began  business 
in  1893.  This  was  the  second  building  in 
the  town  and  was  established  by  Mr.  Christ- 
enson.  who  sold  it  to  the  party  of  whom  the 
present  firm  purchased  it.  They  bought  the 
ground  and  plant,  and  the  latter  has  been  en- 
larged and  newly  equipped  with  a  large  en- 
gine and  other  modem  machinery.  It  is 
now  the  only  foundry  in  tlie  county  and  they 
are  doing  a  large,  ffrofitable  and  constantly 
growing  business.  The  partners  are  prac- 
tical foundrymen  and  their  control  of  the 
enterprise  has  shown  a  thorough  understand- 
ing of  the  business  and  has  brought  to  them 
.success.  They  do  a  general  jobbing  and  re- 
pair business  and  also  make  a  specialty  of 
the  manufacture  of  the  Baker  &  Baxter  steel 
bearing  rocking  grate  bar.  an  improved  fur- 
nace grate  bar  combining  many  advantages 
over  the  old  grate  bar  and  thus  largely  fa- 
cilitating the  cleaning'  of  the  furnace  and  pre- 
venting the  clogging  by  cinders.  This  de- 
vice has  been  manufactured  by  the  firm  for 
the  last  six  years  and  has  rapidly  made  its 
way  into  public  favor.  It  is  the  result  of 
the  combined  inventive  genius  of  the  part- 
ners. They  also  manufacture  boiler  front 
and  structural  iron  products,  and  in  the 
manufacturing  and  repairing  departments  of 
their  business  they  have  met  with  gratify- 
ing success. 

Mr.  Baxter  has  been  twice  married.  He 
first  wedded  Mollie  Willows,  a  native  of 
Canada,  and  unto  them  were  born  four  chil- 
dren :  David.  Logan,  Eliza  and  Jackson. 
The  mother  died  June  8.  1898,  and  ^Ir.  Bax- 
ter has  since  married  Rachel  Rabner,  of 
Hutchinson.  He  has  erected  a  comfortable 
residence  at  Xo.  525  Avenue  B.  west,  and 
their  home  is  noted  for  its  hospitality.  In 
relis-ii  us  d  nntcti;  n  they  are  members  of  the 
Met!M(li>i  Mpi-ci  ]ial  church.  In  his  politi- 
cal view>  Mr.  Baxter  is  a  Republican  and 
has  served  on  the  central  committee  and 
been  a  delegate  to  various  conventions.  He 
lias  lieen  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  is 
always  on  the  alert  to  advance  any  enterprise 


for  the  general  good.  Socially  he  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
man and  has  been  a  delegate  to  the  grand 
lodge.  As  the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes 
he  has  builded  wisely  and  well,  and  is  to-day 
the  possessor  of  a  handsome  competence  -won 
entirely  through  his  own  labor. 


COLONEL  HENRY  INMAN. 

Colonel  Henry  Inman,  deceased,  well 
known  as  a  frontiersman,  soldier  and  auth- 
or, was  not  only  interested  in  the  early  de- 
velopment of  this  locality,  but  preserved 
many  of  the  incidents  connected  therewith 
by  his  literary  productions  treating  of  such 
subjects.  Among  the  early  settlers  of  Ells- 
worth county  his  name  was  a  household 
word.  His  writings  were  mostly  of  tales 
of  the  plains  and  of  frontier  life,  for  he  spent  ' 
forty  years  in  the  west  during  the  period  of 
its  development  and  early  progress. 

His  ancestors  were  among  the  old  Knick- 
erbocker families,  who  settled  at  what  is 
now  New  York  at  an  early  day,  and  prior 
to  that  time  they  were  connected  with  the  no- 
bility of  Holland.  Williarm  Inman,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  of  Hugue- 
not stock.  He  was  born  in  England  and 
came  to  America  in  1812.  For  sonle  time 
he  was  connected  with  the  mercantile  life 
in  New  York.  He  married  Jane  Riker, 
whose  family  name  is  borne  by  one  of  the 
islands  in  the  East  river,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  two  sons,  William  and  Henry,  the 
latter  being  the  father  of  our  subject.  Will- 
iam Inman  entered  the  navy  and  rose  from 
the  rank  of  the  midshipman  to  be  ranking 
commodore,  when  he  was  placed  on  the  re- 
tired list.  Henry  Inman,  the  father  of  the 
Colonel,  was  a  celebrated  artist  and  was 
president  of  the  National  Academy  of  De- 
sign. In  early  life  he  entered  West  Point 
as  a  military  student,  but  his  talent  was  so 
marked  that  a  prominent  artist  made  him 
his  pupil,  and  his  attention  was  thenceforth 
given  to  other  work.  He  painted  many  por- 
traits of  prominent  people  both  in  this  coun- 
try and  in  Europe. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


507 


The  birth  of  Coh:)nel  Henry  Inman  oc- 
curred on  the  3d  of  July,  1837,  and  his 
early  education  was  acquired  under  the  in- 
struction of  tutors  at  home.  He  afterward 
attended  Athenion  Academy,  at  Railway, 
New  Jersey,  and  in  1857  entered  the  army, 
being  immediately  ordered  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  for  the  Indians  in  the  northwest  were 
at  that  time  decidedly  hostile.  He  served 
through  all  the  campaigns  through  that  por- 
tion of  the  country  until  after  the  inaugu- 
ration of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  was  ordered 
east.  He  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac as  aid  de  camp  to  General  George  Sykes, 
and  v.-as  severely  wounded  in  the  seven  days 
fight  before  Richmond.  He  was  afterward 
brevetted  for  gallantry  and  was  again  bre- 
vetted  major  and  lieutenant  colonel  for  his 
work  in  the  Indian  campaigns  in  1868  and 
1869.  He  served  under  Generals  Phil  Sher- 
idan, Custer,  Gibbs,  Sully  and  other  famous 
Indian  fighters,  and  was  a  companion  of 
Buffalo  Bill  and  Kit  Carson  and  other  cele- 
brated characters  who  won  fame  on  the  west- 
ern plains.  Forty-two  years  passed  on  the 
extreme  frontier  gave  him'  rare  opportunity 
to  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  In- 
dian characters,  a  knowledge  of  which  his 
ability  as  a  writer  has  preserved  in  his  nu- 
merous literary  productions,  prominent 
among  which  are  the  Old  Santa  Fe  Trail,  the 
Great  Salt  Lake  Trail  (in  which  Colonel 
^\'ilIiam  F.  Cody  was  made  a  character), 
the  Cruise  of  the  Prairie  Schooner.  Buft'alo 
Jones,  the  Forty  Years'  Adventure.  A  Pio- 
neer from  Kentucky,  Tales  of  the  Trail,  the 
Dellahoyde  Boys  and  the  Ranch  on  the  Ox- 
hide, the  last  two  named  being  books  for 
juveniles. 

For  several  years  after  the  war  Colonel 
Innian  was  assistant  quartermaster  at  Fort 
Harker,  then  a  frontier  post.  After  seven- 
teen years  service  he  retired,  and  it  was  sub- 
sequent to  1874  that  he  did  most  of  his  lit- 
erary w^ork,  having  in  the  meantime  laid  the 
foundation  for  it  by  his  long  and  varied  ex- 
perience in  the  army  and  on  the  plains.  He 
was  in  charge  of  the  Larned  Enterprise 
from  1878  until  1882,  when  he  went  to  To- 
peka,  as  manager  of  the  Kansas  News 
agency. 


At  Portland,  Maine,  on  the  22d  of  Oc- 
tober, 1862,  Colonel  Inman  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Aliss  Eunice  C.  Dyer,  and  unto 
them  were  born  three  children,  a  son  and  two 
daughters,  who  attained  years  of  maturity. 
The  Colonel  departed  this  life  November  13, 
1899.  His  was  in  many  respects  an  inter- 
esting personality.  He  was  endowed  with  a 
marvelous  memory  and  accumulated  a  vast 
amount  of  information  upon  almost  every 
subject.  He  was  extremely  considerate, 
and  with  him  friendship  was  inviolable. 
Wherever  he  went  he  won  friends  and  never 
forfeited  their  warm  regard  and  admiration. 
His  history  forms  an  important  chapter  in 
the  annals  of  our  western  cn-nntry,  and  the 
American  people  owe  him  a  del)t  of  grati- 
tude for  what  he  accomplished  in  subduing 
the  Indians  and  opening  up  the  way  to  civil- 
ization in  the  far  west. 


JOHN  MARTIN. 

John  Martin  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm 
on  section  2,  Westminster  township,  where 
he  is  extensively  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  He  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, on  the  I2th  of  October,  1845,  ^  son 
of  William  Martin,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  locality.  In  1847  the  latter,  in  com- 
pany with  his  wife  and  seven  children,  cross- 
ed the  Atlantic  to  America,  eight  weeks  hav- 
ing been  spent  in  the  journey  from  London 
to  Quebec,  and  after  their  arrival  here  they 
located  in  Chittendon  county,  Vermont, 
where  the  father  worked  as  a  laborer  for  a 
time  and  afterward  owned  a  farm.  In  1856 
the  family  emigrated  to  Cook  county,  Illi- 
nois, locating  near  the  W^ill  county  line, 
where  he  became  the  owner  of  forty  acres 
of  land,  there  remaining  until  1874,  the  year 
of  his  arrival  in  Reno  county,  Kansas.  The 
first  land  which  he  owned  in  this  county  con- 
sisted of  a  homestead  claim  of  one  hundred' 
and  sixty  acres  in  Westminster  tiiwnship, 
which  afterward  formed  a  part  nf  his  fine 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acre  farm.  There 
he  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life,  pass- 
ing away  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years,  and 


5o8 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


his  remains  were  interred  in  ^^'ill  county. 
His  death  occurred  very  suddenly.  He  arose 
one  morning  apparently  well,  and  after  per- 
forming some  light  labor  about  the  yard  re- 
turned to  the  house,  where  he  again 
sought  repose,  and  when  called  to  breakfast 
it  was  found  that  he  had  passed  away  in 
death.  His  wife  passed  away  in  Illinois  in 
1863.  leaving  five  children,  the  four  daugh- 
ters being:  Mary  A.,  the  widow  of  James 
Kellogg  and  a  resident  of  Will  county,  Illi- 
nois ;  Catherine,  who  is  now  a  member  of  the 
household  of  President  Angel,  of  Hillsdale 
College,  Michigan,  and  with  that  family  she 
made  a  trip  to  China ;  Marie,  the  widow  of 
Mickel  Farmer  and  a  resident  of  Will  coun- 
ty; and  Mrs.  T.  T.  Hoppin,  a  resident  of 
Westminster  township,  Reno  county. 

John  Martin,  whose  name  introduces  this 
review,  remained  under  the  parental  roof 
until  eleven  years  of  age,  when  he  started 
out  in  life  for  himself.  During  the  war  of 
the  rebellion  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Thirty-first  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry, 
Company  K,  faithfully  performing  his  duties 
as  a  soldier  for  one  year,  when  he  received 
an  honorable -discharge  and  returned  to  his 
home.  In  the  spring  of  1873  he  came  to 
the  Sunflower  state,  securing  a  homestead 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
A\'estminster  township,  Reno  county,  and 
his  house  was  the  first  one  built  in  the  town- 
ship. He  also  entered  a  claim  for  Thomas 
McSherry,  whom  he  had  met  in  Missouri, 
that  gentleinan  giving  him  the  power  of  at- 
torney. When  he  arrived  in  this  state  buf- 
faloes were  still  numerous,  and  in  an  early 
day  Mr.  Martin  had  much  sport  in  hunting 
those  animals,  often  times  going  as  far  as 
seventy-five  miles  on  a  hunting  expedition. 
During  the  year  the  grasshoppers  visited 
this  state  in  such  great  numbers  he  was  at 
the  home  of  a  Mr.  Broadwells,  forty  miles 
southwest  of  Abbyville,  on  the  Ninnescah 
river,  where  he  was  assisting  in  the  hay 
fields,  and  while  there  he  and  Mr.  Broadwells 
went  on  a  hunt  for  buffalo  bones,  but  while 
roaming  over  the  prairie  they  became  lost, 
and  for  three  hours  they  were  unable  to  find 
their  way,  finally  locating  themselves  near 
home.     The  bones  which  they  found  were 


sold  in  Hutchinson  for  from  five  to  eight 
dollars  a  ton.  As  the  years  have  passed 
by  prosperity  has  abundantly  rewarded  the 
well  directed  efforts  of  Mr.  Martin,  and  he 
is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  and 
influential  farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  his 
locality.  He  follows  diversified  farming, 
his  principal  crop,  however,  being  wheat, 
having  from  one  to  two  hundred  acres  plant- 
ed with  that  cereal.  He  also  raises  a  fine 
grade  of  stock,  keeping  on  hand  about  one 
hundred  head  of  cows  and  sixteen  head  of 
horses,  and  in  this  branch  of  his  business  he 
has  been  very  successful. 

In  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  December  i, 
1873.  Mr.  Martin  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Kittie  Hawkins,  a  native  of  Michigan  and  a 
daughter  of  Jay  Hawkins.  Four  children 
came  to  bless  the  home  of  our  subject  and 
wife,  but  the  oldest.  Jay,  who  was.  born  Jan- 
uary 6,  1875,  died  February  23,  1876.  The 
three  surviving  are :  Josie  P.,  at  home;  Jessie 
B.,  the  wife  of  O.  R.  Click,  a  farmer  in  Gray 
county,  Kansas,  and  tliey  have  two  children, 
Kittie  Hellon  and  Orival  Russell;  and 
George,  who  resides  near  the  old  farm,  and 
was  married  to  Nettie  Sealy.  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  ]\Iabel  Fannie.  Mrs.  Martin 
died  January  11,  1882.  Mr.  Martin  gives 
his  political  support  to  the  Republican  party, 
and  on  its  ticket  has  been  for  three  terms 
elected  'to  the  office  of  township  trustee, 
while  for  four  terms  he  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace.  In  his  social  relations  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
and  the  Masonic  order. 


JOHN  T.  MORRISON. 

In  pioneer  days  John  T.  Morrison  came 
to  Barton  county  and  has  been  actively  as- 
sociated with  the  improvement,  progress  and 
upbuilding  of  the  community  in  the  inter- 
vening period.  He  found  here  a  wild  re- 
gion, the  greater  part  of  the  land  being  still 
in  its  primitive  condition,  while  towns  and 
villages  that  now  afford  to  their  residents  all 
!  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  the  older 
east  had  not  yet  sprung  into  existence  or 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


were  mere  hamlets.  He  has  taken  just  pride 
in  the  advancement  of  this  portion  of  the 
state  and  well  deserves  mention  among  its 
representative  citizens. 

Mr.  [Morrison  was  born  in  Guernsey 
county,  Ohio,  May  27,  1842,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  P.  Morrison,  who  at  an  early 
day  removed  to  Wayne  county,  Iow9,  where 
he  followed  agricultural  pursuits  until  he  re- 
tired from  active  business  life,  his  last  years 
being  spent  in  the  homes  of  his  children.  He 
died  in  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  .when  more 
than  eighty  years  of  age.  In  early  life  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Susanna  Tullis,  who 
was  born  in  Ohio,  and  died  when  about 
fifty-six  years  of  age.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren, namely:  John  T.,  Elijah,  Elizal>eth, 
Francis,  Susan,  William  D.,  Mary,  Zalina 
and  Malinda. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred 
to  vary  the  routine  of  farm  life  for  John  T. 
Morrison  in  his  youth.  He  was  reared  on 
the  old  family  homestead  in  Wayne  county, 
Iowa,  and  in  1878  came  to  Kansas,  locating 
first  in  Rice  county,  whence  he  removed  to 
Barton  county,  seeking  a  location.  In  the 
spring  of  1879  he  entered  land  in  Fairview 
township,  securing  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  8,  township  16,  range  15,  upon  which 
he  built  a  sod  house  sixteen  by  eighteen  feet. 
He  there  lived  for  a  year  and  on  the  expir- 
ation of  that  period  he  built  a  stone  and 
frame  house,  which  was  a  story  and  a  half 
in  height,  the  main  portion  being  eighteen 
by  twenty-eight  feet,  to  which  was  attached 
an  L  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet.  This  resi- 
dence is  still  standing  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation  and  continued  to  be  the  home  of 
Mr.  Morrison  until  1897,  when  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  Great  Bead  and  purchased  a 
quarter  section  of  school  land.  He  has 
practically  abandoned  farming  operations, 
his  land  being  now  rented.  His  income 
from  his  property  supplies  many  of  his  need's 
and  enables  him  to  secure  many  of  the  com- 
forts and  luxuries  which  go  to  make  life 
worth  the  living.  lie  was  a  wide-awake, 
enterprising  and  progressive  farmer  whose 
labors  resulted  in  bringing  to  him  a  richly 
merited  competence. 

Mr.  Morrison  was  united  in  marriage  to 


Miss  Clarissa  E.  Ormsby,  a  daughter  of 
Levi  and  Lucretia  Ormsby,  of  Ohio.  Her 
father  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  followed 
that  pursuit  in  early  life,  but  afterward 
turned  his  attention  to  merchandising.  On 
coming  to  the  west  he  settled  in  Johnson 
county,  Iowa,  and  later  removed  to  Em- 
poria, Kansas,  where  he  secured  a  farm.  He 
died  when  about  forty  years  of  age  and  his 
wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty.  They 
became  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely : 
James,  Levi,  Clarissa  E.,  George  and  Cal- 
vin. LTnto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrison  have 
also  been  born  five  children:  Elmer  E.,  a 
practicing  physician  of  Great  Bend ;  Thomas 
C,  a  merchant  of  Hoisington,  Kansas;  Sid- 
ney M.,  who  is  now  studying  journalism  in 
the  Agricultural  College  at  Manhattan, 
Kansas;  John  C,  who  is  also  pursuing  his 
studies  in  the  same  department;  and  Clar- 
ence E.,  who  is  a  student  in  the  high  school 
at  Great  Bend. 

Mr.  Morrison  has  ever  been  a  loyal  citi- 
zen and  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  man- 
ifested his  patriotism  by  offering  his  services 
to  the  government  in  1862,  enlisting  in 
Company  H  of  the  Thirteenth  Missouri  Cav- 
alry, and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
displaying  marked  valor  on  many  a  south- 
ern battlefield.  His  third  son  was  a  soldier, 
loyally  defending  the  nation  in  the  Philip- 
pines. He  served  for  one  year  and  five 
months  in  the  Twentieth  Kansas  Regiment 
in  the  Philippines  and  was  wounded  in  the 
right  hip  by  a  ball  at  the  battle  of  Colacan, 
on  the  nth  of  February,  1900.  Mr.  Mor- 
rison is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  in  his  political  views  he  is  a 
Republican,  having  served  in  a  number  of 
township  offices.  In  his  religious  faith  he  is 
a  Methodist  and  his  life  is  ever  in  harmony 
with  high  moral  principle,  with  loyal  citizen- 
ship and  faithful  friendship. 


JOSEPHUS  DORR. 


Josephus  Dorr,  who  follows  farming  in 
Rice  county,  is  numbered  among  the  hon- 
ored veterans  of  the  Civil  war,  and  upon  the 
field  of  battle  he  manifested  his  loyalty  to 


510 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


the  cause  of  the  Union,  battling  earnestly 
for  its  support,  that  the  alliance  of  states 
might  not  be  destroyed.  He  was  born  in 
Athens  county,  Ohio,  December  i,  1840,  and 
the  common  schools  provided  him  his  educa- 
tional privileges.  The  ancestry  of  the  fam- 
ily can  be  traced  back  to  three  brothers  who 
came  from  England  to  America  and  settled 
in  Massachusetts,  where  they  engaged  in 
farming.  Berrick  Dorr,  the  great-grand- 
father of  our  subject,  was  a  descendant  of 
one  of  these  brothers.  His  son.  William 
Dorr,  was  the  grandfather  of  our  subject 
and  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Ohio,  for 
emigrating  westward  he  settled  in  Athens 
county,  that  state,  at  a  very  early  day.  By 
occupation  he  was  a  farmer  and  upon  the 
family  homestead  he  reared  his  children,  six 
in  number,  namely :  Matthew,  Joseph,  Ed- 
ward, Lucy,  Fanu}'  and  Ann.  Of  this  num- 
ber Edward  was  a  Methodist  minister. 

Matthew  Dorr,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  reared  in  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
throughout  his  entire  life,  his  death  occur- 
ring on  the  22d  of  March,  1882,  when  he 
had  attained  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 
He  engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil  and 
lived  the  life  of  a  plain,  honest  farmer,  and 
being  respected  for  his  fidelity  to  duty  and 
his  allegiance  to  his  family.  His  wife  still 
survives  hin>  and  is  yet  living  in  the  old  home 
in  Ohio,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-eight 
years.  Their  children  were:  Josephus; 
Adeline,  who  died  in  early  girlhood ;  Ed- 
ward, who  served  in  the  late  rebellion  and  is 
now  in  Nebraska ;  Charles,  who  is  living  in 
Ohio:  Leander.  who  is  located  on  the  old 
family  homestead :  and  ^Irs.  Elizabeth 
Poston. 

In  his  parents"  home  Josephus  Dorr  re- 
mained throughout  the  period  of  childhood 
and  youth  and  assisted  in  the  farm  work, 
but  after  the  inauguration  of  the  war  he 
could  not  content  himself  to  follow  the  plow 
when  his  country  needed  the  aid  of  her  loyal 
sons,  and  therefore  on  the  5th  of  December, 
1 861.  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Sixty- 
third  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  regi- 
ment was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee, with  General  \\'illiam  Sherman  in 
command.     He  remained  at  the  front  until 


the  close  of  the  war  and  was  a  loyal  and 
faithful  defender  of  the  Union.  He  was 
only  five  days  at  home  during  his  entire  ser- 
vice, and  never  received  a  furlough,  but  was 
detailed  on  special  duty,  and  while  in  that 
capacity,  being  near  home,  he  embraced  the 
opijortunity  of  visiting  his  relatives.  He 
saw  hatd  service  and  never  shrank  from 
duty,  no  matter  how  difficult  the  service  re- 
quired of  him.  When  his  first  term  of  en- 
listment had  expired  he  received  an  honor- 
able discharge  and  then  veteranized,  thus 
serving  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  par- 
ticipated in  many  important  battles,  includ- 
ing the  engagements  at  New  Madrid :  Island 
No.  10;  the  first  and  second  battles  of  Cor- 
inth, the  regiment  losing  forty-fi\-e  per  cent 
of  its  men  in  the  second  engagement :  the 
battles  of  Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenejaw  Aloun- 
tain,  Decatur,  Atlanta,  Jonesboro.  Sa\'annah, 
Georgia :  Pocotaligo,  South  Carolina :  Black 
River  Bridge.  Bentonville  and  many 
other  skirmishes.  The  regiment  was 
always  to  be  seen  in  the  midst  of  the  fray, 
ready  to  march  against  the  enemy,  yiany 
of  its  members  were  cut  off  by  rebel  bullets 
and  were  laid  to  rest  beneath  the  southern 
soil.  Mr.  Dorr  marched  with  Sherman  to 
the  sea  and  was  near  Bentonville  when  Lee 
surrendered.  He  afterward  went  with  his 
command  to  Washington,  where  he  took 
part  in  the  grand  review,  a  most  notable  oc- 
casion, being  the  most  brilliant  military 
pageant  ever  seen  upon  the  continent.  He 
was  afterward  sent  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
where  he  was  mustered  out  and  then  trans- 
ported to  Camp  Dennison,  near  Cincinnati. 
Ohio,  where  he  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge and  was  paid  oiT  July  8,  1865.  He 
was  never  taken  prisoner  and  received  only 
slight  wounds,  yet  was  always  faithful  to  his 
duty,  whether  upon  the  firing  line  or  picket 
line. 

With  a  most  creditable  military  record 
Mr.  Dorr  returned  to  his  father's  home, 
where  he  made  a  pleasant  visit,  but  the  same 
year  went  to  Iowa,  where-  he  was  employed 
as  a  farm  hand.  Later  he  purchased  some 
raw  land  and  improved  a  farm.  This  he 
afterward  sold  in  order  to  turn  his  attention 
to  merchandising,  and  subsequently  he  dis- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


posed  of  liis  store  and  went  to  Nebraska, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  same  Hne  of  busi- 
ness until  1868,  at  which  time  he  returned 
to  Iowa.  In  Mills  county,  in  the  latter  state, 
he  married  Miss  Nancy  E.  Lookabill,  a  lady 
of  intelligence  and  culture,  whO'  was  born 
in  Putnam  county,  Indiana,  March  28,  1845, 
being  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  A. 
(Wilson)  Lookabill,  natives  of  North  Car- 
olina and  Kentucky,  respectively.  They  were 
married  in  Indiana  and  in  1847  he  and  his 
wife  went  tO'  Iowa,  locating  in  Wapello 
county.  There  the  father  secured  a  land 
warrant  which  he  li_;cate(.l,  and  improved  a 
farm,  which  he  later  sold,  going  thence  to 
Mills  county,  Iowa,  wliere  he  devehjped  an- 
other farm,  upon  which  he  spent  his  remain- 
ing days.  He  died  in  1865,  having  survived 
his  wife  some  time.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren: Nancy  E.,  now  IMrs.  Dorr;  Sarilda, 
the  deceased  wife  of  J.  ]\Ioore.  a  soldier  of 
the  Civil  war ;  and  Cynthia,  the  wife  of  J. 
Smith.  The  father  had  been  previously 
married  and  the  children  of  that  union  were  : 
Christopher,  who  was  a  Union  soldier;  Da- 
vid; Samuel;  Jane,  the  wife  of  William  An- 
derson; and  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  J.  Ad- 
kins.  The  home  of  ^Nlr.  and  Mrs.  Dorr  has 
been  blessed  with  three  sons :  William,  a 
railroad  agent,  who  was  born  June  8,  1869; 
Walter  J.,  born  August  4,  1870,  and  now 
operating  the  home  farm ;  and  Edmond  T., 
who  was  born  March  26,  1872,  and  is  also 
following  farming. 

After  his  marriage  ^Ir.  Dorr  remained 
in  Mills  county,  Iowa,  until  1879,  when  he 
removed  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Rice  county. 
Here  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  raw  prairie  land  from  the  railroad 
company.  It  is  located  in  Mitchell  town- 
ship and  is  yet  his  place  of  abode.  He 
brought  with  hiuT  to  the  county  two  two- 
horse  teams  and  his  household  goods,  and 
thus  he  had  everything  with  which  to  begin 
life  in  the  Sunflow-er  state.  He  first  erected 
a  small  house  and  engaged  in  breaking 
prairie,  after  which  he  took  up  his  farm  work 
in  earnest,  and  his  place  has  been  self-sus- 
taining ever  since.  When  he  came  here  all 
farming  was  carried  on  on  a  small  scale  and 
nnich  was  said  about  failures,  but  undaunted 


by  this  he  worked  on  with  unfaltering  pnr- 
pnse  and  >tning  energy,  and.  although  some 
year-  criiji-  liaw  jin  ved  a  failure,  he  has  al- 
ways liad  eniiUgh  tn  support  the  famil)-,  and 
many  years  his  labors  have  been  crowned 
with  success  and  brought  to  him  a  rich  finan- 
cial reward.  He  carried  on  general  farming 
and  stock-raising,  and  altogether  his  career 
has  been  a  successful  one.  He  to-day  owns 
a  half  section  of  valuable  land,  all  under 
fence  and  highly  cultix'ated.  He  has  remod- 
eled and  enlarged  the  house  antl  now  has  a 
ci  nimodicus  and  attractive  residence,  in  the 
rear  of  which  stand  gonil  barns  and  out- 
buildings, and  an  orchard  and  qr(i\-c  aild  to 
the  value  and  attractive  ap]naraiui.  ■  i"  tlie 
farm,  wdiich  is  pleasantlv  and  1 1 'ii\  i-meiitly 
situated  two  miles  north  of  Mitchell.  Pros- 
perity has  crowned  his  endeaxurs  and  he  is 
now  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  his 
community.  He  is  both  widely  and  favor- 
ably known  and  commands  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  all.  Politically  he  is  inde- 
pendent, supporting  the  men  whom  he  thinks 
best  fitted  for  ofiice,  regardless  of  party  affil- 
iations. He  has  filled  many  township'  offices, 
including  that  of  township  trustee,  and  no 
obligation  or  trust  reposed  in  him  has  ever 
been  betrayed.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
consistent  and  devoted  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist church  in  Mitchell,  doing  what  they 
can  to  support  and  advance  the  cause  of 
Christianity.  In  social  circles  they  have 
made  manv  friends  and  well  deserve  men- 
tion in  this  \'oIume. 


JAMES  M.  RAMSEY. 

James  M.  Ramsey,  a  retired  farmer  re- 
siding in  Sterling,  was  born  in  Preble  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  July  g.  183 1.  His  father,  David 
Ram^ev,  i^  mnv  nearlv  ninety  years  of  age 
and  nia'kc-^  hi-  h-nie  iii'l'airhaven,  Ohio.  He 
niarnol  Mi--  Mary  Marshall,  who  died 
about  184 1,  leaving  five  children,  but  only 
two  of  the  number  are  yet  living,  namely : 
James  M.  and  the  youngest  child,  Joseph 
Ramsev,  who  is  now  living  in  ^lorning  Sun, 
Ohio.  ' 


512 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


The  subject  of  this  review  was  reared  to 
farm  Hfe,  early  becoming  familiar  with  all 
the  duties  and' labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of 
the  agriculturist.  He  also  received  a  com- 
mon-school education.  In  1864  he  respond- 
ed to  his  country's  call  for  troops,  enlisting 
in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-sixth  Ohio 
Infantry,  with  which  he  remained  for  five 
months'  In  the  meantime  he  had  married 
the  lady  of  his  choice.  Miss  Martha  J.  Gil- 
more,  who  was  born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio, 
in  1835,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  B.  and  Mar- 
garet (McMechami)  Gilmore,  both  of  whom 
are  now  deceased.  The  father  died  in  1836, 
leaving  to  the  care  of  his  widow  their  four 
children,  of  whom  only  two  are  now  living, 
the  brother  of  Mrs.  Ramsey  being  James  I. 
Gilmore,  who  is  living  near  Campbellsville, 
Kentucky.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ramsey  was  celebrated  in  their  native  coun- 
ty, November  17,  1852,  and  has  been  blessed 
with  eight  children,  six  of  whom  are  now 
living:  David  A.,  who  follows  carpenter- 
ing in  Sterling,  has  a  wife  and  three  living 
children  and  has  lost  one  child;  Charles  G., 
a  carpenter  of  Santa  Ana,  California,  has 
six  living  children;  James  E.,  a  merchant  of 
Lincoln  county,  Tennessee,  also  has  six  chil- 
dren ;  Joseph  H.  is  married  and  resides  in 
Gridley,  Coffey  county.  Kansas;  O.  H.,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  operation  of  his  father's 
farm  in  Anderson  county,  Kansas,  is  mar- 
ried and  has  two  sons;  and  Mary  A.,  who 
completes  the  family,  is  at  home. 

James  M.  Ramsey  of  this  review  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits  in  Ohio  until 
1872.  when  he  went  to  Lincoln  county,  Ten- 
nessee, and  there  became  the  owner  of  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  acres,  upon 
which  he  resided  for  twelve  years.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  sold  the  prop- 
erty and  came  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Ander- 
son county,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres, 
upon  which  his  son  now  resides.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1895,  he  removed  to  Sterling  and  pur- 
chased a  village  lot,  to  which  his  son  re- 
moved his  residence  from  Ness  coimty,  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  miles.  This  son 
lives  upon  the  adioining  lot.  Mr.  Ramsey 
and  his  son  are  Republicans  in  their  polit- 
ical affiliations,  and  he  is  identified  with  the 


Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  has  served 
as  road  supervisor  in  three  different  states, 
but  has  never  aspired  to  public  office,  pre- 
ferring to  devote  his  attention  to  his  busi- 
ness affairs,  in  which  he  has  met  with  cred- 
itable success.  He  and  his  family  hold  mem- 
bership in  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 


CHARLES  T.  KENDALL,  M.  D. 

Professional  advancement  has  been 
vouchsafed  to  Dr.  Kendall,  who  is  engaged 
in  practice  in  Hollyrood.  Close  application, 
earnest  and  discriminating  study  and  broad 
human  sympathy  have  been  the  concomi- 
tants which  have  secured  to  him  success, 
and  he  now  occupies  a  high  position  in  the 
ranks  of  his  professicmal  brethren.  The 
Doctor  is  a  native  of  Bedford,  Ohio,  and  a 
son  of  Williarti  and  Eliza  R.  (Fritts)  Ken- 
dall, the  former  a  native  of  the  Buckeye, 
state  and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  The  fa- 
ther served  for  four  years  in  the  Civil  war 
as  a  member  of  the  Thirty-third  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  since  1878  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  stock  business  in  Kansas 
and  Colorado,  his  present  home  being  at 
Garden  City,  Kansas.  In  the  family  are 
five  children :  James,  who  is  now  associ- 
ated with  his  father  in  business;  W.  E.,  a 
practicing  dentist  of  Wilson,  Kansas;  Sal- 
lie;  Charles  T. ;  and  I\Iar\-  R. 

Dr.  Kendall,  of  this  review,  was  a  child 
of  only  two  years  when  brought  by  his  par- 
ents to  the  Sunflower  state,  and  during  his 
youth  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  cattle 
business.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the 
public  schools,  completing  his  literary  ed- 
ucation in  the  high  school  of  Clay  Center, 
and  in  1895  he  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  Universitv  of  Denver,  where  he 
spent  two  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that 
period  he  matriculated  in  the  medical  col- 
lege of  St.  Louis,  where  he  won  his  degree 
in  1899.  Immediately  afterward  he  opened 
an  office  in  Hollyrood  and  has  since  given 
his  entire  attention  to  the  general  practice 
of  medicine  and  surgery.  He  has  met  with 
more  than   an  ordinary  degree  of  success, 


-^^<:><'^^i;^^^.  ^^^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


513 


having  established  a  high  reputaition  for 
skill  and  ability,  winning  prestige  that  many 
an  older  physician  might  well  envy.  His 
practice  in  town  and  country  is  large  and 
of  a  lucrative  character,  and  he  is  widely 
recognized  as  one  of  the  capable  and  suc- 
cessful phvsicians  of  the  county.  He  is  a 
member  of  Hollyrood  Lodge,  No.  343,  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  he  exercises  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Republican  party. 


SOLOMON  STONE. 

Not  only  has  the  subject  of  this  all  too 
short  sketch  seen  Kansas  grow  fronr  a  wild 
county,  with  only  a  few  white  inhabitants, 
to  a  rich  agricultural  country,  containing 
thousands  of  good  homes  and  arres  of  grow- 
ing towns,  inhabited  by  an  industrious,  pros- 
perous, enlightened  and  progressive  people, 
but  he  has  participated  in  and  assisted  the 
slow,  persistent  work  of  development  which 
was  necessary  to  produce  a  change  which  is 
so  complete  that  it  has  come  to  be  popularly 
referred  to  as  magical. 

Twenty-nine  years  have  passed  since 
Solomon  Stone  arrived  in  Rice  county,  and 
throughout  the  entire  period  he  has  been 
classed  among  the  valued  and  influential  cit- 
izens. He  was  born  in  Bedford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  July  24,  1845,  a^nd  represents 
one  of  the  old  and  honored  families  of  the 
Keystone  state.  He  is  descended  from  good 
old  Revolutionary  stock,  for  his  paternal 
grandfather,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
served  for  seven  years  with  the  Colonial 
army  in  its  attempt  to  win  American  inde- 
pendence— an  attempt  which  was  ultimately 
crowned  with  a  brilliant  victory  and  resulted 
in  the  establishment  of.the  grandest  repub- 
lic on  the  face  of  the  globe.  He  was  a  coop- 
er by  trade,  an  honest  farmer  and  a  loyal 
citizen,  and  his  descendants  certainly  have 
every  reason  to  be  proud  of  this  ancestor. 
His  children  were:  John,  Michael,  James, 
Adam,  Peter,  Mrs.  Margaret  Fultz  and  Eliz- 
abeth, the  wife  of  Rev.  Steele. 

John  Stone,  the  father  of  our  subject. 


was  also  born  in  the  Keystone  state  and 
spent  his  boyhood  days  in  his  parents'  home, 
becoming  familiar  with  the  work  of  cooper- 
ing under  his  father's  directions.  He  pos- 
sessed considerable  mechanical  ability  and 
was  energetic  and  industrious  in  carrying  on 
his  agricultural  pursuits.  He  married  Miss 
Catherine  Beegle,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Pennsylvania.  Her  parents  were  consist- 
ent members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  in 
their  family  were  seven  children,  namely: 
Catherine;  Benjamin,  who  died  in  Ohio; 
Charles,  Solomon  and  Frederick,  who  passed 
away  in  Pennsylvania;  Mrs.  Rebecca  Sha- 
fer;  and  Mrs.  P"hebe  Rosenfield.  Through- 
out his  entire  life  John  Stone,  Jr.,  resided 
upon  the  old  family  homestead.  He  was  a 
sturdy,  industrious  man  and  gave  his  undi- 
vided attention  to  his  business  affairs,  and 
his  record  was  as  an  open  book,  containing 
no  blotted  or  turned  down  pages.  He,  too, 
held  membership  in  the  Lutheran  church 
and  his  wife  was  a  consistent  Christian  of 
the  same  religious  faith.  They  had  seven 
children  :  John,  who  died  in  1862  ;  Mahala, 
now  Mrs.  Anders ;  Daniel,  who  died  in  Bar- 
ber county,  Kansas,  in  September,  1901 ; 
Reuben,  who  died  in  Otcober,  1901,  in  Ohio; 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Beegle,  of  Pennsylvania; 
Washington,  deceased;  and  Solomon. 

The  last  named  remained  in  the  east  dur- 
ing his  early  boyhood  and  youth,  continu- 
ing with  his  parents  until  seventeen  years  of 
age,  when  he  determined  to  seek  a  fortune 
in  the  west  and  made  his  way  to  Illinois. 
There  he  engaged  in  the  operation  of  rented 
land  for  a  time  and  afterward  went  to  Min- 
nesota, where  he  was  employed  in  a  brick 
yard.  In  1866  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
bridge  company  engaged  on  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railroad  in  Iowa.  For  nine  months  he  was 
with  the  company  and  then  returned  to  Illi- 
nois, where  again  he  engaged  in  farming, 
that  industry  occupying  his  attention  until 
1873,  when  he  arrived  in  Kansas  and  lo- 
cated a  homestead  in  Rice  county.  He  built 
thereon  a  small  house  and  began  the  work 
of  improving  his  claim.  The  same  year  he 
returned  to  Illinois  and  in  1874  he  secured 
as  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  the  jour- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ney  of  life  ^Nliss  Diana  L.  Kaiser,  a  lady  of 
intelligence  and  culture,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  February  lo,  1850,  her  parents,  being 
John  S.  and  Diana  (Miller)  Kaiser.  Her 
father  was  a  native  of  Switzerland  and  was 
a  son  of  Rev.  John  and  Ann  (Simmons) 
Kaiser,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of 
the  land  of  the  Alps.  The  grandfather  de- 
voted his  early  life  to  teaching  the  higher 
branches  of  learning.  After  coming  to  the 
new  world  and  attaining  to  man's  estate 
John  Kaiser,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Stone,  was 
married  to  Miss  Diana  Miller,  who  was  born 
in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  w'as 
a  daugliter  of  Scott  Miller.  He.  too,  was 
born  in  the  Keystone  state  and  was  of  Ger- 
man descent.  His  wife  bore  the  family  name 
of  Williams  prior  to  her  marriage.  In  1864 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kaiser  removed  to  Illinois  and 
he  purchased  a  tract  of  land,  devoting  his 
energies  to  agricultural  pursuits  from  that 
time  until  his  death,  which  occurred  May 
14,  1890.  when  he  was  sixty-six  years  of 
age,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  1824.  His 
wife  survived  him  until  May  26,  1897,  when 
she,  too,  was  called  away.  She  held  mem- 
bership in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
They  had  six  children:  John  A.,  of  Illinois; 
Marion,  who  is  living  at  Homestead,  Illi- 
nois; Diana  L.,  now  Mrs.  Stone;  Lucy,  the 
wife  of  S.  Baxter;  xA.nna,  the  wife  of  D. 
Payne;  and  Clarissa,  who  married  S.  Bax- 
ter, she  being  his  first  wife,  and  after  her 
death  he  married  her  sister  Lucy.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  have  been  born  two 
children,  Ivan  L.  and  Silver  S. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Stone 
brought  his  bride  to  his  Kansas  home  and 
has  remained  continuously  since  upon  his 
farm.  He  entered  the  first  claim  in  the 
neighborhood  and  made  the  first  improve- 
ment upon  land  in  this  section  of  the  county. 
The  prairie  was  a  billowy  sea  of  grass,  and 
some  game  was  yet  to  be  secured,  while  wild 
Iieasts  roamed  at  will  over  the  country.  The 
nearest  postoffice  was  at  Atlanta  and  the 
piiaieer  settlers  made  their  purchases  at 
Sterling.  Not  long  after  Mr.  Stone  began 
farming  the  grasshoppers  destroyed  every- 
thing green:  his  young  trees  and  hedges 
were  strip])ed  of  their  foliage  and  crops  were 


completelv  ruined.  To  meet  expenses  until 
another  year  had  passed  and  crops  were 
again  ready  to  be  harvested  required  econ- 
omical management  and  strong  determina- 
tion, but  this  w^as  done  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stone,  who  with  resolute  purpose  had  come 
to  the  county  to  make  their  home.  They 
bore  heroically  the  hardships  and  dif^culties 
of  pioneer  life,  and  as  the  years  passed  the 
labors  of  ]\Ir.  Stone  have  resulted  in  the  de- 
velopment of  his  rich  and  productive  farm. 
He  has  always  been  able  to  raise  corn  with 
the  exception  of  one  year,  and  his  wheat 
crops  have  been  uniformly  good.  He  has 
also  raised  hogs  to  some  extent.  Splendid 
improvements  have  been  placed  upon  his 
property,  including  the  erection  of  a  com- 
modious two-story  frame  residence,  which 
was  the  first  house  of  any  pretension  in  the 
neighborhood.  He  also  built  a  large  barn 
and  other  outbuildings  and  has  added  many 
conveniences,  including  the  latest  improved 
machinery,  and  an  orchard  and  a  grove  are 
among  the  attractive  features  of  his  place. 
One  of  the  most  desirable  farming  proper- 
ties in  Rice  county  to-day  is  that  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Stone.  He  has  added  to  his  land 
until  he  now  o\yns  four  hundred  acres  of 
good  land,  all  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. In  the  management  of  his  afifairs  he 
has  manifested  excellent  business  ability  and 
executive  force  and  is  recognized  as  a  cap- 
able financier.  In  his  political  atSliations  he 
was  formerly  a  Republican,  but  is  now  an 
advocate  of  the  Reform  party.  He  has 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  but  has  never 
aspired  to  political  notoriety. 


THOAIAS  J.  \\-ILLETT. 

Thomas  J.  ^^'illett,  a  resident  farmer  of 
Valley  township.  Rice  county,  making  his 
home  on  section  3,  was  born  in  Mead  coun- 
ty, Kentucky,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  river, 
forty  miles  below  Louisville,  at  the  Willett 
Landing,  which  place  was  named  in  honor  of 
his  grandfather.  His  natal  day  was  May 
25,  1837.  His  grandfather.  Richard  Wil- 
lett, was  a  native  of  Marvland  and  wedded 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


515 


a  ]\Iiss  Esery.  They  became  the  parents  of 
seven  sons  and  one  daughter  who  reached 
mature  years,  the  number  including  James 
E.  Willett,  the  father  of  our  subject,  who 
was  born  in  the  interior  of  the  country  in 
1804,  when  that  state  was  in  its  primitive 
condition,  the  work  of  civiHzation  and  prog- 
ress having  but  just  been  begun.  He  mar- 
ried Lydia  A.  Stout,  who  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, in  181 1,  and  their  marriage  was 
blessed  with  twelve  children,  of  whom  eight 
sons  and  two  daughters  grew  to  manhood 
and  womanhood.  Four  of  the  sons  are  yet 
living,  namely :  Thomas  Jefferson  ;  Edward 
A.,  who  resides  near  Lawrence,  Kansas;  R. 
S.,  who  makes  l^i'^  hnme  in  South  Dakota; 
and  George  \\'.,  of  I'dweshiek  county,  Iowa. 
There  is  also  a  sister,  Mrs.  Lydia  A.  Mc- 
Whorter,  who  resides  in  Miller  county, 
South  Dakota,  and  is  the  youngest  of  the 
family.  The  father  died  in  1854,  and  his 
remains  were  interred  at  Jacksonville,  Illi- 
nois. His  wife,  long  surviving  him,  passed 
away  December  11,  1897,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six  years,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  a 
cemetery  at  Montezuma,  Poweshiek  county, 
Iowa. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Willett  acquired  a  fair 
education  in  Aledo,  Illinois,  where  he  at- 
tended a  boarding  school,  devoting  the  great- 
er part  of  his  attention,  to  the  mastery  of  his 
studies  until  his  majority.  He  afterward  en- 
gaged in  teaching  for  two  terms  and  he  re- 
mained with  his  mother  until  his  marriage, 
which  occurred  in  July,  1867,  Miss  Sarah 
A.  Dunning  becoming  his  wife.  She  was 
born  in  Venango  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
March,  1837,  a  daughter  of  Hugh  and 
Phebe  (McElhany )  Dunning.  Six  children 
ha\-e  been  bnrn  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willett, 
namely  :  Wirtie.  who  for  a  number  of  years 
was  a  very  successful  schnnl  teacher;  Do- 
cia,  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Herner.  of  Oklahoma; 
Delplia,  a  teacher  living  at  home ;  Rowe,  a 
farmer  of  Center  township.  Rice  county, 
who  was  married  March  18,  1901 ;  Katy, 
who  is  teaching  in  the  home  district;  and 
Hugh,  of  Harper  county,  Kansas,  who  is 
married  and  has  one  daughter. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W^illett  were  married  in 
Illinois,    but    soon    afterward    removed    to 


Iowa,  where  he  and  hljs  brother,  George 
W.,  purchased  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  rich  land.  After  farming  there 
for  nine  years  he  sold  his  property  and  the 
business  relations  between  the  brothers 
were  severed.  They  settled  upon  separate 
farms  and  dur  snl>ject  continued  to  engage 
in  the  cultivation  of  the  lieM>  until  1878, 
when  lie  disp<ised  of  his  pro])erl\-  and  in  the 
spring  of  1879  came  to  Rice  count}-,  arriv- 
ing on  the  1 6th  of  March.  Here  he  oper- 
ated a  farm  belonging  to  his  wife's  brother 
and  later  purchased  the  quarter  section  of 
land  on  section  3,  Valley  tov.mship,  which  he 
yet  owns  and  on  which  he  lias  since  made  his 
home  with  tlie  txrei>iion  of  three  years  spent 
on  the  Stri])  in  (  )kl;ihonia,  where  he  secured 
a  quarter  section  of  land.  He  is  a  progress- 
ive and  wide-awake  agriculturist  and  his 
fields  are  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  served 
as  school  director,  but  while  he  keeps  well 
informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day  he  has 
never  been  an  otfice  seeker. 


JOHN  BLACKHALL. 

John  Blackball,  who  follows  farming  in 
Sterling  to\\-nshi]).  Rice  county,  was  born  in 
Aberdecn-lnre.  Scotland,  on  the  13th  of  Oc- 
tober, 183(1.  and  in  his  life  exemplifies  some 
of  the  strongest  and  best  characteristics  of 
the  Scottish  nation,  being  persistent,  trust- 
worthy and  reliant.  He  remained  in  he  land 
of  his  birth  until  nineteen  years  of  age, 
when,  in  1853,  he  took  passage  on  a  sailing 
vessel  wln'cli  weighed  anchor  in  Liverpool, 
and  after  ci-iit  wfck-  and  three  da)-s  reached 
the  harlior  of  Xew  York.  Llis  father  died 
when  his  son  was  only  four  years  of  age, 
and  at  an  early  period  in'  his  career  Mr. 
Blackball  began  earning  his  own  livelihood. 
He  was  the  first  of  his  fatnily  to  seek  a  home 
in  the  new  world.  Three  years  afterward  his 
elder  brother  came  to  Amerca,  locating  in 
California,  where  he  prospered  in  his  under- 
takings. He  then  sent  money  for  the  mother 
and  the  other  children  to  come.  Mrs.  Black- 
hall  reared  all  of  her  ten  children  bv  two 


5i6 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


marriages  and  is  now  the  widow  Meever. 
By  her  second  union  she  had  five  children. 
She  makes  her  liome  in  the  state  of  Washing- 
ton with  her  youngest  daughter  and  has 
reached  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
four  years.  She  was  left  without  means  on 
the  death  of  her  first  husband,  but  she  man- 
aged to  keep  her  family  together  and  provide 
them  with  fair  educational  privileges  and 
thus  fit  them  for  life's  practical  duties.  Eight 
of  her  children  are  still  living. 

John  Blackball  was  only  thirteen  years 
of  age  when  he  began  work  in  a  fabric  fac- 
tor}-, but  within  two  years  he  ran  away  and 
secured  a  situation  at  herding  cattle.  In  the 
summer  he  was  thus  employed  and  in  the 
winter  he  acted  as  a  shepherd,  receiving  five 
dollars  for  six  months'  services,  together 
with  his  board.  When  he  left  Scotland  he 
was  receiving  about  seven  pounds  or  forty- 
two  dollars  for  six  months  labor,  and  he  was 
an  able  man  in  all  kinds  of  farm  work. 
Thinking  that  it  would  be  long  before  he 
could  make  a  start  in  life  in  his  native  coun- 
try in  that  way  he  resolved  to  seek  a  home 
in  the  new  world.  For  six  years  he  resided 
in  Canada  and  there  won  a  first  premium 
as  a  ploughman.  In  Hamilton,  Canada,  he 
was  united  in  marriage,  in  i860,  to  Miss 
Margaret  Thompson,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
born  near  Balmoral  Castle,  in  1830. 

While  residing  in  Canada  and  after  his 
marriage  Mr.  Blackball  engaged  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  rented  land.  He  then  removed 
to  Marquette  county,  Michigan,  where  he 
and  his  wife  conducted  a  boarding  house  for 
a  time  and  he  also  worked  out  by  the  day. 
In  1876  he  arrived  in  Sterling  township, 
Rice  county,  Kansas.  Soon  afterward  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  adjoining  his  present  farm,  for  which 
he  paid  one  thousand  dollars,  giving  two 
hundred  dollars  for  his  stock.  His  present 
farm  comprises  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  valuable  land,  and  his  two  sons  own 
a  half  section  each  in  Kansas  and  Oklahoma. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blackball  have  lost  one  son, 
Andrew,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
months.  Their  living  children  are:  Henry 
is  an  enterprising,  reliable  farmer  of  thirty- 
seven  years  and  now  owns  three  hundred  and 


twenty  acres  of  rich  land  near  the  old  home- 
stead. His  place  is  improved  with  good 
buildings  and  he  has  four  thousand  bushels 
of  wheat  in  his  granaries.  His  principal 
crops  are  wheat,  corn  and  oats,  and  he  works 
six  horses  in  the  care  of  his  farm.  The  sec- 
ond member  of  the  family  is  Mary,  a  young 
lady  at. home.  The  younger  son,  William 
J.,  has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
adjoining  the  old  home  place  and  a  quarter 
section  in  the  Strip  in  Oklahoma.  He  wed- 
ded Elizabeth  Ransom,  who  resided  in  this 
neighborhood,  and  they  now  have  a  daugh- 
ter and  two  sons,  who  are  the  pride  of  the 
parents  and  grandparents. 

Mr.  Blackball  of  this  review  has  been  a 
Republican  since  attaining  the  right  of  fran- 
chise in  America.  He  was  reared  a  Presby- 
terian, but  has  been  a  liberal  contributor  to 
the  support  of  the  IMethodist  Episcopal 
church  and  toward  the  building  of  its  new 
house  of  worship.  He  came  to  America  a 
young  man  without  capital  and  had  no  in- 
fluential friends  to  aid  him^  but  he  relied 
upon  earnest  labor  to  give  him  a  start  and 
through  persistent  effort  he  has  gained  a 
very  handsome  competence,  being  now  num- 
bered among  the  substantial  citizens  of  his 
adopted  county. 


CAPTAIN  J.  F.  LEWIS. 

There  is  particular  satisfaction  in  revert- 
ing to  the  life  history  of  the  honored  and  es- 
teemed subject  of  this  sketch,  since  his  mind 
bears  the  impress  of  the  historical  annals  of 
the  state  of  Kansas  from  the  early  pioneer 
days  and  from  the  fact  that  he  has  been  a 
loyal  son  of  the  Republic  and  has  attained  a 
good  fwsition  of  distinctive  prominence  in 
the  thriving  little  city  of  Great  Bend,  where 
he  located  in  1873  and  where  he  has  retained 
his  residence  until  the  present  time.  He  is 
now  engaged  in  the  loan,  land  and  insurance 
business,  and  to  a  greater  degree  than  almost 
any  other  resident  of  the  community  he  has 
aided  in  the  progress  of  this  section  of  the 
state.  It  was  on  the  7th  of  November,  1873, 
that  he  came  to  Barton  county  and  entered 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


SI? 


a  half  section  of  land  on  section  2,  township 
19,  range  12,  in  what  is  now  Lakin  town- 
siiip.  After  two  years  he  purchased  section 
2,  township  19,  range  14,  of  Mr.  Annis,  but 
liis  health  failed  him  and  he  came  to  Great 
Bend,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in  the 
real-estate  business,  handling  much  valuable 
city  and  country  property. 

Captain  Lewis  was  born  in  Holmes  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  August  9,  1842,  and  is  a  son  of 
Dr.  B.  S.  Lewis,  who  was  born  in  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  Barton 
county,  Kansas,  in  18^74.  Here  he  engaged 
in  practice  throughout  his  remaining  days, 
his  death  occurring  in  1881,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-two  years.  He  married  Emily  Mack- 
erell,  a  daughter  of  Commodore  Mackerell, 
and  her  death  occurred  when  she  was  sixty- 
four  years  of  age,  only  three  days  prior  to 
her  husband's  demise. 

Captain  Lewis  of  this  review  was  taken 
by  his  parents  to  Illinois  during  his  early 
boyhood  and  was  there  reared.  After  com- 
pleting his  education  in  the  public  schools 
he  entered  upon  his  business  career  as  a  clerk 
in  a  drug  store  and  subsequently  filled  a  sim- 
ilar position  in  a  dry  goods  store  at  Clinton, 
Illinois.  In  1862,  however,  he  severed  his 
connection  with  mercantile  interests  and  en- 
gaged in  military  service,  enlisting  as  a 
member  of  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and 
Seventh  Illinois  Infantry.  He  was  first  pro- 
moted to  the  rank  of  sergeant  and  became 
second  lieutenant  of  the  company,  while  on 
the  23d  of  February,  1866,  he  was  made 
lieutenant  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  of 
Infantry,  with  which  command  he  went  to 
Arizona.  Later  he  returned  to  Kansas, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  being  thus 
occupied  until  failing  health  caused  him  to 
abandon  the  work  of  the  fields,  since  which 
time  he  has  given  his  energies  to  the  real- 
estate,  loan  and  insurance  business.  To  a 
degree  scarcely  recognized  by  the  casual  ob- 
server the  upbuilding  and  development  of  a 
community  is  due  to  the  enterprising  real- 
estate  agent.  Through  his  efforts  many  are 
induced  to  settle  in  town  or  county,  and  thus 
the  work  of  upbuilding,  progress  and  devel- 
opment is  carried  on.  Along  many  lines 
Captain  Lewis  has  contributed  'to  the  im- 


provement of  the  section  of  the  state  in 
which  he  is  located.  He  is  a  man  of  re- 
sourceful business  ability  and  carries  for- 
ward to  successful  completion  whatever  he 
undertakes,  and  his  service  in  connection 
with  varied  business  affairs  has  been  of  great 
benefit  to  the  public.  He  was  instrumental 
in  sinking  tlie  Barton  gas  wells.  They,  how- 
ever, found  salt  instead  of  gas,  the  well 
yielding  a  flow  of  seven  hundred  gallons  per 
hour.  He  labored  earnestly  and  successfully 
for  -the  bonding  of  the  town  for  the  salt 
plant  and  carried  the  bonds  until  the  enter- 
prise was  abandoned.  He  was  also  one  of 
the  leaders  in  the  establishment  of  the  foun- 
dry now  owned  by  G.  H.  Hulme. 

Captain  Lewis  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Fannie  Morton,  a  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Jester  Morton,  of  Iowa.  Their  chil- 
dren are:  Paul,  Charles  E.,  Lawrence  L. 
and  Thaddeus  A.  The  Captain  is  a  member 
of  the  Grand  Army  Post  at  Great  Bend,  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  and  of  the 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security.  His  home 
is  a  fine  residence  in  Great  Bend,  'and  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  popular  people,  enjoying 
the  warm  regard  of  many  friends.  Captain 
Lewis  is  a  man  of  keen  discrimination  and 
sound  judgment,  and  his  executive  ability 
and  excellent  management  have  brought  to 
the  concerns  with  which  he  is  connected  a 
large  degree  of  prosperity.  In  business  cir- 
cles he  sustains  an  unassailable  reputation 
and  the  part  which  he  has  played  in  public 
affairs  in  Great  Bend  has  interwoven  his 
name  inseparably  to  the  history  of  Barton 
county. 


FRANK  A.  BATES. 

White  Bluff'  ranch  is  one  of  the  best 
farms  of  Ellsworth  county,  complete  in  its 
appointments,  attractive  in  its  surroundings 
and  supplied  with  all  the  modern  accessories 
which  indicate  the  supervision  of  a  progress- 
ive owner.  It  is  located  on  section  2,  town- 
ship 16,  range  7,  and  is  owned  by  Frank  A. 
Bates,  who  is  one  of  the  prominent  and  well 
known  stock  men  of  central  Kansas.     He 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


has  about  three  thousand  acres  of  land,  of 
which  four  hundred  acres  is  devoted  to  agri- 
culture, while  the  remainder  is  used  for  graz- 
ing purposes. 

However,  half  the  width  of  the  con- 
tinent separates  Mr.  Bates  from  his  native 
state,  for  he  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  on 
the  5th  of  July,  1852.  His  youth  was  passed 
in  the  city  of  Boston,  where  his  father  was 
engaged  in  the  importing  carpet  business, 
being  one  of  the  leaders  in  that  line  in  the 
east,  carrying  on  both  a  wholesale  and  retail 
trade.  He  came  of  old  New  England  an- 
cestrv,  the  family  having  long  been  prom- 
inent in  that  section  of  the  country.  The 
parents  were  Russell  and  Margaret  K. 
(Shaw)  Bates,  in  whose  family  were  four 
children.  Two  of  the  daughters  survive  and 
are  residents  of  the  east. 

Frank  A.  Bates  spent  his  youth  in  Bos- 
ton, attending  the  city  schools,  and  when 
eighteen  years  of  age  was  graduated  in  the 
high  school.  Subsecpiently  he  spent  two 
years  in  travel  and  study  in  Europe,  prepar- 
atory to  entering  Harvard  College,  in  which 
he  matriculated  in  1873,  being  graduated  in 
1877,  with  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts. 
After  completing  his  University  course-  he 
accepted  a  clerical  position  in  New  York 
city,  but,  deciding  to  identify  his  interests 
with  those  of  the  great  and  growing  west, 
he  made  his  way  to  Kansas  in  February, 
1879,  and  in  1882  he  located  in  Ellsworth 
county,  where  he  invested  in  government, 
railroad  and  school  lands,  turning  his  atten- 
tion to  the  sheep-raising  business,  which  he 
carried  on  very  extensively.  However,  this 
enterprise  did  not  prove  entirely  satisfactory, 
and  after  four  years  connection  therewith 
he  began  raising  cattle,  to  which  he  has  since 
given  his  attention.  He  is  recognized  as  one 
of  the  most  successful  cattle  men  of  Ells- 
worth county  and  his  operations  have  at- 
tained considerable  magnitude,  for  he  han- 
dles from  six  to  eight  hundred  head  an- 
nually. He  has  paid  considerable  attention 
to  the  grading  of  his  herd,  using  registered 
Herefords  for  breeding  purposes  until  he 
now  has  only  high  bred  stock.  Mr.  Bates 
has  made  all  of  the  improvements  upon  his 
place,  including  the  erection  of  a  commodi- 


ous and  comfortable  residence  and  substan- 
tal  barns  and  outbuildings.  He  is  a  man  of 
strong  purpose,  indefatigable  energy  and 
splendid  business  ability  and  carries  forward 
to  successful  completion  whatever  he  under- 
takes. 

Twice  married,  it  was  on  the  6th  of  De- 
cember, 1877,  in  the  city  of  Boston,  that  Mr. 
Bates  was  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Ada 
M.  Bearce,  a  daughter  of  H.  M.  Bearce,  who 
was  prominently  known -in  official  circles  in 
Boston,  in  which  city  the  daughter  was 
reared  and  educated.  She  died  May  8,  1880, 
leaving  three  sons, — Russell,  Lindon  D.  and 
Horace  C.  The  last  named  is  now  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  which  was  founded  by 
his  grandfather,  Russell  Bates,  while  the 
other  sons  assist  our  subject  in  the  conduct 
of  the  home  farm  in  Kansas.  On  the  22d 
of  October,  1884,  Mr.  Bates  was  again  mar- 
ried, his  second  union  being  with  Kate  M. 
Clark,  a  native  of  Vermont.  He  exercises 
his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Republican  party,  but 
his  business  interests  have  always  made  too 
great  demands  upon  his  time  to  allow  him 
to  take  an  active  part  in  political  affairs,  and 
the  only  office  he  has  ever  accepted  has  been 
that  of  treasurer  of  the  school  district,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  for  several  years. 
The  cause  of  education  receives  his  hearty 
co-operation  and  all  movements  for  the  gen- 
eral good  are  given  his  warm  endorsement. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Scottish-rite  Mason,  and 
Knight  Templar,  and  in  his  life  he  exempli- 
fies the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  craft.  He  is 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  progressive 
citizens  of  the  county,  a  man  of  broad  schol- 
arly attainments  and  strong  individuality. 
Equipped  for  life  by  training  in  the  best  ed- 
ucational institutions  of  the  land,  he  could 
undoubtedly  have  filled  positions  of  promi- 
nence in  public  or  private  life,  but  his  tastes 
and  inclinations  were  thoroughly  in  sym- 
pathy with  western  life  and  business  enter- 
prises in  this  section  of  the  country.  He 
sought  a  wide  field'  for  operation  uix>n  the 
plains  of  Kansas  and  entered  upon  the  stock 
business,  an  industry  upon  which  the  pros- 
perty  of  the  country  largely  rests  as  a  sure 
foundation.     He  has  been  particularly  sue- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


519 


cessful  in  the  raising  of  cattle  and  horses 
and  is  a  lover  of  the  noble  steed,  always 
keeping  some  fine  roadsters  for  his  own  use. 
His  attractive  home  indicates  the  culture 
and  refinement  of  the  inmates  in  its  appoint- 
ments and  tasteful  furnishings  and  its  gra- 
cious hospitality  and  good  cheer  are  enjoyed 
by  many   friends. 


JOSEPH  A.  SMITH. 

Nature  is  bountiful  in  the  opp(3rtunities 
which  she  afl:ords  to  man.  In  every  section 
of  this  vast  land  she  has  given  to  him  oppor- 
tunit}-  to  carry  on  some  pro'ducti\e  work 
whicli  will  yield  a  good  return.  Central 
Kansas  is  one  of  the  wheat  producing  sec- 
tions in  our  nation  and  the  broad  prairies  of 
the  state  also  afiford  ample  opportunity  to 
the  stock-raiser.  Both  as  an  agriculturist 
and  stock-raiser  J.  A.  Smith  is  carrying  on 
business  that  is  bringing  to  him  an  excellent 
financial  return.  He  came  to  Rice  county 
in  1879,  and  has  never  had  occasion  tO'  re- 
gret his  choice  of  a  location  for  a  home. 
With  firm  faith  in  its  future  he  began  the 
work  of  developing  a  farm  here,  and  his 
labors  have  been  carried  011  so  energetically 
that  he  is  to-day  numbered  among  the  most 
jirosperous  and  progressive  farmers  in  this 
portion  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Vermont,  on  the  loth  of  December,  1845. 
His  father,  Allen  Smith,  was  also  a  native 
of  the  Green  Mountain  state  and  belonged 
ti>  an  ok!  family  noted  for  industry,  honesty 
and  morality.  He  married  Miss  Annis  Rice, 
who  was  horn  in  A'ermont  and  likewise  rep- 
resented an  ancestry  honorable  and  distin- 
guished. Her  father  was  Le\-i  Rice,  whose 
liirth  occurred  in  the  Green  3.Iountain  state. 
After  residing  for  some  years  \\\  New  Eng- 
land Allen  Smith  and  his  family  removed 
westward,  taking  up  their  abode  in  Will 
c<nmty.  Illinois,  near  Joliet,  in  the  year  1855. 
The>-  were  among  the  early  settlers  there 
and  the  father  developed  and  improved  sev- 
eral farms,  thus  aiding  largely  in  the  work 
•of  upbuilding-  and  substantial  improvement 


in  the  county.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years,  but  he  reached  the  ven- 
erable age  of  eighty-six  years.  In  his  politi- 
cal \'iews  he  was  a-  Republican,  and  both  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  their  lives  being  in  har- 
many  with  their  professions,  winning  for 
them  the  confidence  and  regard  of  all  with 
whom  they  were  associated.  They  became 
the  parents  of  ele\en  children,  of  whom  ten 
are  !i\in;.;,  namely:  l^hira,  who'  lives  in 
^MinncMita:  Warner,  who  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Ci\il  war  and  is  now  living  in  Wright 
county,  Mimiesota;  Edgar,  who  also  de- 
fended his.  country  as  a  member  of  the 
Union  army  and  is  also  a  pesident  of  Wright 
county:  Edna  Laura;  Joseph  A.,  of  this  re- 
view ;  Ezra ;  Oscar ;  Silas ;  Emma ;  and 
Olive,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five 
years. 

Joseph  A.  Smith  was  reared  in  Vermont 
until  ten  years  of  age,  and  then  accompan- 
ied his  parents  on  their  emigration  to  the 
west,  after  which  he  lived  upon  his  father's 
farm  in  Will  county,  Illinois.  He  was  early 
taught  the  power  of  industry  and  the  value 
of  honesty  in  the  practical  affair>  .if  life. 
He  acquired  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  through  experience  in  the  busi- 
ness world,  supplemented  by  reading  in 
leisure  hours.  When  a  young  man  he 
sought  as  a  companion  and  helpmate  for 
life's  journey  Miss  Jane  E.  Ashton,  and  in 
Will  county,  Illin(jis,  in  1876,  they  were 
married.  She  was  Ijorn  in  Vermont  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Marian  (Mc- 
Clure)  Ashton,  also  natives  of  the  Green 
Mountain  state.  Mrs.  Smith  was  only  three 
years  of  age  when  she  removed  to  Will  coun- 
ty, Illinois.  The  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  and  ^Irs. 
Ashton  was  blessed  with  sexen  cliildren.  but 
only  four  are  now  living:  Daniel,  who  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  ser\  mil;  with  tlie 
Thirty-ninth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  is  now  a 
resilient  of  Xickerson,  Kansas;  Mrs.  Smith; 
Airs.  Cai'i  line  Hoover,  oi  Alden,  Kansas; 
and  Alyron,  of  Minnesota.  Three  of  the 
number  passed  away :  Sidney,  whO'  died  in 
early  manhood;  and  Maggie  and  Joshua, 
who  died  in  childhood.  The  father  devoted 
his  attention  and  energies    to    farming  and 


520 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


thus  provided  for  the  support  of  his  wife 
and  children.  He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three  years,  in  the  faith  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber. His  wife  is  also  identified  with  the 
same  church  and  is  now  living  at  the  age  of 
eighty-twO'  years. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
has  been  blessed  with  two  children,  Rosetta 
and  Arthur  J.,  both  at  home.  Our  subject 
continued  his  residence  in  Illinois  until  1879, 
when  he  resolved  to  establish  a  home  in 
Kansas  and  came  to  Rice  county,  where  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  in  Center  township,  and  to-day  he  is 
the  owner  of  one  of  the  best  farms  in  this 
locality.  An  enumeration  of  the  improve- 
ments upon  the  place  include  a  good  resi- 
dence, a  barn,  a  grove  and  orchard  and  the 
latest  improved  machinery,  the  improve- 
ments costing  about  three  thousand  dollars. 
There  are  over  two  hundred  trees  upon  the 
place,  and  the  residence,  well  shaded,  stands 
upon  a  natural  building  site,  commanding 
an  excellent  view  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. Mr.  Smith  also  purchased  and  owns 
the  Dave  Burney  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  He  has  also  another  tract  of 
eighty  acres,  so  that  his  landed  possessions 
now  aggregate  four  hundred  acres  and  he 
owns  a  good  residence  and  a  block  of  land 
in  Lyons.  He  is  recognized  as  a  very  suc- 
cessful business  man,  possessing  keen  dis- 
cernment and  reliable  judgment.  These 
qualities  are  supplemented  by  fair  and  hon- 
orable dealing,  by  unflagging  industry  and 
by  laudable  ambition  and  have  gained  for 
him  a  handsome  competence.  He  votes  with 
the  Republican  party  and  is  a  stalwart  ad- 
vocate of  its  measures,  which  he  believes  to 
contain  the  best  elements  of  good  govern- 
ment. He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and,  realizing 
the  object  of  the  church  in  its  efforts  to  bene- 
fit mankind,  they  have  given  to  it  an  earn- 
est support  and  are  also  in  touch  with  its 
kindred  movements  of  temperance  and  edu- 
cation. The  life  of  Mr.  Smith  illustrates 
most  clearly  what  can  be  accomplished  by 
determined  purpose.  He  was  without  capi- 
tal   when    he    entered    upon    his    business 


career,  yet  to-day  he  is  numbered  among  the 
most  prosperous  farmers  of  his  community, 
and  this  is  the  result  not  of  influence  or  the 
aid  of  friends,  but  is  the  legitimate  outcome 
of  his  own  well  directed  efforts,  his  un- 
flagging perseverance  and  industry  and  his 
zeal  in  business  affairs. 


ALBERT  A.  DEAN. 

In  every  agricultural  community  of  our 
country  are  men  who,  because  of  their  thrift, 
their  neatness,  'their  enterprise  and  their 
success,  are  referred  to  as  model  farmers. 
They  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  Kansas. 
Among  the  model  farmers  of  Reno  county, 
none  is  better  known  than  Albert  A.  Dean, 
of  section  14,  Medford  township,  whose 
postofiice  is  at  Sterling. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at 
Angelica,  Allegany  county.  New  York, 
D'ecember  15,  1844,  a  son  of  Apollo  and 
Wealthy  (Lincoln)  Dean.  Apollo  Dean 
was  born  in  South  Hadley,  Massachusetts, 
in  1808,  and  his  father  was  killed  while 
fighting  for  his  country  in  the  war  of  1812- 
14.  Wealthy  Lincoln  was  born  in  Taunton, 
Massachusetts,  in  181 7.  Apollo  Dean,  who 
fought  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  was  dis- 
charged from  the  service  at  Buffalo,  New 
York,  married  Wealthy  Lincoln  in  Allegany 
county.  New  York,  where  her  father  was 
an  early  settler,  having  come  out  from  Mas- 
sachusetts with  an  ox  team.  Apollo  Dean 
became  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  he  and  his 
good  wife  brought  up  their  six  sons  and 
itwo  daughters  most  worthily  and  all  of  their 
children  are  living  except  Frederick  M., 
who  became  a  lawyer  and  died  in  the  prime 
of  life  at  Attica,  New  York.  Of  the  others, 
all  except  two,  Charles  O.  Dean,  of  Okla- 
homa, and  Clara  Dean,  who  lites  with  art 
aunt  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  are  married 
and  have  children. 

Albert  A.  Dean  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  near  his  father's  home  in 
Allegany  county,  New  York,  and  entered 
the  normal  school  at  Geneseo,  Livingston 
county,  that  state.     In  April,  1861,  he  tried 


J^Il^->^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


521 


to  enlist  for  ser\-ice  in  the  Federal  army  in 
the  Civil  war,  but  was  rejected  for  the  rea- 
son that  he  was  under  age.  In  September, 
following,  he  left  school  at  Geneseo  and  en- 
listed in  Company  E,  Eighty-fifth  Regi- 
ment, New  York  Volunteer  Infantry.  He 
veteranized  in  the  same  regiment  January 
6,  1S64,  and  altogether  saw  four  years  con- 
tinuous service.  April  20,  1864,  he  was 
made  a  prisoner  of  war  at  Plymouth  and 
was  on  the  shore  at  that  point  when  the 
Albemarle  was  sunk.  He  was  confined  in 
a  prison  pen  at  Andersonville  eight  months. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 
Angelica,  New"  York,  and  he  is  in  receipt 
of  a  pension  from  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment of  ten  dollars  a  month. 

June  10,  1873,  Mr.  Dean  filed  a  soldier's 
claim  for  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Kansas,  where  at  this  time 
he  owns  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He 
does  general  farming,  eiving  his  special  at- 
tention to  wheat  and  corn.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  fruit  growers  in  his  vicinity,  where 
he  and  J.  B.  Schlicter  and  W.  O.  Elliott  are 
regraded  at  having  been  the  pioneers  in  that 
line.  He  has  at  this  time  about  two  thou- 
sand apple  and  peach  trees  and  he  gives 
some  attention  to  stock  raising,  breeding 
horses  and  mules.  He  uses  fourteen  horses 
in  the  cultivation  of  his  farm  and  usually 
lias  on  hand  from  twenty  to  thirty  head  of 
cattle  and  is  the  owner  of  a  Spanish  jack 
of  good  pedigree.  His  farm  is  one  of  the 
richesit  and  most  fertile  in  the  township  and 
he  gives  such  careful  attention  to  it  that  he 
keeps  it  year  after  year  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation. 

j\Ir.  Dean  was  married,  June  13,  1875, 
to  ]\Iiss  Emma  Wheeler,  daughter  of  J. 
O.  Wheeler,  a  native  of  Indiana,  now  living 
in  Nickerson  Reno  county,  Kansas,  but  at 
that  time  a  resident  of  Jasper  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  the  riiarriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dean  was  celebrated.  They  have  had  ten 
children  seven  of  whom  are  living :  Francis 
O.,  who  lives  in  Oklahoma,  enlisted  as  a 
soldier  for  service  in  the  Philippines,  and 
was  for  Some  time  in  camp  at  Chickamauga.' 
He  is  married  and  has  one  child.  Frederick 
E.,  unmarried,  lives  in  San  Francisco,  Cali- 


fornia. He  also  enlisted  for  service  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Philippines.  Orrel  is  a  prom- 
ising young  man  of  i.ineteen.  Clara  is  sev- 
enteen years  old,  and  the  next  in  order  of 
birth  is  Gilbert  Lincoln  Dean.  Myette  H. 
is  nine  years  old  and  Elsie  is  two  years  old. 
Mr.  Dean  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is 
also  a  Master  Mason  and  belongs  to  the 
blue  lodge  at  Nickefson,  Kansas.  A  man 
of  intelligence  who  keeps  abreast  with  the 
times,  he  is  enjoying  in  a  most  rational  way 
the  fruits  of  a  well  spent  life.  He  takes 
a  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  public  educa- 
tion and  is  a  man  of  much  public  spirit  who 
withholds  his  encouragement  from  no  effort 
which  he  believes  to  be  conducive  to  the 
public  good. 


GEORGE  V.  RADIEL. 

Close  identification  with  the  agricul- 
tural and  stock-raising  interests  of  Ells- 
worth county  has  made  George  V.  Radiel 
one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  com- 
mimity.  He  resides  on  section  16,  township 
15,  range  9,  and  his  land,  a  tract  of  three 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  lies  both  on  sec- 
tions 16  and  17.  The  years  as  they  have 
passed  have  brought  tO'  him  prosperity  in 
reward  for  his  earnest  endeavor,  his  unre- 
mitting diligence  and  unfaltering  persever- 
ance. 

Mr.  Radiel  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Perry  county, 
May  29,  1852,  his  parents  being  George  and 
Rachel  (Uhlrich)  Radiel,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Dauphin  county.  Pennsvlvania. 
The  father  was  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  died 
in  Perry  county  during  the  infancv  of  his 
son  and  namesake.  The  mother,  with  her 
family  of  six  children,  then  returned  to  her 
girlhood's  home  in  Dauphin  c'lunty,  where 
she  was  again  mnrrieij.  liccMmiiig  the  wife 
of  Isaac  James,  of  that  Incality.  A  second 
time  she  was  left  a  widow  and  since  1878 
she  has  resided  with  her  children  in  Kansas, 
now  making  her  home  with  iier  son  John  in 
Salina,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eightv  vears. 


522 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Of  their  six  children  five  are  living:  Aman- 
da, the  widow  of  Uriah  Spatz  and  a  resident 
of  Nurtluunberland  county,  Pennsylvania; 
Mar}-,  who  is  the  widow  of  Phillip  Schaffer 
and  makes  her  home  in  Millersburg,  Penn- 
sylvania ;  Louisa,  the  widow  of  Josiah  Hem- 
inger,  of  Salina;  John,  who  is  living  a  re- 
tired life  in  Salina;  Hannah,  deceased  wife 
of  Samuel  Sweigard,  of  Ellsworth  county; 
and  George  V.,  who  was  only  nine  months 
old  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death.  After 
being  first  left  a  widow  the  mother  kept  her 
children  together,  living  upon  the  old  Uhl- 
rich  homestead  in  Dauphin  county,  wdiich 
she  inherited. 

George  V.  Radiel,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, remained  with  his  mother  until  twelve 
years  of  age  and  then  began  earning  his 
own  living  by  driving  a  team  along  the  tow- 
path  of  the  Pennsylvania  canal.  Through 
four  successive  seasons  he  was  employed  on 
the  Pennsylvania,  the  Chesapeake  &  Dela- 
ware and  the  Union  &  Juniata  canals,  mak- 
ing the  cities  on  the  Juniata  canal  from  its 
junction  with  the  Pennsylvania  canal  to 
Hullidaysburg;  from  the  Pennsylvania  canal 
through  the  Union  to  Philadelphia;  and  on 
the  Tidewater  canal  from  Brightsville  to 
Ha\-re  de  Grace.  During  these  years  Mr. 
Radiel  spent  the  winter  months  in  his 
mother's  luine  and  attended  the  district 
schools.  During  the  summer  in  which  he 
was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  engaged  in  farm 
Avork  for  his  brother-in-law  in  Dauphin 
county,  and  the  following  year  he  joined 
the  bi-idgebuilding  crew  on  the  Northern 
Central  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  with  which 
he  spent  two  years  in  building  bridges. 
\Mien  ninteen  years  of  age  he  engaged 
in  coal  mining  in  Lykenstown,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  the  following  year  he 
began  work  at  the  stonemason's  trade, 
of  which  lie  had  previously  gained 
some  practical  knowledge  while  doing 
bridge  work  for  the  railroad  company. 
He  served  a  two-years  apprenticeship  in 
Harrisburg  and  he  became  an  expert  work- 
man, after  which  he  folloAved  the  trade  in 
his  native  state  until  the  spring  of  1878, 
when  he  followed  his  brother  John  and  his 
■brother-in-law,  Mr.  Sweigard,  to  Ellsworth 


county,  they  having  made  the  journey  two 
weeks  previous.  He  had  intended  accom- 
panying them  but  the  completion  of  a  con- 
tract which  he  had  on  hand  delayed  him. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  1878,  Mr.  Radiel 
arrived  in  Ellsworth  and  at  once  secured  a 
homestead  of  forty  acres  of  the  railroad  land 
on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  28, 
township  16,  range  6.  Here  he  remained 
for  one  year,  after  which  he  sold  that  prop- 
erty and  purchased  from  his  brother  John 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on  which  are 
now  located  his  residence  and  farm  build- 
ings. He  paid  nine  hundred  dollars  for  the 
land,  which  was  then  unimproved  save  for 
a  sod  house  and  a  broken  tract  of  twenty 
acres.  Mr.  Radiel  at  once  began  the  de- 
velopment of  his  place,  erected  a  comfort- 
able frame  residence  and  has  since  continued 
the  work  of  improvement  until  the  farm  is 
now  one  of  the  best  in  the  locality.  Here 
j\Ir.  Radiel  has  since  made  his  home,  carry- 
ing on  agrictiltural  pursuits  and  stock-rais- 
ing W'ith  success,  so  that  he  has  been  enabled 
to  add  to  his  original  purchase,  his  landed 
possessions  now  aggregating  two  hundred 
acres.  He  was  formerly  largely  engaged  in 
grazing  cattle,  but  since  it  has  become  neces- 
sary to  have  the  range  fenced  he  has  devoted 
considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of 
wheat,  for  which  the  soil  is  splendidly 
adapted,  his  yield  being  from  five  to  seven 
thousand  bushels  annually.  In  1900  he 
erected  his  present  attractive  residence  and 
other  buildings  and  improvements  on  the 
place  are  in  keeping  with  his  modern  dwell- 
ing. 

On  the  22d  of  May,  1873,  at  New  Buf- 
falo, Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  ]\Ir. 
Radiel  was  imited  in  marriage  to  Miss  ]Mag- 
gie  E.  A'arnes.  the  widow  of  J.  D.  Varnes, 
of  Pennsylvania.  Her  famlily  name  in 
maidenhood  was  Morris,  and  she  is  a  native 
of  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania.  Seven  chil- 
dren graced  the  union  of  our  subject  and  his 
wife,  but  twO'  of  the  number  died  in  infancy. 
The  others  are:  Rachel  A.,  wife  of  Law- 
rence Grubb,  of  Ellsworth ;  Charles  C,  who 
married  Harriet  Philips  and  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Ellsworth  county;  Harry  A., 
Samuel  ?il.  and  John  L.,  all  at  home.    In  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


523 


political  views  Mr.  Radiel  is  a  Republican, 
earnest  and  active  in  support  of  the  party, 
and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Republi- 
can county  central  committee  and  as  a  dele- 
gate to  the  county  and  congressional  con- 
ventions. For  seven  years  he  has  satisfac- 
torily served  as  township  trustee  and  the 
cause  of  education  has  found  in  him  a 
friend,  as  he  has  exercised  his  ufticial  pre- 
rogatives as  a  member  of  the  school  board 
in  behalf  of  the  best  interests  of  the  schools 
of  his  neighborhood.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
FelloAvs  of  Ellsworth.  Although  he  is  now 
one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  the  county 
he  has  experienced  the  adversities  as  well 
as  the  prosperity  of  life  in  Kansas,  but  his 
determination  and  resolute  will  have  en- 
abled him  to  overcome  all  obstacles  and 
work  his  way  steadily  upward.  His  life 
clearly  illustrates  what  may  be  accomplished 
through  strong  purpose  and  straghtforvvard 
business  methods  and  his  example  is  well 
worthy  of  emulation. 


WILLIAM  SMITH. 

W'illiam  Smith  is  an  honored  and  re- 
spected citizen  of  Rice  county,  who  since 
pioneer  days  has  made  his  home  within  its 
-borders  and  has  ever  borne  his  part  in  the 
work  of  development  and  upbuilding.  He 
has  seen  great  changes  and  has  witnessed 
the  wonderful  transformation  as  wild  lands 
have  been  converted  into  fine  farms  and  as 
towns  and  villages  have  been  builded,  thus 
introducing  into  this  section  of  the  state 
all  of  the  industries,  commercial  enterprises 
and  indications  of  civilization  known  to  the 
older  east. 

Mr.  Smith  is  among  the  residents  of 
Rice  county  that  Kentucky  has  furnished  to 
the  Sunflower  state.  He  was  born  in  Cum- 
berland county,  Kentucky,  January  18,  1820, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  Smith,  whose  birth 
occurred  near  Baltimore,  Maryland.  The 
family  is  of  English  and  Scotch  descent  and 
was  founded  in  the  new  world  at  an  early 
day.    Samuel  Smith,  the  grandfather  of  our 


subject,  was 'also  a  native  of  Maryland,  and 
during  the  early  boyhood  of  his  son  James 
he  removed  with  his  wife  and  children  to 
North  Carolina,  where  he  spent  the  residue 
of  his  life.  His  wife  also  passed  away  in 
that  state.  James  Smith,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  reared  to  manhnnd  up( m  a  farm 
in  North  Carolina,  and  when  lie  had  reached 
years  of  maturity  he  wedded  IMiss  jnb,  a  na- 
tive of  that  state  and  a  representative  of  one 
of  its  early  and  distinguished  families. 
After  the  birth  of  two  of  their  children  Mr. 
and  Airs.  Smith  remo\-ed  to  Kentucky,  trav- 
eling in  the  primiti\'e  manner  of  the  times, 
when  the  journey  to  the  Blue  Grass  state 
was  made  over  the  mountains  on  pack 
horses.  TJiC}'  settled  in  Ciuuberland  coun- 
t)-,  Kentucky,  and  at  an  early  period  in  the 
development  of  that  state  were  identified 
with  its  improvement  and  upbuilding.  They 
had  a  family  of  nine  children, — Samuel, 
Jane,  Thomas,  Levi,  Ruth,  James  Job,  who 
is  now  li\-ing  in  Lyons,  John,  \\'illiam  and 
Elijah. 

William  Smith,  whose  name  introduces 
this  record,  was  a  youth  of  nine  years  when 
the  family  removed  to  Morgan  county,  Illi- 
nois, taking  up  their  abode  there  in  1829. 
Subsequently  the  parents  went  to  Madison 
county,  Iowa,  where  the  father  passed  away 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  The 
mother  reached  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years.  They  were  farming  people,  who 
lived  industrious  and  honorable  lives,  in  har- 
mony with  their  professions  as  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

William  Smith  spent  the  greater  part 
of  his  youth  on  the  home  farm  in  Morgan 
county,  Illinois,  and  assisted  in  the  arduous 
labors  of  establishing  a  home  in  the  midst 
of  the  wild  western  district.  His  lot  was 
one  of  early  toil.  He  was  taught  to  be  hon- 
est, to  be  industrious  and  to  be  fair  in  all 
his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men,  and  the 
lessons  which  he  learned  in  his  youth  he  has 
followed  throughout  his  entire  career  and 
has  thus  commanded  and  enjoyed  the  re- 
spect of  those  with  whom  he  has  lieen  as- 
sociated. He  pursued  his  literary  education 
in  a  log  school-house,  with  greased-paper 
windows   and   primitive    furnishings.      The 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


building  was  heated  by  an  immense  fireplace, 
which  occupied  almost  the  entire  end  of  the 
room.  The  years  passed  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
J.  Murphy,  an  orphan  girl.  Their  married 
life,  however,  was  of  short  duration,  for  she 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  leaving  a 
little  daughter,  ^lary.  On  the  22d  of  April, 
1S52,  'Mr.  Smith  was  again  married,  in 
Morgan  county,  Illinois,  his  second  union 
being  with  Miss  Ellen  Hollingshead,  with 
^vhom  he  has  now  traveled  life's  journey  for 
almost  a  half  century.  Together  they  have 
shared  the  joys  and  sorrows,  the  ad^'ersity 
and  prosperity  which  checker  the  careers  of 
all.  ]Mrs.  Smith  was  born  in  Xew  Jersey, 
in  November,  1828,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  L. 
and  Mary  C.  (Ogden)  Hollingshead.  Her 
fatlier  w^as  born  in  New  Jersey,  of  English 
parentage,  and  her  mother  was  a  native 
oi  New  York.  They  had  four  children: 
Maurice  L.,  Mrs.  Smith,  Henry  and  one 
now  deceased.  The  mother  of  this  family 
died  in  early  life,  being  buried  on  the 
twenty-seventh  anniversary  of  her  birth. 
Mr.  Hollingshead  afterward  married  again, 
and  by  the  second  union  had  a  daughter, 
Mary  C.  In  an  early  day  he  carried  on  mer- 
chandising at  Oak  Grove  Furnace,  near 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  but  later  turned 
his  attention  to  farming  and  spent  his  re- 
maining days  in  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  consistent  and  faithful 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
By  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  'Mrs.  Smith 
SIX  children  were  born :  Joseph  H.,  a  resi- 
dent farmer  of  Rice  county;  W.  T.,  who 
follows  farming  in  Mitchell  township,  Rice 
county;  Martha  J.,  wife  of  G.  W.  Conner, 
who  is  also'  Jiving  in  Mitchell  township; 
F.  R.,  a  physician  who  resides  on  Little 
river,  Kansas ;  R.  H.,  a  popular  and  success- 
ful teacher  now  located  at  Mitchell;  and 
E.  O.,  a  practicing  physician  at  Marquette, 
McPherson  county,  Kansas. 

William  Smith  maintained  his  residence 
in  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  for  many  years, 
and  then  removed  to  Cass  county,  where  he 
resided  until  1858.  That  year  witnessed  his 
removal  to  Madison  countv,   Iowa,  where 


he  was  numbered  among  the  early  settlers. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  was 
elected  county  commissioner  and  was  a 
member  of  the  board  at  the  time  the  court 
house  was  erected.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  aid, 
in  1864,  and  joined  the  Fifteenth  Iowa  In- 
fantry, as  a  member  of  Company  F,  under 
command  of  Captain  Job  Throckmorton  and 
Colonel  Bellmont.  He  joined  General  Sher- 
man's army  at  Maryville,  Georgia,  and 
afterward  was  honorably  discharged,  on  ac- 
count of  physical  disability,  at  Savannah, 
Georgia,  his  discharge  papers  being  signed 
by  Dr.  Dungleson  and  General  Gilmore,  and 
the  'document  was  forwarded  to  him  at  Fair- 
fax, Virginia,  where  he  was  in  the  hospital. 
He  then  returned  to  his  home  in  Madison 
county,  Iowa,  but  in  1874  came  to  Rice 
county,  Kansas,  casting  in  his  lot  with  its 
early  settlers.  He  located  on  a  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  where  he  resided 
until  his  retirement  from  business  life  in 
1892,  at  which  time  he  took  up  his  abode 
in  Lyons,  where  he  now  makes  his  home. 
His  energy,  capable  management  and  keen 
discrimination  in  business  affairs  during  his 
long  and  active  connection  with  agricultural 
interests  brought  to  him  a  handsome  com- 
petence which  now  supplies  him  with  all 
the  comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of 
life.  Mr.  Smith  was  converted  by  the  Rev. 
Peter  Cartwright  at  a  camp-meeting  sixty? 
four  years  ago,  and  throughout  this  long 
period  has  been  a  consistent  and  zealous 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
in  which  he  has  served  as  class-leader  for 
a  half  a  century.  His  political  support  has 
been  given  the  Republican  party^  and  the 
cause  of  education,  of  temperance  and  of 
religion  have  found  in  him  a  warm  friend. 
He  has  now  reached  the  very  advanced  age 
of  eighty-two  years,  but  time  has  dealt 
kindly  with  him.  as  it  does  with  all  who 
abuse  not  the  laws  of  nature.  In  manner  he 
is  frank  and  genial,  and  his  upright  and 
honorable  life  has  gained  for  him  the  esteem 
of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in 
contact.  He  receives  the  veneration  which 
should  ever  be  accorded   one   of   advanced 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


525 


age,  and  in  the  evening  of  life  he  can  look 
back  over  the  past  without  regret  and  for- 
ward to  the  future  \\ithoiit  fear. 


EDWARD  W.  JOXES. 

The  Groveland  farm  in  \\'ils(.>ii  township 
has  been  developed  under  the  enterprising 
efforts  of  Edward  Jones,  its  present  pro- 
prietor. It  comprises  four  hundred  acres  of 
rich  biitti-m  land  and  the  salient  features  of 
the  place  are  its  good  buildings,  its  fine  pas- 
ture and  meadow  lands  and  its  waving 
fields  of  grain;  there  is  also  a  beautiful 
grove,  the  latest  improved  machinery  and 
every  C(.)nvenience  that  will  facilitate  farm 
work  and  render  its  returns  more  sure  and 
speedy.  Groveland  farm  has  a  wide  reputa- 
tion in  connection  with  stock-raising  since 
Mr.  Jones  became  the  owner  of  a  herd  of 
Galloway  and  Black  Polled  cattle,  no  finer 
stock  being  found  in  Rice  county. 

The  enterprising  and  progressive  owner 
of  this  desirable  property  is  a  native  of 
Wales.  He  was  born  on  the  White  Field 
farm  in  Cardiganshire,  April  28,  1850,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  P.  and  Ann  (Lewis)  Jones, 
also  natives  of  the  same  locality.  The  latter 
is  a  daughter  of  Joshua  Lewis,  deceased. 
Mr.  and  Airs.  Jones  were  reared,  educated 
and  married  in  the  county  of  their  nativity, 
and  in  1850  they  bade  adieu  to  friends  and 
home  preparatory  to  taking  up  their  abode 
in  the  new  world.  Crossing  the  Atlantic  to 
the  L'nited  States,  they  became  residents  of 
Gallia  county,  Ohio,  where  the  father  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits,  although  in 
Wales  he  had  devoted  his  attention  to  the 
weaver's  trade.  In  politics  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  warmly  espoused  the  principles  of 
his  party.  In  all  his  dealings  he  was 
straightforward,  reliable,  his  word  being  as 
good  as  his  Iinnd.  For  many  years  he  served 
as  deacnn  in  the  Calvinistic  Methodist 
church,  and  in  that  religious  faith  he  passed 
to  his  final  rest  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-five years.  His  wife,  who  is  a  member 
of  the  same  church,  still  survives  him  and 
yet  makes  her  home    in    Jackson    county. 


Ohio.  She  is  a  most  estimaljle  woman  and 
her  exemplary  life  has  had  a  marked  influ- 
ence for  good  over  the  lives  of  her  children 
and  friends.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  were  the 
parents  of  five  sons  and  thrpe  daughters,  of 
whom  six  are  yet  living:  John,  who  for 
four  years  served  his  country  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  be- 
coming a  member  of  General  Hancock's 
\'eteran  Corps,  and  now  resides  in  Ohio; 
Edward  ^^'..  the  next  of  the  family;  Will- 
iam, who  makes  his  lionie  on  the  old  farm  in 
Jackson  c  iinty  :  I  ):!\  id,  wlm  is  a  resident  of 
the  state  <.\  W  a-hm-i-n  :  Phillip,  who  lives 
in  San  ]M-auci.>cn.  Califnrnia:  and  Mary  E., 
will)  reside.-  in  Jacksun  cnumw  (  )hi.i.  Those 
who  ha\e  passed  away  are  .Mrv.  Jennie  Will- 
iams, who  died  in  the  Buckeye  state,  at  the 
age  of  thirt}--three  years,  and  Anna,  who 
died  in  infancy. 

Air.  Jones,  of  this  review,  was  brought 
to  America  in  his  babyhood  and  was  reared 
upon  the  homestead  farm,  in  Gallia  county, 
Ohio.  As  age  and  strength  permitted  he  as- 
sisted in  the  f^rm  work  and  in  the  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  he  mastered  the 
branches  of  English  learning,  acquiring  a 
knowledge  that  fitted  him  for  the  transaction 
of  business  in  later  life.  He  was  identified 
with  the  farming  interests  of  Ohio  until 
1878,  when  he  resolved  to  seek  a  home  in 
Kansas,  believing  that  lie  w<iuld  have  better 
opportunities  for  ad\a-ncement  in  a  state  less 
thickly  settled  than  in  the  one  in  which  he 
had  resided.  Accordingly  he  came  to  Rice 
county  and  in  1879  took  up  his  abode  on 
Groveland  farm,  where  his  labors  have  since 
been  prosecuted  with  such  diligence  and  en- 
ergy that  he  is  now  numbered  among  the 
citizens  of  afthience  in  lii^  coninniiiitv. 

Mr.  Jones  wa-;  united  in  marriage,  in 
188 1,  to  Aliss  Kate  Hughes,  a  representa- 
tive of  a  good  family  'in  Jackson  countv, 
Ohio,  where  she  was  born,  reared  and  edu- 
cated. Her  parents.  Lewis  and  Ann 
(Lloyd)  Hughes,  were  both  natives  of 
Wales,  and  in  their  family  were  eight  chil- 
dren :  Thomas,  who  became  a  member  of 
the  Xinety-first  Ohio  Infantry  during  the 
Civil  war  and  died  at  Cloud  Al'ountain,  A'ir- 
ginia ;   Anna;   Mary;    Z.    Jenkins:     Susie; 


526 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


]\Irs.  Jones ;  Isaac ;  and  Jennie.  The  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  lias  been 
blessed  with  four  children:  John  H.,  who 
is  now  in  his  nineteenth  year  and  is;  a  student 
in  Cooper  College  in  Sterling,  Kansas;  Ann 
B.,  Florence  and  Lewis  H.,  aged  respect- 
ively sixteen,  fifteen  and  twelve  years. 

^Ir.  Jones  exercises  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of 
the  Republican  party  and  is  one  of  its  val- 
ued advocates  and  leading  workers,  doing 
all  in  his  poAver  to  promote  its  growth  and 
secure  its  success.  He  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  central  committee  for  a  number  of 
years  and  has  thereby  done  effective  service. 
He  has  filled  most  of  the  township  offices 
with  credit  to  himself  and  the  satisfaction 
of  all  concerned  and  in  1890  and  1891  was 
census  enumerator.  He  and  his  family  arc 
members  of  the  Congregational  church,  in 
which  he  is  actively  interested,  contributing 
liberally  to  its  support  and  working  un- 
tiringly for  its  advancement.  He  has  served 
as  deacon  and  trustee  of  the  church  and  also 
as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school. 
The  cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  warm 
friend,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board.  His 
hearty  co-operation  is  given  to  all  move- 
ments and  measures  calculated  to  advance 
intellectuality  and  morality,  to  establish 
temperance  principles  or  in  any  way  uplift 
humanity.  His  own  life  is  well  worthy  of 
emulation  for  he  has  exemplified  the  prin- 
ciples of  Christianity  in  his  daily  life  and 
conduct.  He  is  one  of  the  most  honored 
and  popular  citizens  of  \\'ilson  township  and 
well  deser\-es  prominent  mention  in  this  vol- 
ume, the  purpose  of  which  is  to  perpetuate 
the  life  records  of  the  representative  men 
of  tiie  communitv. 


GEORGE  W.  GINTER. 

In  W'ilson  township  there  is  a  highly 
improved  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  which  is  the  property  of  George  W. 
Ginter,  one  of  the  well  known,  intelligent 
and  enterprising  agriculturists  of  Rice  coun- 
tv.     He  came  here  in   1866  and  has  since 


made  his  hom*  in  this  portion  of  the  state. 
He  was  born  in  Atlanta,  Blair  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, February  22,  1847.  His  father, 
Jonathan  Ginter,  was  born  in  the  same  coun- 
ty and  was  of  German  lineage.  He  was 
reared  upon  a  farm  in  the  place  of  his  na- 
tivity, and  after  arriving  at  years  of  matur- 
ity he  was  there  married  to  Sarah  Yingling, 
who  was  born  in  Blair  county,  where  her 
girlhood  days  were  passed.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ginter  became  the  parents  of  five  children : 
David  was  a  soldier  in  the  First  Pennsyl- 
vania Bucktails,  a  regimient  that  made  a 
most  gallant  record  for  brave  service  in  the 
Civil  war.  He  is  now^  living  in  Herington, 
Kansas.  George  W.  is  the  next  of  the  fam- 
ily, and  the  younger  children  are  Mrs.  Anna 
Smith,  Solomon  and  Samuel.  The  father 
of  this  family  died  when  George  W.  was 
only  eleven  years  of  age  and  the  mother 
afterward  married  again,  becoming  the  wife 
of  a  Mr.  Grumbling,  by  whom  she  had  four 
children,  namely :  Charles,  Alice,  John  and 
Lucy.  The  mother  departed  this  life  at  the 
age  of  fifty-five  years.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church,  and  her  many  excel- 
lent qualities  of  heart  and  mind  won  her  the 
esteem  and  regard  of  all  who  knew  her. 

George  W.  Ginter  was  reared  in  Blair 
county,  Pennsylvania,  upon  a  farm,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  schools  of  the 
neighborhood.  During  the  war  he  enlisted, 
in  August,  1861,  in  response  to  President 
Lincoln's  call  for  three  hundred  thousand 
men,  in  the  Se\-enty-eighth  Pennsylvania 
Infantry,  as  a  member  of  Company  D.  He 
was  under  command  of  Captain  R.  H.  Mc- 
Cormick  and  Colonel  William  Sirwell.  He 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Green  River, 
Kentucky,  and  was  with  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  at  Stone  River  and  at  Dug  Gap. 
He  was  also  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga 
and  the  Atlanta  campaign  with  Sherman's 
army,  including  the  battle  of  Kenesaw 
^lountain  and  the  siege  of  Atlanta.  He 
likewise  took  part  in  many  skirmishes  and 
lesser  engagements,  but  though  often  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fight  he  escaped  serious  in- 
ury.  He  was  honorably  discharged  with  a 
good  military  record  at  Kittanning,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  November  4,  1864. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


527 


Not  long  after  this  Mr.  Ginter  went  to 
Lawrence  county,  Ohio,  and  secured  a  situ- 
ation in  the  furnace  works,  where  he  re- 
mained for  a  number  of  years.  In  1878  he 
came  to  the  west  on  a  prospecting  tour,  look- 
ing over  the  country,  and  then  returned  to 
the  east.  Prior  to  again  coming  to  Kansas 
he  sought  and  won  as  a  companion  and  help- 
mate for  the  journey  of  life  iNIiss  Binie  Nor- 
man, a  lady  of  intelligence  and  a  represen- 
tative of  one  of  the  good  families  of  Gallia 
county,  Ohio.  Her  father,  William  Nor- 
man, was  a  resident  of  that  locality,  where 
he  followed  farming  pursuits.  He  married 
]\Iaria  Parkins,  who  was  born  in  Virginia, 
a  representative  oif  one  of  the  old  and  highly 
respected  families  of  that  state.  This 
worthv  couple  became  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  three  now  living,  namely:  Mrs. 
Nora  Edwards,  of  Gallia  county,  Ohio; 
Mrs.  Emma  Bartles,  also  of  the  Buckeye 
state ;  and  Mrs.  Ginter,  the  honored  wife  of 
our  subject.  Those  who  have  passed  away 
are  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  Elva  Smith,  Paulina 
and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  The  father 
departed  this  life  at  the  age  of  forty-four 
years.  He  had  made  farming  his  chief  pur- 
suit, and  by  his  energy  and  diligence  in  that 
line  of  labor  he  provided  a  comfortable  liv- 
ing for  his  family.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat  and  in  religious  faith  was  a  Meth- 
odist. His  widow  belongs  to  the  same 
church.  She  still  survives  her  husband  and 
is  now  living  in  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  at  the 
age  of  seventy  years.  The  marriage  of  our 
subject  and  his  wife  was  celebrated  on  the 
1st  of  January,  1879,  and  they  began  their 
domestic  life  in  the  Buckeye  state,  w-here 
thev  remained  until  1886,  when  they  came 
to  Rice  county,  Kansas.  Mr.  Ginter  now 
has  a  good  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  rich  land,  upon  which  he 
has  made  excellent  improvements,  includ- 
ing the  erection  of  a  house  and  barn  and 
the  planting  of  groves  and  orchards.  His 
pastures  and  cultivated  fields  are  in  good 
condition,  and  through  his  efforts  in  rais- 
ing grain  and  stock  he  is  winning  a  comfort- 
able competence. 

The  home  of  Air.  and  Airs.  Ginter  has 
been  blessed    with    three  children:     Ollie; 


Garfield,  who  is.  now  a  student  in  Cooper 
College ;  and  Clare.  The  children  are  being 
provided  with  good  educational  privileges, 
for  the  parents  realize  the  value  of  mental 
discipline  as  a  preparation  for  life's  work. 
Mrs.  Ginter  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  and  Mr.  Ginter  is  a  man  of  sterling 
worth,  whose  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond. 
The  family  is  one  honored  and  esteemed 
throughout  the  community,  and  upon  the 
battlefields  of  the  south,  in  business  life  and 
in  social  circles  Mr.  Ginter  has  made  for 
himself  an  enviable  record. 


C.  A.  WOOD. 

Opulence  and  plenty  are  evidenced  in  all 
portions  of  central  Kansas.  The  traveler 
passing  through  that  section  of  the  country 
sees  thriving  towns  and  cities  standing  in 
the  midst  of  well  tilled  fields,  constituting 
farms  that  are  imsurpassed  in  any  section 
of  the  country.  The  land  is  rich  and  fertile 
and  produces  excellent  crops,  and  at  the 
same  time  broad  meadows  afford  excellent 
pasturage  for  stock,  which  may  be  seen  in 
large  numbers.  Thrift,  prosperity  and  con- 
tentment are  characteristic  of  this  section  of 
the  state.  One  of  the  finest  farms  in  Rice 
county  is  the  Wood  Galloway  farm,  of 
which  C.  A.  Wood  is  proprietor.  As  the 
name  indicates,  he  is  extensively  engaged  in 
dealing  in  Galloway  cattle,  and  since  1881 
has  been  interested  in  the  raising  of  stock 
in  this  part  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Wood  was  born  in  McLean  county, 
Illinois,  near  Bloomington,  on  the  2d  of  De- 
cember, 1855,  and  is  a  son  of  George  P. 
Wood,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Pendleton 
county,  Virginia.  The  grandfather,  Joshua 
Wood,  was  also  a  native  of  the  Old  Domin- 
ion, while  the  great-grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject was  born  in  England.  George  P.  Wood 
spent  his  childhood  and  youth  in  the  Old 
Dominion,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three 
went  to  Illinois,  taking  up  his  abode  near 
Bloomington,  in  McLean  county.  He  mar- 
ried Huldah  Teeter,  also  a  native  of  Y'w- 
ginia,  as  was  her  father,  Laban  Teeter,  who 


528 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


died  in  the  Prairie  state.  [Mr.  and  Mrs. 
\\'ood  had  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are 
yet  living,  namely:  C.  A.,  of  this  review; 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Oswalt,  Mrs.  Etta  Franker- 
burger,  [Mrs.  Charlotte  Hyatt,  Mrs.  Amanda 
\\'eidner  and  William.  The  other  three 
children  died  in  childhood  and  the  father 
passed  away  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven  years.  In  his  political  views  he  was 
a  Democrat  and  in  religious  faith  was  a 
Protestant.  His  widow  still  survives  him 
and  now  resides  in  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  at 
the  age  nf  sixty-two  years. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Mr. 
\\"ood,  iif  this  re\-iew,  we  present  to  our 
readers  the  life  record  of  one  who  is  widely 
and  favorably  known  in  Rice  county.  He 
was  reared  upon  the  homestead  farm*  in  Illi- 
nois and  work  occupied  no  unimportant  por- 
tion of  his  time  in  his  childhood.  However, 
he  receixed  good  educational  privileges,  at- 
tending the  public  sclvols  of  McLean  coun- 
ty, and  by  experience  in  the  practical  affairs 
of  life  and  by  reading  and  observation  he 
has  added  largely  to  his  knowledge.  In 
1881  he  established  his  home  in  Rice  county 
and  two  years  later  secured  as  a  companion 
and  helpmate  on  life's  journey  Miss  Ellen 
Tucker,  of  Sterling,  Kansas,  a  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Sarah  (  Dickerson)  Tucker.  Her 
father  came  to  Rice  county  in  1878  and  is 
now  deceased,  but  her  mother  makes  her 
home  in  Sterling.  Mrs.  Wood  departed  this 
life  in  1886,  dying  in  the  faith  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  of  which  she  was  a 
consistent  and  loyal  member.  She  left  two 
children. — Hazel  and  Ernest.  In  1889  Mr. 
Wood  was  again  married,  his  second  union 
being  with  Mrs.  Fannie  L.  Smith,  the 
widow  of  Theodore  E.  Smith,  who  died  in 
California.  They  had  four  children,  of 
whom  three  died  in  childhood,  the  fourth 
being  Mrs.  Nettie  Roher,  a  widow  residing 
in  Junction  City,  Kansas.  By  the  second 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born, — Ramona  and  C. 
Amby.  The  mother  was  born  in  Litchfield. 
Illinois,  and  acquired  her  education  in  Pleas- 
ant Hill,  IMissonri.  Her  father  was  Captain 
William  White.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the 
Mexican  war,  also  served  in  the  Indian  wars 


on  the  plains  of  the  west  and  was  with  Gen- 
eral Fremont's  army.  When  the  slave  ques- 
tion precipitated  the  country  into  Civil  war 
he  joined  the  LTnion  army  and  bejame  cap- 
tain of  a  compan_\-  nf  [Missouri  ca\-alr3-.  He 
made  a  brilliant  recurd  as  a  sddier  and  offi- 
cer, being  fearless  and  faithful  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties,  his  own  bravery  in- 
spiring his  men  to  deeds  of  valor.  He  now 
resides  in  Halstead,  Kansas.  He  married 
Miss  Elvira  High,  vvdio  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee and  died  November  25,  1900,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-seven  years.  She  was  greatly 
loved  for  her  genial  qualities  of  heart  and 
mind. 

Mr.  Wood  is  the  owner  of  a  very  valu- 
able farm  of  four  hundred  acres,  supplied 
with  all  modern  accessories  and  equipments. 
He  has  splendid  buildings,  which  are  kept 
in  good  repair,  a  fine  bearing  orchard,  a 
grove  of  forest  trees  and  well  cultivated 
grain  fields,  btit  his  attention  is  principally 
given  to  the  raising  of  Galloway  cattle,  of 
which  he  has  one  of  the  best  herds  to  be 
found  in  central  Kansas.  He  has  spent 
much  money  in  improving  his  grade  of 
stock,  and  is  now  regarded  as  one  of  the 
leading  and  most  successful  stock  dealers  in 
this  portion  of  the  state.  Aside  from  his 
business  affairs  he  has  found  time  to  devote 
to  public  interests,  and  for  two  terms  he 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  a  most  fair 
and  impartial  manner.  He  has  also  been 
clerk  of  the  school  board.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  hold  membership  in  the  Congrega- 
tional church  and  are  held  in  warm  regard, 
their  circle  of  friends  being  almost  co-ex- 
tensi\'e  with  their  circle  of  acc[uaintances. 


DAVID  F.  GRANT. 


David  F.  Grant  is  engaged  in  the  rais- 
ing and  feeding  of  cattle  on  a  very  extensive 
scale.  He  resides  on  the  Wellington  ranch 
on  section  i.  Clear  Creek  township,  Ells- 
worth county,  and  for  twenty-seven  years 

j  has  been  a  resident  of  this  portion  nf  the 
state,  having  come  to  Kansas  in  1875.  He 
was  born  in  Indiana,  Mav  22,  1852,  and  is 

'  of  Scotch  lineage,   for  his  paternal  grand- 


MR.   AND  MRS.   DAVID  F.   GRANT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


father.  William  Grant,  was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land being  a  niill\\riL;lit  and  farmer  by  oc- 
cnpation.  CrossiiiL'  tlie  Atlantic  to  the  new 
world  he  became  a  re^itlcnt  of  Indiana, 
where  occurred  the  birth  of  William  F. 
Grant,  the  father  of  our  subject.  The  latter 
followed  farming-  and  carpentering.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics  until  1861,  when 
he  joined  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party. 
Soon  after  the  arrival  here  of  our  subject  he 
also  came  to  Kansas,  but  did  not  remain 
long,  removing  thence  tO'  Missouri  and  af- 
terward to  Texas,  where  he  spent  his  last 
days.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Sarah  Bledsoe  and  they  were  'the  parents  of 
four  children,  three  of  whom  attained  t<i 
years  of  maturity,  namely :  David  F.,  John 
S.,  a  resident  of  Texas,  and  James  S.  The 
parents  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
church. 

]\Ir.  Grant,  of  this  review,  pursued  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  until  thir- 
teen years  of  age.  when  he  started  out  to 
earn  his  own  livelihood  by  working  as  a 
farm  hand.  He  remained  in  Indiana  until 
the  spring  of  1866.  when  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Iowa,  spending  one  year  there.  He 
afterward  went  to  Missouri,  where  he  re- 
sided until  coming  to  Kansas.  He  was  one 
of  the  tirst  settlers  of  Ellis  county.  Kansas, 
taking  up  his  abode  there  when  not  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  entire  county 
had  been  broken.  He  built  a  dugout  and 
began  breaking  his  land  with  oxen.  He 
planted  his  land  tO'  wheat  and  also  engaged 
in  herding  cattle,  laboring  long  and  ardu- 
ously to  gain  a  good  start.  He  remained 
on  his  claim  until  he  secured  a  deed  for  the 
land.  In  course  of  time  he  added  eighty  acres 
to  his  original  tract,  but  finallv  sold  the  farm 
and  came  to  Ellsworth  county  in  1883.  Here 
he  began  work  for  the  company  that  owned 
the  ranch  upon  which  he  now  resides.  Af- 
ter four  years  he  was  made  foreman,  and  he 
occupied  that  position  for  nine  years,  hav- 
ing control  of  ten  thousand  acres  of  land 
and  employing  as  many  as  forty  men.  He 
fenced  all  of  the  land  and  engaged  largelv 
in  raising  wheat,  producing  from  ten  to 
fifteen  thousand  bushels  annually.  He  also 
gave  considerable  attention  to  the  cattle  in- 


dustry and  his  labors  proved  profitable  to 
the  company  which  employed  him.  Mr. 
Grant  then  purchased  one  hundred  and  six- 
ty acres  of  bottom  land  on  section  12.  This 
is  splendid  corn  land  arid  never  has  there 
been  a  failure  of  the  crop.  In  1895  he 
rented  a  part  of  the  Wellington  ranch, 
which  joined  his  own  Imme  place,  and  is 
now  very  e.xtensi\ely  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business.  He  raises  corn  for  feeding,  and 
utilizes  from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  for  his  corn  crop.  He  fat- 
tens his  cattle  mostly  on  grass.  He  has 
leased  sixteen  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  all 
under  fence,  and  has  a  pasturage  oi  three 
luiiiilreil  ami  twenty  acres  six  miles  north  of 
his  Imme,  and  when  he  needs  more  pasture 
he  rents  other  land.  He  has  live  springs  in 
all  of  his  pastures  excepting  the  one  to  the 
north  and  that  is  equipped  with  a  large 
windmill.  He  alsoi  raises  his  own  horses 
and  has, fine  stock  for  farming  purposes. 

On  the  nth  of  December,  1870,  Mr. 
Grant  was  united  in  marriage  to  ]\Iiss  Mary 
Alice  Straley,  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and 
Catherine  F.  (Funkhous)  Straley.  Her  fa- 
ther was  born  in  West  Virginia  and  subse- 
quently removed  to  Missouri,  where  he  car- 
ries on  agricultural  pursuits.  The  marriage 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grant  has  been  blessed 
with  three  children:  Frederick  Nicholas, 
who  is  married  and  i'iiUmw-,  f;irming.  and 
stock  raising;  Lizzie  I'^tella  ;  and  Laura 
Gertrude.  In  politics  Air.  Grant  is  a  Re- 
publican, but  takes  no  active  part  in  politi- 
cal affairs,  save  that  he  manifests  his  prefer- 
ence by  always  casting  his  ballot  for  the 
men  and  measures  of  his  party.  He  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica. In  business  life  he  is  progressive  and 
energetic,  and  he  owes  his  success  to  his 
Oiwn  unaided  efforts.  Idleness  form;s  no 
part  of  his  nature  and  indolence  has  no  place 
in  his  make  up. 


NATHAN  A.  C.  BEAN. 

Nathan  A.  C.  Bean,  deceased,  was  a  resi- 
dent I  if  Rock\-ille  township.  Rice  county, 
and  enjoyed  the  high  esteem  and  unqualified 


530 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


regard  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
He  was  numbered  among  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  the  communit}',  and  in  the  neighbor- 
hood where  he  lived  for  so  many  years  his 
loss  was  deeply  mourned,  for  all  knew  him 
to  be  a  man  of  upright  principles  and  hon- 
orable life.  He  was  born  in  Frederick 
county,  Virginia,  in  1846,  and  represented 
a  good  faniil)'  of  that  state.  His  father, 
James  Bean,  was  also  a  native  of  the  Old 
'Dominion  and  there  married  Gule  Elma 
Fawsett,  who  was  born  in  the  same  state  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends  or 
Quakers.  The  parents  both  died  in  the  Old 
Dominion.  They  had  seven  children:  Jo- 
seph, who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  war  and  now  resides  in 
Virginia;  Mrs.  Mary  Richards,  of  Win- 
chester, that  state;  Nathan  A.  C. ;  Mrs. 
Anna  Cooper,  also  of  Virginia ;  Mrs.  Sarah 
Ramey,  who  is  living  in  Nebraska;  Mrs. 
Aurelia  Williams,  who  resides  upon  the  old 
homestead  farm  in  Virginia;  and  Mrs.  Gus- 
sie  Larrick,  wiio  is  living  in  Frederick  coun- 
ty, that  state.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and 
planter,  and  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Union,  believing 
firmly  in  the  supremacy  of  the  national  gov- 
ernment in  Washington  as  represented  by 
the  administration  in  power. 

Nathan  A.  C.  Bean,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  re^•iew,  was  reared  upon  the  old 
homestead  in  Virginia  and  acquired  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. In  Frederick  county,  that  state,  he 
was  united  in  marriage,  in  1869,  to  Miss 
Rachel  Fry,  a  lady  of  culture  and  intelli- 
gence, who  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
Old  Dominion  and  proved  to  her  husband  a 
most  faithful  and  devoted  helpmate  and 
companion  on  the  journey  of  life.  Her  par- 
ents were  Eli  J.  and  Lea  (Findlay)  Fry, 
natives  of  Virginia,  and  in  their  family  were 
ele\en  children,  namely:  Fannie,  Mrs. 
Bean,  Archibald,  Katie,  Ida,  William  and 
Edith,  all  of  whom  are  yet  living,  and  Mrs. 
Eliza  Cooper,  Robert,  George  and  Briscoe, 
who  have  passed  away.  The  father  was  a 
blacksmith  by  trade,  following  that  pursuit 
in  order  to  provide  for  his  family.  He  died 
in  1901,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  respected 


by  all  who  knew  him.  His  widow,  however, 
is  still  living  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Vir- 
ginia, at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  and 
is  a  devoted  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bean  began  their  domestic 
life  in  the  state  of  their  nativity,  but  hoping 
to  tetter  their  financial  condition  emigrated 
westward  in  1871,  securing  a  homestead 
claim  in  Rockville  township,  Rice  county, 
Kansas.  With  characteristic  energy  he  be- 
gan the  development  of  his  farm  and  carried 
on  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  life's  la- 
bors were  ended  in  death.  The  tract  com- 
prised one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which 
he  transfo'mied  intO'  richly  cultivated  fields 
and  improved  with  good  buildings  and  an 
orchard.  Here  he  and  his  wife  reared  their 
family,  numbering  eleven  children.  Mrs. 
Mattie  Christmore  is  now  living  in  Labette 
county,  Kansas.  Mrs.  Mamie  Birch  resides 
in  McPherson  county,  Kansas.  Edgar,  who 
was  a  well  kno\^•n  resident  of  Windom  for 
a  number  of  years,  moved  to  Kansas  City, 
Missouri,  where  he  had  the  misfortune  to 
lose  his  wife,  and  then  returned  to  Windom, 
where  he  now  resides.  James,  who  was  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  teaching,  became  a 
student  in  Saline  College,  where  he  gradu- 
ated in  the  business  course  and  is  now  em- 
ployed as  bookkeeper  for  a  large  milling 
firm  in  Gypsum,  Kansas.  Bonnie  and  Lot- 
tie were  also  students  in  the  same  school, 
where  they  received  a  normal  course.  Ethel, 
Branson,  Ruth,  Asa  and  Luther  are  all  yet 
at  home.  They  also  lost  one  child,  Elma, 
a  twin  sister  of  Edgar.  The  two*  eldest 
daughters,  Mrs.  Christmore  and  Mrs.  Birch, 
have  been  popular  and  successful  teachers  of 
the  county. 

Both  i\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Bean  became  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  chujxh  and 
did  all  in  their  power  to  promote  its  growth 
and  upbuilding.  During  the  Civil  war  he 
was  an  ad\-ocate  of  the  Union  cause  and 
gave  his  political  support  to  the  Republican 
party  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  April  14,  1888,  when  he  was  forty- 
two  years  of  age.  He  was  a  man  of  upright 
principles  and  sterling  worth,  who  ever 
commanded  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
those  with  whom  he  was  associated.     Since 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


531 


lier  husband's  death  Mrs.  Bean  has  devoted 
her  attention  to  the  management  of  her 
property  interests  and  to  the  care  of  her  chil- 
dren, whom  she  has  nobly  reared.  All  of 
them  are  now  members  of  the  church.  They 
have  also  received  good  educational  privi- 
leges, and  have  thus  been  fitted  for  life's 
practical  and  responsible  duties.  She  has 
regarded  no  sacrifice  too  great  that  would 
promote  their  happiness  and  welfare,  and  in 
return  she  receives  their  loving  care  and 
consideration.  Like  her  husband  she  is  a 
zealous  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  in  her  life  exemplifies  her  Chris- 
tian belief. 


G.  W.  MORTER. 


G.  \\'.  Morter  was  born  in  Franklin 
county,  Pennsylvania,  Decemlber  28,  1861, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  Morter,  also  a  natiye 
of  that  locality.  The  grandfather,  David 
INlorter,  was  born  in  Fulton  county,  Penn- 
syhania,  and  was  of  German  lineage.  Re- 
moving to  Franklin  county,  he  there  spent 
his  remaining  days.  His  son  John  was 
reared  upon  the  family  homestead  and  after 
arri\-ing  at  years  of  maturity  was  joined  in 
wedlock  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hess,  whose 
birth  occurred  in  Franklin  county,  where 
she  was  also  reared  and  educated.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  John  Hess,  who  spent  his 
entire  life  in  the  Keystone  state.  Unto  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  JMorter  were  born  nine  children 
who  grew  to  years  of  maturity:  Samuel, 
who  served  as  a  Union  soldier  during  the 
Civil  war ;  Catherine ;  William ;  Joseph  ;  Da- 
vid and  IMary,  who  have  both  passed  away; 
Jerry;  John  A. ;  and  George  W.  They  also 
lost  two  children,  John  and  Oliver,  who- 
passed  away  in  early  childhood.  The  father 
made  fai  /ning  his  life  work  and  followed 
that  pursuit  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
when  he  was  sixty-two  years  of  age.  His 
wife  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 
Both  were  memfaers  of  the  German  Baptist 
church  and  lived  earnest,  consistent  Chris- 
tian lives.  The  father  was  a  Republican  in 
his  political  views. 

George  W.  Mrirter  spent  the  days  of  his 


youth  in  the  Keystone  state  and  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  acquired  a  good  education.  Pie 
was  early  trained  to  the  work  O'f  the  farm 
and  early  manifested  special  aptitude  in  the 
handling  of  tools  displaying  considerable 
mechanical  ingenuity.  He  remained  in 
Pennsylvania  until  1880,  when  he  came  to 
the  middle  west,  locating  first  in  Aurora 
and  afterward  in  Batavia,  Kane  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  followed  the  trade  of  car- 
pentering and  was  also  employed  as  a  ma- 
chinist in  different  shops.  Later,  however, 
he  returned  to  the  east,  and  in  1883  he  came 
to  Rice  county,  Kansas,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  Upon  the  farm  where  he 
yet  resides  he  has  lived  for  sixteen  years. 
He  nO'W  has  a  valuable  property,  equipped 
with  good  buildings,  and  is  successfully  de- 
voting his  time  and  energy  to  the  raising  of 
grain  and  stock. 

In  April,  1893,  after  coming  to  Kansas, 
Mr.  Morter  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Lena  Goos,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and 
was  three  years  of  age  when  brought  to  the 
United  States  by  her  parents.  Her  girl- 
hood days  were  spent  in  Chicago  and  in 
Clinton,  Iowa,  and  in  1879  she  came  to  Rice 
county,  Kansas,  with  her  father  and  mother, 
C.  and  Margaret  (Flount)  Goos.  The  lat- 
ter died  in  Wilson  township.  Rice  county, 
in  1896,  leaving  five  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, namely:  Mrs.  Lena  Morter,  Kate, 
\Villiam,  Anna,  Henry,  Frank,  Rosa,  Al- 
bert, Dora  and  Charles. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Morter 
is  a'  stanch  Republican  and  does  all  in  his 
power  to  promote  the  growth  and  secure  the 
success  of  the  party.  He  has  served  as  trus- 
tee of  his  township,  and  in  the  fall  of  1897 
he  was  elected  to  the  position  of  count_v  sur- 
veyor. In  that  otiice  he  discharged  the 
duties  SO'  capably  that  he  was  again  made 
the  candidate  and  once  more  elected  to  the 
office,  of  which  he  is  the  present  incumbent. 
He  has  been  a  faithful  and  popular  official, 
his  labors  bringing  him  the  high  commenda- 
tion O'f  all  concerned.  He  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  church  and 
his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  Mr.  Alorter  is  yet  a  young  man 
and  his  salient  characteristics  are  his  stead- 


532 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


fast  purpose,  his  reliability  and  his  unflag- 
ging  industry.  These  qualities  have  won 
him  success  in  business  and  htjnor  in  public 
life  and  he  is  to-day  regarded  as  one  of  the 
popular  and  highly  respected  men  of  his 
<.dopted  county. 


GEORGE  H.  NICHOLS. 

For  many  years,  in  fact  from  the  early 
■days  of  development  in  Rice  county,  farm- 
ing has  been  the  leading  occupation  of  the 
people,  and  for  almost  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury ]\Ir.  Nichols  has  been  a  representative 
of  this  branch  of  industry  in  central  Kansas. 
He  located  here  in  1878  and  has  performed 
the  arduous  task  of  transforming  wild 
prairie  into  richly  cultivated  fields.  He 
comes  from  the  far-off  state  of  New  Jersey, 
his  birth  having  there  occurred  in  the  town 
of  Sparta,  on  the  20th  of  July,  1855.  His 
father,  Ziba  Nichols,  was  a  well  known  citi- 
zen of  Wilson  township.  Rice  county,  for  a 
number  of  years,  becoming  a  pioneer  settler 
here.  He  was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  was 
of  Scotch  lineage.  His  childhood  days  were 
spent  in  the  state  of  his  nativity  and  his  edu- 
cation was  acquired  in  the  public  schools. 
He  married  Matilda  Smith,  also  a  native  of 
that  state,  reared  and  educated  there.  In 
1858  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Henry 
county,  Illinois,  locating  near  Kewanee, 
where  he  resided  until  1881,  the  year  of  his 
arrival  in  Rice  county,  Kansas.  Here  he 
spent  his  remaining  days,  his  death  occur- 
ring in  Wilson  township,  in  August,  1887, 
wlien  he  was  sixty-five  years  of  age.  His 
wife  died  in  February,  1888,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven.  In  politics  he  was  a  Reptibli- 
can,  and  in  religious  faith  Mrs.  Nichols  was 
-identified  with  the  Presbyterian  church. 
They  had  ten  children,  namely:  Wesley, 
who  was  a  soldier  of  Company  H,  Ninth 
Illinois  Cavalry,  and  served  for  four  years, 
veteranizing  during  the  Rebellion,  now  re- 
sides at  the  Soldiers'  Home  at  Leavenworth. 
Kansas,  where  he  expects  to,  spend  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life:  J\Irs.  Maggie  Sutton  is 
deceased:     ^Irs.     Ellen    Avres    resides    in 


Galesburg,  Illinois;  Airs.  Louisa  Benedict  is 
living  in  Blue  Rapids,  Kansas;  Mrs.  Delia 
IMcGullough  is  a  resident  of  Omaha,  Ne- 
braska; Winfield  makes  his  home  in  Rice 
county;  George  H.  is  the  next  of  the  fam- 
ily; Charles  is  a  resident  of  Kansas  City, 
being  employed  as  a  traveling  salesman; 
Fred  is  located  at  Joplin,  ?^Iissouri ;  and 
Eddy  is  deceased. 

George  H.  Nichols  was  a  little  lad  when 
he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal 
to  Henry  county,  Illinois,  in  which  localit)' 
he  was  reared  to  farm  life,  early  becoming 
familiar  with  the  work  of  the  fields.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  and  supplemented 
the  knowledge  there  gained  by  broad  prac- 
tical .experience.  In  1878  he  arrived  in  Rice 
county,  Kansas,  and  for  three  years  made 
his  home  near  Raymond.  He  afterward 
lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Chase  for  two  years, 
and  in  1883,  eighteen  years  ago,  he  came  to 
his.  present  farm  in  Wilson  township,  where 
he  has  since  lived,  devoting  his  energies 
to  the  improvement  and  cultivation  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  arable  land.  His 
farm  is  now  a  \&ry  desirable  property. 
There  are  good  buildings  upon  the  place,  a 
bearing  orchard  and  shade  trees,  and  in  the 
pastures  are  found  good  grades  of  stock. 
He  cultivates  the  crops  best  adapted  to  this 
climate  and  soil,  and  his  labors  are  annually 
bringing  to  him  a  good  profit. 

Mr.  Nichols  was  married  in  Rice  county, 
on  the  2d  of  March,  1882,  to  Miss  Natt'ie 
Bradley,  who  has  been  to  her  husband  a  true 
companion  upon  the  journey  of  life.  She 
was  born  near  Lancaster,  in  Schuyler  coun- 
ty, Missouri,  August  18,  1861,  and  is  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Catherine  (Ow) 
Bradley,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky 
and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1878  her 
parents  came  to  Kansas,  settling  near  Ray- 
mond, and  the  father  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in 
death,  when  he  was  sixty-eight  years  of  age. 
He  had  served  his  country  as  a  Union  sol- 
dier during  the  Civil  war  and  had  given  his 
political  support  to  the  Republican  party. 
A  man  of  firm  convictions,  he  loyally  ad- 
hered to  every  cause  which  he  believed  to 
be  right.     His  widow    is    still    living    and 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


535 


makes  her  home  at  Alden,  Rice  county. 
They  had  eiglit  children,  namely :  Samuel 
G.,  a  resident  of  Reno  county,  Kansas; 
\\'illiam  R.,  who  is  living  in  Rice  county ; 
]Mrs.  Nattie  Nichols;  Mrs.  Maggie  Ward, 
now  deceased ;  Mrs.  Mary  Ross ;  Mrs.  Ber- 
tha Ingall ;  Webster,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  months ;  and  Charles,  whO'  died  at 
the  age  of  four  years.  The  marriage  of  Mt. 
and  Mrs.  Nichols  has  been  blessed  with 
eight  children,  as  follows:  Avis  L.,  Edith, 
Ina,  Clem,  Roy,  Wesley  and  Virgie.  Ansil 
L.,  the  first  born,  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
months. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Nichols 
was  long  a  Republican,  but  in  recent  years 
he  bas  voted  independently.  His  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church  and 
both  are  people  of  genuine  worth.  He  is  a 
warm  friend  of  the  cause  of  education  and 
of  various  interests  calculated  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  the  community,  being  a  pub- 
lic-spirited and  progressive  citizen.  In  man- 
ner he  is  cordial  and  genial,  and  those  who 
know  him  are  glad  to  win  his  friendship. 


DANIEL  H.  HOWARD. 

One  of  the  finest  ranches  of  Ellsworth 
county — a  very  extensive  tract  of  land — is 
the  property  of  Daniel  H.  Howard,  a  lead- 
ing and  enterprising  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser,  whose  home  is  on  section  32,  Clear 
Creek  township.  There  he  owns  and  op- 
erates nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
his  energies  being  given  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  crops  best  adapted  to  this  soil  and 
climate  and  to  the  raising  of  stock.  He  was 
born  December  8,  1846,  in  Wooster  county, 
Massachusetts,  a  son  of  J.  C.  and  ]\Iart]ia  J. 
(Pagan)  Howard.  The  father  \\as  a  native 
of  Connecticut,  and  after  removing  to 
Massachusetts  made  the  acc[uaintance  of 
Martha  Pagan,  who  was  born  in  Ireland. 
There  they  were  married,  and  by  their  union 
six  children  w^ere  born,  but  three  died  in 
early  life.  The  sur\'iving  members  of  the 
family  are :  Daniel  H. :  Robert  C,  a  farmer 
and    dairvntan    of    Absarokee,    ^Minnesota ; 


Minnie,  the  wife  of  William  Tompkins,  of 
Billings,  Montana.  The  father  was  a  me- 
chanic and  engaged  in  car  building  in  the 
east  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1854  he  re- 
moved to  Michigan,  where  he  conducted  a 
hotel  at  Hubbarldston,  Ionia  county,  re- 
maining at  that  place  until  1869,  wdien  he 
came  to  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  taking 
up  his  abode  at  the  place  where  our  subject 
now  resides.  Here  he  pre-empted  a  tract  of 
land  and  was  associated  with  his  son  Daniel 
in  the  conduct  of  the  farm  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1887.  His  wife  still  sur- 
vi\es  liim  and  is  now  living  with  her  son 
Daniel,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventv-six 
years.  The  father  took  a  very  active  part  in 
public  affairs  and  served  as  prubate  judge 
for  a  number  of  years,  being  an  incumbent 
ii;  that  position  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
was  a  man  of  prominence,  whose  ability  and 
trustworthiness  \\ell  fitted  him  for  leader- 
ship in  public  affairs,  and  wherever  he  was 
knov.-n  he  was  held  in  high  regard. 

Daniel  H.  Howard,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  record,  spent  the  first  eight  years 
of  his  life  in  the  state  of  his  nativity  and 
then  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  re- 
moval to  Michigan,  where  he  assisted  his 
father  in  the  hotel,  remaining  there  with 
him  until  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Kan- 
sas. They  located  upon  the  farm  which  has 
since  been  his  home  and  where  he  now  has 
three  hundred  acres  of  land  under  cultiva- 
tion, the  well  tilled  fields  bringing  to  him  a 
golden  return  for  the  care  and  labor  which 
he  bestows  upon  them.  Altogether  the 
ranch  comprises  nine  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  much  of  it  being  devoted  to  pasturage 
for  the  stock.  All  of  the  equipments  and 
accessories  of  a  model  farm  are  found  upon 
the  place,  including  a  palatial  residence, 
which  is  twoi  stories  in  height  and  contains 
seventeen  rooms.  He  also  has  a  large  stone 
barn,  two  stories  in  height,  forty-six  by 
fifty-three  feet,  with  a  "lean  to"  shed  six- 
teen feet  wide  and  extending  the  entire 
length  of  the  barn.  The  farm  is  well  fenced 
and  all  of  the  buildings  are  kept  in  first  class 
condition.  He  is  extensively  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  cattle  and  now  has  about  three 
luuidred  head  of  steers  on  his  farm,  which 


534 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


he  buys  in  Kansas  City  and  fattens  for  the 
market.  He  is  indeed  progressive  and  en- 
terprising and  keeps  in  touch  with  the  most 
advanced  m.ethods  of  farming.  His  labors 
are  profitable,  bringing  to  him  an  excellent 
financial  return. 

On  the  15th  of  I^Iarch,  1876,  Mr.  How- 
ard was  united  in  marriage,  in  Ellsworth 
county,  to  Miss  Eva  Campbell,  a  daughter 
of  Charles  Campbell.  She  was  born  in 
Gallipolis,  Ohio,  and  during  her  girlhood 
was  brought  to  the  Sunflower  state  by  her 
parents.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Howard  have  had 
no  children  of  their  own,  but  they  have 
reared  a  nephew,  a  son  of  his  brother,  R.  C. 
Howard.  The  lad,  Converse  H.  Howard,  is 
now  fifteen  years  of  age  and  is  a  student  in 
the  Kanopolis  high  school.  He  will  gradu- 
ate in  June,  190 1,  the  youngest  member  of 
the  class.  In  his  political  vie\\s  Mr.  How- 
ard was  formerly  a  Democrat,  supporting 
the  party  until  1896,  when  he  renounced  his 
allegiance  thereto  and  became  a  stanch  advo- 
cate of  Republican  principles.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason.  In  busi- 
ness affairs  ]\Ir.  Howard  has  been  particu- 
larly successful,  carrying  on  his  work  in  a 
manner  that  has  enabled  him  to  realize  a 
handsome  profit  from'  his  farm.  He  does 
not  owe  his  success  in  any  measure  to  others, 
but  has  placed  his  reliance  upon  the  sub- 
stantial qualities  of  energy  and  resolute 
purpose. 


R.  R.  NEWKIRK. 

A  large  and  well  improved  farm  in  Gait 
township.  Rice  county,  is  owned  by  R.  R. 

Newkirk,  who  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
enterprising  and  progressive  agriculturists 
of  this  part  of  the  state.  His  business  abil- 
ity, untiring  industry  and  capable  manage- 
ment  have  been  the  chief  elements  in  his 
success  and  have  gained  him  a  position 
among  the  substantial  residents  of  the 
county. 

Mr.  Newkirk  was  born  in  Clinton  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  near  Dewitt,  February  11,  1859,  a 
son  of  James  !M.  Xewkirk,  who  was  born  in 
Clermont  county.  Ohio,  in  1813.    He  was  of 


Scotch  descent,  and  the  family  first  located 
in  the  eastern  states.  James  M.  Newkirk 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Myers, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Ohio.  For 
some  years  they  resided  in  the  Buckeye 
state,  and  then  removed  to  Clinton  county, 
Iowa,  locating  near  Dewitt,  where  the  father 
improved  a  small  farm.  In  1879  they  took 
up  their  abode  in  Kansas,  and  for  one  year 
resided  in  Eureka  township.  Rice  county, 
after  which  they  came  to  Gait  township,  lo- 
cating on  the  farm  where  our  subject  now 
resides.  The  father  followed  farming  as  a 
life  occupation,  was  a  stanch  supporter  of 
Republican  principles  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Presl>yterian  church.  His  death  oc- 
curred at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-four 
years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  at  the  age 
of  sixty-seven  years.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  twelve  children,  five  sons  and  seven 
daughters,  six  of  whom  are  now  living, 
namely :  Ella,  who  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead ;  Sophia,  who  became  Mrs.  Marsh  and 
lives  in  Gait  township ;  Isabella,  now  Mrs. 
Schultz  and  a  resident  of  Sac  county,  Iowa ; 
Abram,  who  was  a  valiant  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war  and  now  resides  in  Oklahoma; 
James  \\'.,  a  resident  of  Gait  township;  and 
R.  R.,  the  subject  of  this  review.  The  de- 
ceased children  are:  John;  George,  who 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  laid 
down  his  life  on  the  altar  of  his  country; 
Ann:  Mary;  Catherine;  and  Rebecca. 

R.  R.  Newkirk,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  during 
which  time  he  became  familiar  with  farm 
work  and  was  early  taught  lessons  of  indus- 
try, honesty  and  economy.  He  was  then 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  for  a  time, 
after  which  he  followed  the  carpenter's 
trade.  In  1879  he  accompanied  his  parents 
on  tlieir  removal  to  Rice  county,  Kansas, 
and  during  the  intervening  years  he  has 
aided  materially  in  the  upbuilding  and  ad- 
vancement of  this  section  of  the  state.  He 
has  witnessed  its  grcnvth  from  an  undevel- 
oped prairie  to  a  rich  agricultural  country, 
mhabited  by  an  industrious,  progressive  and 
contented  people,  and  in  this  work  he  has 
nobly  performed  his  part.     In  Clinton  coun- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


535 


ty,  Iowa,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years, 
Mr.  Newkirk  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  A.  Sparks,  a  native  of  that  county, 
where  she  was  also  reared  and  educated. 
Slie  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Salina  (Burk- 
liead)  Sparks,  both  now  deceased.  Unto 
our  subject  and  wife  have  been  born  five 
children,— Clare  S.,  Ethel  E.,  Arthur  Reed, 
Ray  Hobart  and  Leila  Belle. 

After  locating  in  Rice  county  Mr.  New- 
kirk purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  on  which  he  built  a  sod  house  and 
began  the  work  of  cultivating  and  improv- 
ing a  farm.  Success  has  rewarded  his 
efforts,  and  as  time  has  passed  he  has  added 
to  his  original  purchase  until  he  now  owns 
eight  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land,  on 
which  is  located  a  good  farm  residence,  a 
barn  fifty- four  by  fifty-six  feet,  wind-mills 
and  a  beautiful  orchard  and  grove.  In  addi- 
tion to  general  farming  he  is  also  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  raising  of  a  high  grade 
of  cattle  and  horses,  and  in  both  branches  of 
his  business  he  is  meeting  with  a  well  de-' 
served  success.  He  exercises  his  right  of 
franchise  in  support  of  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  the  Republican  party,  and,  although 
ne\er  an  office  seeker,  he  has  held  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace.  He  has  served  on  the 
official  lioard  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  is  an  active  and  zealous  worker 
for  that  denomination.  A  man  of  unswerv- 
ing integrity  and  honor,  one  who  has  a  per- 
fect appreciation  of  the  higher  ethics  of  life, 
he  has  gained  and  retained  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  his  fellow  men  and  is  distinct- 
ively one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Rice 
county,  with  whose  interests  he  has  been  so 
long  identified. 


ANDREW  C.  BRANCH. 

-\ndrew  Chapin  Branch,  one  of  the 
leading  and  representative  agriculturists  of 
Renu  county,  Kansas,  was  born  in  Benton 
county,  Iowa,  May  22,  1862,  just  three 
months  before  his  father,  Dr.  P.  C.  Branch, 
left  for  the  Civil  war.  Dr.  Branch  was  a 
native  uf  Middletown,  Vermont.     He  emi- 


grated west  and  finally  settled  at  Vinton, 
Benton  county,  Iowa,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  Chapin,  formerly  a  resident 
of  Holyoke,  Massachusetts.  Two  sons  were 
born  tu  this  union :  Charles  Minor,  now  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Hutchinson, 
Kansas;  and  Andrew  C,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Andrew  C.  Branch  when  twelve  years 
age  accompanied  his  parents,  on  their  re- 
moval to  Reno  county,  Kansas,  in  1874. 
Here  Ifis  subsequent  life  has  been  spent  and 
through  all  these  years  he  has  nobly  per- 
formed his  share  of  the  work  necessary  to 
the  upbuilding  and  development  of  this 
favored  section  of  the  golden  west.  After 
arriving  in  this  state  he  spent  some  time  in 
the  district  schools,  and  for  six  months  was 
also  a  student  in  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege. He  remained  under  the  parental  roof 
until  after  his  marriage,  when  he  began 
farming  on  his  own  account,  locating  on 
land  just  across  the  road  from  his  father's 
farm.  He  first  owned  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  which  was  purchased  by  his 
father,  and  in  1892  he  added  to  his  land  un- 
til he  now  owns  a  half  section,  where  he  is 
extensively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  During  the  year  of  1900  he  sold 
five  thousand  dollars  worth  of  stock,  and  his 
eff<:irts  in  that  direction  greatly  add  to  his 
income.  Wheat  is  his  principal  crop,  and  in 
the  present  year,  1901,  he  has  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  acres  planted  to  that  cereal. 
He  is  a  natural  mechanic,  and  all  the  build- 
ings upon  his  place  have  been  erected  by 
himself,  much  of  his  time  being  spent  in  his 
shop. 

On  the  226!  of  May,  1888,  Mr.  Branch 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Caroline 
Frances  Hunt,  who  was  born  in  Menard 
county.  Illinois,  February  6,  1861,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  G.  and  3.iaria  ( \'an  Meter) 
Hunt.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Hunter- 
di'U  cmUy.  New  Jersey,  born  March  17, 
iXo<).  anil  the  mother  was  born  in  Clark 
county,  Uhio,  January  5,  1815.  The  pater- 
nal grandfather  of  Mrs.  Branch  was  Dr. 
Benjamin  Van  Cleave  Hunt,  whose  mother 
\\as  a  first  cousin  of  Captain  Lawrence,  of 
the   frigate   Chesapeake,   who  in  the  naval 


536 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


engagement  with  the  British  in  1813  was 
mortally  wounded.  His  dying'  words, 
"Don't'give  up  the  ship."  have  been  an  in- 
spiration to  many  a  soldier  since.  Dr.  Hunt 
was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
Cincinnati,  OhiO',  for  many  years.  He  wed- 
ded Elizabeth  Grandin  and  they  reared  a 
large  family  of  sons  and  daughters.  The 
parents  lived  to  a  good  old  age.  The  ma- 
ternal grandfather  of  Mrs.  Branch  was 
Colonel  Henry  Van  Meter,  an  officer  of  the 
war  of  1812,  who  afterward  became  an  ex- 
tensive farmer  and  stock  dealer  in  Clark 
county,  Ohio.  His  wife  was  in  her  maiden- 
hood 'Margaret  Ann  Renick,  and  they  also 
reared  a  large  family  of  children.  Their 
older  children  subsequently  removed  to 
Sangamon  county,  near  Springfield,  Illi- 
nois, locating  there  when  that  portion  of  the 
state  was  a  vast  wilderness.  John  G.  Hunt, 
the  father  of  Mrs.  Branch,  died  in  Menard 
county,  Ilhnois,  February  14,  1884,  and  his 
w'ife  survived  him  for  a  number  of  years, 
passing  away  in  Lincoln,  Illinois,  January 
18,  1S92.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  ten  of  whom  grew  to  years  of  ma- 
turity, and  those  who  still  survive  are: 
Eleanor,  who  became  Mrs.  B.  E.  Campbell 
and  now  resides  in  Wilson  county,  Kansas ; 
Benjamin  Henry,  a  resident  of  Vermilion 
county,  Illinois;  Miss  Mary  Eliza,  of  Lin- 
coln, Illinois  :  Margaret  Renick,  who  became 
Mrs.  Holland  and  resides  at  Cantrall,  San- 
gamon county,  Illinois;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
(irandin  McGee,  a  resident  of  Progress, 
C)re.L;nn;  Mrs.  Maria  Louisa  Kelsey,  who 
with  her  husband  were  among  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Medford  township,  Reno  county, 
and  ha\-e  been  actively  engaged  in  Sunday- 
school  work,  the  first  Sabbath-school  in  the 
township  having  been  held  at  their  home  for 
several  months  before  a  public  building  was 
erected,  and  they  now  reside  in  Sterling, 
Kansas;  Sarah  Clark,  who  became  Mrs.' 
Otstott  and  resides  in  Athens,  Illinois ;  John 
G.,  also  of  that  city;  and  Mrs.  Branch.  The 
latter  received  her  education  in  the  Illinois 
State  Normal,  and  after  completing  her 
studies  there  she  followed  the  teacher's  pro- 
fession for  eight  years.  The  union  of  our 
subject  and  wife  has  been  blessed  with  three 


sons, — Phineas  Colver,  who  was  named  in 
honor  of  his  grandfather,  was  born  Febru- 
ary 22,  1891 ;  Grandin  Hunt,  named  after 
his  maternal  grandfather,  was  born  on  the 
i8th  of  October,  1893;  and  Ransom  Duane 
was  born  September  23,  1901.  All  are 
bright  and  promising  little  boys. 

Mr,  Branch  exercises  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of 
the  Prohibition  party.  He  has  never  sought 
or  desired  public  preferment,  his  time  being 
fully  occupied  in  his  chosen  avocations,  but 
he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  the  cause  of  education  ever  finding 
in  him  a  warm  friend.  In  his  religious 
views  he  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church, 
while  his  wife  holds  membership  in  the 
Presbyterian  church.  They  are  both  highly 
esteemed  residents  of  Reno  county  and  have 
a  large  circle  of  true  friends. 


GEORGE  W.  JONES. 

Among  the  prominent  and  substantial 
farmers  of  Pratt  county,  Kansas,  who  is  lo- 
cated on  a  fine  farm  in  section  24,  in 
Haynesville  township,  is  George  W.  Jones, 
one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  citizens  of 
this  section  of  the  countrv.  His  birth  oc- 
curred near  Vandalia,  Illinois,  on  March  27, 
1843,  a"d  his  father  was  Jackson  Jones, 
who  was  born  in  Clermont  county,  Ohio, 
in  1827,  and  died  in  Tipton  county,  Indiana, 
in  1879.  The  grandfather  was  John  Joues, 
an  Ohio  farmer,  in  rather  popr  circum- 
stances. He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
and  it  was  remembered  bv  the  six  children 
that  their  mother  never  entirely  conquered 
the  English  tongue. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Rebecca 
Bishop,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Mary 
(Houser)  Bishop,  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch 
ancestry.  The  parents  of  Mr.  Jones  were 
married  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1840,  removing 
from  that  state  to  Illinois,  thence  to  Cler- 
mont county,  Ohio,  and  from  there  to  Indi- 
ana, where  Mr.  Jones  bought  land  and  there 
he  and  his  wife  died.  They  had  a 
familv     of      thirteen      children,     namely: 


MR.   AND   MRS.   GEORGE  W.  JONES  AND   DAUGHTER. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


]\Iai"y  E.,  tlie  widow  of  James  Thomas, 
and  she  lives  in  Nebraska  with  her 
six  children;  George  W.,  of  this  sketch; 
Sarah  Jane,  who  at  death  left  a  family; 
John  E.,  who  at  death  left  a  wife  and 
two  children;  Jacob,  who  resides  in  Tip- 
ton county,  Indiana,  and  has  four  daugh- 
ters ;  Allen,  who^  lives  in  Henry  county,  In- 
diana, has  three  children ;  Mrs.  Susan  Wall, 
who  lives  in  Noblesville,  Indiana,  and  has 
four  children ;  William  and  Alice,  who  were 
twins,  and  both  are  now  deceased,  Alice 
leaving  children;  Frank,  who  died  young-; 
Milton,  who  died  in  youn?'  manhood;  Mi"S. 
Belle  Caron,  who  lives  in  Oklahoma  Terri- 
1' ry,  and  has  two  daughters;  and  the  last 
'1  the  family  was  an  infant  that  early 
passed  away.  '  The  mother  survived  the  fa- 
ther for  three  months. 

Mr.  Jones,  of  this  biography,  had  but 
limited  advantages  for  obtaining  an  educa- 
tion. Among  'the  loyal  spirits  wlio  early 
offered  their  lives  tO'  their  country  when 
the  call  came  for  defenders  was  George  W. 

t  Jones,  Avho  enlisted  on  July  27,  1861,  in 
Company  C,  Twenty-sixth  Indiana  Volun- 
teers, and  served  gallantly  in  the  ranks  un- 
til October  14,  1864.  He  was  wounded 
in  the  left  hand  at  Morganza,  Louisiana, 
and  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  was  confined 
for  ten  months  in  Tyler,  Texas.  On  July 
22,   1864,  his  release  was  obtained  and  he 

':.  immediatel)'  returned  to  his  regiment,  which 
was  at  Donaldsonville,  Louisiana,  taking 
part  in  all  the  movements  of  the  regiment 
until  his  discharge,  as  noted.  Although 
suffering  from:  wound  and  capture,  his 
health  was  good.  During  his  service  in 
the  west  he  was  under  both  Generals  Ere- 
mont  and  Hunter,  and  in  the  south  was  un- 
der the  brave  McClernand.  It  seemed 
strange  that  he  should  be  stricken  with  fe- 
ver immediately  after  his  return  home,  but 
he  probably  had  the  germs  in  his  system. 
Eor  four  weeks  this  brave  soldier  battled 
for  his  life,  finally  recovering. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Jones  occurred 
on  August  30,  1865,  to  Miss  Sarah  Payne, 
who  was  born  in  Indiana  on  November  2, 
1849,  ^  daughter  of  John  A.  Payne,  who 
■was  a  member  of  the  same  company  during 


the  war  as  Mr.  Jones.  Mr.  Payne  died  in 
the  service  on  January  4,  1862,  and  it  was 
the  sad  duty  of  our  subject  to  assist  in  his 
burial  at  Otterville,  Missouri.  When  Mr. 
Payne  enlisted  in  his  country's  service,  he 
left  his  widow  and  three  children,  these 
latter  being:  Mrs.  Jones,  of  this  sketch; 
James  D.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years; 
and  Warren,  whoi  was  born  on  January  3, 
1861.  Mrs.  Payne  later  married  George 
Humphrey,  and  lives  in  Stafford  county, 
Kansas,  and  both  are  still  in  the  enjoyment 
of  vigorous  health.  Mr.  Humphrey  was 
born  in  Kentuckv,  and  has  passed  his 
eightieth  year,  and  they  have  two  living 
children. 

Although  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  had  a 
fine  farm  in  Indiana,  they  decided  to  sell 
that  property  and  move  to  the  rich  state  of 
Kansas,  locating  on  a  one-hundred-and-six- 
ty-acre  homestead,  some  twent}-  years  ago, 
in  March,  1880.  The  first  house  Iniilt'by 
Mr.  Jones  was  of  sods,  fourteen  by  twenty- 
eight  feet  in  dimensions  and  seven  feet  high, 
with  a  dirt  roof,  wdiich  was  later  replaced 
by  a  board  one.  Its  counterpart  may  still 
be  seen  by  the  tourist  not  only  in  Kansas 
but  in  Nebraska  and  \^^^oming.  For  seven 
■years  this  was  the  f;aiiilv  Imnic  and  his  first 
pension  money,  cmum^uh-  ,i|'  twi.  hundred 
and  thirty  dollars,  was  iinev'ted  in  a  house. 
He  first  set  out  cottonwood  cuttings,  which 
for  a  time  flourished  but  have  since  died, 
however,  they  still  have  a  fine  grove  of  box 
elder  and  walnut  trees,  which  either  Mr. 
Jones  or  his  wife  set  out  and  tended.  There 
is  also  a  fine  grove  of  Russian  mulberrv, 
which  they  grew  from  seed.  Ncjt  e\"erv- 
thing  has  succeeded  with  our  subject,  but 
much  has  and  there  is  no  more  comfortable 
nor  better  appointed  farm  in  this  locality 
than  his.  His  orchards  yields  generously, 
his  two  wells  never  fail,  his  buildings  are 
compact  and  comfortable,  and  his  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  ^cres  of  land  are  as  much 
as  he  cares  to  manage.  He  herds  his  cattle 
a  part  of  the  time,  keenine-  twentv  head 
and  five  horses. 

Three  children  were  born  to  our  subject 
and  wife,  namely:  Harry,  who  is  a  farmer 
living    on    his    one-hunclred-and-sixtv-acre 


538 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


farm  clos«  by,  and  has  a  wife  and  two  sons ; 
Bertha,  who  married  Fred  Reece,  and  re- 
sides at  Kingfisher,  Oklahoma  Territory, 
has  two  sons ;  and  Nellie,  who  married 
Harry  Walker,  and  resides  in  Arlington, 
Reno  county,  Kansas.  In  politics  Mr.  Jones 
is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  school 
treasurer  for  a  period  of  twelve  years.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  valued  member  of  the  G. 
A.  R.,  and  has  served  as  sergeant  of  Post 
Fremont,  Xo.  403,  Turon,  and  has  filled 
many  of  the  most  important  offices  in  the  or- 
ganization. Both  he  and  his  wife  are  val- 
ued and  consistent  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  church,  but  the  parents  of  Mris. 
Jones  were  Quakers.  Although  at  the  time 
of  her  marriage  she  was  an  inexperienced 
maiden  of  sixteen  years,  she  has  lived  to 
show  her  noble  character  and  has  been,  in- 
deed, a  tower  of  strength  to  her  husband, 
a  most  devoted  and  helpful  wife  and  a 
motlier  whose  children  unite  in  loving  and 
admiring  her.  Her  housewifely  care,  her 
cheerful  endurance  of  trial  and  trouble,  and 
her  Christian  example  have  won  her  high 
esteem,  not  only  in  her  own  household,  but 
through  the  neighborhood  where  many 
have  benefited  bv  her  kindness. 


FRANK  KELLEY. 


One  of  the  energetic,  public-spirited, 
successful  and  representative  citizens  of 
Reno  ciiunty.  Kansas,  is  Frank  Kelley,  who 
is  the  efficient  and  reliable  section  foreman 
of  the  great  Rock  Island  Railroad  at  Lang- 
don.  Through  years  of  experience  he  has 
reached  this  responsible  position,  his  thor- 
ough knowledge,  excellent  judgment  and  re- 
liability, as  well  as  his  conscientous  devotion 
to  the  interests  of  the  corporation,  have 
made  Air.  Kelley  one  of  the  most  highly 
valued  employes  of  the  road. 

The  birth  of  Frank  Kelley  occurred  in 
Freeport,  Illinois,  on  the  25th  of  June.  1863, 
and  he  is  a  son  of  James  J.  and 
Rebecca  ( Sadler)  Kellev,  the  form- 
er i;>f  whom  was  born  in  Ireland, 
in  182 1.     The  father  of  James  Kelley  died 


in  Ireland,  but  his  mother  followed  her  son 
to  the  United  States  and  still  survives  in 
health  and  acti\"ity  of  body  and  mind,  al- 
though she  has  reached  the  unusual  age  of 
one  hundred  and  ten  years.  Her  home  in 
Iowa  is  cared  for  by  her  own  hands,  she  be- 
ing a  remarkable  example  of  the  industrious 
mothers  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  She  reared 
six  sons  and  two  daughters.  James  Kel- 
ley, the  father  of  our  subject,  came  to  Amer- 
ica while  still  a  young  man  and  located  in 
New  Jersey,  acting  as  foreman  on  one  of 
the  first  railroads  in  that  state.  Although 
he  was  but  eighteen  years  of  age  at  that 
time,  he  efficiently  held  the  position.  Later 
he  went  to  Albany,  New  York,  and  from 
thence  to  Freeport.  Illinois,  and  there  the 
most  of  their  children  were  born.  In  1869 
he  removed  to  Alitchellville,  Iowa,  and 
bought  eight  acres  of  town  lots.  Ten  years 
later  he  bought  his  first  farm  in  Kansas,  this 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  Marshall  county  and  was  Santa  Fe  rail- 
road land.  This  land  Mr.  Kelley  improved, 
the  sons  doing  much  of  the  work.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  one  of  the  substan- 
tial citizens  of  the  county,  leaving  an  estate 
worth  some  ten  thoiisand  dollars.  In  the 
meantime,  while  accumulating  this  prop- 
erty by  honest  industry,  he  had  not  only 
reared  a  large  family  in  comfort  but  had  as- 
sisted his  brothers,  bringing  them  from  the 
old  home  and  establishing  them  in  the  new 
one.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Rebecca 
(Sadler)  Kelley,  was  born  in  London,  Eng- 
land, in  1825,  and  she  was  the  mother  of 
five  sons  and  five  daughters,  five  of  the  fam- 
ily still  surviving,  as  follows:  Kate,  who 
lives  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa;  John,  who  lives 
in  Woodward,  Iowa ;  Frank,  who  is  our 
subject;  Annie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Pursey 
Wliite.  and  lives  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri; 
and  Agiies.  who  is  a  milliner  and  lives  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  The  father  of  this 
family  died  in  JNIarshall  county,  Kansas,  in 
his  seventy-third  year,  and  three  months 
later  his  wife  also  'passed  away. 

Until  he  was  fourteen  years  old  our 
subject  had  very  good  educational  oppor- 
tunities, but  at  this  time  his  father  met  with 
some  losses  and  he  began  work  on  the  rail- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


road.  In  1879  lie  came  to  Kansas  to  look 
after  his  father's  land,  which  he  assisted 
in  placing  under  cultivation  and  also  did 
some  building,  remaining  here  for  one  year. 
On  September  22.  1S84,  Mr.  Kelley  was 
married  to  ^Margaret  Burke,  who  was  born 
in  Wyoming,  ^Marshall  county,  Kansas,  in 
1864.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Patrick  and 
Annie  (Kelley)  Burke,  both  of  whom  came 
to  America  from  Ireland  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania,  coming  from  there  among 
those  who  first  settled  in  Marshall  county, 
Kansas.  ]Mr.  Burke  died  in  1891,  a  man 
advanced  in  years,  his  widow  surviving  till 
1895,  dying  at  the  age  of  fifty  years.  They 
reared  eight  daughters  and  one  son. 

After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kel- 
lev  remained  in  Marshall  county  for  one 
year  and  then  went  to  Topeka,  but  after  re- 
maining there  for  six  months  they  went  to 
Herington  for  two  years.  For  twenty- 
three  years  he  has  been  with  the  Rock  Isl- 
and road,  and  for  nineteen  years  has  been 
a  foreman  and  a  section  foreman  for  four- 
teen years.  In  1890  Mr.  Kelley  came  to 
Langdon  and  has  a  valuable  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  two  miles  north- 
west of  the  village.  This  property  he  pur- 
chased in  1895,  paying  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars  for  it,  and  now  has  it  well  improved, 
and  has  forty  acres  of  it  in  grail  land.  In 
his  business  connection  his  long  service  and 
promotion  tells  how  he  is  appreciated  by 
the  Rock  Island  railroad.  He  has  a  force 
of  six  men  continually  at  work,  and  no  sec- 
tion on  the  route  shows  the  result  of  care- 
ful supervision  more  clearly  than  does  Mr. 
Kelley 's. 

A  family  of  six  children  has  been  born 
to  our  worthy  subject  and  his  estimable 
wife,  but  one  of  these  passed  away,  the 
others  being  as  follows :  Theresa,  a  charm- 
ing young  school  miss  of  fourteen  years; 
Rose,  eight  years  old,  a  bright  girl  in 
school ;  James,  six  years  old ;  John  Fraficis, 
of  four  years;  and  Baby  Thomas,  of  two 
years.  Mr.  Kelley  has  many  things  to 
take  a  just  pride  in,  but  probably  nothing 
more  than  in  this  family  of  bright,  robust, 
intelligent  children.  The  fam'ily  resides  in 
one  of  the  houses  provided  by  the  company. 


very  near  the  depot,  in  Langdon,  but  ]Mr. 
Kelley  Oiwns  considerable  village  property, 
having  built  up  a  half  block  of  houses  for 
his  men,  and  is  proposing  to  build  more. 
In  politics  he  is  an  independent  voter,  us- 
ing his  own  good  judgment.  He  belongs 
to  the  order  of  Woodmen,  and  he  has  care- 
fully reared  his  children  in  the  Catholic 
church,  of  which  both  he  and  their  mother 
are  most  consistent  members. 


FRANK  COLLADAY. 

Frank  Colladay.  one  of  the  most  success- 
full  business  men  of  Hutchinson,  Kansas, 
was  born  in  New  York  city,  New  York, 
in  August.  1850.  His  father,  Charles  Colla- 
day, although  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  New 
York  city,  going  there  when  quite  young. 
Here  he  occupied  official  government  posi- 
tions, being  connected  with  the  bonded  ware- 
house, and  at  diiTerent  times  with  the  police 
and  fire  departments.  His  wife,  Sarah  Jane 
(Lutes)  Colladay.  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Lutes,  who  was  a  glass  blower  by  trade. 
Five  children  blessed  this  imion,  our  subject 
being  the  youngest  of  the  family. 

Frank  Colladay  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  New  York 
city  and  later  attended  the  schools  in  Illinois, 
after  the  removal  of  the  family  to  that  state. 
Wlien  seventeen  years  of  age  he  started  to 
learn  the  tinner's  trade,  in  which  line  he  be- 
came an  expert  workman,  and  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  some  years  in  Illinois.  In  1877 
he  went  to  Waterloo,  Iowa,  where  he  estab- 
lished a  business  of  his  O'wn,  continuing 
the  same  successfully  for  eight  years.  In 
1885  he  came  to  Kansas,  locating  at  Hutch- 
inson, where  he  embarked  in  the  hardware 
business.  This  proved  to  be  a  successful 
venture.  At  first  his  stock  consisted  only  of 
stoves  and  hardware,  but  in  six  years  he 
added  agricultural  implements,  buggies, 
wagons  and  other  farming  equipments,  and 
was  enabled  to  erect  the  imprising  two-story 
brick  building,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
deep,  which  is  situated  at   16  North  Alain 


540 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


street,  where  lie  is  now  located.  In  1900 
he  erected  on  East  Sherman  street,  his  com- 
modious warehouse,  fifty  by  one  hundred 
feet,  two  stories  in  height,  in  which  he  carries 
a  large  stock  of  implements,  buggies  and 
other  vehicles.  •  He  handles  the  Canton 
goods  and  the  Deering  harvesters  and  mow- 
ers. From  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
business  and  strict  attention  to  his  duties, 
Mr.Colladay  has  enjoyed  a  steadily  increas- 
ing trade  since  his  settlement  in  Hutchinson. 
In  fact,  he  now  has  the  largest  and  oldest 
hacdware  establishment  in  the  city. 

While  living  in  Iowa,  ]\Ir.  Colladay  be- 
came united  in  marriage  to  Miss  ^Mary  J. 
Stewart,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Stewart,  a 
prosperous  merchant  of  the  Hawkeye  state. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them,  two 
sons  and  one  daughter,  namely:  Charles; 
Jennie;  and  Grover.  Politically,  Mr.  Colla- 
day is  a  Democrat,  and  although  he  has  never 
desired  any  office,  he  has  served  as  a  delegate 
to  conventions,  and  at  one  time  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council.  At  present  he  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  Park  Association,  taking 
pleasure  in  lending  his  influence  and  finan- 
cial aid  in  beautifying  the  city  and  advanc- 
ing the  welfare  of  the  community,  which  he 
has  chosen  as  a  permanent  place  of  residence. 
He  is  a  valued  and  prominent  member  of 
various  social  and  fraternal  organizations, 
being  identified  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows ;  the  Ancient  Order  of  Unit- 
ed Workmen;  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
Amerca ;  the  Court  of  Honor ;  and  the  Com- 
mercial Club.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the 
Missouri,  Kansas  and  Oklahoma  Retail  Im- 
plement Dealers'  Association.  This  organ- 
ization was  formed  for  the  betterment  of 
the  hardware  and  implement  trade,  and  its 
operations  have  been  attended  with  marked 
success. 

Mr.  Colladay  is  domestic  in  his  tastes, 
and  a  devoted  husband  and  father.  He  is  a 
member  and  liberal  supporter  of  tlie  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  and  his  entire  life 
has  been  one  consistent  with  the  teachings 
of  Christianity.  His  success  may  be  as^ 
cribed  to  his  close  application  and  untiring 
energy,  for  all  that  he  is  and  has  are  the  re- 
sults of  his  own  labor.     Bv  his  honorable 


and  upright  living  he  has  won  many  friends 
in  this  community,  and  enjoys  the  confidence 
and  high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  asso- 
ciates. 


ROBERT  ERL'CE  HUDSOX. 

A  well-known  farmer  and  stockman  of 
Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  is  Robert  Bruce 
Hudson,  now  a  resident  in  section  29,  is 
a  native  of  this  state,  having-  been  born  near 
Manhattan,  on  February  13,  1864,  and  he 
was  a  son  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Redpath) 
Hudson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Scotland.  Tliey  both  located  in  Canada 
after  leaving  Scotland,  he  in  1837,  and  she 
in  1843,  ''"d  there  they  were  married  and 
engaged  in  farming. 

In  1859  they  determined  to  cross  the 
^border,  and  remove  to  Michigan,  where  a 
brother  lived,  and  this  plan  they  put  into 
execution,  but  they  spent  but  six  months 
there,  in  the  fall  of  the  year  coming  to  Kan- 
sas. Mr.  Hudson  located  in  what  is  now 
Riley  county,  seven  miles  from  ]Manhattan, 
and  entered  into  farming  and  also  freight- 
ing between  that  place  and  Leavenworth, 
the  traffic  being  large  at  that  date.  In 
1866  Mr.  Hudson  removed  to  Ellsworth 
county  and  pre-empted  land  on  section  T,y 
16-7,  building  a  dug-out  and  surrounding 
it  with  a  strong  stockade,  so  that  place  was 
known  over  the  country,  as  Hudson's  Fort 
for  years.  In  those  days  the  Indians  were 
ver>'  troublesome  and  in  times  of  danger  the 
neighbors  were  welcomed. 

Here  Mr.  Hudson  passed  the  balance  of 
his  life,  engaged  extensively  in  farming 
and  in  stockraising,  owning  eig'ht  hundred 
acres,  and  this  homestead  is  still  in  the  pos- 
session of  our  subject's  brother,  David  D. 
Mr.  Hudson  was  a  man  of  influence  in  the 
community  and  a  promoter  of  all  intelligent 
efforts  for  the  advancement  of  the  county; 
and  a  firm  advocate  for  laws  in  favor  of 
school  facilities.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Fort 
Harker  and  gave  largely  of  his  time  and 
means  to  its  establishment,  and  he  gave 
tlie  land  and  assisted  in  the  hauling  of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


logs  for  the  first  schoolhouse  that  was  erect- 
ed in  the  county,  a  part  of  this  building-  still 
standing.  He  was  one  of  those  characters 
which  give  tone  to  a  community.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Republican  and  was  quite  act- 
ive in  public  life,  serving  in  many  minor 
ofiices  and  also  as  county  commissioner,  al- 
ways with  that  faithfulness  to  duty  which 
characterized  everj-  act  of  his  life.  This 
most  worthy  and  useful  citizen  died  on 
June  i8,  1S83,  the  mother  passing  away  011 
January  14,  1898. 

The  children  born  to  the  parents  of  our 
subject  were  as  follows :  Sarah,  deceased, 
was  the  wife  of  Charles  Ro'binson,  of  Ells- 
worth county,  more  extended  mention  of 
whom  will  be  found  in  another  part  of  this 
\ulume;  Maggie,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twent3--two'  years:  Jessie,  who  is  the  wife 
of  W.  S.  Faris,  more  extended  notice  else- 
where; William  ^^^,  who  died  in  early  man- 
hood; David  Duncham,  who  owns  the  old 
homestead;  Jane,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years ;  and  the  youngest,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

Robert  Bruce  Hudson  was  less  than 
three  years  of  age  when  he  was  brought  to 
Ellsworth  county.  He  was  reared  on  the 
I  lid  homestead,  and  from  the  age  of  nine 
years  spent  months  in  the  saddle,  assisting 
iri  tlic  herding  of  cattle  on  the  range.  His 
e'hicatiiin  was  acquired  in  the  schoolho'use 
which  his  father  assisted  to  build,  and  he 
reir (tilled  in  the  home  shelter  until  six  years 
after  his  marriage,  the  boys  and  their 
mother  keeping  the  stock  interests  and  the 
farming  operations  in  a  partnership,  add- 
ing land  until  they  owned  sixteen  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  and  one  hundred  head  of 
cattle,  carrying  on  the  business  under  the 
name  of   Hudson   Brothers,   until    1898. 

The  marriage  of  JMr.  Hudson  was  en 
October  5,  1892,  to  Miss  Lillie  M.  Reed, 
w^ho  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  William  and 
Mary  (Metlin)  Reed.  She  was  born  in 
Ohio,  of  which  state  both  her  parents  were 
natives.  The  latter  came  tO'  Ellsworth 
county,  in  1878  and  located  on  section  30- 
16-7,  taking  up  a  homestead  and  a  timber 
claim.  Dr.  Reed  was  a  prominent' and  well- 
known  iihvsician.  and  during  the  Civil  war 


was  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twentieth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  did  much 
hospital  work  during  the  whole  period  of 
the  war.  His  death  occurred  on  March  30, 
1895,  the  mother  of  :Mrs.  Hudson  sur\iv- 
ing_until  July  1898. 

Mrs.  Hudson  was  the  third  nienilier  of 
a  family  of  seven  children,  ilicsc  1  icing  as 
follows:  James.  E.,  of  this  county:  Thomas 
E.,  in  the  old  home;  Mrs.  Hudson:  Lulu  ^l.. 
Charles  H. ;  Martha  A. ;  and  Jennie  J.  The 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hudson  are 
as  follows;  Bessie  R..  Leonard  i\I.,  Russell 
D.,  Janet  and  Agne$. 

In  1898  the  brothers  divided  their  inter- 
ests and  our  subject  erected  his  handsome 
residence  on  his  farm  of  seven  hundred 
acres  in  sections  29-32.  Here  Mr.  Hudson 
keeps  about  forty  head  of  stock  and  feeds 
his  grain.  ]\Ir.  Hudson  has  done  much  for 
the  improvement  of  stock  and  cattle  in  his 
section,  taking  great  care  to  keep  it  up  to 
grade.  Ann  ng  his  hi  rses  is  a  fine  Morgan 
stallion   iirnu-ht    frmn    Illinois. 

In  politices  Mr.  Ihnlsnn  is  an  outspoken 
Republican  and  he  has  most  efficiently 
served  his  fellow-citizens  in  a  number  of 
offices,  notably  four  successive  terms  as 
township  treasurer  and  was  the  census 
enumerator  of  this  township  in  1900.  He 
is  one  of  the  progressive  and  enterprising 
men  of  this  section  and  holds  a  high  posi- 
tion in  public  esteem,  well  respresenting  so 
flourishing  and  important  a  county  as  Ells- 
worth. 


BEX'JAMIX    FRAXKLIN    OVERTON. 

The  business  interests  of  the  town  of 
Langdon,  Reno  county,  Kansas,  are  in  the 
hands  of  capable  and  reliable  men,  wlio  have 
done  much  to  place  this  section  in  the  front 
rank  of  commercial  prosperit)-.  .\mong 
those  who  have  been  particularly  active  and 
successful  is  Benjamin  Franklin  Overton  of 
this  sketch. 

Samuel  Overton,  the  grandfather  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  \\'est  Virginia  and  went 
as  a  pioneer  to  Indiana,  his  family  consist- 
ing of  three  sons  and  three  daughters.    One 


542 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


of  the  sons  was  Abner  Overton,  who  be- 
came our  subject's  father,  and  he  was  born 
at  Pekin,  Indiana,  about  1815,  and  died 
there  in  1862.  He  married  Nancy  Crotts, 
who  was  a  daughter  of  Valentine  Crotts,  a 
native  of  Tennessee  and  one  of  the  early, 
pioneers  from  that  state  in  Indiana.  Our 
subject's  parents  were  farmers  and  reared  a 
family  of  six  children,  these  being  as  fol- 
lows :  William,  who  is  a  resident  of  Pekin, 
Indiana ;  Mrs.  Caroline  Bierley,  who  lives  in 
Indiana  ;  Benjamin  Franklin,  of  this  sketch  : 
:\Irs.  ]\Iary  Bell,  who  resides  in  Providence, 
Indiana;  Mrs.  Sarah  Hedrick,  who  lives  in 
Fredonia,  Kansas;  and  Mrs.  Lizzie  ]\Ionical, 
who  died  in  the  state  oi  Washington.  In 
1859  the  mother  of  this  family  died,  and  the 
father  was  married  a  second  time,  one  child 
being  born  to  this  union,  Charles  Overton. 

When  only  twelve  years  of  age  Benjamin 
left  home,  this  being  in  1862^  and  hired  out 
to  a  neighboring  farmer  for  fifteen  dollars  a 
month,  and  for  eleven  years  he  remained  in 
tlie  old  neighborhood,  among  friends  who 
had  known  him  from  childhood,  working  on 
farms  by  the  month.  His  industry  and  cor- 
rect habits  O'f  life  won  him  many  friends  and 
when  he  left  that  locality  in  1874  to  come  to 
Kansas  there  were  many  who  wished  him 
well.  He  located  in  this  state  in  February, 
1874,  and  first  took  up  a  quarter  section  of 
homestead  land  one-half  a  mile  east  of  Lang- 
don,  and  he  later  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  For  seven- 
teen years  he  continued  to  follow  farming, 
with  varying  success,  leaving  that  line  about 
1 89 1  to  embark  in  the  general  piercantile 
business  in  Olcott.  In  1900  the  business'was 
removed  to  Langdon,  the  company,  which 
had  been  formed  in  1896,  remaining  the 
same,  the  firm  style  continuing  as  Overton 
&  Company.  Since  then  Mr.  Overton  has 
been  one  of  the  leading  business  citizens  of 
this  community,  has  built  up  a  large  and  lu- 
crative trade  and  is  one  of  the  substantial 
men  of  this  locality.  In  addition  to  his  mer- 
cantile business  he  also  owns  and  conducts 
the  Langdon  House,  at  Langdon.  It  is  a 
two-story  frame  building  and  is  the  only 
hotel  in  the  town. 

The  marriage  of  ]Mr.  Overton  occurred 


in  March,  1873,  to  Margarette  Charles,  of 
Martinsburg,  Indiana,  and  four  children 
have  been  born  to  this  union,  namely: 
Charles  Edward,  who  resides  in  Sego,  Kan- 
sas, unmarried;  Ila,  who  is  Mrs.  Wilkinson, 
of  Olcott,  and  has  two  children :  Susie,  a 
young  lady  at  home;  and  John  William,  who 
is  eleven  years  old  and  is  one  of  tlie  bright 
pupils  of  the  public  school  in  Langdon.  In 
his  political  sympathies  our  subject  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  he  has  efficiently 
served  as  school  director  and  has  taken  a 
deep  interest  in  educational  matters.  The 
religious  home  of  the  fanfily  is  in  the  Meth- 
odist church,  to  which  ^Nlrs.  Overton  is  a 
most  liberal  supporter.  He  has  witnessed 
some  wonderful  changes  since  first  coming 
to  Kansas,  and  is  one  of  those  still  remain- 
ing who  hunted  buffaloes  in  this  section. 
He  recalls  one  drove  of  several  hundred  in 
this  immediate  locality,  where  their  feeding- 
grounds  are  now  covered  by  elegant  resi- 
dences, churches,  school  houses  and  commer- 
cial edifices. 


BEXJA^IIX  WRIGHT. 

The  fertility  and  desirability  of  the  farm- 
ing lands  of  Reno  county,  Kansas,  has  long 
been  demonstrated,  and  one  of  the  success- 
ful, retired  agriculturists  of  this  region  is 
Benjamin  \\'right,  who  resides  in  great  com- 
fort upon  his  fine  eighty-acre  farm  in  Miami 
township,  on  section  i,  near  the  prospering 
town  of  Turon. 

The  birth  of  Benjamin  Wright  occurred 
in  Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  April 
5,  1836,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Phoebe 
(Logan)  Wright,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1787,  and  died  in  Loyalsock,  Lycoming 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1871,  The  mother 
of  our  subject  was  Phcebe  Logan,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  locality,  but  she  died,  with 
an  infant  daughter,  when  our  subject  was 
but  two  years  of  age,  having  borne  ten  chil- 
dren. Benjamin  and  his  brother  Amos  are 
all  of  the  first  family  still  remaining.  The 
father,  still  vigorous,  soon  married  Eunice 
Farnsworth,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


543 


vania,  and  she  bore  him  tliree  sons  and  three 
daughters,  the  entire  family  of  sixteen  chil- 
dren growing  to  maturity,  with  the  exception 
of  one.  A  brother.  Amos,  has  reached  the 
age  of  seventy-seven  years  and  lives  retired 
with  his  sons,  after  a  life  of  agriculture. 

Until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  Ben- 
jamin Wright  remained  under  the  home  roof 
although  he  spent  several  years  in  occasional 
work  for  farmers  in  the  neighborhood,  the 
family  at  home  being  so  numerous  that  his 
help  was  not  always  needed  on  the  homestead 
farm.  Among  the  first  to  display  a  loyal 
spirit  and  love  of  country  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  war  was  this  farmer  boy,  and  on 
August  4,  1 86 1,  he  became  a  member  of 
Company  K,  Forty-second  Illinois  In- 
fantry, remaining  in  the  service  for  three 
years  and  two  months.  It  is  not  within 
the  possibilities  for  Mr.  Wright  to  ever  for- 
get those  years.  The  terrible  day  at  Chick- 
amauga  was  made  memorable  to  him  by  a 
serious  wound  he  there  received,  a  musket 
ball  piercing  his  side,  the  ball  not  being  re- 
moved until  three  months  later.  For  six 
nidnths  this  Ijrave  soldier  suffered  in  the  hos- 
pital and  iiarrmvly  escaped  death  from'  gan- 
grene, many  of- the  methods  now  employed 
with  success  by  the  surgeons  not  having 
been  discovered  or  successfully  put  in 
practice  in  time  to  aid  the  wounded  heroes 
of  those  days.  At  present  he  receives,  most 
justly,  thirty  dollars  a  month,  but  until  1883 
it  was  only  eight  dollars,  later  was  raised  to 
twelve,  and  now  is  as  above  mentioned. 

In  1884  Mr.  Wright  settled  on  eighty 
acres  of  school  land  on  section  16,  in  Miami 
township,  but  lived  in  Turon  for  twelve 
years.  He  came  to  his  present  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  for  which  he  paid  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars,  in  the  spring  of  1901.  This 
land  he  dnes  not  attempt  to  farm  but  rents 
it,  and  as  needed  exercise  takes  care  of  his 
horse,  liis  twii  cnws.  his  pigs  and  his  chick- 
ens, enjuyinL:-  llnis  the  benefits  of  a  country 
life  w  ith(jul  its  hard  work. 

In  1881,  in  this  state,  ^ilr.  Wright  was 
married  to  M'iss  Emma  Terry,  who  was 
Ijorn  in  LivingstO'U  county,  Illinois,  on  No- 
vember 13,  1867,  a  daughter  of  Frank  Ter- 
rv,  a  native  of  Alabama,-  although  now  a 


resident  of  Norton  county,  Kansas,  coming 
thither  froini  Illinois  in  the  spring  O'f  1876. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Terry  have  had  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  still  survive. 
Alth.iU!;h  Mrs,  Wright  was  a  liride  of  only 
fourteen  years,  she  has  developed  into  a 
most  capable  housewife,  and  renders  her 
husband  a  cheerful  and  loving  companion- 
ship. She  is  a  lady  of  most  estimable  qual- 
ities, was  educated  in  this  state,  and  is  a 
most  worthy  and  cousistent  memlier  of  the 
Christian  church,  Mr,  Wright  is  an  honored 
member  of  the  Grand  .\rniy  of  the  Re- 
public. 


MILLARD  F.  BAIX. 

More  than  twenty-four  }-ears  have  passed 
since  Millard  F.  Bain  came  to  Kansas,  and 
tliroughout  this  long  period  he  has  been  most 
actively  connected  with  the  business  interests 
of  Reno  county,  and  his  labors  have  con- 
tributed largely  to  its  upbuilding  and  im- 
provement. He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Phil- 
adelpihia,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  igt'h  of  July, 
1856.  His  father,  John  W.  Bain,  was  born 
in  Reading,  Pennsylvania.  September  19, 
1810,  and  his  death  occurred  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  on  the  7th  of  September,  1866. 
He  was  general  superintendent  of  the  coal 
department  of  the  Philadelphia  &  Reading 
Railroad,  having  charge  of  twenty-one 
wharves. and  about  three  thousand  men.  He 
was  popular  with  his  men  and  was  a  well 
known  and  highly  respected  official.  He 
wedded  Caroline  Yeager,  also  a  native  of 
Reading,  Pennsylvania,  born  on  the  7th  of 
September,  18 17,  and  her  death  occurred 
October  22,  1875.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  four  sons  and  one  daughter, 
but  the  latter  died  in  infancy.  The  elde.st 
son,  Charles  Bain,  is  en-iployed  in  the  navy 
yard  in  Philadelphia,  and  has  two  sons  and 
two  daughters.  John  Bain.  Jr.,  the  second 
son,  spent  three  years  in  the  service  of  his 
country  during  the  Civil  war,  participated 
in  many  important  battles  and  held  the  rank 
of  sergeant.  He  had  many  narrow  escapes 
from  death,  and  at  one  time  his  cap  was 
shot  oft'  liis  head.     He  is  also  a  resident  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Philadelphia,  and  has  two  sons  and  one 
daughter.  J.  :Milton  Bain  gave  his  Hfe  as  a 
sacrifice  to  his  country  during  the  rebelHon, 
and  a  monument  erected  to  his  memory  in 
the  I.  O.^  O.  F.  cemetery  at  Philadelphia 
bears  the  following  inscription:  "Died, 
March  24,  1862,  J.  Milton  Bain,  aged  twen- 
ty-three years.''  At  his  death  he  left  a 
voung  widow.  The  father  of  this  family 
was  also  a  valiant  soldier  in  the  Civil  war, 
in  which  he  held  an  officer's  commission. 

Millard  F.  Bain,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  a  student  in  the  high  school 
of  his  native  city,  and  also  attended  a  select 
school  there.  His  father  was  in  comfort- 
able circumstances  and  was  able  to  provide 
his  children  with  excellent  educational  priv- 
ileges. The  mother  remained  true  to  her 
husl)and's  memory  during  the  remainder  of 
her  life.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  our 
subject  entered  the  largest  print  and  dye 
works  in  Philadelphia,  and  when  failing 
health  caused  him  to  leave  that  establish- 
ment some  years  later  he  held  the  second 
highest  position  there.  In  1877  he  came  to 
the  Sunflower  state  in  search  of  health,  and 
he  immediately  located  on  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  his  present  farm,  which  w-as 
then  v.ild  and  unimproved  land,  paying  tw^o 
hundred  and  ten  dollars  for  the  tract.  On 
the  place  was  a.  sod  shanty,  but  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  ]\Ir.  Bain  erected  a  small  frame 
house  twelve  by  fourteen  feet,  in  which  he 
made  his  home  for  a  number  of  ye;ars.  As 
the  years  have  passed  he  has  added  to  his 
■original  purchase  until  he  now  owns  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  all  of  which  is 
under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation,  and  there 
he  is  extensively  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  He  usually  keeps 
about  forty  head  of  short-horn  cattle  of  a 
high  grade,  and  is  now  breeding  some  fine 
animals  crossed  with  the  Hereford  breed. 
He  also  has  from  ten  to  fifteen  horses  upon 
his  place.  His  farm  is  one  of  the  handsome 
country  seats  of  the  locality,  and  the  place 
is  adorned  with  a  beautiful  grove  of  cotton- 
wood,  box  elder,  catalpa  and  multerry  trees, 
which  were  all  planted  by  his  own  hands. 

On  the  25th  of  November.  1879,  on 
Thanksgiving  dav,  Mr.  Bain  was  united  in 


marriage  with  Mis  Ida  Posey,  who  was  born 
in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  31st 
of  October,  1862,  a  daughter  of  Owen  and 
Margaret  (Louders)  Posey,  natives  also  of 
the  Keystone  state.  In  January,  1877,  they 
came  to  Kansas,  where  they  remained  for  a 
few  years  and  then  returned  to  Pennsylva- 
nia. The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bain  has 
been  blessed  with  nine  children,  namely : 
Carrie,  the  wife  of  Fred  Baker,  who  resides 
on  the  Bain  homestead,  and  they  have  a  lit- 
tle daughter ;  Anna,  a  young  lady  at  home ; 
John,  who  died  when  an  infant;  Mabel,  a 
young  lady  of  fifteen  years ;  Edna  and  Ethel, 
aged  respectively  thirteen  and  eleven  years; 
Lydia,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years; 
Willie,  who  is  now  six  years  of  age;  and 
Mildred,  a  bright  little  girl  of  three  years. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bain  and  their  three  eldest 
children  are  members  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren church.  In  his  social  relations  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  He  has  been  a  life  long  Repub- 
lican, the  party  having  been  organized  in  the 
same  year  in  which  he  was  born,  and  he  has 
been  the  choice  of  his  party  for  a  number  of 
public  positions,  having  serv^ed  for  four 
terms  as  trustee  of  his  township,  while  he 
now  holds  the  office  of  commissioner  of  the 
third  district.  He  is  a  man  of  broad  general 
information,  well  informed  on  the  issues  of 
the  day  and  a  reliable,  public-spirited  and 
loyal  citizen  who  withholds  his  support  from 
no  movement  calculated  to  advance  the 
moral,  material,  educational  or  social  wel- 
fare of  his  citv,  state  or  nation. 


SAMUEL  J.  MORRIS. 

Since  1874  Samuel  J.  Morris,  of  this 
biography,  has  been  a  resident  of  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  well  and  widely  known, 
and  distinguished  as  one  of  the  gallant  sol- 
diers of  the  Civil  wai,  both  he  and  his  hon- 
ored father  having  displayed  a  loyalty  many 
citizens  lacked  in  those  exacting  times,  and 
the  latter  died  a  victim  to  its  hardships. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Morris  occurred  on 
:\Iarch   II,   1845,  in  :Monroe  county,  Ohio, 


I 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


545 


and  he  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  A. 
(JMitchell)  Morris.  The  family  is  an  old 
one  in  America  and  lias  been  a  distinguished 
one  in  the  CaroHnas.  Kentucky,  Ohio  and 
Indiana.  His  grandfather,  Isaac  Morris, 
was  a  pioneer  in  Ohio,  and  there  reared  his 
family.  His  father,  Jacob  Morris,  was  born 
in  that  state,  followed  farming,  and  was 
there  married  to  Mary  A.  Mitchell,  from 
which  union  were  born  two  sons — Samuel 
J.  and  WilHam  H. 

Samuel  J.  Morris  was  educated  in  the 
iniblic  schools  of  his  native  state,  and  was 
but  a  lad  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war, 
and  was  one  of  the  first  to  show  his  loyalty 
when  the  call  came  for  troops.  In  April, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Ninth  In- 
diana Infantr}-,  his  father  joining  Companv 
G,  Se\'ent}'-f(.)urth  Indiana  Infantry,  in  1862, 
entering  the  Arniv  of  the  Cumberland.  Mr. 
^lorris  took  part  in  the  first  battle  of  the 
war,  when  the  raw  troops  received  c'heir 
baptism  of  fire,  on  June  3,  1861,  at  Phil- 
ippi,  West  A'irginia,  and  thence  the  regiment 
went  thrcnigh  the  engagements  at  Laurel 
Hill,  when  the  first  Union  soldier  was  killed 
in  the  line  of  battle  of  the  Civil  war.  Car- 
ricks  Ford,  Rich  Mountain,  Cheat  Moun- 
tain,Greenbriar  and  Buffalo  Gap,  also  known 
as  Alleghany  Heights,  all  of  these  engage- 
ments taking  place  in  West  Virginia.  The 
regiment  was  continually  engaged  in  skir- 
mishing on  up  to  Shiloh,  and  in  advance 
<if  the  army  was  sent  to  follow  General 
Bragg,  with  skirmishes  every  day,  to  Stone 
River.  Here  Mr.  Morris  was  wounded  and 
was  first  sent  1. 1  liM-jiital  .\m.  23,  in  Nash- 
ville, and  thence  ti  >  lins]>ilal  Xo.  8.  in  Lou- 
isville, and  from  there  to  a  convalescent 
camp,  but  later  was  sent  to  a  hospital  at 
New  Albany,  Indiana.  His  wound  was  a 
serious  one,  a  bullet  wound  in  the  leg, 
which  splintered  his  shin  bone,  recjuiring  a 
removal  of  a  part  of  the  latter.  With  the 
application  of  more  modern  methods,  since 
discovered,  it  is  very  probable  that  Mr. 
]\Iorris  might  have  been  completely  cured, 
l)Ut  such  was  not  the  case,  as  the  wounds 
have  never  healed  and  he  still  has  every  rea- 
son tn  remember  his  ser\-ice  in  his  country's 
defense.     As  an  example  of  true  loyalty,  as 


soon  as  he  could  be  again  accepted  this 
brave  soldier  re-entered  the  service,  becom- 
ing a  member  of  Company  M,  Twelfth  In- 
diana Cavalry,  and  served  until  November, 
1865,  in  Louisiana,  Alabama  and  Missis- 
sippi, when  he  was  finally  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Indianapolis.  Through  thait 
winter  he  attended  a  comniercial  college,  re- 
turning" to  his  home  in  the  spring  and  enter- 
ing into  business.  From  the  age  of  one 
year  Indiana  had  been  his  home,  his  par- 
ents removing  to  that  state  at  that  date, 
and  all  of  his  eavjier  associations  are  con- 
nected with  it.  Until  i86g  Mr.  Morris  en- 
gaged in  conducting  a  'sawnfill  and  a  stave 
factory,  but  at  that  time  his  wound  became 
50  aggravated  that  he  felt  unable  tO'  longer 
continue  at  hard  work. 

For  three  years  he  was  out  of  business, 
something  of  an  invalid,  but  in  1874  he 
came  to  Kansas  and  took  up  a  soldier's 
claim  on  section  22,  in  Ninnescah  township, 
residing  in  Sedgwick  county  with  his  fam- 
ily, where  he  had  relatives,  until  the  follow- 
ing spring,  working  on  his  claim,  and 
building  a  sod  house.  One  bufifalo  crossed 
his  place,  after  coming  here,  and  in  pursu- 
ing it  he  had  his  horse  killed  under  him  by 
the  buffaloes. 

Mr.  Morris  broke  his  land,  using  three 
ponies,  and  although  his  orogress  was  slow 
he  managed  to  get  some  parts  in  shape  for 
cultivation  in  the  course  of  time.  His  long 
sickness  had  exhausted  his  means  and  there 
were  hard  and  trying  days  on  that  Kansas 
farm.  An  unusual  degree  of  pluck,  perse- 
\-erence  and  industr}-  was  needed,  and  evi- 
dently I\Ir.  Morris  possessed  them  all  for, 
beginning  in  a  very  small  way,  lie  ivas  suc- 
ceeding" well  and  had  some  line  ciiws  and 
considerable  stock  when  he  was  elected  to 
the  position  of  county  clerk  and  then  re- 
moved to  Hutchinson.  He  has  always  been 
an  active  member  of  the  Republican  party, 
has  filled  many  of  the  local  offices  and  after 
his  election  to  the  office  of  county  clerk,  in 
1887,  he  was  re-elected  to  a  second  term  by 
the  largest  niajMritx-  e\^er  given  a  candidate 
in  this  county.  After  a  service  of  four 
years  in  that  position  he  has  made  bis  home 
in  Hutchinson,    and    has    efficientlv    filled 


546 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


many  other  offices.  During  the  early 
days  when  ready  cash  was  so  badly  needed 
by  so  many  of  the  pioneers,  Mr.  Morris  has 
driven  as  far  as  Indian  Territory  to  gather 
buffalo  bones  to  sell.  Since  locating  in  this 
city  he  has  done  considerable  business  in 
the  way  of  building  and  contracting,  and 
is  more  active  physically  than  any  one 
would  imagine  possible  from  the  nature  of 
his  affliction.  He  is  now  serving  his  third 
term  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  he  has  the 
record  of  never  having  had  a  case  reversed, 
^•ith  the  exception  of  one  which  was  out  of 
his  jurisdiction.  Fraternally  he  has  been 
interested  in  several  organizations,  notably 
the  Odd  Fellows,  with  which  he  has  been 
connected  ever  since  its  organization  here ; 
is  past  commander  of  Joe  Hooker  Post, 
No.  1 7,  and  of  Reno  Camp,  No.  69,  Sons  of 
Veterans,  is  adjutant  and  one  of  the  trus- 
tees ;  is  a  meml>er  of  the  order,  also,  of  Mys- 
tic Ties  and  Modern  Tontines. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Morris  oc- 
curred in  1867,  to  Miss  Martha  Lincoln,  a 
distant  relative  of  the  family  of  President 
Lincoln,  and  two  children  were  born  to  this 
iniion,  a  daughter,  who  died  young,  and 
George  Warren,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Okla- 
homa. The  second  marriage  was  in  1880, 
to  Miss  Sophia  J.  Tibbits,  and  these  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  this  union :  Oliver 
P.,  Arthur  B.,  William  B.,  Clara  M.,  Clar- 
ence, Carroll  and  Cora. 

No  one  understands  better  the  early  life 
of  the  Kansas  pioneer  than  Mr.  Morris,  for 
while  soil  and  climate  do  their  share,  the 
settlement  of  any  country  means  hardship 
and  privation.  He  deserves  the  esteem  of 
his  fellow  citizens  for  his  loyalty  to  the 
Union,  for  which  he  will  suffer  physically 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 


WILLIAM  W.  ROBBINS. 

The  enterprising  citizen  of  Norwich, 
Kingman  county,  Kansas,  whose  name  is 
above,  is  the  president  of  the  Norwich  Bank 
and  is  prominent  as  a  ranchman.  From  his 
central   farm   in  section   36,   Canton  town- 


ship, Kingman  county,  he  has  charge  of 
twenty  thousand  acres  of  land'  in  Kingman 
and)  Kiowa  counties.  The  extent  and  suc- 
cess of  Mr.  Robbins'  business  makes  some 
account  of  his  career  a  necessary  feature  in 
a  work  of  this  character. 

William  W.  Robbins  was  born  in  Weth- 
ersfield,  Connecticut,  July  24,  1857,  a  son 
of  Richard  and  Harriet  (Wills)  Robbins. 
His  father  also  was  a  native  of  Wethersfield 
and  grew  to  manhood  and  married  there. 
While  he  was  yet  a  young  man  he  went  to 
Augusta,  Georgia,  where  he  carried  on  a 
wholesale  grocery  business  until  just  before 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war.  Returning  to 
Wethersfield,  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  there,  dying  in  1895.  He  was  a  man  of 
influence  and  represented  his  district  in  the 
Connecticut  legislature,  and  in  politics  he 
was  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican.  He  was 
a  lifelong  member  of  the  Congregational 
church  and  for  years  was  a  deacon  in  the 
First  Congregational  church  of  Wethers- 
field. His  widow,  who  is  living  at  his  old 
home,  aged  about  seventy-five  years,  is  a  de- 
scendant of  Governor  \\'ells,  a  governor  of 
the  colony  of  Connecticut. 

Richard  Robbins,  father  of  Richard  Rob- 
bins and  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  also  born  in  the  Cliarter  Oak 
state,  a  descendant  of  men  who  had  been 
active  in  New  England  for  many  genera- 
tions. Mr,  Robbins"  mother  owns  land  that 
has  been  in  possession  of  members  of  her 
family  since  the  period  of  early  settlement  in 
Connecticut.  In  both  lines  of  descent  Mr. 
Robbins  traces  his  ancestry  to  England,  He 
was  the  second  in  order  of  birth  of  five  chil- 
dren, some  reference  to  Avhom  is  pertinent 
in  this  connection.  His  brother.  Edwin  D. 
Robbins,  is  a  lawyer  at  Hartford,  Connecti- 
cut, Dr,  Jane  E,  Robbins  is  practicing  med- 
icine and  surgery  in  New  York  city.  Caro- 
line Robbins  is  a  professor  of  physics  and 
chemistry  in  a  well  known  educational  insti- 
tution. Harriet  Robbins  lives  with  her 
mother  at  Wethersfield,  Connecticut. 

J\Ir,  Robbins  received  a  good  public- 
school  education  in  ^^'ethersfield,  and  though 
often  absent  retained  a  home  under  the  par-* 
ental   roof  until  he  was  twentv-four  years 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


547 


old.  After  spending  some  time  as  a  student 
in  the  Hartford,  Connecticut,  high  school,  he 
became,  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  a  clerk  in 
a  store  of  that  city.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  accepted  a  position  in  the  Hartford  Na- 
tional Bank,  and  later  he  was  employed  a 
year  as  bookkeeper  in  the  bank  of  L.  and  C. 
H.  Bell,  of  Hartford. 

In  1884  Mr.  Robbins  located  at  Harper, 
Kansas,  where  for  a  year  and  a  half  he  did 
a  business  in  real  estate  and  loans.  In  1885, 
in  association  with  E.  N.  Hogg,  G.  D. 
Thompson,  Lewis  Walters  and  Frank  R. 
Zacharias,  he  organized  the  Norwich  Town 
Company,  of  which  he  was  the  vice  presi- 
dent and  which  platted  the  town  of  Norwich 
in  June  of  that  year,  the  plat  including  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  3  and  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  section  10,  Bennett  township.  He 
remained  in  Harper  until  the  fall  of  1885, 
when  he  removed  to  Norwich,  and  on  the 
site  of  the  present  bank  building  erected  a 
structure  now  in  use  by  the  local  postoffice, 
and  established  a  banking  business  whidi 
was  conducted  under  the  style  of  \\\  W. 
Robbins  &  Company  until  August,  1888, 
when  the  concern  w'as  reorganized  as  a  state 
bank,  with  Mr.  Robbins  as  president  and  P. 
N.  Wright  as  cashier. 

In  1889  ]Mr.  Robbins  became  interested 
in  ranch  and  stock  operations  and  he  owns 
about  three  thousand  acres  of  land  in  King- 
man county  and  three  thousand  in  Kiowa 
county,  and  has  the  manag^ement  of  many 
thousands  of  acres  under  contract,  besides 
an  interest  in  an  extensive  ranch  and  eight 
thousand  head  of  cattle  in  Texas.  In  Kan- 
sas alone  he  usually  owns  aljout  one  thou- 
sand head  of  cattle  and  feeds  nearly  half  that 
number.  He  has  founded  a  herd  of  thor- 
oughbred short-horn  cattle  and  now  has 
thirty  head,  of  different  ages,  as  good  as  can 
be  procured.  In  1901  he  erected  his  elegant 
and  costly  residence  in  Norwich,  which  is 
equipped  with  all  modern  conveniences  and 
is  the  best  in  the  county.  The  Norwich  bank 
w^as  the  second  bank  established  in  Kingman 
county  and  is  the  only  one  in  the  county  out- 
side of  the  city  of  Kingman.  In  politics  Mr. 
Robbins  is  independent. 


He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  of  Norwich  Lodge,  No.  219, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  of 
Harper  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  :\Iasuns.  He 
was  married  at  Harper,  Kansas,  November 
II,  1890,  to  Miss  Grace  H.  Doorley,  who 
was  born  in  New  York,  a  daughter  of  W. 
F.  and  Florence  (Lewis)  Doorley,  and  she 
has  borne  him  four  children  named  Rich- 
ard W.,  Florence  A.,  Edward  C.  and  Mar- 
tin H. 


FRED  YUST. 

Central  Kansas  has  many  citizens  of 
Prussian  nativity  who  are  numbered  among 
its  enterprising  and  progressi\-e  men.  but 
there  is  not  one  of  them  whn  i>  justlv  held 
in  higher  esteem  than  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  a  leading  fanner  and  stuck-dealer, 
whose  home  is  within  the  borders  of  sectioh 
22,  Hayes  tow-nship,  Reno  county,  and 
whose  postoffice  address  is  Peacecreek. 

Fred  Yust  was  born  in  Prussia,  Ger- 
many, September  30,  1844,  a  son  of  Freder- 
ick Yust,  who  was  b.ini  tlicrc  in  1817  and 
died  in  Ha_yes  triwnslnp  \\:\\  j>^.  nioo.  Gott- 
fried, the  father  of  Frederick  ^  r,st.  died  in 
Germany  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years.  It 
is  a  somewhat  remarkable  fact  that  Amelia 
Roemer  was  born  on  the  same  day  on  which 
Frederick  Yust,  whom  she  married,  was 
born,  and  that  the  youngest  son  of  her  son, 
Fred  Yust,  was  born  on  the  corresponding 
day  of  the  same  month.  Frederick  and 
Amelia  (Roemer)  Yust  were  married  Janu- 
ary 2,  1841,  and  Fred  Yust  was  their  first 
child.  Their  son,  Charles  B.  Yust,  was  born 
in  1847,  ^"d  died  in  Hayes  township,  in 
1885,  leaving  a  widow  and  children.  Their 
daughter  Amelia  married  Julius  Bandhauer, 
and  died  in  Haves  tdwnship  in  August, 
iSNN,  leaviii-  nine  chilih-eii.  Their  daugh- 
ter Minnie  married  Peter  Birk.  of  Canton, 
Missouri,  and  has  seven  daughters  and  two 
sons.  The  next  in  order  of  birth  was  a  son 
who  died  in  infancy,  and  the  next  was  John 
Yust,  of  Hayes  township.  Their  daughter 
Louisa  married  a  Mr.   Clothier,  of  Hayes 


548 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


township,  and  her  mother,  now  eighty-tliree 
3"ears  old.  hves  with  them. 

Fred  Yust  was  for  five  years  a  student  at 
schools  in  Germany,  and  in  1855  was 
brought  to  America  by  his  parents.  They 
made  the  voyage  in  a  sailing  vessel,  which 
consumed  nine  weeks"  time  between  Bremen 
and  Xew  Orleans.  The  family  located  at 
Canton,  ^lissouri,  where  Frederick  Yust's 
brother  Charles  had  settled  in  1851.  Fred- 
erick Yust,  who  had  been  a  weaver  in  Ger- 
many, did  not  readily  find  employment  at 
his  trade  in  America,'  and  became  a  stone- 
mason, in  which  capacity  he  worked  until 
1874.  when  he  removed  to  Hayes  township, 
Reno  county,  Kansas,  here  homesteading 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and 
taking  up  a  tree  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  He  began  the  work  of  improve- 
ment and  soon  had  so  much  of  his  land  under 
profitable  cultivation  that  he  w^as  able  to  buy 
another  quarter  section.  With  his  sons, 
Fred,  Charles  and  Henr\,  he  arrived  in 
Hayes  township  in  the  fall  of  1874.  They 
brought  with  them  two  mules  and  a  horse 
and  during  the  winter  they  erected  three 
houses  to  accommodate  the  others  of  their 
families,  who  arrived  in  the  township  in 
April,  1875.  The  subject  of  this  sketch,  had 
received  a  three  months'  schooling  in  Eng- 
lish in  Missouri  and  he  and  his  father  and 
bis  brother  Charles  had  had  a  valuable  army 
experience.  Before  he  was  yet  seventeen 
}-ears  old  and  when  his  brother  Charles  was 
only  fourteen,  the  three  enlisted  in  Company 
A,  Twenty -first  Regiment,  Missouri  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  Frederick  and  Fred'  Yust  as 
private  soldiers,  while  Charles,  who  was  not 
old  enough  for  such  service,  was  accepted 
as  a  drummer.  Tlie  eldest  Yust  was  dis- 
charged for  disability  after  about  two  years' 
faithful  service,  and  after  taking  a  month's 
furlou.gh  Fred  re-enlisted  in  January,  1864, 
and  when  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  ser- 
vice as  a  corporal  he  had  experienced  the 
vicissitudes  of  four  years  and  nine  months" 
almost  constant  fighting.  He  took  part  in 
numerous  engagements,  including  the  bat- 
tles at  Shiloh,  Corinth,  Tupelo,  Nashville, 
Spanish  Fort,  and  Mobile  Bay.  and  was 
never  wounded  or  sick  in  the  hospital,  was 


never  made  a  prisoner  of  war  and  was  al- 
wa}'s  ready  to  undertake  any  duty  to  which 
he  was  called,  and  during  the  last  year  and 
a  half  of  his  service  he  did  a  first  sergeant's 
work  as  company  clerk. 

September  24,  1868,  Mr.  Yust  married 
Miss  Dora  Krey,  a  native  of  St.  Louis,  ]Mis- 
souri,  who  was  born  in  January,  1850,  a 
daughter  of  Conrad  and  Henrietta  (Hart- 
man)  Krey.  Mrs.  Yust's  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Germany  and  her  father  was 
eighteen  weeks  in  making  the  journey  from 
Germany  to  New  Orleans  on  an  old-fash- 
ioned sailing  vessel  and  was  shipwrecked 
and  came  near  being  lost.  After  their  mar- 
riage Mr. 'and  Mrs.  Yust  settled  on  a  farm 
in  the  woods,  where  they  soon  established 
a  home,  which,  however,  was  too  small  for 
their  needs  as  their  family  increased,  and 
they  took  Horace  Greeley's  advice  and  went 
west.  They  have  prospered  so  well  in  Kan- 
sas that  they  now  own  ten  c|uarter  sections 
besides  eighty  acres  in  another  tract,  their 
holdings  aggregating  sixteen  hundred  and 
eighty  acres.  Mr.  Yust  is'  farming  on  a  quar- 
ter section  where  he  took  his  original  tree 
claim,  on  which  he  set  out  about  forty  acres 
O'f  timber,  mostly  cottonwood,  and  has  ten 
acres  of  beautiful  black  walnut  trees,  some 
of  which  are  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  and 
many  others,  including  maples,  box-elders 
and  i-rtulberry  trees.  He  grows  about  equal 
quantities  of  corn  and  wheat  and  during  the 
past  year  he  has  harvested  and  sold  about 
two  thousand  bushels  of  wheat.  He  has 
made  considerable  money  also  in  hogs  and 
cattle.  His  first  house  was  a  frame  building, 
twelve' by  fourteen  feet  in  size,  the  walls  of 
which  were  filled  with  sun-dried  brick  of  his 
own  manufacture.  That  building  is  a  part 
of  his  present  commodious,  modern  resi- 
dence. During  the  earlier  years  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Hayes  tnwnship  his  honse  was  noted 
for  its  hospitality  and  it  was  usually  filled 
with  travelers,  none  of  whom  he  would  turn 
away,  the  public  having  come  to  regard  it 
somewhat  in  the  light  of  a  hotel.  The_\-  ha\e 
always  been  known  for  their  progressiveness 
and  in  many  ways  have  been  leaders  in  their 
township.  As  an  evidence  of  this  fact  it 
'  mav  be  stated'  that  the  organ  now  owned  by 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


549 


their  daughter  was  the  first  instrument  of, 
the  kind  brought  into  the  township.  Mr. 
Yust  is  a  stanch  Repubhcan,  Ixit  for  two 
years  affiliated  with  the  Farmers'  AUiance.; 
He  filled  the  of^ce  of  township  trustee  sev- 
eral years  and  for  five  years  has  been  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  He  is  a  member  and  has 
been  chaplain  of  Sylvia  Post,  No.  386/ 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  andi  his 
^\•ife  and  children  are  members  of  the  Ger- 
man Methodist  church  and  he  and  Mrs.  Yust 
were  two  of  its  six  organizers  twenty-four 
years  ago  and  were  influential  in  sciuriuL; 
the  erection  seventeen  years  a^u  ^f  iis  Imusc 
of  worship,  wbich  is  one  of  the  finest  in  tlie 
county. 

The  following  facts  concerning  the  chil- 
dren of  Fred  and  Dora  (Krey)  Yust  will  be 
of  interest  in  this  connection.  Their  son, 
\\'illiaro  F.  Yust,  born  in  Missouri,  Novem- 
ber 10,  1869,  has  all  his  life  been  a  d'iligent 
student.  He  was  graduated  in  the  college 
at  Warrenton,  Missouri,  and  after  teaching 
school  two  years  entered  the  University  of 
Chicago,  where  he  was  graduated  in  lan- 
guages and  where  for  three  years  he  was 
assistant  librarian.  For  the  past  two  years  he 
has  been  connected  with  the  Albany,  New 
York,  Library  School,  and  at  present  is  as- 
sistant inspector  of  the  state  libraries  of 
New  York,  at  Albany.  Their  daughter, 
Kate  E.,  who  was  born  July  2,  1872,  mar- 
ried Samuel  Smowberger,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren. Mr.  and  Mrs.-Smowberg-er  live  on  a 
farm  adjoining  the  Yust  homestead.  George 
H.  Yust.  who  was  born  January  31,  1876, 
is  married  and  lives  on  the  homestead  farm. 
Edward  P.  Yust,  horn  November  12,  1877, 
is  a  meml:(er  of  his  parents'  household.  Clara 
M.,  born  August  14,  1880,  married  George 
Smowberger  and  lives  on  a  farm  near  her 
father's.  Lydia  R.  was  born  January  5, 
1883,  and  married  Melvin  McEllroy,  a 
farmer  of  Hayes  township,  and  has  one  son. 
Emma  D.  was  born  October  5,  1886,  and  is 
acquiring  an  education.  Anna  L.  was  born 
October  28.  1887.  while  Benjamin  Harrison 
Yust  was  born  December  29,  1891,  and  they 
are  both  at  school. 

iMrs.  Yust's  parents  are  able  farmers  of 
Hayes  township  and  are  well  preserved  for 


their  years.  Conrad  Krey,  her  father,  was 
born  May  31,  1822,  in  Germany,  a  son  of 
Peter  Krey,  who  died  in  1830,  aged  about 
fifty-five  years,  leaving  his  widow  with  four 
sons:  and  three  daughters  of  the  nine  chil- 
dren who  had  been  born  to  them.  Conrad 
Krey  was  married  in  St.  Lnuis,  ?\Iissouri, 
April  II,  1849,  to  Henrietta  Ilariinan,  who 
was  born  in  the  place  of  his  own  nativity  in 
Germany  in  1832.  jMr.  Krey,  now  eighty 
years  old,  is  living  a  life  of  retirement.  His 
A\ife,  who  is  still  \igorous  and  does  her  own 
JMuscwurk,  has  borne  him  twelve  children, 
nf  w  JKim  eleven  grew  to  manhood  and  wo- 
manhood. They  have  now  ten  children,  fifty 
grandchildren  and  about  twenty  great- 
grandchildren. In  early  life  Mr.  Krev  was 
a  shoemaker,  and  by  working  at  his  trade 
on -the  bench  he  earned  four  hundred  dollars, 
which  was  his  original  payment  on  his  first 
farm  purchased  after  he  came  to  America. 
Frederick  and  Amelia  Yust,  the  parents  of 
our  subject,  celebrated  their  fiftietli  wedding- 
anniversary  January  I.  iNi|i.  At  that  time 
they  had  seven  children,  fi  alx -L-i.-ht  grand- 
children and   nineteen   great-grandchildren. 


CICERO  WILLIAMSON. 

The  biographer  has  had  from  time  to 
time  to  refer  to  tlie  important  part  taken  by 
Kentuckians  in  the  settlement  and  develop- 
ment of  Kansas.  .  One  of  the  most  influen- 
tial citizens  of  Reno  county  of  Kentucky 
birth  is  Cicero  Williamson,  a  farmer  of  Syl- 
via township,  who  lives  on  the  north  half  of 
section  26,  and  whose  postoffice  address  is 
Sylvia. 

Cicero  Williamson  was  born  in  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  November  29,  1850,  a  son 
of  Benjamin  and  Mary  (Marshall)  Will- 
iamson. His  father,  who  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky in  1828,  died  at  Stillwell.  Hancock 
county,  Illinois,  in  1896.  The  father  of 
Benjamin  and  grandfather  of  Cicero  Will- 
iamson was  an  early  emigrant  from  Ken- 
tucky to  northern  Illinois,  where  he  died 
about  1855  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
four   years.      Benjamin    and    i\Iary    tMar- 


550 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


shall)  Williamson  were  married  in  Ken- 
tucky and  removed  to  Illinois  with  their  five 
children  about  1855.  They  located  on  a 
quarter-section  of  land  in  Hancock  county, 
where  they  lived  out  the  remainder  of  their 
lives,  Mrs.  Williamson  dying  about  1891. 
They  had  five  daughters  and  five  sons,  all  of 
whom  except  one  daughter  grew  to  years  of 
maturity,  and  of  those  who  survived  all  ex- 
cept one  son.  Hector  M.  Williamson,  mar- 
ried. That  son,  who  was  the  youngest,  has 
not  been  heard  from  by  his  relatives  for  a 
long  time.  Another  brother,  Oscar  Will- 
iamson, cannot  be  located  by  his  brothers  and 
sisters,  who  are  unable  to  communicate  also 
with  their  brother,  Merritt  Williamson.  The 
Rev.  Benjamin  \\'illiamson  of  this  family 
lives  at  ^^'est  Point,  Illinois,  where  he  is  a 
Christian  minister  and  a  mechanic. 

Cicero  Williamson  came  to  Kansas  in 
1873  and  settled  in  Langdon  township, 
Reno  county,  ten  miles  southeast  of  his 
present  location.  He  came  to  the  state  with 
a  pair  of  mules  and  one  horse,  but  had  little 
money  and  had  an  unfortunate  experience 
in  trying  to  gain  ownership  to  a  quarter  sec- 
tion of  homestead  land.  He  was  obliged  to 
mortgage  the  land  and  after  paying  interest 
and  taxes  on  it  for  about  two  years  deemed 
it  best  to  relinquish  all  claim  upon  it.  Dur- 
ing the  succeeding  two  years  he'  lived  on  his 
father-in-law's  farm.  In  1881  he  located  on 
his  present  farm,  which  consists  of  a  half 
section  of  good'  land  and  which  he  devotes 
to  the  purposes  of  general  farming.  He 
plants  from  one  to  two  hundred  acres  of 
corn  and  secures  an  average  yield  of  from 
twenty-five  to  thirty  bushels  an  acre  and 
sows  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  acres  to 
wheat,  the  average  yield  of  which  amounts 
to  eighteen  or  twenty  bushels  an  acre.  He 
has  fifteen  acres  planted  with  thrifty  young 
trees,  many  of  which  he  has  grown  from  the 
seed,  including  locust,  catalpa,  box  elder, 
ash,  soft  maple,  cottonwood  and  mulberry 
trees.  He  usually  has  about  twenty  head  of 
cattle  of  mixed  breed  and  from  eight  to 
twelve  horses  and  mules,  including  a  stallion 
and  a  jack.  He  and'  his  family  live  in  a 
comfortable  one  and  one-half  story  farm 
house,  which  was  erected  in  1899;  and  his 


barn,  which  occupies  a  ground  space  of 
thirty-two  feet  by  thirty-two  feet,  was  built 
in  1900. 

j\Ir.  Williamson  is  an  independent  voter, 
and  has  escaped  holding  public  office  only 
by  the  most  tactful  management.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church.  An  intelligent  man  and  a  neat  and 
thorough  farmer,  he  possesses  much  good 
taste,  as  is  apparent  to  a  stranger  who  drives 
from  the  highway  to  his  residence  through 
an  attractive  shaded  avenue  bordered  with 
and  overhung  by  thrifty  box-elders,  ash 
trees  and  catalpas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William- 
son have  waged  the  battle  of  life  with  much 
energy  and  are  still  persevering  with  a  view 
to  the  material  future  uf  their  children. 

Mr.  Williamson  was  married  in  January, 
1880,  to  Miss  Julia  Gagnebin,  a  daughter  of 
James  Gagnebin,  and  they  have  had  three 
children:  James,  who  is  a  member  of  his 
father's  household ;  Dollie,  who  was  married 
April  I,  1901,  to  Thomas  Piper;  and  Pearly, 
who  is  five  vears  old. 


DAVID  WYMAN. 

A  representative  farmer  of  Reno  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  and  the  fortunate  owner  of  one 
of  the  best  farms  in  Langdon  township,  lo- 
cated on  section  17,  is  David  Wyman.  who 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  state  since  1884. 
His  first  visit  to  Kansas  was  in  1877,  but  it 
was  in  the  former  year  that  he  became  iden- 
tified with  the  interests  of  Langdon  town- 
ship. 

The  birth  of  IVIr.  Wyman  was  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Indiana,  on  August  6.  1829, 
and  many  interesting  and  romantic  episodes 
are  connected  with  a  number  of  his  ances- 
tors. His  parents  were  Leonard  and  Anna 
(Baker)  Wyman.  The  paternal  grandfather 
was  Henry  Wyman,  who  was  born  in  Hesse, 
Germany,  and  was  a  member  of  the  British 
army  of  invasion  during  the  Revolutionary 
war,  but  he  was  dissatisfied  with  his  work 
and  one  day,  when  he  and  comrades  were 
sent  to  a  spring  for  water,  left  his  kettle  and 
escaped  into  the  Patriot  lines.    Later  he  be- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


came  a  farmer  in  Xorth  Carolina  and  after 
the  close  of  the  war  was  a  pioneer  settler  in 
Indiana,  where  he  entered  a  tract  of  govern- 
ment land.  He  ded  in  Washington  county, 
Indiana,  in  1845,  i"  old  age.  His  children 
consisted  of  three  sons  and  four  daughters 
by  his  first  marriage,  his  second  union  being 
to  a  widow  with  two  daughters.  The  ma- 
ternal grandfather  of  our  subject  was  John 
Baptist  Cheshire,  who  was  born  in  Cheshire 
Parish,  England,  was  there  married  and  later 
came  to  America.  During  the  Revolution- 
ary war  he  was  a  prominent  leader,  spending 
seven  years  in  the  service  of  his  adopted 
country,  separated  from  his  family. 

Leonard  Wyman,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  North  Carolina,  in  1790, 
and  he  died  in  Washington  county,  Indiana, 
in  1862.  In  the  latter  state,  in  1825,  he  was 
married  to  Anna  Baker,  who-  was  born  in 
Virginia.  She  had  four  children,  three 
daughters  and  one  son,  and  her  death  oc- 
curred when  David  and  his  twin  sister  were 
€ight  months  old.  The  second  marriage  of 
the  father  was  to  Eliza  Leach,  and  they  had 
a  family  of  two  sons  and  four  daughters. 
She  survived  her  husband  some  twenty 
j-ears,  dying  in  New  Albany,  Indiana,  and 
,■  both  were  buried  in  the  old  family  burial 
lot  on  the  farm  in  \\'ashington  county,  In- 
diana. 

Our  subject  had  but  few  educational  ad- 
vantages afforded  him,  the  equipments  of  the 
old  log  school  house,  with  its  puncheon  floor 
and  (ther  [jrimitixe  accompaniments,  not 
providing  an}-thing  but  perfect  ventilation, 
one  log  being  left  out  to  afford  light.  How- 
ever, here  Mr.  Wyman  learned  to  read,  spell 
and  "cipher"  and  all  the  rest  of  his  knowl- 
edge has  come  to^  him  through  reading  and 
association  with  the  world.  When  he  had 
attair.ed  his  majijrity  he  left  JKime  and  en- 
g'aged  in  farm  \\'()rk  1)\'  the  nmiith,  continu- 
ing to  provide  for  himself  and  lay  by  some 
money  in  this  way  for  some  years.  On  the 
13th  of  July,  1861,  at  New  Albany,  Indi- 
ana, he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Civil  war, 
and  was  assigned  to  Company  K,  Twenty- 
tliird  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry, 
under  Colonel  Sanderson  and  Captain  Vin- 
'cent  Kirk.     After  three  vears  of  service  he 


was  honorably  discharged  at  Chattanooga, 
Tennessee.  On  ^March  8,  1855,  ]\Ir.  Wyman 
was  united  in  marriage  t<i  Miss  Hannah 
Fountain,  and  she  was  born  in  Harrison 
county,  Indiana,  on  July  20,  1834,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Julius  W.  and  Susanna  (Barns) 
Fountain.  The  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Wy- 
man was  Edma  Henry  Fountain,  who  was 
born  in  Paris,  France,  and  came  to  America 
with  General  Lafayette  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een years,  and  became  one  of  the  stanch 
supporters  of  the  struggling  colonies.  He 
also  erected  the  first  house  in  Louisville, 
Kentucky.  He  had  a  very  unusual  early 
life.  His  parents  were  wealthy  and  influ- 
ential people,  his  mother  belonging  to  a  so- 
cial circle  which  made  the  care  of  many  in- 
fants almost  an  impossibility.  j\Ir.  Fountain 
was  the  second  babe,  and  a  healthy  and  irre- 
proachable peasant  woman  was  found  to 
take  charge  of  him,  and  with  her  he  re- 
mained until  the  death  of  his  older  brother, 
when  he  became  the  heir,  he  was  taken  home 
by  his  mother.  According  to  custom  he  was 
early  betrothed,  and  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  war  returned  to  France  and 
claimed  his  bride. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Wyman  was  born  in 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  1809,  and  he  was 
married  on  September  21,  1832,  in  Floyd 
county,  Indiana,  to  Susanna  Barns,  who 
was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  on 
January  11,  1815.  By  trade  ]\Ir.  Fountain 
was  a  shoemaker,  lint  he  was  also  an  excel- 
lent farmer  and  at  one  time  worked  iu'  a 
foundr}''.  Mrs.  Wyman  belonged  to  a  fam- 
ily of  five  children,  its  members  being :  An 
infant  which  died  at  the  age  of  six  weeks; 
Hannah,  who  is.  the  wife  of  Mr.  Wyman; 
Elizabeth  became  the  wife  of  Henry  Clay 
Ellis  and  died  in  Indiana,  leaving  six  chil- 
dren; Barbara  Catherine,  who  first  married 
William  H.  Phillips,  and  afterward  James 
Boyce,  and  at  her  death  she  left  twij  chil- 
dren by  the  second  marriage;  and  Sarah 
Jane,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years. 
Mrs.  Fountain  died  in  1863,  at  Martinsburg, 
Indiana,  and  ^Ir.  pMuntain  died  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  at  Cusingtmn,  Kentucky,  where 
he  was  a  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  merchant 
and  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  the  city. 


552 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


The  children  born  to  IMr.  and  ^Irs.  \\'y- 
man  numbered  six,  their  names  being  as  fol- 
lows :  A\'illiam  C,  who  died  when  an  infant 
of  eight  months;  Laura  Ellen,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  three  and  one-half  years ;  Oliver 
L.,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Nodaway  county, 
ilissouri,  unmarried  ;  Anna,  who  became  the 
wife  of  George  W.  Xeal  and  died  at  the  age 
of  thirty-seven  years,  leaving  two  daugh- 
ters ;  Carrie  E.,  Avho  died  at  the  age  of  four 
and  one-half  years;  and  Frances  E.,  who  is 
a  young  lady  at  home.  Mrs.  Wyman  has 
one  of  her  two  granddaughters  with  her 
also. 

It  was  in  1877  that  ]Mr.  \\'yman  first 
came  to  this  state,  but  nine  days  later  he 
went  to.  Atchison  county,  ]Missouri,  and  lived 
there  until  1884,  when  he  sold  out  his  inter- 
ests there  and  came  to  his  present  farm.  This 
was  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  Mr.  Wyman  paid  twelve  hundred 
dollars  to  its  owner.  -During  the  seventeen 
years  of  his  residence  here  he  engaged  in 
general  farming,  and  has  been  very  prosper- 
ous. 

Jn  politics  Mr.  \\'yman  has  always  been 
a  Republican  and  has  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  public  matters.  For  a  considerable 
period  he  has  served  as  school  director  in 
his  district  and  he  has  endeavored  to  ad- 
vance all  educational  enterprises.  He  is  a 
member  of  Perr3'ville  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  No. 
142,  and  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church,  while  ^Irs.  Wyman  is  connected 
with  the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wyman  are  representative  farmers  of  this 
county,  and  they  are  well  known  for  their 
hospitality  and  neighborly  kindness. 


HENRY  Z.  HISSEM,  M.  D. 

In  the  subject  of  this  review  we  have 
one  who  has  attained  distinction  in  the  line 
of  his  profession,  who  has  been  an  earnest 
and  discriminating  student  and  who  holds 
a  position  of  due  relative  precedence  among 
the  medical  practitioners  of  Kansas.  He  is 
also  mayor  of  Ellsworth  and  is  honored  in 
social  circles  and  in  profe^ional  and  public 
life. 


Dr.  Hissem  is  a  native  of  the  state  of 
Ohio,  his  birth  having  occurred  in  Ashland 
county  on  the  loth  of  September,  1857,  his 
parents  being  Abner  and  Katherine  A. 
(Zeigler)  Hissem.  The  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  followed  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  In  early  life  he  married  and 
removed  to  the  Buckeye  state,  becoming  one 
of  the  pioneer  residents  there.  He  was  very 
prominent  in  Christian  work  and  for  many 
years  sen-ed  as  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  is  now  living  retired  in  Lou- 
donville  at  the  age  of  eightv-five  j-ears,  but 
his  wife  passed  away  in  1897.  Dr.  Hissem, 
subject  of  this  review,  was  the  sixth  in  or- 
der of  birth  in  a  family  of  twelve  children. 
He  pursued  his  education  in  Vermilion  In- 
stitute, in  Hayesville,  Ohio,  taking  a  course 
in  languages  on  account  of  the  benefit  it 
would  be  to  him  in  his  professional  career 
as  a  representative  of  the  medical  fraternity 
for  in  his  boyhood  he  had  determined  to 
engage  in  the  practice  of  the  healing  art 
as  a  life  work.  The  family  were  in  quite 
moderate  circumstances  and  it  became  nec- 
essary that  he  should  provide  the  means 
necessary  to  continue  his  studies.  He  aided 
in  the  farm  work  during  the  summer 
months  and  in  the  winter  season  engaged 
in  teaching  school.  In  the  meantime  he 
read  medical  text-books  under  the  direction 
of  a  local  physician  and  later  he  entered 
Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  in  New 
York  city,  where  he  was  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1883.  He  had  excellent  oppor- 
tunities in  the  hospital  to  see  and  assist  in 
all  kinds  of  operations  and  thus  gained 
practical  experience  as  well  as  theoretical 
knowledge.  He  had  to  borrow  money  in 
order  to  complete  his  collee'e-  course,  and 
was  thus  somewhat  handicapped  financially 
when  he  entered  upon  his  professional  ca- 
reer; but  true  merit  always  wins  success, 
and  such  has  been  the  case  with  Dr.  Hissem.. 
He  first  located  at  Chicago  Junction,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years,  and  dur- 
ing that  time  he  was'  surgeon  for  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  Railroad  Company. 

In  July,  1886,  the  Doctor  came  to  Ells- 
worth, where  he  opened  an  office  and  soon 
built  up  a  fine  practice,   for  his  success  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


553 


the  care  of  several  difficult  cases,  established 
his  reputation  as  a  skilled  physician.  In 
May,  1896,  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Dr.  H.  O'Donnell,  ami 
since  that  time  they  have  been  located  in 
their  fine  suite  of  rooms  over  the  Central 
National  Bank.  They  have  a  large  and  lu- 
crative practice,'  extending-  all  over  the 
county  and  to  some  distance  along  the  line 
to  build  a  hospital  of  their  own,  and  in  1900 
they  opened  a  hospital  at  the  Bigerdyke 
Home,  but  as  their  practice  began  tO'  exceed 
their  accommodations  there  they  decided 
to  build  a  hospital  of  their  own,  and  in  1900 
began  the  erection  and  equipment  of  their 
present  hospital,  in  which  Dr.  Perkins,  of 
Kansas  City,  is  also  interested.  It  is  a 
fine  building"  containing  seventeen  rooms 
and  is  thoroughly  fitted  up  for  the  treat- 
ment of  medical  and  surgical  cases.  The 
operating  room  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
state,  the  entire- roof  being  of  glass,  while 
the  room  is  finished  in  white  enamel,  and 
natients  from  all  parts  of  the  state  come 
here  for  treatment,  some  of  the  most  diffi- 
cult surgical  operations  known  to  the  sci- 
ence having  been  successfully  performed. 
In  1889  Dr.  Hissem  went  to  New  York  to 
pursue  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  New 
York  Polyclinic,  giving  special  attention  to 
surgery  and  the  diseases  of  the  throat,  nose 
and  ear.  In  1898  he  took  a  course  in  the 
same  line  in  a  Chicago  post-graduate 
school. 

On  the  27th  of  March,  1884,  the  Doctor 
was  married,  in  Toledo^,  Ohio,  to  Ella  R., 
daughter  of  Joseph  Kininger,  a  merchant 
of  that  city  and  they  now  have  three  chil- 
dren— Ralph  W.,  Jessie  and  Frank.  The 
Doctor  has  a  beautiful  residence,  the  home 
Ijeing  one  of  the  most  pleasant  in  the  city 
of  Ellsworth.  Politicalb-  he  has  always 
been  a  Republican,  stanch  in  his  advocacy 
of  the  principles  of  the  party.  In  former 
years  he  took  a  \-ery  active  interest  in  its 
work,  but  at  the  present  time  his  profes- 
sional duties  claim  too  much  of  his  time  to 
allow  him  to  remain  an  active  factor  in  po-, 
litical  circles.  In  1896  he  was  chairman  of 
the  county  central  committee,  and  he  has 
served  as  ccjuntv  coroner  and  countv  phvsi- 
35 


cian.  He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  pension  examiners  since  1887,  and 
has  been  surgeon  for  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  since  1894.  In  1900  he 
was  elected  mayor  of  the  city,  was  re- 
elected in  1901  and  1902,  and  in  his  rul- 
ings has  established  an  economical  yet  pro- 
gressive policy.  Socially  he  is  identified 
with  Ellsworth  Lodge,  'No.  146,  F.  &  A. 
JM.,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  offices; 
Ellsworth  Council.  No.  9,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  St. 
Akleniar  Commandery  No.  t^t,,  K.  T.  ;  and 
Isis  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  in  Salina. 
In  the  line  oi  his  orofession  he  is  examiner 
for  nearly  all  the  old-line  insurance  com- 
panies, is  a  member  of  the  Missouri  Valley 
Medical  Society,  the  Kansas  State  Medical 
Society  and  the  American  Medical  Associ- 
ation. The  success  which  attends  his  efforts 
is  but  in  natural  sequence,  for  his  position 
soon  became  assured  as  an  able  physician, 
a  man  of  sterling  integritv  and  one  devoted 
to  his  profession  and  to  the  interest  and 
welfare  of  those  to  whom  he  ministered.  He 
possesses  marked  judgment  and  discern- 
ment in  the  diagnosing  of  disease  and  is 
peculiarly  successful  in  anticipating  the  is- 
sue of  complications,  seldom  making  a  mis- 
take and  never  exaggerating  or  minifying 
the  disease  in  rendering  his  decisions  in 
regard  thereto.  He  is  a  physician  of  great 
fraternal  delicacy,  and  no  man  ever  ob- 
served more  closely  the  ethics  of  the  un- 
written professional  code  or  showed  more 
careful  courtesy  to  his  fellow  practitioners, 
than  does  Dr.  Hissem. 


REV.  SOLON  P.  PRESBY. 

The  founder  of  the  Presby  family  in 
America  was  Deacon  Williami  Presby,  wha 
came  to  this  country  soon  after  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  and  located  near  what  is  now 
I'lrailfonl.  Xcw  1  lamiisliii-e,  at  a  period  when- 
that  llourisliiiiL;-  cit_\-  was  but  a  forest.  His 
son,  George  I'rcsljv,  was  the  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  Solon  P.  Presby,  and  he  was 
twice  married,  both  times  to  sisters  by  the 
nan-ie  of  Upton,  rearing  seventeen  children. 


554 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Gilmore  Presby,  who  was  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Bradford,  New 
Hampshire,  on  October  8,  1805,  and  died 
in  Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  about  I865. 
His  marriage  was  to  Priscilla  Sawyer,  who 
was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  but  was  reared 
by  an  aunt  in  IMassachusetts.  She  was  a 
daugliter  of  Captain  Wihiam  Sawyer,  an 
old-time  drover,  and  belonged  to  a  family 
noted  for  its  longevity,  one  of  her  brothers, 
Ebenezer,  a  drover  by  trade,  having  lived 
in  Nashua  to  the  unusual  age  of  one  hun- 
dred years  and  seven  months. 

Rev.   Solon   P.   Presby,  of  this  record, 
was  born  in  Bradford,  New  Hampshire,  on 
October  8,  1832,  but  removed  to  Nashua  in 
the  same  state,,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.   [ 
His  education  was  carefully  attended  to,  and  ; 
he  enjoyed  one  year  of  study  in  the  Nashua  j 
Literary  Institute,  being  thus  well  prepared 
for  his  later  life  of  usefulness  in  the  minis- 
try.    For  ten  years  Mr.  Presby  worked  in 
the  turning  shop  of  one  of  the  large  mills 
in  Nashua. 

The  marriage  of  Air.  Presby  was  a  very 
important  event  in  his  career,  uniting  him, 
as  it  did,  to  a  woman  of  rare  skill,  intelli- 
gence and  of  amiable  character,  who  still 
survives  as  his  cheerful  and  beloved  com- 
panion. In  June,  1859,  J'^^r.  Presby  was 
married  to  Miss  Lucina  Austin,  who  was 
born  at  Highgate,  Vermont,  on  March  20, 
1 833, and  she  is  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Sally 
(Griffin)  Austin,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Milton,  Vermont.  They  were  farmers  in 
easy  circumstances  and  reared  a  familv  of 
six  daughters  and  three  sons,  all  of  these  in 
turn  having  families.  The  mother  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty-one  years. 

Mrs.  Presby  had  the  usual  schooling 
given  young  women  at  that  time  and  until' 
her  mother's  death  passed  her  time  in  ac- 
quiring a  knowledge  of  housewifery.  Three 
years  after  the  mother's  death  the  father 
married  again  and  then  Lucina  went  to 
Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  entering  the  cot- 
ton mill.  She  soon  displayed  skill  in  weav- 
ing and  remained  there  for  seven  years. 
After  her  marriage  she  was  urgently  asked 
to  return  and  complete  the  weaving  of  three 
pieces  of  cloth  which  were  to  be  used  in  a 


competition  contest.  This  she  did,  finishing 
the  beautiful  work  in  two  and  one-half  days, 
and  for  this  she  received  twenty-five  dollars, 
and  the  mill,  one  thousand  dollars  in  premi- 
ums. 

In  the  fall  of  1870  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Presby 
came  to  Chase  county,  Kansas,  spending  one 
year  at  Cottonwood  Falls,  one  year  in  Mar- 
ion county,  one  year  in  Hutchinson,  and 
twenty-eight  years  ago  they  came  to  their 
present  homestead,  consisting  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  they,  with  their  son, 
now  owning  three  quarter  sections. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pres- 
by were:  Wilbur,  who  was  born  in  Nashua 
forty-one  years  ago,  and  now  lives  in  Law- 
rence, Kansas,  being  private  secretary  of  J. 
B.  Watson,  of  that  city,  has  been  thrice  mar- 
ried and  has  one  son  and  one  daughter ;  Myr- 
tle, a  young  lady  who  was  educated  in  Tu- 
ron ;  and  two  others  who  have  passed  away. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Presby  were  the  very  first 
settlers  in  this  township  and  began  life  in 
the  box  house,  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet  in 
dimensions,  which  now  forms  a  part  of  their 
modest  home.  It  is  situated  back  from  the 
highway  and  is  beautifully  shaded  by  the 
sturdy  trees  which  have  survived  the  drouth 
of  six  excessively  dry  summers.  They  to- 
gether have  passed  through  many  vicissi- 
tudes, including  the  devastation  wroughi:  by 
the  grasshoppers  and  repeated  crop  failures. 
Through  these  troubles  the  unfailing  cour- 
age and  cheerfulness  of  Mrs.  Presby  has 
been  remarkable  and  she  is  almost  venerated 
in  her  community  for  her  wid'e  charity  and 
neighborly  kindness.  Necessity  brings  to 
the  front  many  qualities  individuals  scarcely 
know  they  possess,  and  when  arose  the  cry 
among  her  pioneer  neighbors  for  help  in 
time  of  sickness  Mrs.  Presby  was  ever  ready 
to  respond.  No  physician  was  near  and  it 
was  the  tender  care  of  this  good  woman  that 
smoothed  the  dying  pillow  and  received  the 
new-born  babes  among  her  neighbors  for 
many  years,  and  they  can  never  forget.  En- 
shrined in  many  a  grateful  heart  is  Lucina 
Presby  and  her  name  is  honored  through 
this  locality. 

Mr.  Presby  has  succesfullv  engaged  in 
stock-raising,  and  now  owns  nine  head  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


555 


cattle  of  Jersey  and  Hereford  grade,  and 
keeps  four  horses  and  a  saddle  pony.  For 
twenty-tive  years  he  has  been  a  licensed  min- 
ister in  the  Methodist  church,  both  he  and 
wife  having  held  to  the  faith  since  youth. 
His  first  pastorate  in  this  state  was  in  Mar- 
ion county,  his  second  in  Hutchinson,  where 
he  was  the  first  Methodist  minister,  at  tlite 
same  time  having  three  other  charges.  After 
removing  to  his  present  home  he  was  given 
the  appointment  to  Castleton  and  was  also 
instructed  to  take  charge  of  three  other 
points,  his  last  work  being  at  Halstead.  Both 
he  and  wife  have  labored  faithfully  for 
others  without  recompense. 


EDWARD  C.  WELL^IAN. 

Edward  C.  Wellman,  the  youngest  son 
of  J.  W.  Wellman,  is  a  stock  farmer,  associ- 
ated with  his  father  in  business.  He  was 
born  in  Geneseo,  New  York,  October  i, 
1875,  and  was  there  reared  until  five  years 
of  age,  when  the  family  came  to  Kansas, 
locating  in  Rice  county.  After  a  year  a  re- 
moval was  made  to  the  home  farm  on  sec- 
tion 28.  Valley  township.  The  son  was  ed- 
ucated in  W'ashburn  College,  of  Topeka,  and 
in  the  Cooper  Memorial  College,  but  laid 
aside  his  studies  in  order  to  enter  his  busi- 
ness career.  When  nineteen  years  of  age 
he  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  and  in 
1892,  when  many  people  became  bankrupt 
in  this  locality,  he  purchased  the  title  to  and 
the  claims  against  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  adjoining  the  old  homestead, 
securing  the  same  for  one  thousand  dollars. 
He  thus  became  owner  of  a  property  which 
he  has  developed  into  a  very  fine  farm.  His 
first  shipment  of  Poland  China  hogs  was 
seventy  head  and  on  these  he  netted  seven 
dollars  and  seventy-five  cents  per  hundred 
weight.  The  following  year  he  had  seven 
hundred  acres  of  land  planted  to  corn,  broorn 
corn  and  wheat,  and  his  forty-four  tons  oi 
broom  corn  brought  him  thirty-seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars,  he  realizing  from  his 
various  crops  more  than  five  thousand  dol- 
lars.   As  time  has  passed  he  has  made  judi- 


cious investments  in  real  estate  and  now 
owns  thirty-two  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  in  Valley  township,  upon  which  ex- 
cellent improvements  are  found.  He  car- 
ried on  farming  operations  until  1900  and  is 
still  in  the  cattle  trade.  He  has  fed  as  high 
as  five  hundred  head  of  cattle  a  year  and 
now  handles  from  two  to  three  hundred  head 
annually.  He  has  been  breeding  Hereford 
cattle  and  now  owns  some  very  fine  stock. 
He  owns  some  of  the  finest  animals,  with 
excellent  pedigrees,  to  be  found  in  this  por- 
tion of  the  state.  He  is  still  engaged  in 
farming,  but  rents  most  of  his  land  and  de- 
votes much  of  his  time  buying  and  selling 
land  and  cattle.  He  has  a  poetic,  artistic 
nature  and  his  library  embraces  the  writings 
of  most  of  the  poets,  especiallv  those  of 
America.  He  has  a  keen  appreciation  for 
both  the  useful  and  the  beautiful.  His 
splendid  business  ability  is  supplemented  by 
a  temperament  that  enables  him  to  fully  en- 
joy the  writings  of  the  great  men,  and  such 
a  taste  cannot  but  influence  his  career.  He 
is  regarded  as  a  young  man  of  superior 
worth  and  is  very  popular  with  all  who  know 
him.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Prohibi- 
tionist. His  genial  manner  and  unfailing 
courtesy  have  gained  for  him  a  very  large 
circle  of  friends  and  he  enjoys  the  hospital- 
ity of  the  best  homes  of  the  countv. 


G.  H.  MOWERY. 


G.  H.  Mowery  possesses  the  true  west- 
ern spirit  of  progress  and  enterprise.  He 
belongs  to  that  group  of  distinctively  repre- 
sentative business  men  who^  have  been  the 
pioneers  in  inaugurating  and  building  up  the 
chief  industries  of  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try. He  is  now  one  of  the  leading  carpen- 
ters and  contractors  oi  Lyons,  and  the  large 
patronage  which  has  been  accorded  him  is 
the  just  recompense  of  indomitable  indus- 
try, spotless  integrity  and  marvelous  enter- 
prise. 

Mr.-  Mowery  was  born  in  Huntington 
county,  New  Jersey,  near  New  Brunswick, 
in   1848.     His  father,   Peter  Mowery,  was 


556 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  of  German  de- 
scent. When  eight  years  of  age  he  was  ta- 
ken by  his  parents  to  New  Jersey,  and  was 
there  reared  to  manhood  and  learned  the 
mason  and  stone  cutter's  trades.  He  became 
familiar  with  the  business  in  all  its  details 
and  was  an  expert  workman.  He  died  at 
Bethlehem.  Pennsylvania,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years,  and  his  wife  departed  this 
life  at  the  age  of  sixty-three.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,, — John,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years:  G.  H.,  our 
subject ;  Frank,  of  Bethlehem,  Pennsylva- 
nia; and  Calsine,  of  Philipsburg,  New  Jer- 
sey. The  father  of  this  family  was  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Democratic  party  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church. 

G.  H.  Mow-ery,  the  immediate  subject  of 
this  review,  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  New  Jersey  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  Philadelphia  he  served  an  api>ren- 
ticeship  of  three  years  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  under  J.  A.  Cline,  a  prominent  build- 
er of  that  city.  He  assisted  in  the  erection 
of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  in  Philadel- 
phia, one  of  the  first  buildings  in  the  city, 
also  the  Lehigh  University,  at  Bethlehem. 
Pennsylvania.  After  spending  three  years 
and  seven  months  with  that  able  builder  he 
attended  a  school  of  architecture  until  he 
mastered  the  trade  in  all  its  departments. 
In  the  year  1870  he  decided  to  take  up  his 
abode  in  the  west,  with  its  broader  possibil- 
ities, and  accordingly  located  in  Indiana, 
subsequently  removing  to  Chicago  and  after- 
ward to  Kansas  City.  In  1872  he  became  an 
honored  resident  of  Rice  county,  Kansas; 
where  he  secured  a  homestead  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixt}-  acres.  He  now  owns  a  val- 
uable farm  one  and  a  quarter  miles  from  the 
court  house  at  Lyons.  Here  he  has  all  the 
modern  equipments  and  accessories  of  a 
model  farm,  including  a  fine  orchard  and  all 
necessary  buildings.  As  a  contractor  and 
builder  Mr.  Mow^ery  Kas  taken  an  active  part 
in  the  improvement  and  upbuilding  of  At- 
lanta, Lyons  and  Ellsworth  and  many  other 
towns.  He  has  erected  many  of  the  prom- 
inent biiildings  in  Lyons,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  the  opera  house,  and  he  also 
had  charge  of  the  building  of  the  salt  works. 


^Ir.  jNIowery  has  been  an  important  factor  in 
the  promotion  of  manv  business  interests, 
and,  while  laboring"  for  individual  success, 
has  also  advanced  the  general  prosperity. 

In  December,  1879,  was  celebrated  the 
marriage  of  our  subject  and  Miss  Cynthia 
Poole,  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  culture, 
who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Gen- 
try county,  Missouri.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
William  Poole,  an  honored  and  respected 
early  settler  of  Rice  county.  The  home  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mow^ery  was  blessed  with 
three  children,  but  only  two  are  now  living: 
Frank,  who'  is  now  twenty  years  ol  age,  and 
W^ade,  a  young  man  of  seventeen  years.  The 
second  child,  Winnie,  was  called  to  the  home 
beyond  when  only  three  months  old.  ]\Ir. 
Mowery  casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of  Demo- 
cratic principles.  In  his  social  relations  he 
is  a  member  of  Keystone  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
of  Bethlehan,  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Mowrey 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Mr.  Mowery  has  ever  taken  an 
active  interest  in  every  movement  or  meas- 
ure calculated  to  prove  of  public  benefit, 
and  has  withheld  his  support  from  no  enter- 
prise that  tends   toward  the  general  good. 


J.  :m.  wellman. 

It  falls  to  the  lot  of  almost  every  indi 
vidual  to  superintend,  execute  or  control 
some  business  interests,  and  the  man  who  is 
industrious  and  energetic  wins  success  if  he 
wisely  chooses  the  work  to  which  he  devotes 
his  energies.  The  majority  of  failures  comes 
through  the  individual  entering-  upon  a  life 
work  for  which  he  is  unsuited,  but  nature 
undoubtedly  intended  Mr.  Wellman  for 
agricultural  labors,  as  in  this  line  of  work 
he  has  met  with  creditable  and  enviable 
prosperity.  He  resides  on  section  j8.  Val- 
ley township.  Rice  county,  where  he  has  a 
good  stock  farm. 

Mr.  Wellman  was  born  in  Wyoming 
county,  New  York.  ^Nlay  24.  1834.  His 
grandfather,  Isaac  ^^'ellman,  a  native  of  the 
Green  Mountain  state,  became  a  pioneer  set- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


557 


tier  of  \\'yoming  county,  New  York.  In 
the  former  place  he  had  engaged  in  business 
as  a  drover,  but  lost  iTeavily  and  then  re- 
moved to  the  Empire  state,  where  he  became 
a  prosperous  farmer.  His  death  there  oc- 
curred about  1848,  when  he  was  sixty-four 
years  of  age.  He  married  Sally  Bixby,  and 
they  reared  eight  children.  The  mother 
lived  to  be  ninety-three  years  of  age,  and 
the  parents  and  children  when  called  to  the 
home  beyond  were  laid  tO'  rest  in  a  cemetery 
in  Lagrange,  New  York.  The  father  of  our 
subject.  Chauncey  Wellman,  was  a  native  of 
Brookline,  Vermont,  born  in  July,  1810,  and 
his  death  occurred  in  (Tox-ington,  Wyoming 
count}-,  Xew  York,  in  [May,  189S.  His  first 
wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Electa 
Wing,  died  in  New  York  in  1841,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-six  years,  leaving  three  children, 
namely:  J.  M..  of  this  review;  Lucy,  the 
wife  of  Rev.  Oscar  Hewett,  a  Unitarian 
minister  of  Chicago;  and  Nelson  M.,  who  re- 
sides in  Covington,  New  York. 

J.  AL  Wellman  acquired  a  fair  academic 
education  and  was  at  home  upon  his  father's 
farm  until  he  had  attained  his  majority, 
Avhen  he  was  married  and  started  out  in  life 
for  himself.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  on 
the  9th  of  April,  1856,  he  was  jnined  in  wed- 
lock to  Jane  A.  McMillan,  a  lady  uf  Scutch 
parentage.  Their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  the  following  children:  Irving,  who 
is  in  the.  employ  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company  at  Topeka,  Kansas,  and  lias  a  wife 
and  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter; 
Eva,  the  wife  of  D.  Given,  a  farmer  of  Wy- 
oming county.  New  York,  by  whom  she  has 
two  daughters;  Elton  E.,  who  was  born  in 
187 1  and  is  now  living  with  his  wife  in  the 
state  of  W}T)ming;  and  E.  C,  who  was 
born  in  1S73.  Eva  was  a  student  in  the  nor- 
mal school  and  was  a  teacher,  and  E.  C.  pur- 
sued his  education  in  the  Cooper  Memorial 
College.  After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wellman  took  up  their  abode  in  New  York, 
btit  in  1879  he  sold  his  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  acres  there  and  came  to  Rice  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  purchasing  a  cjuarter  section  of 
land  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 
After  two  years,  however,  he  disposed  of 
that  property  at  a  good  profit  and  home- 


steaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  upon 
which  he  made  improvements  and  secured  a 
title.  He  also-  became  the  owner  of  a  timber 
claim  and  has  a  half  section  of  good  fertile 
land,  well  fenced  and  improved  with  splen- 
did buildings  and  modern  accessories.  For 
sixteen  years  he  lived  in  his  pioneer  shanty, 
until  he  had  discharged  all  the  indebtedness 
and  then  invested  capital  in  the  erection  of 
a  good  residence  and  barn.  He  has  all  the 
latest  improved  machinery  and  all  facilities 
for  carrying  on  his  work,  and  as  the  years 
have  passed  he  has  been  enabled  to  enjoy 
the  •  comforts  and  luxuries  which  success 
brings.  Corn  has  been  his  principal  crop, 
his  animal  harvests  being  from  two  to  four 
thousand  bushels.  During  the  past  sixteen 
years  he  has  also  been  in  the  cattle  business, 
raising  and  feeding  stock  and  breeding  and 
raising  fine  matched  teams  of  horses.  He 
now  has  about  twenty  head  of  horses  and 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty  head  of  cattle  upon  his  place.  In 
his  political  views  he  is  a  Republican  and 
has  served  in  townshp  offices  in  a  most  cred- 
itable manner,  enjoying  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  him  liy  his  fellow  townsmen.  How- 
ever, he  prefers  to  give  his  attention  to  his 
jjusiness  at^airs .  and  thus  he  has  made  a  wise 
choice,  for  his  energetic  efforts  have  been 
crowned  \\\t\\  a  rich  competence. 


EUGENE  M.   CAFFRY. 

One  of  the  representati\-e  business  men 
of  Hutchinson  is  Eugene  M.  Caffry,  who 
while  acquiring-  for  hin-iself  a  coi-|-ifortable 
competence  has  contriljuted  in  sulistantial 
measure  to  the  improvement  and  upbuilding 
of  the  city  and  surrounding  district.  He  is 
now  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  and 
is  also  pension  claim  agent  and  notary 
public. 

Mr.  Cafifry  is  a  native  of  Arkansas,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Danville,  that  state, 
February  19.  1849.  His  father,  Philip  S. 
Caftry,  was  a  native  of  Newark,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  represented  one  of  the  old  families 
of  that  state.     Although  most  of  the  mem- 


558 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


bers  of  the  family  were  merchants  or  mami- 
facturers,  he  entered  professional  life  and 
throughout  his  business  career  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  medicine.  In  an  earlj-  day  he 
removed  to  Alississippi  and  later  went  to 
Arkansas,  when  that  state  was  being  opened 
up  for  settlement.  There  he  successfully 
followed  his  chosen  calling  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  October  24,  1862.  He  wed- 
ded Mary  Hall,  a  native  of  Liberty,  Missis- 
sippi, and  they  became  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  but  only  two  are  living,  the  elder 
being  \'elasco  P.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  in- 
surance business  with  headquarters  '  in 
Hutchinson. 

In  the  public  schools  of  Arkansas  Eu- 
gene M.  Cafifry  acquired  his  early  education 
and  later  continued  his  studies  in  St.  John's 
Military  College,  in  Little  Rock.  His  early 
business  experience  well  fitted  him  for  real- 
estate  dealing  in  later  life,  for  he  had  con- 
siderable farm  property  tp  manage.  He  also 
accepted  the  appointment  as  United  States 
storekeeper  and  ganger,  his  territory  com- 
prising the  entire  state,  and  in  addition  to 
this  he  engaged  in  the  pension  business,  that 
interest  claiming  his  attention  at  the  time  he 
came  to  Kansas  in  1886.  Here  he  embarked 
in  the  real-estate,  loan  and  insurance  busi- 
ness, and  in  1897  he  again  took  up  the  pen- 
sion claim  business,  and  with  the  assistance 
of  Congressman  Long  has  secured  many 
claims  for  soldiers  residing  in  this  locality. 
During  his  early  residence  in  Reno  county 
he  engaged  extensively  in  building  in  Hutch- 
inson and  in  making  loans  to  parties  who 
platted  additions.  LTpon  these  he  then  erec- 
ted buildings,  putting  up  many  of  the  sub- 
stantial business  blocks  and  residences  of  the 
city.  He  is  now  largely  handling  outside 
property  owned  by  others.  His  business  has 
proved  profitable  and  his  enterprise,  sound 
judgment  and  judicious  management  have 
contributed  in  large  measure  to  his  success. 
He  is  now  largely  interested  in  Cripple 
Creek  and  Idaho  Springs  mining-  stock  and 
finds  this  a  profitable  investment. 

In  Arkansas,  on  the  19th  of  February, 
1872.  Mr.  Caffry  was  married  to  Miss  ^lag- 
gie  ^I.  Black,  a  daughter  of  Alexander 
Black,  formerly  of  Georgia.     They  have  six 


daughters :  Cornelia,  Alay,  Fay,  Vera.  Ber- 
tha and  Corinne.  His  social  relations  are 
with  the  American  Benevolent  Association 
and  the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Justice.  In 
his  political  afiiliations  he  has  always  been 
a  stanch  Republican,  active  in  the  work  of 
the  party  and  frequently  serving  as  a  dele- 
gate to  its  county,  congressional  and  state 
conventions.  He  keeps  well  informed  on 
the  issues  of  the  day,  but  has  never  been  an 
aspirant  for  ofifice,  his  business  interests 
claiming  his  attention.  He  heartily  co-oper- 
ates in  all  movements  for  the  general  good 
and  is  deeply  interested  in  the  progress  of 
the  community  along  all  lines  of  substantial 
improvement. 


SOLOMON  P.  HIMES. 

Solomon  P.  Himes  is  the  proprietor  of  a 
hardware  store  in  Ellsworth,  where  he  deals 
in  stoves,  tinware,  shelf  and  heavy  hard\vare, 
harness  and  agricultural  implements.  He 
is  the  oldest  resident  merchant  of  \\'iIson 
and'  has  contributed  in  large  measure  to  the 
growth  and  upbuilding  of  the  town.  In  all 
his  business  transactions  he  is  alert,  enter- 
prising and  progressive,  and  his  sound  judg-  , 
ment  and  keen  discrimination  ha\-e  been  im- 
portant elements  in  bringing  to  him  a  richly 
merited  success. 

Mr.  Himes  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  York  county, 
on  the  13th  of  August,  1851.  The  family  is 
of  German  lineage.  His  father.  George 
Himes,  was  also  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
there  also  learned  the  miller's  trade,  which 
he  followed  for  forty  years  on  the  Yellow 
Breeches  creek.  In  1872  he  started  west- 
w^ard,  and  on  the  8th  of  April  of  that  year 
arrived  in  Wilson,  accompanied  by  some  of 
his  family.  Here  he  3pent  his  remaining 
days.  He  came  to  Kansas  as  a  member  of 
a  colony  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  peo- 
ple, who  located  at  Dorrance,  the  object  of 
the  emigration  being  to  secure  land  for  their 
children.  Mr.  Himes  made  extensive  claims 
and  improved  farms,  carrying  on  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  a  short  time  prior  to  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


559 


death.  He  thus  largely  aided  in  reclaiming 
the  county  for  purposes  of  civilization.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  held 
a  number  of  township  offices,  but  never  took 
an  active  part  in  political  affairs.  He  voted, 
however,  with  the  Republican  party,  and  in 
his  religious  belief  was  comiected  with  the 
Dunkard  or  German  Baptist  church.  He 
passed  away  when  about  eighty  years  of  age, 
and  in  his  death  the  community  mourned  the 
loss  of  one  of  its  valued  and  representative 
citizens.  He  was  united  in  marriage,  in 
Pennsylvania,  to  Miss  Catherine  Linebaugh. 
a  native  of  York  county,  and  unto  them  were 
born  nine  children:  Henry,  wlni  was  killed 
by  a  boiler  explosion  when  twenty-fue  _\ears 
of  age:  ]\Iary,  the  wife  of  George  Smyser, 
of  Russell,  Kansas;  Lizzie,  deceased  wife  of 
Henry  Cochran,  of  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania :  William,  an  agriculturist 
living  at  Dorrance,  Russell  county : 
Catharine,  now  Mrs.  Weakley,  of  Cum- 
berland county,  Pennsylvania;  George,  a 
merchant  of  Edmond,  Indian  Territory; 
Jacob,  who  is  living  in  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania;  Jennie,  wife  of  Edward 
INloore,  of  Russell,  Kansas;  and  Solomon  P. 
In  his  early  life  Solomon  P.  Himes  at- 
tended the  pul)lic  schools  and  afterward 
learned  the  miller's  trade,  which  he  followed 
until  the  family  eame  to  the  west.  The  idea 
of  becoming  a  farmer  was  not  pleasant  to 
him,  so  when  he  arrived  in  Kansas  he  did  not 
take  up  his  abode  upon  a  fami  as  did  the 
other  members  of  the  family,  but  located  at 
Wilson,  which  was  then  a  small  hamlet.  A 
small  store  had  been  established  here,  and 
this  he  purchased,  beginning  mercantile  life 
in  a  primitive  way.  As  the  years  have  passed, 
however,  success  has  attended  his  efforts  and 
at  the  present  time  he  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  snd  successful  representatives  of 
commercial  interests  here.  He  was  associ- 
ated with  Jerome  Beebe,  of  Ellsworth,  in 
the  conduct  of  his  store,  but  after  a  time 
j\Ir.  -Beebe  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Jellison, 
and  the  firm  of  Himes  &  Jellison  carried  on 
business  until  1874,  when  the  damage  done 
by  grasshoppers  produced  such  a  financial 
depression  that  Mr.  Himes  felt  he  could  not 
earn  a  living  here.     He  therefore  sold  his 


interest  to  his  partner  and  returned  to  the 
east,  but  in  the  fall  of  1875  he  again.came  to 
Wilson  and  established  a  hardware  store  on 
his  own  account,  continuing  alone  for  two 
years.  He  then  sold  the  store  and  anbarked 
in  the  lumber  business,  which  proved  to  him 
a  very  fortunate  venture,  his  patronage 
steadily  increasing  until  his  trade  extended 
forty  miles  to  the  north.  He  conducted  his 
operations  in  lumber  for  eight  years,  and  his 
large  business  brought  to  him  a  very  grati- 
fying financial  return.  In  the  meantime  he 
resumed  dealing  in  hardware,  establishing  a 
store,  which  he  has  conducted  continuously 
since,  being  for  a  time  situated  on  the  corner 
now  occupied  by  Mr.  Swartz.  Subsequently 
he  purchased  the  corner  north  of  the  bank, 
where  he  remained  until  February,  1900, 
when  he  purchased  the  double  building  in 
which  he  is  now  carrying  on  operations.  He 
has  the  place  well  stocked  with  a  large  and 
complete  line  of  hardware,  stoves,  tinware, 
harness  and  agricultural  implements,  and  his 
business  methods  are  such  that  those  who 
are  once  his  customers  become  his  regular 
patrons.  When  he  l)egan  general  merchan- 
dising in  Wilson,  in  1872.  in  connection 
with  Mr.  Beebe,  his  stock  was  valued  at  only 
about  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  to-day  he 
carries  a  hardware  stock  worth  twelve  thou- 
sand dollars,  occupying  a  building  forty- 
eight  by  seventy-five  feet,  utilizing  two 
stories  and  a  basement.  His  business  has 
grown  as  the  result  ni  hi?  enterprise,  untir- 
ing diligence  and  capaljle  management,  qual- 
ities which  may  be  cultivated  by  all  and 
which  rfiever  fail  to  win  prosperity. 

When  Mr.  Himes  came  to  ^^'ilson  there 
was  nothing  but  a  depot  and  store  and  one 
or  two  residences  in  the  town.  Not  a  build- 
ing stood  between  Wilson  and  Dorrance, 
and  the  country  was  all  wild,  having  as  yet 
not  been  reclaimed  for  farming  purposes. 
He  has  therefore  witnessed  the  entire  growth 
of  the  town  and  has  aided  to  a  larger  degree 
in  the  erection  of  buildings  than  any  other 
one  man.  He  has  built  both  residences  and 
building  blocks,  the  latter  being  mostly  sub- 
stantial stone  structures.  He  is  also  a  direc- 
tor in  the  Wilson  State  Bank  and  is  a  man 
of  enterprise,   resolute  purpose  and  strong 


56o 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


will,  who  wciild  be  an  active  factor  in  any 
community. 

In  the  fall  of  1878  Mr.  Himes  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Lena  Claussen,  a  daugh- 
ter of  C.  J.  Claussen,  of  Wilson,  and  they 
now  have  five  children  :  \A'illiam,  who  is  in 
the  store  with  his  father  ;  Edward  ;  George ; 
Mazie;  Blanch,  and  Solomon.  The  home 
of  the  family  is  one  of  the  finest  in  this  part 
of  the  county.  It  is  a  large  stone  residence, 
built  ioi  attractive  style  of  architecture,  and 
stands  in  the  midst  of  a  well  kept  lawn  and 
surrounded  by  a  fine  hedge  fence.  The  evi- 
dences of  a  refined  and  cultured  taste  are 
seem  in  its  furnishings,  and  more  than  all  it 
is  celebrated  for  its  generous  hospitality. 
Socially  Mr.  Himes  is  connected  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  with 
the  Select  Friends.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican and  has  served  as  township  trus- 
tee, as  a  member  of  the  city  council  and  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  acting  in  the 
latter  capacity  for  many  years.  He  is  a  man 
of  wide  experience  and  broad  mind,  who  has 
many  friends  over  this  part  of  the  state — a 
man  whose  strong  individuality  is  the 
strength  of  integrity,  fortitude  and  deep  hu- 
man sympathy. 


JA^^IES  A.  ANDREWS. 

James  A.  Andrews,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  stockman  of  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas, 
resides  in  Kanopolis  and  is  the  owner  of  a 
tine  farm  of  four  hundred  acres,  now  under 
the  management  of  his  son.  Mr.  .-\jidrews 
is  one  of  the  old  pioneers  of  this  county  and 
has  been  an  important  factor  in  its  wonder- 
ful growth  and  development. 

The  birth  of  James  A.  Andrews  occurred 
in  Oxfordshire,  England,  dii  Feliru;ir\  17, 
1828,  and  he  is  a  son  of  \\'i11iani  ami  Sarah 
(Kumber)  Andrews,  both  parents  Iicihl;"  na- 
tives of  the  same  locality.  By  trade  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject  was  a  drover  and  butch- 
er and  he  taught  the  business  to  James.  The 
latter  was  given  good  school  advantages, 
spending  some  vears  at  a  private  institution 
for  boys  located  at  Bampton,  and  during 
this  period  he  lived  with  his  grandfather. 


At  the  age  of  twenty  years  our  subject 
went  to  London  and  opened  a  butcher  shop 
on  the  Goswell  road,  remaining  there  for 
the  following  ten  years.  His  health  failed 
at  this  time,  about  i860,  and  as  he  had  a 
brother  established  in  Chenango  countv, 
New  York,  he  decided  to  pay  him  a  visit, 
and  was  pleased  to  find  that  the  life  on  a 
farm  promised  to  restore  him  to  his  former 
vigor.  After  a  short  visit  he  went  to  Mount 
Pleasant.  Iowa,  and  there  rented  a  farm. 
In  August,  1863,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Frances  A.  Kimber,  who  was  of  Eng- 
lish birth,  and  who  had  come  tO'  America  in 
1857,  and  she  is  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Abigail   (Baker)    Kimber. 

Mr.  Andrews  continued  farming  in  Iowa 
until  1871  when  he  decided  to  find  a  new 
home  in  Kansas  and  make  comfortable  pro- 
vision for  his  growing  family.  With  his 
wife  and  four  children,  he  left  the  Iowa 
farmhouse  one  bright  morning  and  started, 
with  two  teams  and  wag-ons,  on  the  long 
trip.  Reaching  Phillips  county,  Kansas,  the 
family  camped  in  a  tent  until  a  house  could 
be  built.  Mr.  Andrews  pre-empted,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  also  bought 
school  land,  making  the  area  of  bis  farm 
some  five  hundred  acres.  He  built  bis  house, 
dug  a  well  and  made  a  comfortable  home  in 
the  wilderness.  Fort  Kerwin  was  then  in 
existence,  but  all  around  the  neighborhood 
unfriendly  Indians  were  still  plentiful,  and 
upon  one  occasion,  while  Mrs.  Andrews  was 
in  her  cabin,  with  several  of  her 'little  ones 
by  her  side,  three  savages  came  to  her  door 
t>eg'g'ing-  It  required  considerable  nerve  for 
her  to  appear  unconcerned,  and  she  wisely 
edged  to  the  shelf  where  her  sharp  butcher 
knife  rested,  resolved  to  defend  herself  and 
children  if  necessary.  Just  at  this  time  a 
hunter  came  by  and  drove  the  Indians  away. 
At  that  time  herds  of  buffalo  roamed  over 
the  Kansas  plains  and  not  infrequently 
passed  by  the  cabin  door. 

For  twelve  years  this  place  was  the  fam- 
ily home.  The  first  crop  that  Mr.  Andrews 
attempted  was  wheat,  from  seed  bought  in 
Atchison,  but  the  grasshoppers  took  this; 
his  next  planting  was  two  bushels  of  shriv- 
eled seed,  which  cost  him  two  dollars  and 


JAMES  A.   ANDREWS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


561 


which  broiiglit  him  a  return  of  four  bushels. 
Tlie  result  from  the  sowing  of  the  four  bush- 
els was  thirty  to  forty  bushels  per  acre. 
There  were  no  railroads,  and  it  was  neces- 
essary  to  go  to  Blue  Rapids,  Kansas,  one 
hundred  and  forty  miles,  tO'  reach  a  mill  and 
there  he  paid  three  dollars  a  hundred  weight 
for  unsifted  meal  and  five  dollars  fnr  flour, 
the  trip  consuming  a  week  of  time.  Russell 
was  the  nearest  railroad  point.  Mr.  An- 
drews hauled  his  wheat  to  Kearney,  Nebras- 
ka, and  there  bought  lumber.  While  living 
in  Piiillips  county,  ]\Ir.  Andrews  donated  the 
land,  and  associated  with  a  Mr.  Freeman, 
bought  material  and  erected  the  first  school 
house  in  his  locality,  and  he  was  made  treas- 
urer of  the  school  board. 

After  selling  his  farm  at  Kerwin,  Mr. 
Andrews  remo\ed  tO'  Lincoln,  Avhere  he 
bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  on  Mulberry  creek,  which  he  im- 
proved' and  occupied  for  two  years,  but  when 
Kanopolis  was  located,  he  sold  that  farm 
also  and  came  to  the  new  town.  Here  ]\Ir. 
Andrews  bought  three  lots  and  erected  the 
first  livery  barn,  conducting  business  along 
this  line  for  six  years.  In  the  meantime  he 
had  engaged  more  or  less  in  the  stock  bus- 
iness and  had  become  the  owner  of  about 
two  hundred  head  of  cattle,  and  in  1895  he- 
bought  his  present  fine  farm,  purchasing 
first  nne  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  add- 
ing the  remainder  as  he  felt  able.  At  present 
the  farm  is  under  the  active  management  of 
his  son,  Charles,  a  capable  and  efficient 
stockman,  and  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
head  of  cattle  are  continually  kept.  Mr. 
Andrews  raises  grass  and  wheat  and  fine 
corn  on  the  bottom  lands.  Mr.  Andrews 
buys  grain  and  not  only  has  some  of  the 
most  valuable  farms  in  the  county,  but  also 
has  some  of  the  choicest  herds,  while  he 
is^known  as  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
th.e  county. 

.  The  children  born  unto  INIr.  and  ]\Irs. 
Andrews  were  as  follows :  Letha,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Elmer  Gale,  a  farmer  of  Ells- 
worth county ;  George,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  fifteen  years :  Chc.rles,  who  is  associated 
with  his  father  in  the  stock  business;  Olive, 
whii  is  the  wife  of  Daniel  Y(ird\-,  who  con- 


ducts a  hotel  in  Salina;  and  Anna,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Lincoln  Grenough,  who  is  in 
the  grain  business  in  Ellsworth. 

Mr.  Andrews  is  a  Democrat  in  pi>litical 
belief,  but  he  has  never  desired  political  pro- 
motion, accepting  onlv  a  membership  in  the 
city  council  and  on  the  schn, ,]  Ijnard.  He 
has  devoted  time  and  mcaii>  in  the  Innld- 
ing  up  of  various  enterprise  calculated  to 
be  of  value  to  this  section  and  has  been  iden- 
tified very  prominently  with  educational 
movements.  The  relip-ious  connection  of 
the  family  is  with  the  Episcopal  church  in 
Ellsworth. 


JAMES  R.  BAKER. 

James  R.  Baker,  of  the  prominent  and 
well  known  firm  of  Baker  &  Baxter,  was 
born  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  on  the  23d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1849,  a  son  of  David  H.  and  Jean 
(Vaughn)  Baker,  the  father  born  in  Fay.- 
ette  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1814,  and  the 
mother  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1813.  Their 
marriage-  was  celebrated  in  Cincinnati, 
where  the  father  had  resided  for  a  time,  and 
later  they  removed  to  Dayton,  the  birthplace 
of  our  subject.  From  that  place,  in  1866, 
they  journeyed  to  Wayne  county,  Lidiana, 
thence  to  Boone  county,  Iowa,  and  after- 
ward tO'  Gray  county.  Kansas,  where  he  se- 
cured a  homestead  of  government  land.  In 
1888  they  took  up  their  abode  in  Hutchin- 
son, and  there  the  father  passed  away  in 
death  in  1898.  The  union  of  Mr.  and  Airs. 
Baker  was  blessed  with  seven  children,  as 
follows :  George,  deceased ;  Harriet,  the 
wife  of  Robert  Adams,  of  Franklin,  Indiana ; 
Marcus,  a  resident  of  Independence,  Oregon; 
Elvina,  the  widow  of  C.  D.  Kidd,  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Dayton.  Ohio:  Charles,  a  prominent 
fruit-grower  of  Rockford,  Colorado:  Mar- 
tha, who  makes  her  home  with  her  brother, 
James  R.,  the  youngest  of  the  family. 

James  R.  Baker  remained  with  his  par- 
ents until  twenty-one  vears  of  age.  when  he 
returned  to  the  old  familv  home  in  Dayton 
and  there  entered  the  large  foundry  of  ^^'. 
P.  Callahan,  where  he  was  employed  for  the 


562 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


following  three  years.  On  the  expiration  of 
that  period  he  rejoined  his  family  in  Indi- 
ana, where  for  a  time  he  was  engaged  at  car- 
penter work  and  farming  in  Fa^'ctte  county. 
That  county  continued  to  be  his  home  until 
1880.  when  he  secured  the  position  of  su- 
perintendent in  the  foundry  of  R.  M.  Meir, 
in  Boone,  Iowa,  his  time  being  thus  occu- 
pied until  1886.  Desiring  to  become  a  land- 
ed proprietor,  he  then  came  with  his  father 
to  the  Sunflower  state,  and  in  Gray  county 
they  each  secured  a  homestead  claim,  on 
which  they  made  their  home  for  two  years, 
and  they  then  drove  through  to  the  east. 
The  9th  of  July,  1888,  witnessed  the  arrival 
of  Mr.  Baker  in  Hutchinson,  where  he  se- 
cured a  position  in  the  foundry  of  Shields  & 
McFarland  as  a  molder,  but  a  short  time 
afterward  he  became  identified  with  the  Barb 
\\'ire  Company,  of  South  Hutchinson,  re- 
maining with  the  latter  corporation  for  two 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  time  the 
present  partnership  of  Baker  &  Baxter  was 
formed.  Both  gentlemen  are  particularly 
well  fitted  for  their  line  of  work,  both  being 
practical  foundrymen  and  molders.  and  in 
addition  Mr.  Baker  is  also  a  pattern-maker, 
that  branch  of  the  business  being  under  his 
immediate  supervision.  A  more  extended 
mention  of  this  enterprising  firm,  and  espe- 
cially of  their  new  steel-bearing  rocking 
grate,  will  be  found  in  the  history  of  Mr. 
Baxter  in  this  volume. 

At  Dublin,  Indiana,  on  the  20th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1874.  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Baker  and  Miss  Emma  Gerard.  The 
lady  is  a'  native  of  Liberty,  Ohio,  and  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  Gerard. 
Seven  children  have  been  born  unto  this 
union:  Ida,  the  wife  of  J.  D.  Hanna,  who 
is  employed  in  the  mail  service  as  a  postal 
clerk :  Frank,  who  is  employed  in  his  father's 
foundr}';  Harvey,  hi  the  city  mail  service; 
Delia;  Amy;  Jean;  and  George.  In  politi- 
cal matters  Mr.  Baker  gives  an  unfaltering 
support  to  the  prnciples  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  he  has  many  times  served  as  a 
delegate  to  his  party  conventions.  The  cause 
of  education  has  ever  found  in  him  an  active 
worker,  and  all  matters  which  have  for  their 
object  the  betterment  and  advancement-  of 


his  fellow  men  are  sure  to  find  in  him  a  firm 
friend.  In  his  social  relations  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men. 


-♦ 


TILLMAX  A.  SHULER. 

Tillman  A.  Shuler,  who  resides  at  No. 
439  East  Sherman  street.  Hutchinson,  is  of 
German  descent,  his.  ancestors  coming  to 
America  from  Germany  and  settling  in  Vir- 
ginia. His  paternal  grandfather  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia  and  thence  emigrated  to 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  passed  away.  The 
father  of  our  subject,  Henry  Shuler,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  about  the  year  1825. 
and  followed  the  occupation  of  a  miller  dur- 
ing the  entire  period  of  his  residence  in  that 
state.  He  was  here  married  to  [Margaret 
Funk,  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  and  a 
daughter  of  Abraham  Funk.  In  1854  Henry 
Shuler  removed  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Han- 
cock county,  and  engaged  in  the  milling 
business  at  Findlay,  the  county  seat.  He  re- 
turned to  his  native  state  for  a  time,  but 
finally  went  back  to  Findlay,  Ohio,  where 
for  a  number  of  years  he  was  engaged  in 
various  mills  in  that  vicinity,  among  the 
most  prominent  of  which  are  the  Parley 
Carlin  and  the  Parker  mills.  He  finally  re- 
tired from  the  milling  business  and  in  1884 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  which  with  the  assistance  of  his  sons 
he  partially  cleared  and  materially  improved. 
Henry  Shuler  was  a  leading  spirit  in  all 
movements  which  tended  toward  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  community  in  which  he  re- 
sided along  educational  and  religious  lines. 
He  was  foremost  among  the  promoters  for 
the  organizing  and  building  of  Findlay  Col- 
lege, founded  by  what  was  known  as  the 
Church  of  God,  of  which  church  he  was  a 
leading  meml>er  and  elder  for  many  years. 
He  was  also  prominent  in  organizing  the 
church  in  Findlay,  Ohio.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  held  the  ofifice  of  postmaster  at  Cal- 
vin, and  in  every  locality  in  which  he  has 
resided  he  has  been  regarded  as  one  of  the 
leading  citizens,  the  impress  of  his  individu- 
alitv  being  felt  in  every  concern  or  move- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


563 


ment  witli  which  he  was  connected.  He 
gave  his  poHtical  support  to  the  Republican 
party.  Upon  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  in 
i860,  Mr.  Shuler  chose  for  a  second,  in  the 
year  1862,  EHzabeth  Cunningham,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania.  Six  children  were  born  by 
the  first  marriage,  of  which  Tillman  A. 
Shuler,  our  subject,  was  the  fourth  in  order 
of  birth.  They  are  as  follows:  Josiah  A., 
a  resident  of  Deweyville,  Ohio,  engaged  in 
fruit  farming;  Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  Pulaski 
Harmon,  a  farmer  of  Williams  count}-, 
Ohio,  located  near  Leipsic:  Webster,  a  resi- 
dent of  Findlay,  Ohio ;  Tillman  A. ;  Emma- 
line,  who  married  Jasper  Walters,  a  mechan- 
ic residing  at  Fostoria,  Ohio;  and  William, 
a  popular  and  prominent  lawyer  of 
Bowling  Green,  Ohio,  formerly  located 
at  Findlay,  who  is  noted  for  the  prom- 
inent part  he  has  taken  in  aiding  in 
all  public  works  for  the  good  of  the 
communities  in  which  he  has  resided.  The 
second  union  was  blessed  with  seven  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Isaac  T.,  Iivi,ng  on  the 
homestead  in  Ohio ;  Alice,  the  wife  of  Ben- 
jamin Dice,  a  farmer  of  Hancock  county, 
Ohio ;  Charles,  a  grain  and  oil  merchant  of 
]\Iacomb,  in  the  same  county;  John,  en- 
gaged in  the  grain  business  at  Haviland, 
Ohio;  Daniel,  residing  at  Macomb,  Ohio, 
engaged  in  business  with  his  brother 
Charles;  Maude,  residing  with  her  mother; 
and  Claude,  a  twin  of  Maude,  who  died  in 
infancy.  The  father's  death  occurred  Sep- 
tember II,  1900,  on  the  homestead  farm  in 
Ohio.  His  second  wife  still  survives  him 
and  makes  her  home  on  the  farm. 

Tillman  A.  Shuler  was  born  in  Hancock 
county,  Ohio,  June  18,  1855,  and  received 
his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Findlay,  and  when  but  twelve  years  of 
age  assisted'  his  father  in  the  mill  located  at 
Pulaski.  Williams  county,  Ohio.  He  re- 
mained with  his  father,  becoming  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  the  milling  Ijusiness.  until 
twenty-four  years  of  age.  During  this  time 
he  had  workedi  in  two  different  mills,  one  at 
Findlay.  and  the  other.  Heck's  mill,  situated 
below  Findlay. 

After  leaving  his  father  he  started  nut  in 
life  for  himself  and   found  employment  at 


Madison,  Indiana,  where  he  remained  for  six 
months.  He  then  obtained  a  position  at 
Corinth,  Illinois,  and  later  at  Ewing,  Illi- 
nois. Believing  that  the  west  held  greater 
possibilities  for  a  young  man,  he  came  to 
Hutchinson  in  1881,  and  secured'  a  position 
with  the  Water  Power  Company  asi  head 
miller,  the  firm-  being  West,  Allison  &  Com- 
pany, in  which  capacity  he  served' until  1887. 
when  the  miill  was  closed  on  account  of  the 
failure  of  the  wheat  crops  in  that  vicinity. 
Tie  then  remi>\-ed  U>  Haven  for  a  short  time, 
but  subsequently  returned  t.)  Hutchinson, 
where  he  purchased  an  interest  in  The 
Hutchinson  Mill  Company  and  took  the  po- 
sition of  head  miller,  which  j)osition  he  has 
held  ever  since.  This  mill  in  which  Mr. 
Shuler  is  interested  is  one  of  the  best  known 
in  this  part  of  the  state.  It  contains  eight 
double  stands  of  rolls  and  has  a  capacity  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  liarrels  of  flour  per 
d!ay.  Its  product  is  shipped  to  all  the  large 
cities  of  the  United  States,  including  Chi- 
cago, New  York,  New  Orleans,  and  to  dif- 
ferent points  in  Colorado  and  California.  It 
also  has  an  extensive  local  trade,  shipping  to 
many  points  along  the  line  of  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railwav  west  of 
Hutchinson.  The  following  brands  nf  fi,,ur 
are  produced  from  this  mill :  1  )iami  md  Pat- 
ent and  U.  S.,  both  patent  grades;  Gilt 
Edge;  A  No.  i;  Queen  B. ;  and  Pearl,  low 
grade.  The  mill  has  a  storage  capacity  of 
ten  thousand' bushels  of  wheat,  and  in  a  sepa- 
rate buillding  built  for  the  purpose,  a  storage 
capacity  for  twenty  car  loads  of  flour.  The 
engine,  a  Sioux  City  Curliss  of  eighty-five 
horse  power,  furnishes  power  for  the  plant. 
The  officers  of  The  Hutchinson  Mill  Com- 
pany are :  William  H.  Kinney,  president 
and  treasurer,  and  J.  Burns,  secretary. 

Tillman  A.  Shuler  was  married  on  the 
nth  of  October.  1882.  at  Corinth.  Illinois, 
to  ^lary  R.  Corder,  born  in  Williamson 
county.  Illinois.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam A.  and  Harriet  (Reynolds)  Corder,  the 
former  a  native  of  ^^'illiamson  county,  Illi- 
nois, the  latter  of  Gallatin  county.  They  are 
the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Shuler  is  the  youngest,  as  follows :  Jane, 
wife  of  J.  C.  ]\IcHaney,  a  real-estate  man  of 


564 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Harrisburg,  Illinois:  Charles,  a  mechanic 
Avho  held  the  office  of  alderman  and  who 
died  at  Galatia,  Illinois;  Elizabeth,  the  wife 
of  E.  W.  Biby,  a  resident  of  Pinckneyville. 
who  is  a  traveling  salesman:  Mittie,  who 
married  C.  \V.  IMorris.  a  prominent  farmer 
and  stock-raiser  of  Grant  township,  Reno 
county.  Kansas;  Mary  R.,  the  wife  of  our 
subject.  Mr.  Reynolds,  the  maternal  great- 
grandfather of  Mrs.  Shuler,  was  a  native  of 
England  and  a  member  of  parliament,  and 
while  serving  in  that  capacity  incurred  the 
displeasure  of  the  king  bv  some  amendment 
which  he  proposed  and  was.  sentenced  to  be 
executed,  but  contriving  to  make  his  escape 
in  feminine  apparel  he  took  passage  on  a 
ship  bound  for  America  and  settled  in  South 
Carolina.  ]\Ir5.  Shuler's  paternal  grand- 
father was  a  n;itivc  nf  Xew  England,  but 
later  moved  tij  Williamson  county,  Illinois, 
and  was  numbered  among  the  earliest  pio- 
neers of  that  county,  being  active  in  all  pub- 
lic works,  and  was  recognized  as  a  leader  in 
that  community.  He  was  of  French  lineage 
and  his  wife  of  German  ancestry.  The  ma- 
ternal grandfather,  Squire  John  Reynolds, 
was  of  Scotch  lineage,  and  served  as  a  cap- 
tain in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  William  A. 
Corder  is  still  a  resident  of  Galatia,  Illinois, 
where  he  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his 
life. 

Unto  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Shuler  ha\-e  been 
born  three  children,  namely:  Herbert,  who 
is  seventeen  years  of  age  and  who  has  re- 
cei\-ed  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Hutchinson;  Melville,  and  Phillip.  Mr. 
Shuler  purchased  his  present  home  in  1899. 
It  is  a  beautiful  modern  residence,  finished 
in  hard  wood,  and  tastefully  and  richly  fur- 
nished. It  is  surrounded  by  a  well  kept 
lawn  and  extensive  grounds.  He  formerly 
was  the  owner  of  a  handsome  cottage  at  Xo. 
306  Avenue  A  East,  which  he  built  in'  1884 
and  in  which  he  lived  until  he  bought  his 
present  home.  With  fraternal  and  social 
•circles  Mr.  Shuler  is  closely  identified,  being 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Fraternal  Aid  Society,  of  which  his  wife  is 
also  a  very  prominent  and  active  member. 
Thev  are  also  both  consistent  members  of 


the  Christian  church,  in  which  Air.  Shuler 
served  as  deacon  for  one  term.  Politically 
gives  his  support  to  the  Republican  party, 
and  never  fails  to  cast  his  ballot  for  the  men 
representing  this  party.  In  all  the  walks  of 
life  he  has  been  a  firm  adherent  of  all  that  is 
honorable  and  true,  and  has  won  the  reputa- 
tion among  his  fellow  men  as  being  a  person 
of  honesty,  integrity  and  high  worth. 


FRED  W.  COOK,  D.  V.  S. 

Dr.  Fred  W.  Cook,  who  for  a  number  of 
years  has  been  actively  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  veterinary  surgery  in  Hutchinson,  is 
one  of  the  most  talented  members  of  his  prcv 
fession  in  the  state  and  has,  perhaps,  done 
as  much  to  elevate  its  standard  of  excellence 
as  any  other  man.  He  was  born  in  Worces- 
tershire, England,  May  i,  1858,  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Martha  Cook,  also  natives  of 
that  country.  In  his  native  land  the  father 
was  a  landed  proprietor,  and  in  connection 
with  his  agricultural  pursuits  he  also  follow- 
ed the  profession  of  a  veterinary  surgeon  at 
Bredon,  England.  There  his  death  occurred 
in  1876.  Two  daughters  of  the  family  came 
to  America  with  our  subject.  They  are: 
Anna,  the  wife  of  J.  O.  Shuler,  a  farmer  of 
Reno  county;  and  Laura,  the  wife  of  J.  C. 
Baddeley,  manager  of  the  Hutchinson,  Kan- 
sas, Salt  Company.  Later  two  other  sons  of 
the  family  crossed^  the  Atlantic  to  this  coun- 
try,— Walter,  foreman  for  the  Hutchinson 
Planing  Mill,  and:  Arthur,  a  farmer  of  Reno 
county.  George  and  Frank  still  make  their 
home  in  England. 

Fred  W.  Cook,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  reared  to  years  of  maturity 
in  his  native  land,  there  receiving  a  liberal 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  neigh- 
borhood, and  his  schooling  was  completed 
by  a  five  years'  course  in  the  Blue  school  of 
his  native  town,  in  which  he  was  graduated 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  He  then  en- 
tered an  apprenticeship  to  scientific  horse- 
shoeing, and  three  years  later,  after  thor- 
oughlv  mastering  the  art.  he  turned  his  at- 
tention  to  agricultural   pursuits   and   stock- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


56s 


raising  on  a  large  farm  of  t\v(i  hundred 
acres,  where  he  remained  until  1881.  In  that 
year  he  left  the  land  of  his  birth  for  the  new- 
world,  and  after  his  arrival  in  this  countrj' 
he  made  his  way  to  Kansas,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Grant 
township,  Reno  county,  and  there  gave  his 
attention  to  the  raising  of  fine  stock,  princi- 
pally Hereford  and  short-horn  cattle  and 
Cleveland  bay  and  Hambletonian  horses,  for 
the  following  three  years.  In  the  fall  of 
1885  he  entered  the  Ontario  Veterinary  Col- 
lege, of  Toronto,  Canada,  graduating  in  that 
institution  after  a  three  years'  cnurse,  on  the 
30th  of  March,  1888.  with  the  degree  of  D. 
V.  S.  Returning  then  tO'  Hutchinson,  he 
immediately  began  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession,  in  which  he  has  met  with  excep- 
tional and  merited  success.  His  growing 
practice  soon  demonstrated  the  need,  of  a 
suitable  place  of  treatment,  and  in  1891  he 
erected  his  present  infimiary,  which  he  has 
equipped  with  all  modern  appliances  and 
con\'eniences  known  to  the  profession  for  the 
treatment  of  all  classes  of  disease  and  per- 
forming \'arious  kinds  of  iiperations.  It  is 
without  doubt  the  best  equipped  institution 
of  the  kind  in  the  state,  and  in  his  chosen  pro- 
fession Dr.  Cook  stands  second  to  none  in 
the  west.  During  the  past  eiglit  years  he 
has  also  dealt  extensively  in  high  grade 
horses,  buying  and  selling  locally  or  ship- 
ping to  outside  points,  and  in  this  branch  of 
his  business  he  is  meeting  witli  an  equal  de- 
gree of  success,  his  well  known  relialjility  in 
all  trade  transactions  having  gained  for  him 
the  confidence  of  the  entire  public. 

Dr.  Cook  was  married  in  June,  1883,  at 
Astoria,  Illinois,  to  ]\Iinnie  Oviatt,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Mary  (  Jones)  Oviatt. 
The  father  was  a  native  <'f  New  York,  and 
dtnung  the  war  of  the  relaelliim  he  ser\cd  as 
a  bra\'e  and  loyal  soldier.  One  daughter  has 
brightened  and  blessed  this  union,  Mary 
Pauline,  For  many  years  Dr.  Cook  served 
as  president  of  the  Kansas  State  Veterinary 
Association,  is  a  member  of  the  Missouri 
Valley  Veterinary  Association,  and  in  1888- 
9  was  state  veterinary  surgeon  of  western 
Kansas.  The  cause  of  education  has  also 
found  in  him  a  stanch  and  abiding  friend. 


and  for  five  years  he  served  as  president  of 
the  school  board  of  the  city  of  Hutchinson. 
He  devoted  his  best  efforts  to  secure  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  First  Baptist  church  in 
this  city,  and  during  his  entire  residence  here 
he  has  served  as  a  member  of  ts  official 
board,  while  f(  ir  ten  years  he  has  been  super- 
intendent of  the  Sun"day-school.  Through- 
out the  years  of  his  residence  in  this  section 
he  has  ever  been  true  to  the  trusts  reposed 
ini  him,  and  his  reputation  in  business  circles 
is  unassailaljle.  He  commands  the  respect 
of  all  by  his  upright  life  and  has  engraved 
his.  name  indelilily  un  the  pages  of  Reno 
county's  history. 


HENRY  M.  STEWART.  M.  D. 

Among  the  younger  physicians  of  Hutch- 
inson whose  success  is  a  criterion  of  their 
broad  knowledge  and  ability  is  numbered 
Dr.  Henry  M.  Stewart.  He  was.  born  in 
Scott  county,  Illinois,  March  29,  1872,  his 
parents  being  James  and  Harriet  (Bolls) 
Stewart,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of 
the  same  county.  The  paternal  grandfather, ' 
H.  M.  Stewart,  was  a  native  of  Kentuckv, 
and  became  a  practicing  ])hvsician  of  Illi- 
nois in  tlic  pniiccr  (la\s  , ,  f  that  slalt.  There 
he  patented  l;ui,l  fr.  m  tlie  i^n\crnment  which 
is  still  in  pn-sc.-^iL'U  ^f  the  family.  He  was 
a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  in  early 
days  and  his  professional  duties  lirought 
him  a  wide  acquaintance. 

James  Stewart  was  reared  in  the  county 
of  his  nati\-ity  and  was  engaged  in  the  study 
of  medicine  when  the  country  became  in- 
vol\-ed  in  civil  war  over  the  attempt  of 
southern  states  to  secede  from  the  Union. 
He  ofi^ered  his  services  to  the 'government,. 
Ijecoming  second  lieutenant  of  the  Twenty- 
first  Illinois  Infantry.  For  three  years  he 
served  as  regimental  quartermaster  with  the 
rank  of  captain.  His  regiment  was  under 
General  Grant's  command  but  ^ when  Sher- 
man started  south  on  the  Atlanta  campaign 
he  was  offered  a  position  on  the  staff"  of  the 
latter  general.  Brave  and  loyal,  he  made  a 
most  creditable  military  record  and  deserves 


566 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


honorable  mention  among  the  boys  in  bhie 
whose  valor  preserved  the  Union. 

After  his  return  from  the  war  James 
Stewart  was  elected  and  served  for  two 
terms  as  sheriff  of  Scott  county.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  lumber  and  sawmill  business 
for  some  time,  after  which  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  farming.  In  1879  he  took  up  his 
abode  in  eastern  Kansas  where  he  remained 
until  the  death  of  his  father.  In  1885  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  Garden  City,  Kansas, 
where  he  engaged  in  raising  and  handling 
cattle  until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in 
death,  in  1887.  His  widow  still  survives 
him  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Hutchinson. 
The  Doctor  is  the  younger  of  their  two  sons, 
the  elder  b^ing  Charles  H.,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business  in  this  city. 

On  the  old  family  homestead  in  Scott 
county,  Illinois,  the  Doctor  was  reared,  as- 
sisting in  the  labor  of  the  fields  and  attend- 
ing the  district  school  through  the  winter 
months  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
entered  the  high  school  of  Virden,  Illinois. 
After  completing  the  w'ork  in  that  grade  he 
became  a  student  in  Illinois  College,  at  Jack- 
sonville, which  has  graduated  many  prom- 
inent men,  including  Governor  Yates  of  Illi- 
nois, and  Hon.  W.  J.  Bryan  of  Nebraska. 
Dr.  Stewart  completed  a  three  years"  scien- 
tific course  in  that  institution  and  in  the 
meantime  studied  medicine  under  the  direc- 
tion of  his  uncle.  Dr.  John  H.  Stewart,  of 
Exeter,  Illinois.  In  1893  he  matriculated  in 
Rush  IMedical  College,  of  Chicago,  and  w^as 
graduated  therein  with  the  class  of  1898, 
having  been  delayed  for  one  year  by  illness. 
After  receiving  his  degree  he  established  an 
office  in  Hutchinson  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained, engaging  in  general  practice  which 
has  resulted  in  bringing  to  him  success.  He 
is  thoroughly  in  touch  with  modern  methods 
and  his  knowledge  is  comprehensive  and 
exact.  His  patronage  is  steadily  increasing 
and  in  the  alleviation  of  human  suffering  he 
has  done  much  for  his  fellow  men.  He 
filled  the  office  of  county  physician  of  Reno 
county  in  1889  and  1890. 

Dr.  Stewart,  believing  that  the  best  ideas 
of  government  are  emlxidied  in  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Republican  party,  gives  to  that 


organization  his  hearty  support,  has  attended 
its  conventions  and  been  an  active  worker  in 
its  ranks,  yet  has  never  sought  office  outside 
the  strict  path  of  his  profession.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  representative  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  His  home  life  is  very  pleasant.  He 
was  married  December  20,  1897,  Miss  Viola 
Hoffman,  a  daughter  of  R.  H.  Hoffman,  be- 
coming his  wife,  and  they  now  have  an  in- 
teresting little  son,  Virgil  H.  Both  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Stewart  enjoy  the  warm  regard  of 
many  friends  and  are  well  known  in  Hutch- 
inson. 


JAMES  A.  FREESE. 

American  citizenship  has  been  enriched 
by  the  contributions  of  Denmark,  that  land 
having  sent  to  the  new  world  men  of 
strength  of  purpose,  of  laudable  ambition 
and  unfalterijig  determination  who,  adapt- 
ing themselves  to  the  altered  conditions 
found  in  America  have  improved  the  oppor- 
tunities and  through  their  business  activity 
have  contributed  to  the  general  prosperity 
and  advancement  of  the  community  with 
which  they  are  connected.  A  representative 
of  this  class  is  James  A.  Freese,  a  native  of 
Denmark,  who  became  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Reno  county  and  through  the  inter- 
vening years  he  has  contributed  in  large 
measure  to  the  improvement  and  upbuilding 
of  the  coimty.  He  has  been  identified  with 
agricultural  and  mercantile  interests,  but  is 
now  living  a  retired  life,  enjoymg  a  well 
earned  rest. 

His  birth  occurred  in  Copenhagen,  Den- 
mark, April  20,  1843,  his  parents  being 
Arasmus  and  Christina  (Anderson)  Freese, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  same  land, 
where  the  father  engaged  in  business  as  a 
market  gardener  in  the  vicinity  of  Copen- 
hagen. There  both  he  and  his  wife  spent 
their  entire  lives,  and  were  called  to  their 
final  rest  many  years  ago.  Of  their  children 
two  sisters  and  a  brother  of  our  subject  pre- 
ceded him  to  America.  John,  who  located 
in  Reno  county  in  1873,  is  now  a  well-to-do 
farmer  of  Salt  Creek  township.     Kate  is  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


567 


wife  of  David  Eccles,  who  came  to  Reno 
county  in  1871,  is  now  holding  a  position  in 
the  g-overnment  printing  office  in  Washing- 
ton, but  his  family  maintain  their  residence 
in  Hutchinson.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Fred 
Nelson,  also  an  honored  pioneer  of  Reno 
county  of  1 87 1  and  now  engaged  in  farm- 
ing near  Hutchinson.  In  the  family  there 
were  altogether  nine  children,  but  the  others 
did  not  emigrate  to  Reno  coimty  with  the 
exception  of  our  subject.  The^  parents  were 
both  members  of  the  Lutherah  church  and 
died  in  that  faith,  the  father  when  sixty- 
eight  years  of  age,  the  mother  when  seventy 
years  of  age. 

James  A.  Freese,  the  fifth  child  in  their 
family,  spent  the  first  twenty  years  of  his 
life  under  the  parental  roof  and  then  entered 
the  Danish  army,  serving  through  the  Dan- 
ish-German war  of  1863-4,  which  resulted 
in  the  loss  of  the  provinces  of  Schleswig  and 
Holstein  to  Germany.  The  last  stand  made 
by  the  Danish  army  against  the  Germans 
was  on  the  isJand  of  Als,  where  the  Germans 
effected  a  landing  during  the  night,  and  in 
the  attack  which  followed  in  the  morning  the 
Danish  army  was  captured  and  Mr.  Freese 
received  a  slight  wound  in  the  face  during 
the  fray.  He  was  held  as  prisoner  in  Ger- 
many and  Austria  for  six  months  or  until 
peace  was  concluded.  After  being  released 
he  remained  in  the  regular  army  of  Denmark 
until  the  two-years  term  of  service  had  ex- 
I'ired  and  in  the  meantime  he  was  promoted 
from  the  ranks  to  the  position  of  corporal. 
Returning  to  his  home  he  remained  with  his 
parents  until  the  spring  of  1869,  when  in 
company  with  his  sister  Hannah,  now  the 
wife  of  John  Krater,  a  resident  of  Perkins, 
Oklahoma,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  lo- 
cating in  Minnesota,  where  he  engaged  in 
farmi  work  in  the  summer,  attending  school 
in  the  winter  season  in  order  to  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  the  English  language.  In  the 
spring  of  1870  he  removed  tO'  Kansas  City, 
where  he  secured  employment  with  a  coal 
dealer,  but  in  the  spring  of  1871  he  came  to 
Reno  county. 

Mr.  Freese  here  located  a  claim  on  sec- 
tion 18.  township  23.  range  5.  where  he 
tuilt  a  sod  house,  in  which  he  lived  for  two 


years.  When  his  primitive  home  was  com- 
pleted he  began  improving  his  land,*  break- 
ing twenty-five  acres  the  first  year.  At  the 
end  of  the  second  year  he  had  sixty  acres 
broken  and  had  raised  a  good  crop.  For 
nine  years  he  continued  on  that  place,  en- 
gaged principally  in  general  farming.  In 
1880  he  sold  his  property  and  in  company 
with  John  Shahan,  of  Hutchinson,  returned 
to  Europe,  spending  a  year  in  traveling  over 
the  continent  and  in  visiting  friends  and 
relatives  in  his  native  land.  In  1882  he  re- 
turned to  Hutchinson  and  established  a  gro- 
cery store  in  the  Masonic  building,  conduct- 
ing that  enterprise  for  a  period  of  four  years, 
when  he  disposed  of  the  business  and  for 
two  3ears  thereafter  was  a  salesman  in  the 
hardware  store  owned  by  John  Shahan. 
Since  that  time  he  has  practically  lived  re- 
tired, his  industry  and  enterprise  in  former 
years  having  brought  to  him  a  comfortable 
competence  which  now  enables  him  to  rest 
from  business  cares. 

On  the  31st  of  January,  1886,  Mr.  Freese 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lena  Eskel- 
son,  who  was  born  in  Sweden  and  is  a 
daughter  of  Swan  and  Christine  (Gemian- 
son)  Eskelson.  With  her  parents  she  came 
to  America  when  a  maiden  of  fourteen  years, 
her  father  being  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Reno 
county  of  1871.  He  is  now  a  retired  farmer 
of  Clay  township.  Mr.  Freese  built  his  pres- 
ent comfortable  residence  in  18S5.  His  old 
homestead  is  now  included  within  the  city 
limits  of  Hutchinson  and  on  it  are  the  Vin- 
cent Salt  Block  and  the  cemetery.  In  his 
political  views  he  is  a  stalwart  Republican 
and  socially  is  a  prominent  Mason,  belong- 
ing to  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  command^ 
ery  of  Hutchinson.  He  has  lived  in  Reno 
county  from  the  period  of  its  earliest  devel- 
opment, coming  to  the  county  when  much 
of  the  land  was  still  in  possession  of  the  gov- 
ernment, the  broad  unimproved  and  un- 
claimed prairies  stretching  away  for  miles 
in  every  direction.  Hutchinson  was  not  yet 
incorporated  and  the  work  of  development 
seemed  scarcely  begun.  He  aided  in  laying 
broad  and  deep  the  foundation  for  the  pres- 
ent prosperity  and  progress  of  the  county 
and  is  classed  among  the  most  valued  anil 


568 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


higlily  respected  citizens  as  well  as  the 
worthy-  and  honored  pioneers.  He  has  never 
had  occasion  to  regret  his  determination  to 
seek  a  home  in  America  and  no  native-born 
citizen  of  the  United  States  is  more  loyal  to 
her  institutions  and  best  interests  than  Air. 
Freese. 


GEORGE  L.  LEVITT. 

George  L.  Levitt  is  a  member  of  the 
well  known  firm  of  G.  L.  Levitt  &  Company, 
of  \\'ilson,  and  is  also'  a  representative  of 
the  agricultural  and  stock  raising  interests 
of  Ellsworth  county.  His  acti\-ity  has  been 
extended  to  many  lines  of  business,  and  the 
enterprises  with  which  he  has  been  associ- 
ated have  profited  by  his  industry,  his  wise 
counsel  and  his  strong  purpose. 

Mr.  Levitt  was  born  in  Lafayette  coun- 
ty, ^^'isconsin,  April  20,  1856.  His  father, 
Richard  Levitt,  was  born  in  England  and 
came  to  America  when  eighteen  years  of 
age,  locating  in  Wisconsin  where  he  car- 
ried on  farming  and  stock  raising,-  becom- 
ing one  of  the  extensive  land  owners  of  this 
portion  of  the  state.  His  study  of  political 
questions  led  him  to  identify  himself  with 
the  Republican  party,  and  he  was  honored 
with  a  number  of  local  offices.  He  also  be- 
longed to  the  Methodist  church,  in  which 
he  held  various  official  positions.  His  wife 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Jane  March  and 
by  their  marriage  thev  had  ten  children,  of 
whom  six  are  living,  namely:  Airs.  T.  H. 
Rowe,  of  Ellsworth  county ;  Mrs.  G.  D. 
Greenough,  of  W^ilson;  George  L.,  of  this 
review ;  Mrs,  J.  A.  Lamont,  oi  Apple  River, 
Illinois;  R.  T.,  W'ho  followed  farming;  and 
J.  E.,  who  is  living  in  Lafayette  county, 
Wisconsin.  In  1890  the  parents  came  to 
Kansas,  spending  their  last  days  in  Wilson, 
where  the  father  died  March  15,  1900.  His 
widow  survived  him  until  February  2,  1901, 
when  she  also  passed  away.  Both  were  in- 
terred in  the  cemetery  near  their  old  home 
in  Lafayette  county,   Wisconsin. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of 
George  L.  Levitt  we  present  to  our  readers 
the  life  record  of  one  who  is  well  and  favor- 


aljly  known  in  this  "ortion  of  Kansas,  and 
whose  prominence  is  as  great  as  his  circle  of 
acquaintances  is  extensive.  He  began  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
county  and  afterward  spent  one  year  in 
study  in  the  State  Normal,  of  Wisconsin. 
In  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  he  be- 
came familiar  with  the  labors  of  field  and 
meadow  and  was  identified  with  the  farming 
interests  of  Wisconsin  until  July,  1878, 
when  he  came  to  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas, 
entering  land  in  Columbus  township.-  There 
he  followed  farming  for  sixteen  years  and 
made  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of  stock,  at 
first  keeping  shorthorn  cattle  and  afterward 
white  faces.  The  horses  which  he.  raises 
are  of  the  shire  breed.  He  has  never  totallv 
aibandoned  his  interest  in  farming  and  stock 
raising,  although  he  does  not  now  give  those 
interests  his  personal  attention..  In  1884, 
in  connection  with  his  brothers,  he  estab- 
lished a  mercantile  business  in  AVilson  and 
the  following  vear  they  erected  their  pres- 
ent store  building,  carrying  on  the  enter- 
prise together  until  1899.  when  the  present 
business  firm  was  organized,  the  stock  large- 
ly increased  and  the  store  enlarged  in  order 
to  carry  on  a  larger  trade.  They  established 
the  first  department  store  in  Wilson  and 
have  found  that  the  venture  has  proved  a 
profitable  one,  their  trade  steadily  increas- 
ing along  all  lines.  Mr.  Levitt,  of  this  re- 
view^ is  also  one  of  the  directors  and  the  vice- 
president  of  the  Citizens  State  Bank,  of  Ells- 
worth, and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Wilscjn 
Alilling  Company. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1899,  occurred 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Levitt  and  Miss  Mary 
L.  Gray,  a  daughter  of  AI.  Gray,  a  dealer  in- 
hardware  and  lumber  in  Ellsworth.  In  1901 
Mr.  Levitt  erected  a  very  fine  residence  in 
Wilson,  containing  nine  rooms  and  finished 
throughout  in  hard  wood.  It  is  modern  in 
all  respects  and  is  most  attractive.  The 
men  and  measures  of  the  Republican  partv 
receive  the  support  of  our  subject,  whose 
views  are  in  hearty  sympathy  with  its  pol- 
icy. He  is  a  recognized  leader  in  the  party 
ranks  in  this  locality  and  has  frequently 
served  as  a  delegate  to  county,  congressional 
and  state  conventions.  He  has  filled  the  office 


GEORGE  L.   LEVITT. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


569 


of  township  trustee  and  in  1894  he  was 
elected  county  treasurer,  serving-  so  accepta- 
bl\-  that  in  1896  he  wag  re-elected,  thus 
serving  altogether  for  four  years.  So- 
cially he  is  cnnnected  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  the  Select  Knights  and  the  Select 
Friends.  In  his  business  he  displaved  a  rare 
and- comprehensive  mind  and  his  ability  not 
only  to  plan  b»it  alsn  to  execute  his  well 
defined  plans  is  marked.  In  e\'ervthing  per- 
taining to  the  upbuilding  of  the  citv  of  his 
home  and  the  general  good  of  the  people  he 
is  deeply  interested  and  is  a  very  popular 
resident  of  Wilson. 


CHARLES  Y.  SOUTHERLAND. 

Few  citizens  of  Reno  township,  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  are  more  highly  esteemed 
than  is  Charles  Y.  Southerland.  the  subject 
of  this  review.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Souther- 
land  occurred  in  Person  county.  North  Car- 
olina, on  June  13,  1849.  His  grandfather 
came  to  America  from  England  and  was  a 
resident  of  Halifax  county,  Virginia,  where 
his  son.  Greenberry  Southerland,  was  born 
and  where  the  former  died  when  tlie  latter 
was  but  a  child.  In  1869  Greenberry  S<iutli- 
erland  n-ioved  to  Kentucky.  He  had  married 
Martha  A.  Bailey  in  North  Carolina,  and 
there  their  five  sons  were  born,  but  about 
1879  the  family  removed  to  ^lissouri,  and 
there  the  parents  passed  away. 

Mr.  Southerland,  of  this  sketch,  was 
twenty-one  years  old  when  the  family  be- 
came residents  of  Kentucky  and  eight  years 
later  he  came  tO'  Kansas.  For  a  consider- 
able period  he  had  been  troubled  with  a  rheu- 
matic affection  and  he  was  led  to  believe  that 
the  dry  climate  of  Kansas  would  effect  a 
cure.  He  alsi  1  intended  to  secure  some  land, 
and  in  ]\Iay,  1S77,  secured  a  quarter  section 
in  Reno  county.  This  he  located  on  section 
25,  range  6,  North  Reno  township.  He  had 
brought  with  him  a  tearn  of  mules,  and  im- 
mediate! v  -et  tn  work  to  break  up  the  land. 
During  the  first  year  he  succeeded  in  break- 
ing and  cultivating  twelve  acres  and  ob- 
tained seventy-five  bushels  of  grain.     The  ' 


next  year  he  was  able  to  cultivate  seventy 
acres,  but  on  account  of  the  drouth  he  har- 
vested but  twenty-five  bushels.  Not  dis- 
couraged, he  then  turned  his  attention  to 
stock.  It  was  during  these  years  of  stress 
that  Mr.  Southerland  proved  the  fiber  of 
which  he  was  made.  Drouth,  sickness  and 
crop  failure  met  his  best  endeavor,  but 
through  it  all  he  kept  on  doing  his  best, 
never  tiring  or  losing  hope,  and  the  final  re- 
sult has  well  repaid  all  that  went  before. 
He  has  now  a  herd  of  fine  Red  Polled  cattle, 
and  his  fields  are  filled  with  droves  of 
horses,  sheep  and  hogs,  while  his  orchards 
are  among  the  most  productive  in  this  local- 
ity. Every  tree  has  been  planted  and  nur- 
tured by  his  own  hand,  and  he  has  three 
hundred  peach  trees  and  eight  hundred 
apple  trees  in  full  yield.  During  his  early 
days  Mr.  Southerland  remembers  that  he  cut 
hay  and  hauled  it  as  far  as  Hutchinson,  ex- 
changing it  for  flour. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Southerland  was 
on  May  6,  1875,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Hall,  who 
was  born  in  Webster  county,  Kentucky,  in 
1852,  a  daughter  of  Patrick  Hall,  a  farmer, 
and  four  children  were  born  of  this  union, 
one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  be- 
ing: Luella,  a  teacher:  Guy  O.  and  Salina 
A.  In  his  political  sympathies  our  subject 
is  a  Democrat,  and  ef^ciently  served  through 
one  term  as  road  overseer.  He  is  president 
of  the  Anti-Horse  Thief  Association,  and  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  while  the  relig- 
ious connection  of  the  family  is  with  the 
Baptist  church.  Mr.  Southerland  stands 
very  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  commun- 
ity m  which  he  has  spent  so  many  years. 
Plain,  unassuming,  hoijest  and  reliable,  he  is 
one  of  the  citizens  of  the  township  who  re- 
flect credit  upon  it. 


ADOLPHUS  F.  MYERS. 

The  sturdy  German  element  in  our  na- 
tional oimniMinvealth  has  been  one  of  the 
most  important  in  furthering  the  substan- 
tial and  normal  advancement  of  the  coun- 
try.     Well   may  any  person  take  pride  In 


570 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


tracing  liis  lineage  to  such  a  source.  Adol- 
phus  Frederick  :Myers  is  one  of  the  worthy 
sons  that  the  fatherland  has  furnished  to 
America,  and  Reno  county  now  numbers 
him  among  her  leading  citizens. 

He  was  born  near  ^^'urtemberg,  Ger- 
many, on  the  i/th  of  August,  1843.  His 
father,  Frederick  Myers,  died  in  1845  or 
1846,  in  the  prime  of  life,  leaving  his  widow 
and  their  only  child.  She  was  formerly 
Miss  Oppertuny  Ott,  and  soon  after  her 
husband's  death  she  came  to  the  new  world, 
locating  first  in  New  Orleans,  afterward 
went  to  St.  Louis,  }vIissouri,  and  was  next 
a  resident  of  Quincy,  Illinois.  While  re- 
siding in  St.  Louis  she  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Francis  Stuebinger,  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  five  of  their  children  reached 
mature  years  and  are  now  living.  Mr. 
Stuebinger  died  in  Keithsburg,  Illinois,  and 
the  mother  was  called  to  the  world  beyond 
at  the  home  of  her  daughter  in  Monmouth, 
that  state,  on  the  5th  of  August,  1899,  in 
her  eighty-first  year. 

Adolp'hus  F.  :\Iyers,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review,  received  but  limited 
school  privileges,  having  attended  school 
but  three  months  during  the  winter  seasons. 
On  the  13th  of  July,  1862,  he  became  a 
member  of  the  boys  in  blue  of  Company  H, 
Eightv-fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  and  served 
in  its  'ranks  until  the  close  of  hostilities,  re- 
ceiving an  honorable  discharge  on  the  8th 
of  June,  1865.  He  was  slightly  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  and  also  took 
part  in  the  Atlanta  campaign.  He  returned 
from  the  war  with  a  creditable  military  rec- 
ord, rejoining  his  family  at  Keithsburg. 
Illinois,  and  in  1873  he  removed  from  that 
city  to  Kansas,  locating  on  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  Center  township, 
Reno  county.  In  1881.  however,  he  re- 
tired from  the  active  duties  of  farm  life  and 
removed  to  Nickerson,  where  he  now  owns 
-four  lots  and  a  good  comfortable  residence. 
Since  locating  in  this  city  Ur.  Myers  has 
•served  as  janitor  of  the  public  school  build- 
ing and  of  the  G.  A.  R.  hall,  and  has  also 
been  an  employe  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Companv.  In 'all  his  various  duties  he  has 
€ver  been  prompt  and  reliable,  and  has  won 


the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  come  in  contact.  Mr.  M}-ers 
was  happily  married  in  the  fall  of  1877,  in 
Hutchinson,  Kansas,  to  Miss  Hattie  Rob- 
inson, a  native  of  Indiana,  and  a  daughter 
of  Oscar  Robinson,  who  located  in  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  in  1878.  This  union  has 
been  blessed  with  two  children, — L'lllie 
May  and  Paul  F.  L.  Th5  daughter  is  a 
graduate  of  the  high  school  g^f  this  city, 
and  has  also  attended  college,  and  the  son 
is  now  a  student  in  the  high  school.  Mr. 
]\Iyers  exercises  his  right  of  franchise  in 
support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  in  his  social  relations 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, in  which  he  maintains  pleasant  re- 
lations with  his  old  army  comrades  who 
wore  the  blue.  His  religious  preference  is 
indicated  by  his  membership  in  the  Con- 
gregational church,  in  which  he  has  served 
as  a  deacon  and  is  now  a  trustee.  He  is 
public  spirited  to  a  degree  that  makes  him 
a  very  helpful  citizen  and  he  is  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  his  fellow  citizens  of  all 
classes  and  of  all  shades  of  political  and 
religious  belief. 


D.  D.  FITCH. 


A  prominent  citizen,  old  settler  and  es- 
teemed resident  of  Kingman  county,  Kan- 
sas, is  D.  D.  Fitch,  who  owns  one  of  the 
best  and  most  satisfactory  estates  in  Bel- 
mont township,  comprising  six  hundred 
acres  of  good  grain  land  and  excellent  pas- 
turage. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Fitch  was  near  Grand- 
ville,  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1843,  which  was  also  the  birth  year  of  the 
late  President  McKinley.  The  family  into 
which  he  was  born  was  one  of  respectability 
but  of  no  great  worldly  wealth,  and  he  early 
became  an  earning  factor  on  his  father's 
farm.  His  parents  were  Andrew  and  Cath- 
erine HMlliams)  Fitch,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  Otsego  county.  New  York, 
where  he  lived  until  young  manhood  and 
then  moved  to  Bradford  countv,  Pennsvlva- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


571 


nia.  There  he  married  Catherine  Williams, 
who  was  born  in  that  county,  and  who  was 
a  daughter  of  David  Williams,  of  Scotch  an- 
cestry. The  children  born  to  Andrew  and 
Catherine  Fitch  were  as  follows :  Chauncy, 
who  was  a  soldier  during  the  Civil  war; 
Lucy,  who  is  deceased;  Riley,  who  is  de- 
ceased; D.  D.,  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  and  Altheda  and  Adell,  who  still 
survive. 

Mr.  Fitch  came  to  Kansas  in  1885  and 
took  up  a  claim  in  Clark  county,  and  after 
proving  up  concluded  to  return  to  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  and  there  followed  his  trade  as  a 
mechanic  and  also  carried  on  farming  until 
his  death,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
His  wife  also  died  in  her  native  state,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one.  She  belonged  to  the  Bap- 
tist church  and  was  one  of  the  most  devout 
and  conscientious  members  of  this  body, 
noted  for  her  unselfish  kindness  and  her 
broad  charity.  The  father  was  a  member  of 
the  Freewill  Baptist  church  and  always  took 
an  active  interest  in  all  good  works. 

D.  D.  Fitch  obtained  his  education  in  the 
district  schools;  but  experience  has  been  his 
best  teacher,  the  lessons  which  he  has  learned 
from  this  source  benefiting  him  more  than 
any  he  found  within  the  covers  of  his  books. 
His  home  training  had  taught  him  to  be  in- 
dustrious and  honest,  and  these  elements  of 
success  have  contributed  to  his  prosperity. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-seven  Mr.  Fitch 
was  married  to  Margaret  A.  Richmond,  a 
young  lady  who  combined  intelligence  and 
education  with  household  accomplishments, 
and  has  been  his  dear  companion  and  help- 
mate all  these  years.  She.  was  born  near 
Schoharie.  New  York,  and  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Tompkins  county,  same  state, 
and  was  a  daughter  of  John  Richmond  and 
Sarah  (Temus)  Richmond,  the  latter  of 
whom  has  lived  to  the  unusual  age  of  eighty- 
six  years.  He  was  a  stone-mason  b}'  trade 
and  was  always  a  hard-working  man  until 
the  last  few  years.  Two  sons  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fitch,  namely :  Frank  E., 
who.  is  a  young  business  man  of  about  thirty 
years  of  age,  well  known  as  his  father's  effi- 
cient assistant ;  and  Harry  E.,  who  is  about 
twenty  years  of  age  and  who  assists  in  oper- 


ating the  homestead  farm.  An  adopted 
daughter  of  some  eleven  years,  bearing  the 
name  of  Era,  complete  the  family  circle. 

Since  1883  Mr.  Fitch  has  been  a  resident 
of  Belmont  township,  owning  now  six  hun- 
dred' acres  here,  which  is  justly  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  'desirable  estates  in  this  part 
of  the  county.  J\Ir.  Fitch  has  spared  neither 
time  nor  means  in  converting  this  into  an 
ideal  home.  The  comfortable. residence,  com- 
modious barns  and  cattle  and  stock  accom- 
modations, are  surrounded  with  fertile  fields 
and  fifteen  acres  of  producing  orchards,  and 
in  addition  he  has  a  fine  grove  which  yields 
its  grateful  shade. 

In  political  life  Mr.  Fitch  has  become  as- 
sociated with  the  Populist  party  and  has 
been  active  in-  its  ranks.  Fraternally  he, is 
connected  with  the  order  of  Woodmen,  while 
in  religious  faith  the  family  is  connected 
1  with  the  Methodist  church.  For  many  years 
Mr.  Fitch  has  been  identified  with  educa- 
tional matters  in  his  locality,  and  has  served 
with  credit  for  a  long  period  on  the  school 
board,  encouraging  all  progressive  measures 
in  that  direction.  As  a  loyal  son  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Mr.  Fitch  prefers  that  state  in 
many  ways  to  any  other  in  the  Union,  but 
he  also  has  faith  in  Kansas  and  it  comes  sec- 
ond in  his  estimation.  It  is  men  like  Mr. 
Fitch  who  have  raised  the  citizenship  of  this 
state  to-  its  present  level,  and  he  is  a  truly 
representative  man  of  the  best  element  of 
this  great  commonwealth. 


ISAAC  W.  HERREX. 

Isaac  W.  Herren,  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent agriculturists  of  Salt  Creek  township, 
is  a  native  of  Obio,  his  birth  having  taken 
place  in  Noble  county,  March  31,  1863,  his 
parents  being  Winget  and  Cynthia  (Crow) 
Herren.  The  father  went  to  the  war  when 
his  son  was  three  days  old,  as  a  member  of 
the  Seventy-second  Ohio  Regiment,  and 
was  killed  in  battle.  When  Isaac  was  four 
years  old  his  mother  died,  leaving  him  and  a 
brother,  William  Henry,  now  living  in 
Hutchinson,    Kansas,    orphans,    and    they 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


were  reared  by  their  mother's  brothers. 
They  recei\e(.l  but  hmitecl  education,  and 
in  1880,  when  Isaac  was  seventeen  and  his 
brother  nineteen  years  of  age,  they  left  No- 
ble county  and  went  to  Davis,  now  Gear}-, 
county,  Kansas,  and  Isaac  worked  out  six 
years  for  two  men  by  the -month,  at  from 
fourteen  to  twenty-one  dollars  per  month. 
During  that  time  he  went  back  and  visited 
his  old  home  twice,  the  last  time  in  1886. 
when  he  was  married  to  Miss  Matilda  C. 
Smith,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Nancy  J. 
(Sample)  Smith.  Their  union  has  been 
blessed  with  three  sons :  Clarence  Ray,  a 
bov  of  thirteen  years;  William  Clinton, 
aged  twelve  years;  and  Perr\-  Arlington, 
nine  years  old,  and  the  mother  still  looks 
almost  as  young  as  when  she  was  married. 

Her  father  and  mother  were  both  born 
in  Monroe  county,  Ohio,  and  she  was  a 
daughter  of  William  Sample,  a  farmer  on 
the  farm  where  her  grandfather,  Archibald 
Smith,  first  settled;  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smith  were  born  twelve  children,  eight  of 
whom  grew  to  mature  age,  namely  :  Porter 
S.,  now  living  in  Rooks  county,  Kansas; 
^Nlary  Ellen,  wife  of  Theodore  Wilson,  of 
Noble  county,  Ohio ;  Olive  A.,  wife  of  L.  O. 
Okey,  of  Stafford,  Ohio;  Matilda  C.  the 
wife  of  our  subject;  Albert  R.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two  years ;  Oliver  Perry, 
at  home  with  his  parents:  and  Wylie  A.,  in 
Clarksburg,  West  Virginia.  Mrs.  Herren 
received  a  common-school  education,  and 
two  of  her  brothers  were  teachers  and  one 
attended  college.  Oil  has  been  found  on 
their  father's  fami  and  there  are  one  hun- 
dred derricks  in  sight  of  their  home.  Mrs. 
Herren's  uncle,  Robert  Smith,  was  killed  in 
the  war.  as  were  also  her  uncles,  George  and 
INIiltnn  Sample. 

}»Ir.  Herren,  the  subject  of  this  review, 
settled  on  his  fami  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Salt  Creek  township  eleven  years 
ago,  where  he  is  now  engaged  in  general 
farming,  and  the  well  tilled  fields  and  the 
neat  and  thrifty  appearance  of  everything 
about  the  place  indicates  the  careful  super- 
vision of  the  owner  and  prove  him  to  be  a 
man  of  energy,  good  juclgment  and  enter- 
prise.   He  has,  therefore,  been  very  success- 


ful in  his  farming  operations  and  accumu- 
lated a  comfortable  competence,  and  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  cf 
his  section  of  the  countrv. 


^^TLLIAAI  T.  HAIR. 

William  T.  Hair,  who  is  conducting  a 
livery  and  transfer  business  in  Nickerson, 
Kansas,  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  hav- 
ing first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day 
in  Washington  county,  that  state,  on  the 
26th  of  September,  1848.  His  great-grand- 
father, James  Hair,  served  as  a  physician 
and  surgeon  in  the  Revolutionary  war  un- 
der General  Washington,  and  the  family 
came  to  this  country  at  a  very  early  day. 
The  paternal  grandfather,  also  named 
James,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
f  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
I  married  Miss  Black,  by  whom  he  had  five 
sons  and  one  daughter.  The  father  and 
sons  are  still  living  and  are  farmers  by  occu- 
pation. Samuel  Hair,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  on  the  old  family  homestead 
in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  Oc- 
tober 3,  1821,  where  he  married  Miss  Hester 
Milligan,  a  native  of  the  same  place,  who 
died  in  the  spring  of  1899,  at  her  home  in 
Nebraska,  leaving  four  of  her  five  children : 
John,  who  lives  in  Denver,  Colorado;  Will- 
iam T.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Nelson 
M.,  now  living  on  his  father's  farm  in  Ne- 
braska ;  and  James  H.,  also  engaged  in  fann- 
ing in  Nebraska.  The  yotmgest  son,  Al- 
bert, died  in  Nebraska  in  1893,  leaving  a 
family. 

William  T.  Hair,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review,  accompanied  his  parents 
to  'Iowa  in  1854,  when  six  years  of  age, 
where  they  lived  for  two  years  and 'then  re- 
moved to  Mercer  county,  Illinois,  where  his 
father  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  and  engaged  in  farming  from  1857 
to  about  1880.  He  then  sold  out  and  moved 
to  Seward,  Nebraska,  where  he  died  Decem- 
ber 3,  1901,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Our 
subject  had  a  very  limited  education,  as  he 
could  only  go  to  school  during  the  winter 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


573 


seasons  when  there  was  little  wo^k  to  do  on 
the  farm  after  he  was  eight  years  of  age. 
When  he  was  tweiitN'-one  years  of  age  he 
left  home  and  worked  out  by  the  month  and 
year  for  three  years.  He  then  rented  land 
of  his  fathei"  for  two  years  and  in  the  spring 
of  1874  he  went  to  Kansas.  He  has  been 
a  frontiersman  from  six  years  of  age  n\ 
■  Iowa,  Illinois  and  Kansas.  He  came  to 
Salt  Creek  township,  Kansas,  in  the  spring 
of  1874,  pre-empted  a  quarter  section  of 
land,  built  a  shanty  and  lived  there  two- 
years,  when  he  sold  out  and  later,  in  the 
fall  of  1882,  located  in  Nickerson  and  en- 
gaged in  the  transfer  business,  having  three 
wagons.  Later  he  began  to  rent  his  wagons 
and  in  the  spring  of  1898  he  bought  the 
barn  and  livery  of  L.  H.  Potter.  His  busi- 
ness has  steadily  increased  in  volume  and 
importance  until  he  now  owns  twenty 
horses,  irve  buggies  and  two  carriages. 

Mr.    Hair  chose  for  a  companion  and 
helpmeet  on  the  journey  of  life  Miss  Ella, 
Dixon,  a  native  of  Indiana,    the    marriage 
being  celebrated  on  the  20th  of  September, 
/  1877,  arid  to  them  have  been  born  seven  chil- 

^  -dren,  three  sons  and  four  daughters, 
namely:  Lillian,  the  wife  of  Earl  Ens- 
minger,  oi  Grant  township;  Calvin  S.,  at 
home :  James  L. ;  Joseph  E.,  a  young  man  of 
eighteen,  who  is  engaged  in  teaming;  Alice; 
lantha;  and  Ruth,  now  four  years  of  age. 
By  his  untiring  industry,  determined  pur- 
pose, good  business  ability  and  fair  dealing 
J\Ir.  Hair  has  accumulated  a  handsome  com- 
petence, so  that  he  is  able  tO'  supply  his  fam- 
ily with  all  the  comforts  and  many  of  the 
luxuries  of  life.  He  owns  a  very  pretty 
home  and  the  famih"  are  noted  for  their 
gracious  hospitality,  their  large  circle  of 
friends  being  always  sure  of  a  warm  wel- 
come. In  his  political  views  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and,  though  he  has  not  sought 
public  office,  his  felloAv  citizens  have  mani- 
fested their  confidence  in  him  by  electing 
him  to  several  positions  of  trust.  While 
farming  in  Enterprise  township  he  was  the 
first  township  trustee,  and  in  Nickerson  he 
lias  been  a  member  of  th^  school  board  for 
eight  years  and  served  as  president  of  the 
hoard  of  education  for  two  years.     He  also 


served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  two 
years,  and  in  all  these  positions  he  has  per- 
formed his  duties  with  conscientious  faith- 
fulness and  in  a  prompt  and  business-like 
manner.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in 
everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  and  up- 
building of  the  ctimmunity  in  which  he 
makes  his  home  and  he  and  his  wife  are  con- 
sistent and  worthy  members  of  the  ]\Ietho- 
dist  church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen,  No.  640,  and  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
Lodge,  No.  190,  both  of  Nickerson.  He  is 
a  genial  and  courteous  gentleman  and  is 
widely  and  favorably  known  in  business  and 
social  circles. 


\\'ILLIAM  H.  CLARK. 

Among  the  well  known  and  successful 
farmers  of  Reno  county,  Kansas,  there  is 
none  who  stands  higher  in  the  regard  of  his 
fellow  citizens  than  William  H.  Clark,  who 
lives  on  section  34,  Salt  Creek  township, 
and  whose  post  office  address  is  Nickerson. 

JNIr.  Clark  was  born  January  15,  1843, 
in  the  state  of  New  York.  His  father. 
Dyer  F.  Clark,  was  born  at  White  Hall, 
New  York,  January  25,  1818,  and  died  on 
the  farm  in  Kansas  now  owned  by  his  son, 
in  1894.  Samuel  Clark,  father  of  Dyer  F. 
Clark,  and  grandfather  of  William  H. 
Clark,  was  a  native  o.f  Orange  county.  New 
York,  and  ser\-ed  his  country  in  the  war  of 
1812,  as  lieutenant  in  a  company  which 
took  an  active  part  in  that  struggle.  He 
was  born  about  1789  and  died  at  South- 
port.  Chemung  county,  New  York,  about 
1876.  He  married  a  Miss  Jay,  "and  reared 
five  sons  and  two  daughters :  John,  ]Ma- 
thilda.  Dyer  F.,  Jeanette  S..  Joshua,  Will- 
iam G.  and  Andrew  J.  All  of  the  afore- 
mentioned children  of  Samuel  Clark,  except 
Joshua,  hajd  children;  and  only  two  of 
them.  Andrew  J.  Clark,  of  Loveland,  Colo- 
rado, and  Malinda,  of  Southport,  New 
York,  are  living.  Mr.  Clark's  mother,  who 
was  Elizabeth  Leonard,  was  born  in  White 
Hall,  New  York,  February  9,  1823,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Jane  (Pixley)  Leon- 


574 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ard.  Dver  F.  Clark  and  Elizabeth  Leonard 
were  married  February  i8,  1841.  They  lost 
two  sons  in  infancy  and  have  two  sons  liv- 
ing, Samuel  J.  Clark,  of  Williamsport, 
Pennsylvania,  and  William  H.  Clark,  of 
Kansas. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared 
to  country  and  village  life  and  lived  in  the 
town  of  Van-Etten.  Chemung  county,  New 
York,  and  attended  the  public  school  at  Van 
Ettenville  until  he  was  twelve  years  old. 
His  familv  then  removed  to  Allegany 
county.  New  York.  His  father,  who  was 
a  millwright,  owned  a  saw  and  grist  mill 
in  Chemung  county.  In  1861,  when  he  was 
eigliteen  years  old,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
E,  One  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Regiment, 
New  York  Volunteer  Infantry,  an  organi- 
zation which  later  was  known  as  the  First 
New  York  Dragoons,  with  which  he  served 
three  years.  At  the  fight  at  Todd's  Tavern 
he  was  woimded  in  the  right  arm  and  shoul- 
der and  for  some  time  afterward  was  in 
hospitals  at  Washington  and  at  Philadel- 
phia. He  was  discharged  from,  the  service 
July  16,  1865,  and  returned  north.  While 
in  the  service  he  had  an  experience  of  two 
days  as  a  prisoner  of  war. 

February  2,  1867,  Mr.  Clark  married 
Arzela  Mathews,  of  Southport,  Chemung 
county,  New  York,  a  most  estimable  wo- 
man and  a  model  wife  and  mother,  who 
died  February  19,  1901,  aged  fifty-four 
years,  after  having  borne  him  four  children. 
The  eldest  of  these,  Hattie  B.,  married  John 
Freeze,  and  died  at  her  home  near  her  par- 
ents. October  4,  1888.  Milford  Clark,  now- 
living  in  Grant  county,  Oklahoma  territory, 
married  Sadie  Cammack,  of  Indiana.  They 
lost  an  infant  daughter  by  death  and  have 
a  young  son  named  Hudson.  Frank  Ever- 
ett Clark  is  a  member  of  his  father's  house- 
hold. \\'illie,  Mr.  Clark's  youngest  son,  is 
in  Colorado.  Mr.  Clark  came  from  Alle- 
gany county.  New  York,  to  Kansas  in 
1872.  arriving  February  22  at  Kansas  City, 
where  he  remained  for  a  short  time.  Sep- 
tember g,  following,  he  located  on  his  one 
hundred  and  sixty-acre  homestead,  where 
he  has  since  lived,  and  began  the  improve- 
ment c;f  a  farm  and  in  time  erected  a  good 


house  and  barns,  planted  an  orchard  and 
shade  trees  and  put  the  whole  place  under 
profitable  cultivation.  He  now  has  a  half 
section  of  land  and  gives  his  attention  to 
general  farming  and  raises  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  cattle  and  hogs.  He  keeps  short- 
horn cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs  and 
feeds  and  ships  from  two  to  three  carloads 
per  year.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  he  says  that  in  a  general  way  he  has 
escaped  oflice  but  has  served  eight  years  as 
a  justice  of  the  peace.  He  is  a  member  of 
Reno  Post,  No.  83,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  is  a  deacon  in  the  Baptist 
church  at  Nickerson.  His  success  has  been 
won  worthily  by  industry  and  economy,  and 
his  record  is  that  of  a  man  who  has  dealt 
fairly  b}'  his  fellow  men.  He  is  a  friend  to 
public  education  and  of  popular  enlighten- 
ment and  has  many  times  demonstrated  his 
public  spirit  by  assisting  to  the  extent  of 
his  ability  movements  which  he  has  be- 
lieved would  benefit  his  township  and 
county. 


HENRY  M.  GROTH. 

The  vast  majority  of  mankind  is  en- 
gaged in  the  pursuit  of  fortune,  and  that 
so  many  fall  by  the  wayside  is  the  result  of 
one  of  two  things, — either  of  a  lack  of  close 
application  or  of  unfitness  for  the  line  of 
work  which  they  take  up.  In  both  these 
regards,  however,  Mr.  Groth  is  well  quali- 
fied and  is  therefore  meeting  with  credit- 
able success  in  his  mercajitile .  ventures  in 
Lorraine,  where  he  is  now  dealing  in  coal, 
flour,  feed  and  grain.  He  is  a  young  man 
who  has  not  yet  attained  the  prime  of  life, 
but  he  has  already  gained  considerable 
prosperity. 

A  native  of  Illinois,  he  was  born  in 
Bloomington,  May  12,  1872,  his  parents 
being  August  and  Wilhelmina  ( Schanke) 
Groth,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Prus- 
sia. The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation 
and  in  1871  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  the  new- 
world,  locating  in  Bloomington,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  for  a  year.  He  then 
purchased    a    farm  near  Hudson,  ^McLean 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


575 


county,  Illinois,  and  continued  its  cultiva- 
tion until  1 88 1,  when  he  sold  that  propert)' 
and  came  to  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas. 
Here  he  purchased  a  half  section  of  land, 
including  one  hundred  and  sixty  "acres  on 
section  21  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
on  section  30,  township  17,  range  9.  Here 
he  engaged  in  the  production  of  grain,  and 
in  1889  he  extended  his  field  of  operation 
by  erecting  the  grain  elevator  which  is  now 
operated  by  our  subject.  The  father  con- 
tinued in  the  grain  business  until  1895, 
when  he  retired  from  that  line  and  has  since 
given  his  energies  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
In  his  family  were  eight  children,  namely: 
Alwina,  the  wife  of  H.  L.  Steinberg,  a 
farmer  of  Green  Garden  township,  Ells- 
worth cotmty;  Amelia,  the  wife  of  George 
Heitniaini,  a  farmer  of  Lorraine;  Bertha, 
the  wife  of  L.  H.  W'illens ;  Tillie,  who  mar- 
ried J.  H.  Janssen;  August,  who  for  sev- 
eral years  was  engaged  in  merchandising 
in  Lorraine  but  is  now  carrying  on  agricul- 
tural pursuits ;  Henry  AL ;  Samuel,  who 
owns  and  operates  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land  on  section  27,  Green  Garden 
township;  and  Herman,  who  is  in  business 
in  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Henr)'  M.  Groth  was  a  lad  of  nine  years 
when  he  came  to  Ellsworth  county. 
Through  his  youth  he  pursued  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  also  assisted 
his  father  on  the  home  farm  and  in  the 
grain  trade.  In  1895  he  became  proprietor 
of  the  elevator  and  for  some  time  previous 
had  practically  managed  the  business.  He 
likewise  deals  in  coal,  flour  and  feed  and 
has  a  good  trade,  his  annual  sales  having 
reached  a  considerable  magnitude,  whereby 
he  enjoys  a  good  income. 

On  January  7,  1897,  Mr.  Groth  was 
joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss  Ella  Schmidt,  a 
daughter  of  John  ^.l.  Schmidt,  one  of  the 
well  known  and  successful  farmers  of  Ells- 
worth county.  Their  marriage  has  been 
blessed  with  two  children, — Minnie  and 
Victor.  Mr.  Groth  find  his  wife  are  mem- 
liers  of  the  German  Baptist  church,  and  in 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  warmly  espous- 
ing the  cause  of  the  party  and  doing  what- 
ever he  can  for  its  advancement  and  growth. 


He  has  been  a  worker  in  its  ranks  rather 
than  an  aspirant  for  office,  and  has  been  a 
member  of  various  committees  and  a  dele- 
gate to  its  conventions.  Aside  from  thus 
laboring  for  the  principles  in  which  he  be- 
lieves, he  prefers  tO'  give  his  time  and  en- 
ergies to  his  business  affairs,  in  which  he 
is  meeting  with  signal  success. 


ELISHA  W.   KIRBY. 

Elisha  \\.  Kirby,  whose  farm  on  sec- 
tion 24,  Washington  township,  is  neat  and 
thrifty  in  appearance  and  indicates  the 
supervision  of  a  progressive  owner,  was 
born  in  Morgan  county,  Ohio,  December 
20,  1842,  and  represents  an  old  southern 
family.  His  grandfather,  Robert  E.  Kirby, 
of  Harper's  Ferry,  Maryland,  was  born 
about  1783,  and  his  ancestors  had  long  re- 
sided in  the  new  world.  His  death  occurred 
in  Pennsville,  Morgan  county,  Ohio,  in  the 
year  1865.  His  son,  Finley  Kirby,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Belmont 
county,  Ohio-,  on  the  12th  of  August,  1820, 
and  in  the  state  of  his  nativity  was  reared 
to  manhood.  There  he  married  Elizabeth 
Rusk,  who  was  born  in  Morgan  county, 
Ohio,  in  1817,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Rusk.  The  wedding  was  celebrated 
about  1840,  and  for  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury they  traveled  life's  journey  together, 
sharing  with  each  other  the  joys  and  sor- 
rows, the  troubles  and  pleasures  of  life. 
The  father  died  February  24,  1901,  but  the 
mother  is  still  living  in  Morgan  county, 
Ohio,  and  is  well  preserved  both  mentally 
and  physically.  By  her  marriage  she  be- 
became  the  mother  of  eleven  children,  six 
of  whom  reached  years  of  maturity,  while 
five  are  now  living,  as  follows  :  Elisha  W. ; 
Robert  E.,  who  was  a  member  of  Company 
H,  Seventeenth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  died  in 
1865,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  from 
injuries  sustained  in  the  service;  John  R., 
who  is  living  in  Morgan- county,  Ohio; 
Rosa  Lee,  the  wife  of  Ephraim  Vicroy,  of 
Morgan  county;  Blanche,  wife  of  a  Mr. 
Coyle;  and  James,  who  died  in  Morgan 
countv,  at  the  age  of  thirtv  vears. 


576 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


j\Ir.  Kirbv,  whose  name  stands  at  the 
head  of  this  review,  spent  his  childhood  and 
youth  in  Pennsville,  Ohio-,  where  he  ac- 
quired g-ood  school  privileges,  pursuing  his 
studies  until  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  then 
put  aside  his  text-books,  offering  his  aid  to 
the  governmient  for  three  years.  He  en- 
listed on  the  20th  of  September,  1861,  as  a 
member  of  Company  H,  Seventh  Ohio  In- 
fantry, and  was  at  the  front  for  three  years 
and  ten  months,  during  which  time  he  was 
never  wounded  or  taken  prisoner,  nor  was 
he  in  a  hospital.  He  participated  in  many 
important  battles  and  skirmishes,  however, 
and  many  times  narrowly  escaped  wounds 
and  death.  When  his  military  service  was 
ended  he  returned  to  Morgan  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  resumed  work  at  'the  stone- 
mason's trade,  carrying  on  business  as  a 
contractor  and  builder. 

Mr.  Kirby  was  married  May  17,  1866, 
to  Marv  E.  Hann,  who  was  born  in  Morgan 
countv,'  a  daughter  of  William  and  Lydia 
(Wood)  Hann.  Her  father  is  still  living  in 
the  Buckeye  state,  but  her  mother  died  in 
1845,  leaving  four  children:  Mrs.  Kirby 
jiassed  away  on  the  24th  of  December, 
1895,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years.  She 
was  the  mother  of  six  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living :  Roliert  L.,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Beatrice.  Nebraska;  Charles  H., 
at  home:  and  Annie,  wife  of  Lewis  Coiirad, 
of  Russell  county,  Kansas,  by  wdiom  she  has 
three  children.  'Those  who  have  departed 
this  life  are  Mrs.  Kate  L.  Murdock,  wdio 
died  at  the  age  of  thirty,  leaving  two  sons ; 
William  H..  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty, 
leaving  two  sons  and  a  daughter;  and  Mrs. 
Alice  i\Ioore,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four,  leaving  a  little  son  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  a  mother.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife  Mr.  Kirby  w-as  again  married,  in  1885, 
his  second  union  being  with  Mrs.  Josephine 
Magee.  iicc  Collins,  of  La  Salle,  Illinois. 
Bv  this  marriage  there  is  one  daughter, 
Jessie  C,  now  a  little  maiden  of  eight 
vears.  By  her  former  marriage  Mrs.  Kirby 
has  one  daughter,  Nellie  L.  Magee,  who 
chose  her  own  name  when  nine  years  of 
age.  She  is  now  a  teacher  of  piano  and 
vocal  music  in  Rice  county. 


Mr.  Kirby  came  from  Ohio  to  Kansas 
in  1 878,, settling  in  Russell  county,  where 
he  resided  for  fourteen  years,  engaged  in 
contracting  and  farming.  In  1893  he  came 
to  his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres,  and  is 
now-  engaged  in  the  raising  of  corn,  wheat, 
sorghum  and  alfalfa.  His  is  one  of  the 
fertile  and  productive  farms  in  this  part  of 
the  county  and  his  home  is  a  pleasant  and 
cheerful  one,  tastefully  furnished  and  per- 
meated by  a  spirit  of  good  will  and  hos- 
pitality. The  family  is  one  of  intelligence 
and  refinement  and  the  members  of  the 
hotisehoid  have  many  friends.  In  his  politi- 
cal views  Mr.  Kirby  is  a  reliable  Republi- 
can, and  while  in  Ohio  filled  some  township 
offices,  but  prefers  to  leave  such  service  to 
others  in  order  to  give  }iis  time  and  atten- 
tion to'  his  business  affa'irs  and  the  enjoy- 
ments of  the  pleasures  of  the  home. 


GIDEON  R.   WOLFE. 

The  office  of  countv  sur\-eyor  is  one 
which  requires  in  its  incumbent  not  only  a 
complete  and  accurate  knowledge  of  land 
surveying  in  all  its  details,  but  also  a  spirit 
of  fairness  which  impels  him  to  deal  justly 
with  all  concerned,  and  sufficient  tact  to  en- 
abe  him  tO'  impress  upon  all  interested  par- 
ties the  conviction  of  the  accuracy  of  his 
surveys.  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  has  in 
Gideon  R.  Wolfe,  a  model  county  surveyor, 
and  one  who  in  an  eminent  degree  com- 
mands the  respect  of  all  his  fellow  citizens. 

Gideon  R.  Wolfe  was  born  in  Center 
county,  Pennsylvania.  April  27,  1829,  a  son 
of  Martin  and' Lydia  ( Mabley)  Wolfe,  both 
natives  of  Pennsvlvania,  where  they  passed 
their  entire  lives.  This  good  couple  were 
the  parents  of  three  children  one  of  whom, 
William,  died  in  Pennsylvania:  the  second. 
Charles,  died  in  the  Civil  war;  and  the  third 
is  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr. 
Wolfe  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm,  in  Cen- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received  a 
meag-er  education  in  the  public  schools.  At 
the  age  oi  twelve  he  entered  upon  a  five 
years'  apprenticeship  to  John  Sellers,  nf 
Milesburg,  in  his  native  county,  to  learn  the 


^/gA>^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


577 


carpenter's  trade,  which  he  completed  when 
he  was  seventeen  years  old,- and  for  six 
months  thereafter  he  was  a  journeyman 
worker  with  Mr.  Sellers,  and  this  associa- 
tion continued  for  one  year.  He  then  began 
contracting-  and  building  on  his  own  account 
at-Milesburg,  where  he  remained  until  1850, 
when  he  removed  to  Curwensville,  Clearfield 
county,  Pennsyh-ania,  where  he  continued 
building  operations,  which  eixtended  over 
Clearfield  and  adiiiining  counties,  and  he 
gradually  made  a  specialty  of  architectural 
work. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  Mr. 
Wolfe  enlisted  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Bucktail  Regiment,  the  members  of  which 
had  their  caps  ornamented  with  a  buck's  tail, 
which  was  attached  to  the  button  at  one  side 
of  the  forepiece,  passed  across  the  front  of 
the  cap  and  extended  along  the  left  side  of 
the  head.  The  original  Bucktail  company 
was  organized  by  Captain  Kane,  the  cele- 
brated Arctic  explorer,  and  the  regiment 
into  which  it  ciuickly  grew  went  to  the  front 
under  his  command.  At  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  enlistment,  in  1863,  Mr.  Wolfe 
was  honorably  discharged  from  the  service 
and  soon  afterward  he  was  appointed  a  civil 
engineer  and  surveyor  in  the  government's 
service  at  Giesloro,  a  cavalry  post  or  bureau 
at  W'ashington,  D.  C.  In  1864  he  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent  of  the  post,  filling 
that  office  while  performing  the  duties  of 
bis  other  office,  and  thus  continuing  until 
the  close  of  the  war. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Wolfe  returned  to 
Milesburg.  Pennsylvania,  and  accepted  a  po- 
sition as  superintendent  of  a  planing  mill, 
which  after  two-  years  he  leased  and  he 
thereafter  managed  the  same  successfully 
until  1870,  when  he  went  to  Kansas  and  lo- 
cated at  Aliilcne,  where  he  devoted  himself 
to  contracting-  and  Imilding  until  Januarv, 
1873.  Three  niniuhs  after  liis  arrival  in' 
Abilene,  he  was  appointed  county  surveyor 
for  Dickinson  county  to  fill  one  year  of  an 
unexpired  term  and  was  then  elected  to  the 
office  and  served  two  years  longer.  In  1873 
he  removed  to  Hays  City,  Kansas,  and  was 
appointed  county  survevor  of  Ellis  county 
and  re-elected  to  the  office  several  times.  He 


remained  at  Hays  City  until  1897,  except 
while  absent  prospectiup-  for  minerals  in 
Colorado,  and  in  other  northwestern  states 
and  territories.  In  July,  i8g8,  he  removed  to 
Ellsworth  and  engaged  in  contracting  and 
building.  In  the  fall  of  1899  lie  was  elected 
on  the  Republican  ticket  to  his  present  office. 
During  his  residence  at  Hays  City  he  was 
elected,  to  the  office  of  register  of  deeds,  in 
which  he  ser\-ed  one  term.  He  also  filled  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wolfe  is  a  Republican, 
and  is  devoted  to  the  principles  and  work  of 
his  party.  He  has  developed  into  an  archi- 
tect of  superior  ability  and  has  designed 
and  built  many  fine  structures,  among  them 
the  Hill  &  Nelson  Bank  building  and  the 
A.  S.  Hall  &  Company  Bank  building  at 
Hays  City.  He  is  one  of  the  registered  arch- 
itects of  Kansas,  and  his  name  appears  in 
the  official  directory  of  architects  of  the 
United  States.  He  was  made  a  Master  Ma- 
son in  Clearfield  Lodge,  No.  314,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  at  his  old  home  in  Pennsylvania. 

^Ir..  Wolfe  was  married  April  25,  1847, 
to  Sarah  McAIullen,  a  native  of  Milesburg, 
Pennsyh-ania,  who  bore  him  ten  children, 
nine  of  whom  are  living :  Henry  L.  of  Crip- 
ple Creek,  Colorado;  Mary,  wife  of  Joseph 
Easton,  of  Colorado;  Flora,  wife  of  John 
Garrett,  of  Guthrie,,  Oklahoma;  John  D., 
who  is  a  carpenter  at  Hays  City,  Kansas; 
Kate,  wife  of  Isaac  Livensparger,  of  Shelby, 
Ohio;  Fannie,  wife  of  Eugene  Hobbs,  of 
Dorrance,  Kansas;  Joseph  H.,  of  Cripple 
Creek,  Colorado;  and  Sarah  and  Nellie,  wdio 
are  members  of  their  father's  household- 
The  mother  of  these  children  died  at  Hays 
City,  Kansas,  June  8,  1897.  Mr.  Wolfe  is  a 
communicant  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  is  actively  interested  in  all  movements 
for  the  advancement  of  the  material  and 
moral  interests  of  Ellsworth. 


\V.  E.  GASTON. 


W.  E.  Gaston,  one  of  the  successful  and 
prominent  citizens  of  Hutchinson,  Kan- 
sas,  was   born   in  Logan    county,    Illinois, 


578 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


February  28,  1867.  He  is  of  French  lineage 
on  the  paternal  side,  his  ancestors  coming  to 
America  from  France  over  one  hundred 
years  ago  and  settling  in  Virginia.  The 
family  name  was  then  De  Gaston,  but  in 
time  the  prefix  was  dropped.  The  father  of 
our  subject,  S.  D.  Gagton,  was  born  near 
Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  Ap^ril  24,  1827, 
and  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Qn  the 
death  of  his  father  he  removed  with  his 
mother,  brothers  and  sisters  to  Delaware 
county,  Ohio,  in  1845,  where  the  family  re- 
mained engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  un- 
til i860.  At  that  time,  with  two  brothers, 
S.  D.  Gaston  removed  to  McLean  county, 
Illinois,  where  they  purchased  ten  thousand 
acres  of  prairie  land  and  engaged  exten- 
sively in  cattle  raising,  still  retaining  pos- 
session of  the  farm  in  Ohio.  In  1866  S.  D. 
Gaston  discontinued  the  raising  of  cattle 
and  removed  to  Lincoln,  Illinois,  and  there 
opened  a  meat  market.  For  four  years  he 
remained  in  this  city,  and  in  1870  came  to 
Reno  county,  Kansas,  where  he  filed  on  a 
homestead  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 4,  in  Lincoln  township,  where  he  is  still 
residing  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy- 
four,  with  his  wife,  who  is  sixty-three  years 
of  age.  He  was  married  November  2,  1854, 
in  Delaware  county,  Ohio,  to  Hester  A. 
White,  who  was  born  in  Knox  county,  that 
state,  November  11,  1838.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Timothy  White  and  Sarah  (Wil- 
son) White,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
England,  the  latter  of  Maryland.  The 
mother  was  of  English  and  Irish  lineage. 
S.  D.  Gaston  was  one  of  a  family  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  but  one  sister  is  now 
living,  Mrs.  Martha  Martin,  who  resides  at 
Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gaston  were  born  ten  children,  seven  of 
w'hom  reached  mature  years,  namely :  Sam- 
uel C.,  a  farmer  of  Lincoln  township,  Reno 
county,  Kansas ;  Ida.  who  married  David 
Taylor,  a  farmer  residing  in  Lincoln  town- 
ship, Reno  county;  Benjamin  F.,  Frances 
Irving  and  Marj-  Emtna,  who  all  died  in  in- 
fancy in  Missouri ;  W.  E.,  the  subject  of  this 
review ;  Alice,  the  wife  of  H.  A.  Wainner, 
a  resident  of  Lincoln  township,  who  en- 
gages in  farming;  John  W.,  who'  was  edu- 


cated in  the  Kansas  State  Normal  School 
and  for  ten  years  taught  throughout  the 
state  and  is  now  a  farmer  of  Lincoln  town- 
ship; Grace,  a  school  teacher  living  at  home; 
and  Victor,  living  with  his  parents. 

W.  E.  Gaston  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools  of  Reno  county, 
and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Southwestern 
Business  College  of  Hutchinson.  He  sub- 
sequently entered  the  Kansas  State  Normal 
School  for  a  two-years  course,  and  upon  fin- 
ishing his  studies  here  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school  in  Reno  county.  For  seven  years 
he  pursued  this  occupation,  the  last  two 
of  which  he  held  the  position  of  principal  of 
the  Haven  public  school.  In  this  work  he 
was  eminently  successful,  having  gained  an 
enviable  reputation  as  a  man  of  ability  along 
educational  lines.  Upon  his  leaving  school 
work  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  business, 
representing  the  Union  Central  Life  Insur- 
ance Company  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Being  a 
man  of  honor  and  ability,  he  is  meeting  with 
marked  success  in  this  business,  and  for  the 
past  five  years  has  been  agent  for  this  com- 
pany throughout  southwestern  Kansas.  In 
1887  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  rich  land  in  Lincoln 
township,  wdiich  he  still  retains,  operating  it 
mostly  as  a  stock  farm. 

On  the  5th  of  September,  1894,  in  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  Mr.  Gaston  was  joined  in 
marriage  to  Edna  E.  Cockey,  a  native  of 
Baltimore,  Marj'land.  Her  parents,  Thom- 
as R.  and  Clara  (Brooks)  Cockey,  were  also 
natives  of  Maryland  and  represent  one  of 
the  oldest  and  most  prominent  families  of 
Maryland,  dating  back  to  a  period  long  be- 
fore the  Revolutionary  war.  The  town  of 
Cockeysville,  Maryland,  was  named  in 
honor  of  the  family.  Mr.  Cockey  removed 
with  his  family  to  Reno  county,  Kansas,  in 
1882,  and  here  the  father  passed  away  in 
1895,  survived  by  his  wife,  who  makes  her 
home  in  Hutchinson.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gaston  have  been  born  three  children :  Earl, 
now  deceased;  Le  Roy,  born  May  30,  1898; 
and  Glenn  Ernest. 

W.  E.  Gaston  is  active  in  educational 
and  political  interests,  being  a  member  of 
the  board  of  education  of  Hutchinson;  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


579 


was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  state  conven- 
tions of  tlie  Republican  party  in  1896  and 
also  in  1898,  and  al\va3-s  attends  the  county 
conventions.  He  is  a  stanch  advocate  of  the 
Republican  party,  supporting  its  men  and 
measures  in  national  and  state  elections. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity and  of  the  IModern  W;oodmen  of 
America.  He  is  also  a  member  and  liberal 
supporter  of  the  Methodist  church,  leading 
a  life  in  consistency  with  its  teachings.  His 
financial  success  is  due  tO'  his  industry  and 
perse\erance,  and  like  all  others  who  have 
made  a  name  for  themselves  in  insurance 
circles,  he  is  a  man  of  honor,  a  prominent 
and  able  representative  of  his  business,  and 
a  sound  and  substantial  citizen. 


WARREN  D.  JEWELL. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  one 
of  the  leading  farmers  of  Reno  county,  Kan- 
sas, is  of  that  old  colonial  stock  which  has 
given  vitality  to  our  national  existence  in 
every  part  of  our  country.  Mr.  Jewell,  who 
lives  on  section  7,  township  24,  range  4,  in 
Valley  township,  was  born  in  Clinton  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  November  13,  1843.  His  father, 
Reuben  Jewell,  was  born  in  Onondaga 
county.  New  York,  March  3,  1815,  and 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade.  The  grand- 
father of  Warren  D.  Jewell  came  to  the 
Lhiited  States  from  England  with  two 
brothers.  He  settled  in  New  York  state,  one 
of  his  brothers  settled  in  Massachusetts  and 
the  other  in  New  Jersey.  Reuben  Jewell 
went  alone  to  Ohio'  in  1838  and  located  in 
Hillsboro  township.  Highland  county,  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade  and  married  Mary 
Van  Zant,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  in  18 18. 

^^"hen  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
about  three  years  old  he  accompanied  his  fa- 
ther's family  to'  Ripley  county,  Indiana. 
After  living  there  for  a  time  the  elder 
Jewell  removed  to  Richmond,  Wayne  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  where  for  a  number  of  years  he 
farmed  in  season  and  worked  at  his  trade  as 
opportunity  afforded.  Originally  a  Whig, 
he  became  a  Republican  and  was  a  stanch 


Union  man.  He  enlisted  in  Company  K, 
Fifty-seventh  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  ser\-ed  under  General  Buell  in 
his  Kentucky  campaign  until  he  was  hon- 
orably discharged  from  service  on  account 
of  disability  incurred  in  the  line  of  duty. 
He  removed  to  Butler  county,  Kansas,  in 
1870,  but  the  following  year  went  to  Sedg- 
wick county,  where  he  took  up  a  homestead 
claim,  which  he  improved  and  sold  after  a 
few  years  in  order  to  return  to  Butler  coun- 
ty. From  Butler  county  he  removed  even- 
tually to  Hutchinson,  Reno  county,  where  he 
died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  George  E. 
Jewell,  June  17,   1899. 

Warren  D.  Jewell  was  the  third  in  or- 
der of  birth  of  the  eleven  children  of  Reu- 
ben and  Mary  (Van  Zant)  Jewell.  The 
first  born  was  Sarah  J.,  who  is  dead,  and  the 
second  born  was  John  William,  who  is  also 
dead.  The  fourth  in  order  of  birth  was 
Mary  E.,  the  wife  of  Spencer  Stringham, 
who  is  a  farmer  in  Texas ;  Jacob  Henry  is  a 
painter  in  Oklahoma  Territory;  Anna  Eliza 
married  Zachariah  Hodson,  a  farmer  in  Ed- 
wards county,  Kansas ;  George  Edward,  of 
Hutchinson,  is  employed  at  the  salt  industry 
at  that  place ;  Margaret  L.  has  been  married 
and  widowed  and  lives  in  Colorado ;  Samuel 
died  in  infancy;  Willis  A.  is  a  farmer  in  In- 
dian Territory;  and  Carrie,  the  youngest, 
is  the  wife  of  J.  L.  Moore,  of  Oklahoma 
City,  Oklahoma  Territory.  Mr.  Jewell  was 
reared  to  farm  work  in  Indiana  and  was 
educated  in  subscription  schools,  and  it  is 
not  without  considerable  just  pride  that  he 
recalls  the  fact  that  he  paid  for  his  last  term 
of  schooling  with  money  which  he  earned 
by  w^orking  out  by  the  month.  He  was  thus 
employed  for  much  of  the  time  after  he  be- 
came old  enough  until  he  entered  the  army 
for  service  in  the  Civil  war.  August  20,. 
1862,  when  he  had  passed  his  eighteenth 
year,  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Eighty- 
fourth  Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  was  in  battle  at  Chickamauga, 
Chattanooga,  Lookout  ^fountain  and  Mis- 
sionary Ridge  and  fought  under  Shemian 
in  the  Atlanta  campaign.  After  that  he  was 
sent  to  Alabama  and  from  there  to  General 
Thomas'  command.     He  participated  in  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


sanguinary  battle  at  Franklin,  in  the  fight- 
ing at  Nashville  and  in  pursuit  of  Hood"s 
army  as  far  as  Decatur,  Tennessee.  Thence 
he  went  to  Huntsville,  Alabama,  whence  he 
started  in  the  spring  of  1865  for  Richmond 
by  way  of  Knoxville,  Tennessee.  He  had 
covered  only  sixty-five  miles  of  the  march, 
however,  when  his  commander  received  in- 
telligence of  the  surrender  of  General  Lee. 
He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  June  14,  1865,  and  return- 
ing to  Indiana  received  his  final  honorable 
discharge  about  July  i   following. 

After  the  war  ]\Ir.  Jewell  was  employed 
as  a  farmer  and  as  a  shoemaker  in  Indiana 
until  1868,  when  he  removed  to  Tajna  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  where  he  worked  by  the  month  for 
farmers  until  the  spring  of  1872.  Then,  in 
company  with  a  number  of  relatives  and 
friends,  he  drove  overland  to  Kansas.  The 
party  had  several  teams  and  wagons  and 
about  twenty  head  of  cattle.  They  passed 
through  Wichita  July  4  of  that  year,  and 
jMr.  Jewell  took  up  as  a  soldier's  claim  the 
northeast  one-fourth  of  section  8  in  Albion 
township,  Reno  county,  which  was  raw 
prairie  land  covered  with  buffalo  grass. 
During  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  his 
stay  there  buffaloes  were  numerous  in  that 
vicinity  and  herds  often  ran  through  his 
cornfields.  He  passed  the  first  summer  as 
an  inmate  of  the  house  of  his  brother-in- 
law,  but  in  the  fall  built  a  dugout  on  his 
place  and  entered  upon  the  career  there  as 
a  bachelor  housekeeper.  Eventually  he 
erected  a  house  covering  a  ground  space  of 
tweh-e  by  fourteen  feet,  and  was  obliged  to 
drive  fifty-two  miles  to  Wichita  for  such 
lumber  as  entered  into  its  construction.  In 
the  spring  of  1873  he  broke  forty  acres  of 
land  and  planted  it  to  corn.  He  made  other 
improvements  there  and  remained  until 
1879,  when  he  removed  to  section  7,  town- 
ship 24,  range  4,  where  he  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  Later  he  made  other 
purchases  of  land  until  he  owns  six  hundred 
and  six  acres  in  sections  7  and  18  in  Valley 
township.  As  his  children  began  life  for 
themselves  he  gave  them  farms  until  his 
lioldings  were  reduced  to  four  hundred 
acres.     He  has  given  his  attention  to  gen- 


eral farming  and  stock-raising  and  at  times 
owns  from  ninety  to  one  hundred  head  of 
cattle.  While  he  has  prospered  and  is  now 
a  man  of  considerable  wealth,  he  has  had 
his  ups  and  downs  in  Kansas,  and  some  of 
his  downs  are  impressed  on  his  mind  quite 
vividly.  In  1874,  while  he  was  living  in 
South  Reno  township,  grasshoppers  ate  all 
his  crops  except  some  oats  which  he  had 
cut,  leaving  him  no  feed  for  his  team  except 
straw  and  grass.  At  one  time  he  invested 
considerable  money  in  town  property  at 
Hutchinson,  but  later  traded  that  property 
for  farms,  which  he  has  sold.  In  the  year 
1901  he  raised  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  corn,  seventy  acres  of  wheat  and  ten  acres 
of  oats.  He  has  for  many  years  been  a 
victim  of  rheumatism  and  during  the  past 
three  years  has  been  so  seriously  crippled 
that  he  has  been  unable  to  do  any  active 
work,  and  he  has  sold  off  most  of  his  stock 
and  given  his  attention  largely  to  hogs  and 
to  corn.  He  built  his  present  residence  in 
1892,  at  a  cost  of  twelve  hundred  dollars. 
His  place  is  highly  improved  and  is  provided 
with  five  large  barns,  iiranense  corn  cribs 
and  good  fences,  and  two  fine  orchards  and 
many  shade  trees  are  monuments  to  ^Ir. 
Jewell's  thrift  and  enterprise.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican.  He  has  during  all  his  act- 
ive life  taken  a  deep  interest  in  public  ques- 
tions, and  while  not  a  politician  in  the  ordi- 
nar)-  sense  has  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost 
for  the  success  of  his  part}'  and  the  preva- 
lence of  its  principles.  He  is  a  Mason  and 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic. While  a  resident  of  Albion  township  he 
was  induced  to  accept  the  offices  of  constable 
of  his  town  and  treasurer  of  his  school  dis- 
trict. 

j\Ir.  Jewell  was  married  ]\Iay  6,  1874,  in 
Albion  to'wnship.  Reno  county,  Kansas,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Seley,  who  was  born  in  Cass 
county,  Michigan,  February  21,  1844,  a 
daughter  of  Isaac  L.  and  Sarah  Jane 
(  Price)  Seley.  Mr.  Seley  was  a  native  of 
the  state  of  New  York  and  Mrs.  Seley  was 
born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio.  On  his  father's 
side  Mr.  Seley  was  of  English  descent  and 
on  his  mother's  side  he  was  of  Welsh  de- 
scent.    Mrs.  Selev  was  of  French-English 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


58  fc 


extraction.  Jerry  Seley,  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Jewel,  fought  for  American  indepen- 
dence in  tlie  Revohitionary  war  and  some  of 
her  relatives  fought  to  maintain  it  in  the 
war  of  1812  and  still  others  took  part  in  the 
Mexican  war.  Airs.  Jewell  came  to  Kansas 
with  her  parents  in  1872,  and  against  her 
parents'  advice  took  a  homestead,  011  which 
she  paid  out  all  her  cash  in  hand,  leaving 
her  nothing  with  which  to  make  the  required 
improvements.  She  must  make  some  money 
in  some  way  and  she  bought  a  hunter  and 
trapper's  outht  and  during  the  succeeding 
fall  and  w  inter  hunted  and  trapped  in  all 
directiljns  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles  of  her 
home.  She  drove  her  father's  team  from 
trap  to  trap,  going  armed  with  a  knife  and 
a  large  revolver,  and  killed  and  skinned  such 
wolves  and  coyotes  as  she  found  in  the  traps. 
Sometimes,  with  a  companion,  she  hunted 
buffaloes,  and  seldom  failed  to  kill  some, 
the  skins  of  which  brought  her  a  good  price. 
With  the  proceeds  of  this  daring  enterprise 
this  border  heroine  was  able  to  pay  for 
breaking  fifteen  acres  of  land,  put  up  a 
twelve  by  fourteen  foot  sod  house  and 
planted  an  orchard  and  shade  trees.  Her 
fame  spread  throughout  the  state  and  she 
became  known  as  "the  lady  trapper  of 
southern  Kansas."  She  also  earned  con- 
siderable money  by  teaming-  between  Wich- 
ita and  a  point  five  miles  south  of  Castleton. 
Her  claim,  which  covered  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  8,  township  26,  range  6, 
adjoined  that  of  Air.  Jewell,  w-hom  she  sub- 
sequently married.  Her  father  and  mother 
sleep  in  the  cemetery  in  Albion  township, 
five  miles  south  of  Castleton,  where  her  sis- 
ter Angeline  was  also  laid  tO'  rest.  Her 
father  died  in  1875,  her  mother  in  1878. 

Air.  Jewell's  mother  was  a  member  of 
the  Alethodist  church,  of  which  Airs.  Jew- 
ell's mother  was  also-  a  member,  and  with 
which  Airs.  Jewell  has  been  identified  since 
she  was  fourteen  years  old.  Air.  and  Airs. 
Jewell  have  had  seven  children,  of  whom  six 
are  living:  Lanetta  is  the  wife  of  Alex- 
ander Culberson  and  lives  on  a  farm  which 
was  given  her  by  her  father;  Charles  L. 
formerly  mined  in  the  westT  but  now  lives 
in  Oklahoma;  James  R.  died  in  1891  ;  Al- 


fred W.,  Alonzo  W.  and  Oscar  AI.  are  man- 
aging farms  which  were  given  them  by  their 
father;  and  Sylvia  H.  is  a  member  of  her 
father's  household.  Air.  and  Airs.  Jewell 
have  given  and  are  giving  their  children  a 
substantial  education. 


HENRY  SULTZBACH. 

Among  the  stock  farmers  of  Lake  town-- 
ship,  Harvey  county,  Kansas,  none  is  more 
deservedly  successful  and  popular  than  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Henry  Sultzbach,  whose  homestead  is  in 
section  23  O'f  the  township  mentioned  anil 
whose  post  office  is  at  Patterson,  was  born 
in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  14, 
1835,  on  the  same  farm  and  in  the  same 
house  in  which  Joseph  Sultzbach,  his  father,, 
was  born  in  1807.  Joseph,  wdio  died  at 
Springfield,  Ohio,  in  1891,  was  a  son  of 
Henry  Sultzbach,  who  was  born  on  the 
fanu  and  tanner's  yard  where  his  father  set- 
tled under  the  auspices  of  William  Penn, 
and  the  estate  which  the  emigrant  acquired 
at  that  time  is  still  owned  in  his  family. 
One  brother  of  the-  original  settler  was  a 
tanner  and  the  latter  trained  three  of  his 
sous  to  the  same  trade.  He  had  four  sons 
and  two  daughters.. 

In  1854  Joseph  Sultzbach  removed  with 
his  family  to  Clark  county,  Ohio,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  Henry  Sultzbach  went  to 
Illinois,  and  before  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war  he  crossed  the  Alississippi  river.  Even- 
tually he  returned  to  Ohio  and  in  August, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  Seventeenth  Ohio 
Light  Artillery.  After  one  year  of  credit- 
able service  in  the  Civil  war  his  feet  were 
injured  while  he  was  getting  mules  out  of 
a  swamp  and  he  was  honorably  discharged 
in  1S65.  He  was  married  in  Ohio  that  yea'r 
to  Alartha  S.  Elhs,  a  daughter  of  A.  S. 
Ellis,  an  eastern  man  who  came  to  Ohio  in 
1854  and  thence  tO'  Kansas  twenty-one  years 
ago.  For  many  years  Air.  Ellis  was  a  me- 
chanic at  Springfield.  Ohio,  but  after  lo- 
cating" in  Kansas  he  gave  his  attention  to 
farming.     Now  past  eighty-two  years  old, . 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


he  is  a  member  of  the  household  of  Mr. 
Sulzbach.  Sarali  Finch,  a  native  of  that 
part  of  the  state  of  Xew  York  bordering  the 
Hudson  river,  became  his  wife  and  bore  him 
three  daughters.  She  died  of  cancer  in  Kan- 
sas in  1893. 

xA.fter  his  return  from  the  war  Mr.  Sultz- 
bach  worked  at  Springfield,  Ohio,  as  a  car- 
penter until  1869,  when  he  removed  to  Bur- 
lington, Iowa.  In  1880  he  bought  a  quarter 
section  of  railroad  land  in  Harvey  county, 
Kansas,  and  in  1881  he  bought  another 
quarter  section  near  the  lirst,  paying  from 
seven  to  eleven  dollars  an  acre.  He  built  a 
fine  two-story  residence,  which  was  de- 
stroyed May  I,  1895,  by  a  cyclone,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sultzbach,  their  daughter,  father  Ellis 
and  the  housemaid  escaping  death  by  seek- 
ing refuge  in  the  cellar  under  the  house. 
Some  boys  employed  on  the  farm  sought 
safety  by  running  and  were  whirled  against 
the  fence  and  doubled  up  there,  but,  miracu- 
lous as  it  would  seem,  escaped  with  only  a 
few  scratches  and  bruises.  The  stone  wall 
of  the  cellar  and  foundation  of  the  house  re- 
mained, but  Mr.  Sultzbach's  barn  was  swept 
away  and  his  present  barn  was  built  par- 
tially of  debris  saved  from  the  former  one. 
The  family  lost  all  their  household  goods 
and  not  a  fann  implement  remained  on  the 
place ;  but  as  every  member  of  his  household 
remained,  while  some  of  his  neighbors  had 
been  bereft  of  loved  ones,  Mr.  Sultzbach  was 
thankful  that  the  calamity  was  not  greater. 

From  one  calf,  which  was  spared  by  the 
cyclone,  Mr.  Sultzbach  has  in  succeeding 
generations  raised  one  hundred  head  of  cat- 
tle. He  keeps  eight  to  fourteen  horses,  most 
of  which  are  employed  in  running  his  farm. 
He  raises  each  year  two  to  three  hundred 
acres  of  corn  and  one  to  two  hundred  acres 
of  wheat,  and  one  year  he  planted  five  hun- 
dred acres  with  corn  and  raised  fifteen  thou- 
sand bushels,  he  and  another  man  planting 
the  entire  acreage.  His  annual  output  of 
hay  is  about  one  hundred  tons.  After  the 
cyclone  he  moved  to  the  house  of  his  father- 
in-law,  and  the  foundations  of  his  former 
residence  are  visible  to-day  practically  as 
they  were  left  by  the  storm.  Mr.  Sultzbach 
is  a  neat  and  thorough  farmer  and  ascribes 


his  success  almost  entirely  to  his  close  at- 
tention to  the  details  of  his  business. 

Of  the  three  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sultzbach  only  one  is  now  living — ■ 
Mrs.  Aland  F.  Button,  whose  husband  is  a 
lawyer  at  Buffalo,  New  York.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sultzbach  gave  their  daughter  a  good 
literary  and  musical  education  and  she  is  a 
lady  of  many  graces  and  accomplishments. 
In  1 90 1  they  visited  her  in  Buffalo,  where 
they  gave  much  time  to  viewing  the  wonders 
of  the  Pan-American  exposition.  Air. 
Sultzbach  is  a  Republican  not  without  in- 
fluence in  the  local  councils  of  his  party. 
He  has  been  several  times  elected  to  im- 
portant school  offices  in  his  township.  Air. 
Sultzbach  is  a  public-spirited  man,  devoted 
to  the  good  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  is  lib- 
eral in  the  promotion  of  all  measures  tend- 
ing to  their  benefit.  A  model  husband  and 
father,  he  is  a  generous  and  helpful  neigh- 
bor, in  whom  many  a  man  in  troulsle  has 
found  such  a  friend  in  need  as  is  truly  a 
friend  indeed.  He  is  a  member  and  a  trus- 
tee of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of 
which  denomination  his  wife  also'  is  a  mem- 
ber. 


GEORGE  Z.  REDFIELD. 

In  examining  into  the  secret  of  success 
which  has  crowned  the  efforts  of  George  Z. 
Redfield  we  find  that  his  diligence  and 
capable  management  have  formed  the  foun- 
dation of  his  prosperity  and  that  moreover 
his  actions  have  ever  been  guided  by  un- 
faltering honesty,  his  word  being  as  good 
as  any  bond  that  was  ever  solemnized  by 
signature  or  seal.  He  is  now  extensively 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising  on 
section  3,  Kingman  township,  where  he 
owns  eight  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land, 
one-half  of  which  is  under  cultivation, 
while  the  remainder  is  devoted  to  pasturage 
purposes. 

Mr.  Redfield  was  born  in  Caldwell 
county,  Missoiiri,  December  8,  1838,  and 
comes  of  a  family  that  was  founded  in 
.\merica  during  the  earliest  period  in  the 
development   of   Massachusetts.     Tradition 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


583 


says  that  three  brothers  of  the  name  of  Red- 
field  came  from  England  about  the  time  of 
the  landing  of  the  Mayflower  and  thus 
founded  the  family  on  the  soil  of  the  new 
world,  since  which  time  their  descendants 
have  scattered  widely  over  the  United 
States.  The  parental  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  New  England  and  was 
a  tailor  by  trade,  but  also  followed  farming. 
On  leaving  New  England  he  took  up  his 
abode  near  Rochester,  New  York,  where 
he  spent  his  remaining  days.  In  his  family 
were  six  children :  Caroline,  who  was  the 
wife  (jf  Squire  Eggleston  and  died  in  Scott 
county,  Kansas,  in  1876;  Esther,  who  was 
tlie  wife  of  Dexter  Griffith  and  died  in  Shen- 
andoah, Iowa;  Hiram,  an  agriculturist,  who 
died  in  Fremont  county,  Iowa ;  William,  the 
father  of  our  subject;  Clarissa,  who  was  the 
wife  uf  Henry  Wilcox  and  died  in  Utah; 
and  Barbara,  the  wife  of  Dexter  Stillman. 
William  Redfield  was  a  native  of  either 
\'ermont  or  ^Massachusetts,  but  was  reared 
in  New  York  and  from  there  removed  to 
Oliio,  where  he  was  "married  to  Mary  Scott, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  with  whom  he  removed 
about  1837 -tO'  Caldwell  county,  M'issouri. 
During  the  early  infancy  of  our  subject  his 
parents  removed  to  Hancock  county,  Illi- 
nois, settling  on  a  farm  near. La  Harpe, 
where  they  remained  for  two  years  and  then 
spent  a  number  of  years  in  Indiana,  after 
which  they  returned  to  Hancock  county, 
Illinois,  coming  thence,  after  two  years,  to 
Alissouri  and  eventually  locating  in  Mills 
county,  Iowa,  where  they  remained  for  eight 
or  nine  years.  ■  Their  next  place  of  residence 
was  in  Page  county,  that  state,  where  the 
parents  spent  their  remaining  days,  the  fa- 
ther (lying  about  1877,  while  the  mother 
passed  away  about  two  years  later.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  church  of  Latter  Day 
Saints  and  gave  his  political  support  to  the 
Republican  ].)arty.  In  the  family  of  this  wor- 
thy c  i'])le  were  se\en  chihlren:  Reliecca,  the 
wife  I'f  SyKester  Whiting,  a  merchant  of 
Clilhera/il.  Alinnesota;  George  Z.,  of  this 
re\iew  :  William,  who  died  in  Ogden,  Utah ; 
Mary  E..  who  died  in  childhood:  Joseph 
Hiram,  a  barber  of  Shenandoah,  Iowa; 
John  Frank,  who  follows  the  same  line  of 


business  in  Shenandoah ;  and  Triphena,  the 
wife  of  David  Hall,  a  barber  of  Creston, 
Iowa. 

In  the  district  schools  of  southwestern 
Iowa  George  Z.  Redfield  accjuired  the 
greater  part  of  his  education.  He  remained 
with  his  father  until  twenty-six  years  of  age, 
when  he  was  married  and  established  a 
home  of  his  own.  On  the  26th  of  January, 
1865,  Imogene  J.  Austin  became  his  wife. 
She  was  born  in  Watertown,  New  York, 
April  18,  1846,  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
and  Lois  L.  (Baxter)  Austin,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  the  Empire  state.  The  lat- 
ter was  a  daughter  of  Nathan  Baxter,  who 
was  a  jailor  in  New  York  and  served  his 
country  as  a  loyal  soldier  in  the  war  oi 
1812.  The  Austin  family  is  of  Scotch  and 
English  extraction.  The  parents  of  Mrs. 
Redfield  removed  from  New  York  to  Grand 
Traverse,  Michigan,  about  1851,  and  there 
the  father  followed  the  carpenter's  trade  for 
several  years.  His  next  place  of  residence 
was  in  Butler  county,  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1862,  when  he  removed  to 
Nauvoo,  Illinois.  In  1867  he  went  with  his 
family  to  Page  county,  Iowa,  where  his 
death  occurred  about  1878.  His  wife  sur- 
vived him  until  1895,  and  departed  this  life 
when  living  with  her  son  in  Independence, 
Missouri.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children:  Sarah  D.,  the  widow  of  George 
Rogers,  now  living  in  California;  Sophia 
A.,  who  was  the  wife  of  E.  J.  Moore  and 
died  in  Independence,  Missouri;  Mary  T., 
who  married  Eli  Steele  and  died  in  Shenan- 
doah, Iowa :  George,  who  is  now  in  Africa, 
but  makes  his  home  in  Calana,  Washington ; 
Wiley  W.,  a  retired  farmer  of  Independence, 
Missouri;  Usselus  A.,  a  plasterer  of  Inde- 
pendence, Missouri;;  and  Mrs.  Redfield. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Redfield  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  two  years  and  then  re- 
nidxcd  to  Decatur  county,  Iowa,  later  taking 
up  his  residence  in  Fremont  county,  whence 
he  went  ti>  Page  county,  Iowa,  residing 
there  from  1870  until  1886.  At  the  latter 
date  he  removed  to  Nemaha  county,  Ne- 
braska, locating  near  Brownsville,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  formerly  owned    by    Governor  Fur- 


584 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ness,  for  which  our  subject  paid  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  This  \Yas  one  of  the  finest  and 
best  improved  farms  of  the  state  and  upon 
it  had  been  erected  a  palatial  residence,  built 
of  brick  and  unsurpassed  in  that  part  of  the 
country.  There  Mr.  Redfield  resided  until 
1896,  when  he  traded  his  Nebraska  property 
for  his  present  fine  farm  of  eight  himdred 
acres  on  sections  3  and  10,  Kingman  town- 
ship. It  is  a  splendid  body  of  land,  all  under 
fence,  and  four  hundred  acres  are  planted 
with  wheat.  He  has  a  herd  of  two  hundred 
and  thirty  head  of  graded  shorthorn  and 
Hereford  cattle,  and  he  feeds  over  two  car- 
loads of  cattle  each  year.  He  has  alsO'  re- 
cently begun  the  breeding  of  registered  Jer- 
sey Red  hogs. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Redfield  has 
been  blessed  with  twelve  children :  George 
A.,  a  farmer  of  Missouri;  Eva  L.,  the  wife 
of  C.  Perry,  a  farmer  living  near  Zenda, 
Kingman  county;  Oscar  A.,  a  farmer  and 
stockman  of  Kingman  county,  wdio  is  also 
serving  as  trustee  of  his  township;  William 
Franklin,  who  died  in  Nebraska  in  1893; 
Triphena  M.,  the  wife  of  Homer  E.  McCue, 
who  follows  farming  near  Zenda,  Kingman 
county;  Inez,  who  died  in  Nebraska  in 
1889;  and  Charles  H.,  Mamie  V.,  Earl,  N., 
Roy  R.,  Carl  E.  and  Xune  F.,  all  under  the 
parental  roof. 

T'he  parents  are  both  members  of  the 
Reorganized  Church  of  the  Latter  Day 
Saints  and  Mr.  Redfield  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  church  work.  In  politics  he  was 
originally  a  Republican,  voting  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  but  of  late  years  has  been 
identified  with  the  People's  party  move- 
ment. He  has  been  twice  elected  justice  of 
the  peace,  discharging  his  duties  w-ith  strict 
impartiality  and  thus  winning  high  com- 
mendation. He  is  numbered  aniong  the 
solid,  substantial  citizens  of  the  county,  true 
to  his  duties  of  citizenship  and  never  with- 
holding his  support  from  any  movement  or 
measure  calculated  to  advance  the  general 
good.  In  business  he  is  thoroughly  reliable 
is  energetic  and  far-sighted,  and  his  admir- 
able management  of  his  business  interests 
has  brought  to  him  a  most  gratifying  com- 
petence. 


CAREY  De  WEESE. 

Carey  De  Weese,  who  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock  raising  on  section 
12,  Rural  township,  was  born  in  Darke 
county,  Ohio',  September  5,  1857,  ^"^  is  a 
son  of  John  De  Weese  a  native  of  Virginia, 
born  in  1806.  On  arriving  at  years  of  ma- 
turity he  married  Lo-ttie  Rose  and  soon  af- 
terward removed  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Tip- 
pecanoe, Miami  county,  during  the  days  of 
its  pioneer  development.  A  few  years  la- 
ter he  went  to  Darke  county,  settling  in  a 
region  so  densely  timbered  that  a  path  had 
to  be  blazed  on  the  trees  in  order  that  they 
might  find  their  way  to  the  settlement.  There 
in  the  midst  of  the  forest,  Mr.  De  \\'eese 
cleared  a  tract  of  land  and  developed  a 
farm,  upon  which  he  reared  his  family  of 
fourteen  children,  giving  to  each  one  of 
them  a  farm  as  they  reached  mature  years 
and  started  out  in  life  for  themselves.  He 
had  adde(l  to  his  original  homestead  until 
his  landed  possessions  aggregated  seven 
hundred  acres.  He  not  onlv  became  well- 
to-do,  but  was  a  very  prominent  and  influ- 
ential citizen  and  he  bore  an  inportant  part 
in  the  early  progress  and  development  of  his 
region.  He  was  married  three  times,  his 
second  union  being  with  ^Irs.  Frazier.  Af- 
ter her  death  he  was  married,  in  Darke  coun- 
ty, to  Christiana  Dorman,  the  widow  of 
Isaac  Dorman,  who  In  her  maidenhood  bore 
the  name  of  Houser.  She  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  and  at  an  early  age  was  left 
an  orphan,  so  that  no  account  of  her  family 
history  is  obtainable.  Sh»  died  December 
25,  1892,  on  the  old  homestead  in  Darke 
county,  while  livir.g  with  one  of  her  sons. 
The  father  of  our  subject  had  passed  away 
several  years  previously,  on  the  5th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1884,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  what 
is  now  Yorkshire  cemetery.  He  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Christian  cJnirch 
and  in  his  political  views  was  a  Republican. 
By  his  first  marriage  he  had  two  children : 
William,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war, 
and  died  in  the  hospital  during  the  service ; 
and  Barney,  who  was  for  three  years  num- 
bered among  the  boys  in  blue  who  preserved 
the  Union,  and  who  is  now  a  farmer  of  ]\Iis- 


MR.   AND    MRS.   CAREY    DE    WEESE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


585 


souri.  There  were  three  chikh-en  by  the 
second  marriage  and  of  these  two  are  liv- 
ing: Peter,  a  resident  fanner  of  Darke 
county,  Ohio;  and  George,  an  agriculturist 
of  Miami  comity,  Ohio.  The  daughter, 
Mary,  was  the  wife  of  Harrison  Swallow 
and  died  in  Darke  county,  Ohio,  about  1891. 
Her  husband  still  survives  and  is  living  in 
Indiana.  By  his  third  marriage,  the  father 
of  our  subject  had  eight  children,  Carey 
being  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth.  The 
record  is  as  follows :  Harvey  is  a  retired 
farmer  of  Osgood,  Darke  county,  Ohio; 
Gordon  is  a  farmer  and  occupies  the  old 
homestead  in  Darke  county;  Sarah,  who 
died  in  Woodland,  Ohio,  about  1878,  was 
the  wife  of  Levi  Davidson;  Susan  is  the 
wife  of  John  R.  Brandon,  a  retired  farmer 
of  Yorkshire,  Ohio;  Thomas  died  in  Darke 
county  about  1873,  when  twenty-two  years 
of  age ;  Ladema  is  the  wife  of  John  Coble, 
a  farmer  of  ^lichigan;  Carey  is  the  subject 
of  this  review;  and  Joseph  C.  follows  agri- 
cultural pursuits  near  Osgood,  Darke  coun- 
ty, Ohio. 

In  the  district  schools  of  his  native  coun- 
ty Carey  De  Weese  obtained  his  education, 
but  his  advantages  in  that  direction  were 
limited,  his  sen-ices  being  needed  in  the 
work  on  the  home  farm.  He  farmed  with 
his  father  until  his  marriage,  which  occurred 
September  3,  1883,  the  lady  of  his  choice 
being  Frances  E.  Lawhead,  who  was  born 
at  Covington,  Miami  county,  Ohio,  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  J.  and  Martha  M.  (Conover) 
Lawhead.  Her  father  was  born  in  Piqua, 
I\Iiami  county,  March  30,  1836,  and 
throughout  his  life  followed  farming.  His 
wife,  also  a  native  of  Piqua,  was  born  No- 
vember 2,  1843,  and  represented  a  family 
that  came  to  the  west  from  New  Jersey. 
The  parents  of  Mrs.  De  \\'eese  were  mar- 
ried July  3,  1862,  in  Piqua,  where  they  re- 
sided until  1888,  with  the  exception  of  a 
short  peri(^d  spent  in  Darke  county.  In  the 
year  mentinned  thev  came  to  Kansas  and 
after  a  gear's  residence  in  Cherokee  county, 
removed  to  Kingman  county,  wherfe  Mr. 
Lawhead  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  has  since  re- 
sided. His  wife  died'  December  29,  1896. 
37 


They  became  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
namely:  Mary  E.,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Frances  E.,  now  Mrs.  De  Weese;  Dora  B., 
the  wife  of  William  Grove,  who  is  station 
agent  at  Nashville,  Kansas;  Gladys  L.,  who 
died  in  childhood;  Georgie,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Shafer,  a  farmer  of  Kingman  coun- 
ty; Alphonso,  who  is  living  with  his  father, 
married  Minnie  Franks,  daughter  of  Mel- 
vin  Franks,  a  farmer  residing  in  Kingman 
county;  Alonzo,  wh.j  was  a  twin  of  Alphon- 
so, and  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Capitola, 
who  died  in  childhood. 

From  his  father  Mr.  De  Weese  inher- 
ited a  farm  of  eightv  acres,  and  after  his 
marriage  resided  thereon  for  two  years, 
when  he  sold  that  property,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1888  he  came  to  Kingman  county,  Kan- 
sas, here  purchasing  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  constituting  the  nucleus  of  the 
farm'  upon  which  he  now  resides.  There 
were  but  few  improvements  upon  the  place, 
including  a  dilapidated  house,  and  the  first 
season  he  erected  a  new  and  substantial 
dwelling  of  four  rooms.  The  same  year  he 
built  a  barn  twenty-eight  by  twenty-four 
feet  and  also  broke  much  of  the  land'.  He 
had  but  five  or  six  head  of  cattle  during  the 
first  season,  but  now  a  herd  of  fifty-two 
head  and  has  found  that  the  raising  of  and 
dealing  in  live  stock  constitute  a  very  profit- 
able enterprise.  He  sells  his  cattle  as  stock- 
ers  and  also  feeds  by  the  carload.  He  has 
a  fine  drove  of  thoroughbred  Poland-China 
hogs,  and  everything  about  his  place  is  neat 
and  thrifty  in  appearance,  indicating  his 
careful  supervision.  His  entire  farm  is  en- 
closed with  a  wire  fence,  and  in  addition  to 
his  stock  and  cultivated  fields  he  has  a  fine 
vineyard,  covering  two  acres. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Weese 
has  been  blessed  with  two  children,  but  one 
died  in  infancy.  The  other  son,  Jesse,  born 
June  _'7,  JSS5,  is  at  home.  Our  subject  and 
his  wife  enjoy  the  high  regard  of  many 
friends  and  are  people  of  sterling  worth. 
For  six  years  he  has  served  as  road  super- 
visor and  he  has  been  a  delegate  to  a  num- 
ber of  county  conventions  of  the  Republican 
party,  of  which  he  is  a  stanch  advocate.  He 
belongs  to^  the  camp  of  ^Modern  3^'oodmen 


586 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


at  Cunningliam.  He  and  his  wife  hold  mem" 
bership  in  the  Baptist  church,  their  hves 
being  in  consistent  harmony  with  Christian 
principles. 


E.  F.  SHERMAN. 

The  story  of  pioneer  life  in  Kansas  is 
well  known  to  E.  F.  Sherman,  for  throtigh 
twenty-five  years  he  has  been  a  witness  of 
the  development  oi  the  northwest  and  has 
faithfully  borne  his  part  in  the  work  of  up- 
building and  advancement.  He  claims  Illi- 
nois as  the  state  of  his  nativity,  his  birth 
occurring  in  Lasalle  county,  January  30, 
1854.  He  is  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Hester 
(McClish)  Sherman,  the  former  a  native 
of  Germany  and  the  latter  of  Indiana,  and  in 
the  latter  state  they  were  married.  In  com- 
pany with  two  of  his  brothers  the  father 
emigrated  to  America  and  later  another 
brother  joined  them  in  the  new  world,  a  lo- 
cation having  been  made  in  Illinois.  The 
Ijrothers  were  John  H.,  Henry,  Stephen  and 
John.     Henry  and  Stephen  died  in  Illinois. 

Jcihn  H.  Sherman,  the  father  oi  our  sub- 
ject, came  to  the  Sunflower  state  in  i860, 
locating  in  Nemaha  county,  '  where  he 
bought  land  and  improved  a  good  farm. 
He  was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  the 
county,  and  the  people  of  the  present  day 
can  scarcely  realize  the  struggles  and 
dangers  which  attended  the  early  settlers, 
the  hardships  endured,  the  difficulties  over- 
come. He  made  many  substantial  improve- 
ments upon  his  farm  and  was  recognized  as 
one  of  the  prominent  and  influential  agri- 
culturists of  his  locality.  By  hard  work  and 
imflagging  industry  he  secured  a  handsome 
■  competence,  and  at  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1878,  he  left  to  his  widow  and 
children  a  good  estate.  His  widow  survi-ved 
him  until  1882,  when  she,  too,  was  called 
to  the  home  beyond.  Of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  they  were  biith  wmthy  and 
consistent  members.  Their  children  were: 
Leonard,  Scphronia,  Catherine.  Stephen. 
Amos  and  E.  F.  Catherine  was  twice  mar- 
ried, her  first  husband  having  been  J.  Love- 
less and  her  second  A.  D.  \Vells :  Stephen 


died,  leaving  six  children;  and  Amos  was 
married  and  left  four  children  at  his  death. 

E.  F.  Sherman,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, was  reared  tO'  the  honest  toil  of  a 
farmer  in  his  native  place,  and  received  hi-> 
education  in  the  district  school  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. He  remained  under  the  parental 
roof  until  twenty  years  of  age,  and  then,  in 
1876.  came  to  Rice  county,  Kansas,  but  did 
not  locate  permanently  in  this  locality  until 
1884.  Soon  after  coming  here  he  purchased 
the  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  which 
he  now  resides,  which  is  now  under  a  high 
state  of  culti\-atitjn  and  is  impmx-ed  with  ail 
the  modern  accessories  and  equipments  of 
a  model  farm.  In  addition  tot  his  general 
farming  he  also  gives  some  attention  to  the 
raising'  of  a  good  grade  of  cattle,  of  which 
he  now  has  some  fine  specimens.  His  place 
is  one  of  the  valuable  farms  of  Rice  county, 
en  which  are  a  good  residence,  large  barns 
and  necessary  outbuildings,  and  his  well 
cultivated  fields  yield  a  good  return  for  the 
care  and  labor  bestowed  upon  them.  The 
place  is  located  nine  miles  northwest  of 
Lyons. 

In  1888  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Sherman  and  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Sherman, 
who  was  born  in  Illinois,  a  daughter  of 
R.  W.  and  Elizaljeth  (  Skinner)  Wells,  also 
natives  of  Illinois.  They  were  married  in 
that  state  and  in  1837  emigrated  to  Nemaha 
county,  Kansas,  casting  in  their  lot  among 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  locality.  They 
underwent  many  of  the  privations  and  hard- 
ships incident  to  pioneer  life  on  the  western 
frontier,  but  they  bore  all  with  fortitude  and 
courage  and  nobly  performed  their  part  in 
the  great  work  of  improvement  and  up- 
building. The  father  was  a  gunsmith  liy  trade 
and  also  followed  farming.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children :  Adolphus.  Sally 
A.,  Frank,  Jane,  Abijah,  Anna,  Charity  and 
Sarah  E.  Abijah  was  the  judge  of  a  Kan- 
sas appellate  court,  retiring  in  the  fall  of 
1901  by  reason  of  a  change  in  the  law  abol- 
ishing that  grade  of  courts.  The  parents 
died  in  Nemaha  cnunty.  Kansas,  in  the  faith 
of  the  Methodist  church,  in  which  they  held 
membership.  Tlie  marriage  of  our  suljject 
anrl    wife   lias   been    blessed    with    one    son, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


587 


John  E.,  wlio  was  born  August  8,  1889. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sherman  are  also  worthy 
miembers  of  the  Methodist  church.  In  his 
social  relations  he  is  a  Afeson,  and  in  poli- 
tics votes  with  the  Republican  party,  and 
although  he  keeps  well  informed  on  the 
issues  and  questions  of  the  day  he  has  never 
been  an  office-seeker,  preferring  to  give  his 
time  and  attention  to  his  business  interests. 
He  has  many  friends  among  the  pioneers, 
as  well  as  among  the  later  arrivals  of  Kan- 
sas, and  well  deserves  mention  among  the 
early  settlers  of  this  splendid  commoii- 
wea'lth. 


ERNEST  W.  SANDERSON. 

The  story  of  pioneer  life  in  Kansas  is 
a  familiar  one  to  Ernest  \V.  Sanderson,  for 
he  has  been  a  witness  of  the  development  of 
the  southwest  and  has  faithfully  Ijorne  his 
part  in  the  work  of  upbuilding  and  advance- 
ment. He  is  a  native  son  of  the  Sunflower 
state,  'his  birth  having  occurred  at  the  old 
homestead  in  Lincoln  township,  Rice  county, 
March  6,  1876,  where  he  was  reared  to^  the 
honest  toil  oi  a  farmer.  He  is  a  son  of  Sam- 
uel and  Jennie  A.  (Weaver)  Sanderson, 
both  natives  of  Ohio  and  descendants  of 
prominent  and  representative  families  -of 
that  state.  The  father  was  bom  in  High- 
land county,  Ohio,  June  20,  1858,  and  was 
reared  in  Pike  county,  that  state.  He  was 
a  son  of  Wdlliam  and  Elizabeth  (Evans) 
Sanderson,  natives  respectively  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Ohio.  The  former  was  of  Irish 
descent.  Samuel  and  Jennie  A.  Sanderson 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children, — Ernest 
W.,  Arthur,  Alice  B.,  George  B..  Elna  E., 
James  W.,  John  H.  and  Charles.  Of  the 
Aletlmdist  church  the  parents  were  worthy 
members  and  the  father  was  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity. 

Ernest  W.  Sanderson,  the  subject  of  this 
review,  remained  on  the  oM  homestead  until 
he  reached  his  majority,  when  he  com- 
menced the  struggle  of  life  for  himself.  His 
first  employment  was  as  assistant  deputy 
agent  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
with  which  he  remained  for  two  vears.     At 


the  time  the  Oklahoma  district  of  the  Wood- 
men was  admitted  into  jurisdiction  as  com- 
petent territory  he  received  the  appointment 
of  assistant  deputy.  He  had  entire  charge 
of  the  district,  appointed  the  agents  and 
looked  after  the  interests  of  the  organization 
there.  He  remained  in  that  position  for 
foiur  years.  May  4,  1900.  he  accepted  an 
agency  of  the  New  York  Life  Insurance 
Company,  and  in  that  position  he  is  now 
serving  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 
He  is  a  competent  business  man,  reliable  and 
trustworthy  in  every  relation  of  life,  and  his 
success  has  come  to  him  as  the  result  of  per- 
sistent purpose,  earnest  labor  and  reliable 
business  methods.  In  his  social  relatiims  he 
is  a  Master  Mason  and  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Wocxlmen  of  America. 


SAMUEI^  SANDERSON. 

Rice  county.  Kansas,  has  no  more  hon- 
oired  and  representative  pioneer  citizen  tlian 
Samuel  Sanderson,  who'  cast  in  his  lot  with 
the  early  settlers  of  the  Sunflower  state 
twenty-eight  years  agf>  and  has  ever  since 
been  actively  ideiilified  with  the  agricultural 
interests  of  that  locality.  His  father.  \\"ill- 
ianii  Sanderson,  was  o-f  Irisli  docent.  He 
served  his  country  through  the  ciitiic  war 
of  1812  and  at  an  early  day  settled  m  1  ligh- 
land  county,  Ohio,  and  later  mo\-ed  to  Pike 
county,  same  state,  where  he  improved  a 
good  farm  and  remained  during  his  life. 
He  was  an  industrious  man,  whose  in- 
tegrity and  honor  were  above  reproach,  very 
social  in  his  nature,  greatly  enjoying  the 
friendship  oif  his  many  friends.  He  was 
very  successful  in  his  farming  operations 
and  accumulated  a  comfortable  competence 
with  wlu'ch  to  make  himself  and  family  com" 
fortable  and  happy  in  old  age.  Politically 
he  was  a  Whig  and  cast  his  last  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  was  converted  to 
Christianity  when  sixteen  years  of  age  and 
joined  the  Protestant  Methodist  church,  in 
which  he  served  as  class-leader  for  over 
twenty  years  and  was  also  one  of  the  stew- 
ards of  the  church,  contributing  liberally  to 


588 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


its  support.  He  married  ]\Iiss  Elizabetli 
Evans,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  they  had  eig-ht 
children,  namely :  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Xoah 
Nicely;  ^Mary  A.,  who'  married  Irvin 
Nicely ;  ^Margaret,  who  became  the  wife  of 
J.  Spring;  James,  who^  served  as  corporal 
of  his  company  during  tlie  Civil  war  and  is 
now  living  near  Newton,  Iowa;  ]\Iartha, 
who  became  the  wife  of  C.  Flake;  Samuel, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  David^  who  lives 
in-  Ohio;  and  Emma,  now  the  wife  of  H. 
Aldridge.  All  are  yet  living  but  Sarah,  who 
left  four  children.  The  father  of  the  above 
named  died  at  his  old  homestead  in  Pike 
county,  Ohio,  September  20,  1861,  and  their 
mother,  who  also  was  a  member  of  the  same 
church,  survived  her  husband  for  a  number 
of  years,  remaining  at  the  homestead  until 
her  children  were  married  and  settled  in 
homes  of  their  own,  when  she  made  her 
home  with  them  and  died  at  the  home  of  one 
of  her  daughters  in  Iowa. when  seventy-two 
years  of  age. 

Samuel  Sanderson,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  re\-iew,  was  born  in  Highland 
county,  Ohio,  June  20,  1848,  but  was  reared 
in  Pike  county,  where  he  acquired  a  com- 
mon-school education  and  remained  under 
the  parental  roof  until  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  when  he  married  and  settled  on  a 
rented  farm  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  for  one  year.  In  1873  he  moved 
to  Kansas  and  located  a  homestead  in  Rice 
cijunty,  where  he  yet  lives.  He  thus  became 
one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  that  locality, 
and  his  claim,  which  was  fourteen  miles 
from  the  nearest  neighbor  on  the  west,  was 
the  most  western  claim  in  the  county.  Buf- 
falo, antelope  and  other  wild  game  was  very 
plentiful,  furnishing  excellent  sport  for  the 
huntsmen  and  fresh  meats  for  the  table. 
He  built  a  small  sod  house  and  with  char- 
acteristic energy  and  determination  began 
breaking  the  prairie  and  preparing  it  for 
cultivation.  The  crops  were  not  always 
sure  or  bountiful,  and  he  met  with  many  dis- 
couragemervts,  as  when  in  1874  the  grass- 
hoppers swarmed  over  the  prairie  and  de- 
voured every  vestige  of  vegetation ;  but  he 
had  raised  and  saved  about  one  hundred 
bushels  of  wheat,    and,    later    crops    being 


aljundant,  by  economy  and  careful  manage- 
ment he  has  been  enabled  to  provide  him- 
self and  family  with  all  the  necessaries  and 
many  of  the  comforts  of  life.  He  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock-raising, 
his  fields  are  all  now  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  he  has  built  a  comfortable  and 
commodious  two-story  frame  farm  house, 
which  is  supplied  with  all  modern  conveni- 
ences, has  large  barns,  slieds  and  outbuild- 
ings, and  has  made  many  other  substantial 
improvements  upon  his  place,  making  it 
very  attractive  and  ^'aluable,  and  he  is  num- 
bered among  the  solid  men  of  the  county. 

In  1 87 1  Mi".  Sanderson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  A.  Weaver,  an  in- 
telligent and  cultured  lady  who  was  born  in 
Adams  county,  Ohio,  January  22,  1847,  ^ 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  (Gor- 
man) Weaver,  both  natives  of  Ohio.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  Weaver,  of  German  de- 
scent, a  farmer  by  occupation  and  an  early 
settler  of  Ohio.  His  children  were :  Henry, 
now  living  in  Ohio;  Polly,  now  Mrs.  ]\Iur- 
phy;  Benjamin  J.,  the  father  of  Mrs.  San- 
derson; and  John,  who  makes  his  home  in 
Ohio.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  [Mrs. 
Sanderson  was  William  Gonnan,  who  was 
o-f  Irish  descent,  a  farmer  and  early  settler 
of  Ohio,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  earnest 
Christian  people,  respected  by  all  who  knew 
them.  Unto  them  were  born  the  following 
children  :  Mathew ;  Michael ;  Nancy,  now 
i\Irs.  Wyscupp;  John;  James;  Elizabeth, 
the  mother  oi  Mrs.  Sanderson;  Mar}-,  now 
Mrs.  Gardner;  and  Ann,  now  Mrs.  Shoe- 
maker. The  marriage  of  Benjamin  and 
Elizabeth:  Weaver  was  blessed  with  three 
children :  Catherine,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years ;  Jennie,  the  wife  of  our 
subject;  and  John  B.,  who  died  while  serv- 
ing liis  country  in  the  Civil  war.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  in  1850.  a  con- 
sistent member  of  the  United  Brethren 
church.  The  father  was  again  married,  to 
Miss  Hannah  Jenkins,  by  whom  he  has 
three  children, — Marion,  James  and  W'zl- 
ter, — all  yet  living  in  Ohio,  where  the  par- 
ents both  died.  Unto  our-subject  and  his 
wife  have  been  born  eight  children,  namely: 
Ernest  \\".,  born  ]\Iarch  6,  1876.  and  now 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


589 


.an  agent  of  the  Xew  York  Life  Insurance 
Company;  Arthur  W.,  born  November  11, 
1S77,  a  farmer  b}-  ocupation;  Alice  B.,  now 
Mrs.  Foot,  born  December  20,  1880;  George 
B.,  born  August  i^.  1882;  Eliza  E.,  April 
13,  1884;  James  \V.,  March  i.  1886;  John 
H.,  November  25,  1888;  and  Charles  E., 
October  24,  1891,  still  at  home. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanderson  are 
worthy  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  He  helped  to  organize  the  first 
church  of  this  locality  and  helped  conduct 
the  first  protracted  meeting,  wbich  was  a 
complete  success,  there  being  thirty-two 
conversions,  and  all  of  the  converts  re- 
mained stanch  and  worthy  memljers  of  the 
■church  through  life.  Jilr.  Sanderson  is  con- 
nected with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  join- 
ing the  order  when  the  lodge  was  held  un- 
der a  dispensation,  and  thus  became  a  char- 
ter member  of  Chase  Lodge,  No.  247,  A.  F. 
&  A.  jN.L,  of  Chase,  Kansas.  He  is  a  loyal 
and  public-spirited  citizen,  deeply  interested 
in  all  movements  for  the  upbuilding  and 
progress  of  liis  town,  county  and  state,  and 
well  deserves  mention  in  this  volume. 


ELL\S  ai.  carnahan. 

Elias  ]\I.  Carnahan,  who  is  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising  on  sec- 
tion 7.  Kingman  township,  Kingman  coun- 
ty, was  born  in  Logan  county,  Illinois,  Au- 
gust 2^.  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Martin  C. 
Carnahan,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Drake 
county,  Ohio,  August  27,  1838.  The  fam- 
ily is  probably  of  Irish  extraction,  although 
it  has  been  claimed  that  the  original  ances- 
tors were  Gennan  people.  However,  many 
years  have  passed  since  the  Carnahans  came 
to  America,  for  John  Carnahan,  the  great- 
grandfather of  our  subject,  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania.  Elias  L.  Carnahan,  the 
grandfather,  was  probably  born  in  Darke 
county,  Ohio;  at  all  events  he  was  reared 
there.  \Mien  he  had  arrived  at  years  of  ma- 
turity he  carried  on  farming  in  Darke  coun- 
ty until  1857,  when  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Logan  count}",  Illinois,  where  he 


purchased  a  farm  and  spent  his  remaining 
days,  his  death  occurring  in  the  fall  of  1871. 
He  became  a  prosperous  agriculturist  and 
owned  a  section  of  land  in  Logan  county. 
His  life  was  well  spent  and  made  him  a 
highly  respected  citizen  of  his  community. 
He  served  at  one  time  as  county  commis- 
sioner and  he  is  known  as  a  faithful  member 
i  of  the  Christian  church. 

Martin  C.  Carnahan,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children, 
namely :  William,  who  is  the  proprietor  of 
a  hotel  in  Emdai,  Logan  count}-,  Illinois ; 
Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  James  Hayes,  a 
farmer  living  near  Bloomington,  Illinois; 
Francis,  the  wife  of  IMajor  John  Hall,  a  re- 
tired farmer  of  Greenville,  Darke  county, 
Ohio ;  Martin  C. ;  Mary,  the  wife  of 
John  W.  Westfall,  a  retired  farmer 
living  in  Valley  Center.  Kansas:  Elias 
L.,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war,  who 
served  for  two  years  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate  business  in  Wichita. 
i  Kansas,  where  he  has  also;  served  as  record- 
I  er  of  deeds  for  four  years ;  Charlotte,  the 
wife  of  Clay  Ouisenberry,  who'  is  the  presi- 
dent of  the  bank  and  president  of  the  street 
railwav  cunipany  in  Lincoln,  Illinois,  and 
also  has  extensive  land  interests  in  both 
Illiniiis  and  Texas;  Robert,  a  retired  farmer 
living  in  \'alley  Center,  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas :  and  two  children  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

Martin  C.  Carnahan  obtained  his  educa- 
I  tion  in  the  district  schools  O'f  Darke  county 
I  and   with  his   father  removed    to    Illinois, 
where  he  remained  until  twenty-one  years 
of  age.     He  was  married  in  Logan  county, 
I  Illinois,  to  Lodema  Hatfield,   whose    birth 
I  occurred  in  Darke  county,  Ohio,  and  who 
was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Lucy  (Reed) 
Hatfield.     Her  father  was  born   in   Penn- 
sylvania but  was  reared  in  Ohio,  and  her 
mother    was    a    nati\'e    of    Darke    county. 
There  Mr.  Hatfield  died  during  the  early 
1  girlhood   of  i\Irs.    Carnahan,   but   his   wife 
passed  away  in  \\^ichita,  Kansas,  about  ten 
years  ago.     The  Hatfields  were  of  Penn- 
sylvania German  lineage.      IMartin    Carna- 
han engaged  in  the  operation  of  his  father's 
farm  until  the  Ci\"il  war  broke  out,  and  in 


590 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


the  spring  of  1863  he  enlisted  in  the  Twen- 
ty-fifth IlHnois  Infantry,  serving  for  one 
year,  \vhen  he  was  sent  home  on  a  furlough 
on  account  of  disability,  occasioned  by  two 
sun-strokes  which  he  received.  He  did  not 
sufficiently  recover  in  time  to  return  to  the 
army,  and  after  the  war  he  continued  to 
engage  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Logan 
county,  Illinois,  until  the  spring  of  1876, 
when  he  removed  to  Sedgwick  county,  Kan- 
sas, and  purchased  a  quarter  section  of  rail- 
road land  on  section  24,  township  29,  range 
I  east.  There  he  lived  until  three  years 
ago,  w'hen  he  took  up  his  abode  near  Vjal- 
ley  Center,  in  Sedgwick  county,  where  he 
is  n(jw  living  retired,  both  he  and  his  wife 
living  t\ith  their  son  Albert.  In  politics  he 
was  formerly  a  Republican,  but  now  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Populist  party.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Carnahan  are  consistent  members 
of  the  Christian  church,  and  unto  this 
worthy  couple  were  born  nine  children,  all 
of  whom  are  yet  living. 

In  the  district  schools  of  Logan  county, 
Illinois,  and  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas, 
Elias  M.  Carnahan  pursued  his  education, 
being  sixteen  years  of  age  at  the  time  the 
family  removed  to  this  state.  He  assisted 
in  t'.ie  cu]ti\ation  of  the  home  farm  until 
twenty-twd  years  of  age,  when,  in  company 
with  his  cousin,  he  established  the  first  hard- 
ware store  in  Valley  Center,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Carnahan  &  Waller.  For  two 
years  they  prospered,  doing  an  excellent 
business,  and  on  the  expiration  of  that 
period  sold  their  store.  I\Ir.  Carnahan  then 
engaged  in  dealing  in  implements  and  also 
purchased  a  half  interest  in  a  drug  store 
from  Dr.  Hennessy,  his  partner  being  a 
Mr.  Davis.  The  drug  business  was  then 
carried  on  under  the  firm  style  of  Davis  & 
Carnahan,  and  the  senior  partner  purchased 
the  half  interest  in  Mr.  Carnahan's  imple- 
ment business.  For  a  year  and  a  half  they 
also  conducted  the  postoffice  in  connection 
with  the  drug  store.  \Mien  a  year  had 
passed  they  sold  the  implement  business  to 
H.  C.  Boyle  &  Brother  and  conducted  the 
drug  store  alone  for  two  years,  when  "Sir. 
Carnahan  exchanged  his  interest  in  the 
stock  f(  r  the  liuilding.      He  then   removed 


to  Kiowa  county,  Kansas,  and  soon  after- 
ward disposed  of  his  property  in  Valley 
Center,  including  his  store  and  residence. 
He  was  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business 
in  Greensburg.  Kansas,  during  the  big 
boom  of  1887,  and  remained  there  for  two 
years,  conducting  a  large  and  profitable 
trade  in  city  and  farm  property  during  the 
first  year.  He  has  also  been  inspector  for 
two  diiterent  land  companies.  At  the  end 
of  the  second  year  he  removed  to  Kansas 
City,  where  he  engaged  in  the  insurance 
business,  representing  the  Prudential  Life 
Insurance  Company.  After  two  years  passed 
there  he  spent  two  years  in  Kansas  City, 
Kansas,  and  afterward  resided  for  two  years 
in  Wichita,  coming  thence  to  his  present 
place  of  residence,  where  he  has  since  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. In  addition  to  'his  own  land  he  rents 
largely  and  is  extensively  engaged  in  rais- 
ing wheat.  He  also  had  a  herd  of  good 
cattle. 

On  the  23d  of  September,  1884,  in  Val- 
ley Center,  Kansas,  Mr.  Carnahan  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Hattie  C.  Clark,  who 
was  born  in  Metamora,  Illinois,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Cox)  Clark.  Mrs. 
Clark  had.  however,  been  previously  mar- 
ried, her  first  husband  being  James  Delay. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Kentucky,  January 
3,  18 1 9,  and  on  removing  to  Illinois  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law  in  Metamora, 
and  was  a  very  prominent  and  influential 
man.  In  the  spring  of  1877  he  removed  to 
Sedgwick  county,  Kansas,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring  took  up  his  abode  in  Wichita, 
where  he  soon  won  a  position  of  marked  dis- 
tinction at  the  bar,  gaining  a  very  large  and 
important  clientage.  He  died  June  14. 
1883.  The  same  year  his  wife  pre-empted 
a  quarter  section  of  land,  on  which  her  son- 
in-law  now  lives,  and  the  following  year  re- 
moved to  that  place  with  her  two  sons, 
Bruce  and  Zackery,  there  residing  until 
about  seven  years  ago,  since  which  time 
she  has  made  her  home  in  Oklahoma  with 
her  son  Zackery.  She  w'as  the  mother  of 
eight  children :  Annabel,  who  was  born 
Februarv  2-^.  1856,  and  died  in  Wichita 
August     30.     1881:    Eunice,    the    wife    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


591 


George  Lantis,  a  farmer  of  Kingman  coun- 
ty ;  John  A.,  who  is  engaged  in  tlie  real-es- 
tate and  loan  business  in  Wichita;  James, 
who  was  t'he  twin  brother  of  John  and  died 
in  infancy,  October  9,  1S59;  LilHe  M.,  who 
died  in  Metamora,  Illinois,  April  9.  1865 ; 
Mark  B.,  a  lumber  and  coal  merchant  of 
Severy,  Kansas ;  Mrs.  Carnahan  ;  and  Zack- 
ery,  a  doctor  at  Ingersoll,  Oklahoma.  Ellis 
Clark,  the  paternal  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Carnahan,  was  of  English  descent  and  was 
born  in  Georgia  December  25,  1791,  but 
spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  died  July  25,  1848.  His 
father  also  was  a  native  of  Georgia  and  was- 
a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  He 
was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Cowpens  and 
died  in  his  native  state.  Peter  M.  Cox,  the 
maternal  grandfather,  was  born  May  6, 
1797,  on  Blennerhasset  islandi  in  the  Ohio 
river,  and  became  a  minister  of  the  New 
Light  church.  His  death  occurred  June  18, 
1833.  His  father,  William  Cox,  was  the 
first  of  the  family  toi  come  to  America, 
crossing  the  Atlantic  from  England. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carnahan 
has  been  blessed  with  five  children,  of  whom 
four  are  living, — Ruby  P.,  Opal  L.,  Clara 
E.  and  Mona  D.  Tlie  third  child,  Albert 
M.,  was  born  July"  7,  1889,  and  died  June 
17,  1890.  Mr.  Carnahan  and  his  family 
enjoy  the  highest  regard  of  all  who  know 
them  and  have  many  warm  friends  in  their 
adopted  county.  He  is  a  man  of  stalwart 
honesty  and  his  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond. 
For  fi\-e  years  he  served  as  clerk  of  the 
school  board  and  has  ever  taken  an  active 
interest  in  the  cause  of  educatiijn.  He  is  a 
stanch  Republican  iii  his  political  views. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  faithful  and  active 
workers  in.  the  Christian  church  at  Cun- 
ninoham.  His  life  record  will  bear  the 
cldse^t  investigation  and  his  example  is  one 
well  worthv  of  emulation. 


^■\■ILLIA^I   XE\M.IX. 

One  (;f  the  eftkient  public  officials  of 
Reno  county.  Kansas,  is  \\'illiam  Xewlin.  the 
present  county  clerk,  who  is  a  native  of  this 


great  state,  enjoying  the  distinctiou  of  hav- 
ing been  born  in  a  log  cabin  in  Brown  coun- 
ty, on  March  23,  1869.  His  parents  were 
James  T.  and  Rachel  Ann  (Grubb)  New- 
lin.  His  grandfather,  William  Newlin,  was 
of  Quaker  stock  and  emigrated  from  the 
North  of  Ireland  to  America,  locating  in 
Pennsylvania.  James  T.  Newlin  was  born 
in  Westchester,  Pennsylvania,  early  in  the 
'40s,  and  shortly  before  the  opening  of  the 
Civil  w.ar  moved  with  his  father  and  two 
brothers  into  the  Prairie  country,  near 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  where  he  owned  and 
tilled  a  farm  until  1866.  In  that  year  he 
drove  a  team  to  Kansas,  and  after  his  arri- 
val here  settled  on  a  quarter  section  of  land 
on  the  Santa  Fe  trail,  thirty-five  miles  west 
of  Atchison,  and  he  still  resides  near  the 
old  home.  By  thrift  and  economy  he  added 
to  his  farm  and  was  always  at  his  best 
when  displaying  his  fat  cattle  or  a  car  of 
unusually  fine  hogs.  In  Brown  county,  in 
1868.  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rachel 
Ann  Gruljb,  wlio  came  to  Kansas  with  her 
parents  in  1857.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
C.  C.  and  Charlotte  Grubb,  who  came  west 
from  their  home  in  Greencastle.  Indiana. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newlin  reared  a  family  of 
ten  bright  children,  making  it  their  duty 
to  see  that  each  received  the  best  educational 
advantages  possible  and  have  derived  much 
satisfactii  111  in  realizing  that  all  have  become 
good  and  reliable  members  of  society.  Only 
three  of  the  children  still  remain  under  the 
home  roof.  Two  of  the  daughters  are 
graduates  of  the  Emporia  Normal  and  are 
well  known  educators  in  this  state. 

William  Newlin,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view was  the  eldest  of  the  children,  and 
during  his  youth  he  attended  the  district 
schools  during  the  winter  months  and  asr 
sisted  on  the  farmi  during  the  summer.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  entered  Wash- 
burn College,  remaining  there  until  his  grad- 
ation from  the  preparatory  department,  and 
he  also-  spent  a  part  of  one  year  in  the  Michi- 
gan State  University.  Returning  to  Kan- 
sas, he  taught  school  for  one  year  in  the  old 
home  district,  near  Wetmore,  coming  thence 
to  Reno  county  to  engage  in  farming  and 
fruit-growing  in  Cow  Creek  valley,  above 


592 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Hutchinsnn,  where  he  has  one  of  the  best 
young  orchards  in  tlie  county.  Three  years 
ago  he  purchased  a  half  section  of  land  three 
miles  north  of  his  home  farm,  which  he  is 
gradually  turning  into  an  alfalfa  and  cattle 
ranch,  having  now  about  seventy  head  of 
cattle,  mostly  of  the  "black-woolly  kind." 

]\Ir.  Xewlin  has  been  interested  in  poli- 
tics and  public  affairs  from  his  youth,  and 
has  always  been  an  active  Republican,  serv- 
ing as  a  delegate  in  the  various  conventions 
of  his  party.  For  two  years  he  has  efficient- 
ly served  as  the  county  clerk,  and  the  con- 
fidence in  which  he  is  held  by  his  party  and 
the  people  of  Reno  county  was  shown  by  his 
receiving  the  largest  majority  on  the  ticket. 
Mr.  Xewhn  was  recently  accorded  a  renomi- 
nation  by  acclamation  for  another  term.  His 
services  have  been  rendered  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  Of  the  majoritv  of  his  fellow  citi- 
zens, wi'th  good  will  toward  all,  always 
ready  to  execute  every  duty  of  his  office  in 
a  thoroughly  impartial  manner. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Xewlin  was  on  the 
20th  of  Alar ch,  1892  when  he  wedded  Miss 
Alta  G.  Hadley.  Her  parents,  Levi  P.  and 
Mary  J.  (Jessup)  Hadley,  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers  in  Reno  county,  locating  here 
in  1874,  when  the  great  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
reached  only  to  Hutchinson.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  our  suljject  and  wife, — 
George  AI.  and  Xina.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Xew- 
lin are  members  of  the  Methodist  church,  to 
which  they  are  regular  contributors,  and  the 
family  is  one  which  stands  high  in  the  es- 
timation of  the  community,  Mr.  X^ewlin  rep- 
resenting the  younger  element  of  progressive 
and  puljlic-spirited  men  of  this  section. 


THOAIAS  J.  TEMPTER. 

Among  the  most  prominent  business 
men  of  Kansas  is  Thomas  J.  Templer,  the 
president  of  the  Kansas  Grain  Company,  of 
Hutchinson.  His  operations  extend  over  a 
very  broad  area  and  his  success  in  all  his 
undertakings  has  been  sO'  marked  that  his 
methods  are  of  interest  to  the  commercial 
world.     He  has  based  his  business  principles 


and  actions  upon  strict  adherence  to  the  rules 
which  govern  industry,  economy  and  strict 
and  unswerving  integrity.  What  he  is  to- 
day he  has  made  himself,  for  he  began  with 
nothing  but  his  own  energy  and  willing 
hands  to  aid  him.  B\-  constant  exertion,  as- 
sociated with  good  judgment,  he  has  raised 
himself  to  the  prominent  position  which  he 
noAv  holds,  having  the  friendship  of  manv 
and  the  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 

j\lr.  Templer  is  a  native  of  Adams  coun- 
ty, Ohio.  His  father,  William  Templer,  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  county,  having 
emigrated  westward  from  Virginia.  In  the 
Buckeye  state  he  cleared  and  developed  a 
farm  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  and  was  ac- 
tive and  helnful  in  the  development  of  the 
county.  He  went  to  Ohio  when  a  young 
man  and  there  he  wedded  Mary  J.  Phillips, 
a  daughter  of  Howard  Phillips,  who  re- 
moved from  Maryland  to  Ohio  at  an  early 
Deriod  in  the  development  of  the  state.  He 
located  first  in  Highland  county  and  there 
cleared  a  farm,  which  he  afterward  sold,  re- 
moving to  Adams  comity,  where  he  again 
developed  a  farm  from  a  tract  of  timbeu 
land.  Indians,  in  motley  garlj,  stalked 
through  the  forest,  and  bears  and  other  wild 
animals  were  numerous. 

Thomas  J.  Templer  was  the  only  child 
born  to  William  and  Mary  Templer,  that 
reached  mature  years.  His  father  died  when 
he  was  only  three  years  oi  age,  but  he  re- 
mained with  his  mother  in  Adams  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  pursued  his  early  education 
and  made  his  home  until  he  had  attained  the 
age  of  seventeen.  For  a  time  he  also  pur- 
sued his  studies  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  and 
subsequently  matriculated  in  the  Ohio  Wes- 
leyan  University,  at  Delaware.  Ohio,  but 
after  he  had  spent  one  year  in  that  institu- 
tion he  found  it  necessary  to  take  up  some 
work  that  wonld  orovide  him  the  means  nec- 
essary for  the  continuance  of  the  college 
course.  After  working  for  a  year  he  again 
entered  the  school  and,  wishing  to  keep  up 
with  the  class  of  which  he  had  formerly  been 
a  member,  he  mastered  two  years'  work  in 
one.  This,  ho^vever,  broke  down  his  health. 
He  was  caught  in  the  Morgan  raid — for  the 
Civil   war   was   then   in  progress — and   be- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


593 


ing  forced  to  wade  the  river  when  he  was 
overheated  he  contracted  a  severe  cold  and 
his  vitahty  lessened  by  overwork  in  the 
schoolroom,  was  unable  to  withstand  the 
shock.  .  He  went  to  Minnesota  for  his  healtli 
and  about  a  year  later  he  had  sufficiently  re- 
co\'ered  so  that  he  was  enabled  tO'  enter  mer- 
cantile life.  After  a  year  and  a  half  spent  in 
that  business,  however,  his  health  again 
failed  him,  and  believing  that  an  outdoor  oc- 
cupation would  prove  more  beneficial,  he 
began  buying  grain  for  one  of  the  largest 
shippers  at  Rochester.  After  his  en-iployer's 
retirement  he  continued  business  alone  and 
was  connected  with  the  grain  trade  in  Min- 
nesota for  thirteen  years.  This  gave  him 
broad  experience  and  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  business,  so  that  he  was  well  prepared 
to  continue  in  that  line  upon  his  removal  to 
Hutchinson. 

Mr.  Templer  arrived  in  this  city  in  July, 
1881,  and  rented  an  elevator.  Of  the  three 
men  who  were  engaged  in  the  grain  trade 
here  at  that  time,  none  are  now  in  business, 
but  for  'twenty  years  Mr.  Templer  has  been 
an  active  factor  in  the  purchase  and  ship- 
ment of  grain,  his  labors  proving  not  only 
of  individual  benefit  but  also  of  great  good 
to  the  country  by  providing  a  market  for 
the  grain  producers.  His  first  elevator  had 
a  capacity  of  five  thousand  bushels.  After 
renting  for  a  short  time  he  purchased  it 
and  occupied  it  until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Having  an  old  mill  on  the  present  site  of 
the  Santa  Fe  freight  denot,  he  refntoil  it  up 
for  the  grain  trade  and  continued  nperations 
there  until  that  wias  also  burned,  when  he 
built  his  present  large  elevator,  which  has 
a  storage  capacity  of  fortv  thousand  bush- 
els. Thirty  thousand  bushels  can  be  taken 
in.  as  much  of  it  as  necessar\-  cleaned  and  re- 
loaded, in  one  day.  This  is  made  a  clean- 
ing station  for  the  more  than  fifty  elevators 
owned  by  the  Kansas  Grain  Compan_\-  to  the 
north  and  west.  Their  elevators  are  found 
as  far  to  the  north  as  Webber,  are  on  the 
]\IcPherson.  the  Great  Bend  and  the  Kins- 
ley lines,  the  Larned  branch  and  the  main 
line  between  Hutchinson  and  Spearville. 
Mr.  Templer  has  erected  the  elevators  at 
most  of  these  stations  since  starting  in  bus- 


iness in  Hutchinson,  only  five  having  been 
acquired  by  purchase.  He  builds  from  six 
to  eight  each  year  and  thus  is  continually  en- 
larging the  scope  of  his  business.  In  tqoo 
he  shipped  a  little  over  three  million  Inishels 
of  grain  and  in  1901  his  shipments  exceeded 
that  of  the  previous  year.  Alore  of  the 
wheat  goes  to  exporters  than  to  milling,  for 
handling  such  large  quantities  their  ship- 
ments must  be  made  in  large  amounts. 

Desiring  to  erect  a  detached  engine 
house  Mr.  Templer  sought  to  purchase  the 
rear  of  the  lot  where  his  office  is  now  located^ 
but  not  being  able  to  efifect  the  purchase  he 
bought  the  entire  lot,  house  and  grounds 
included.  He  made  the  necessary  change 
in  the  residence  and  moved  his  office  to  this 
place  from  Main  street.  He  now  has  the 
finest  office  in  the  city,  splendidly  equipped 
Avith  modern,  office  furniture,  and  he  takes 
just  pride  not  only  in  its  neat  appearance 
but  also  in  the  surroundings,  which  he  has 
made  verv-  attractive.  The  yard,  nicely 
shaded,  constitutes  the  finest  lawn  in  the 
city.  It  is  planted  to  blue  grass  and  though 
many  people  contended  otherwise,  ]\Ir.  Tem- 
pler has  proven  that  grass  can  be  made  to 
grow  luxuriantly  with  care  and  attention, 
neither  of  which  have  been  spared  in  im- 
proving the  lawn.  He  erected  a  brick  de- 
tached engine  and  boiler  house,  contaiiiing 
three  boilers  with  Corliss  engines  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  horsepower,  tw'O  clean- 
ers, two  corn  grinders  and  two  track 
scales.  His  elevator  is  the  finest  and 
best  equipped  of  any  in  the  western  part 
of  the  state,  and  the  business  has  grown  to 
mammoth  proportions.  Mr.  Templer,  how- 
ever, is  not  driven  by  his  business,  but  has 
everything  so  well  organized  that  he  can 
easily  manage  his  manifold  interests  with- 
out being  weighted  with  a  burden  of  care 
and  responsiljilitv.  He  is  thoroughly  in 
touch  with  e\-ery  department,  nevertheless, 
and  his  splendid  executive  ability  and  keen 
discrimination  have  enabled  him  to  build  up 
an  enterprise  of  great  volume,  yielding  to 
its  stockholders  a  splendid  annual  dividend. 

At  Rochester,  Minnesota  in  July,  1866, 
'}\Iy.  Templer  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Alice  Ells,  a  daughter  of  John  Ells, 


594 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


a  druggist  of  that  city.  Two  children  were 
born  to  them:  Charles  W.,  who  was  travel- 
ing auditor'  for  the  company,  and  was 
drowned  in  1892.  at  the  age  of  twenty-three 
years.  \Miile  out  bathing  he  was  seized  with 
a  cramp  and  was  unable  to  reach  the  shore. 
Tess  was  married  in  1896  to  W.  K.  McMil- 
lan, formerly  of  Denver.  He  was  treasurer 
of  the  New  York  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company  there  until  October.  1900,  when 
he  purchased  stock  in  the  Kansas  Grain 
Company,  of  which  he  is  now  treasurer,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  made  his  home  in 
Hutchinson. 

In  .his  political  views  Mr.  Templer  is  a 
Republican,  earnest  in  his  advocacy  of  the 
principles  of  the  party,  but  has  never  sought 
office.  In  Rochester  he  took  the  three  de- 
grees of  the  blue  lodge  of  Masonry  and  later 
became  a  Roval  Arch  and  Knight  Templar 
IMason.  He  has  also  attained  the  thirty- 
second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite  and  is 
a  member  of  Ararat  Temple  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine  at  Kansas  City.  Missouri.  In  his 
religious  faith  he  is  a  Methodist  and  is  serv- 
ing as  trustee  of  the  church  to  which  he  be- 
longs. He  has  been  active  in  promoting 
every  interest  calculated  to  .benefit  the  com- 
munity or  advance  its  development  along 
material,  intellectual  and  moral  lines.  He 
is  deeply  interested  in  the  public  welfare  and 
Hutchinson  has  benefited  by  his  efforts  in 
her  behalf.  He  is  a  man  of  irreproachable 
honor  in  business  circles  and  though  his 
operations  are  so  extensive,  there  falls  over 
his  record  no  shadow  of  wrong.  He  is  just 
and  considerate  and  the  principles  of  noble 
manhood  and  loyal  citizenship  are- exempli- 
fied in  his  career. 


MOSES  BROTHERS. 

The  day  of  small  undertakings-,  especial- 
Iv  in  cities,  seems  to  have  passed  and  the  era 
of  gigantic  enterprises  is  upon  us.  In  con- 
trol of  mammoth  undertakings  are  men  of 
master  minds,  of  almost  limitless  ability 
to  guide,  nf  found  judgment  and  keen  dis- 
criminaticn.        Their    prog-ressiveness   must 


not  only  reach  the  bounds  that  others  have 
gained,  but  must  even  pass  beyond  into  new 
and  broader,  untried  fields  of  operation ;  but 
an  unerring  foresight  and  sagacity  must 
make  no  mistake  in  venturing  upon  uncer- 
tain ground.  Thus  continually  growing,  a 
business  takes  leadership  in  its  special  line 
and  the  men  who  are  at  its  head  are  de- 
servedly eminent  in  the  world  of  commerce 
occupying  a  position  which  commands  the 
respect  while  it  excites  the  admiration  of  all. 
Tlie  firm  of  Moses  Brothers  is  so  well 
known  throughout  Kansas  as  to  need  no  in- 
troduction to  our  readers.  Their  operations 
as  grain  merchants  are  so  extensive  that  their 
business  afifords  a  market  to  a  large  portion 
of  the  grain  producing  district  of  the  state, 
their  elevators  being  located  in  thirty-three 
towns.  They  have  resided  in  Barton  coun- 
ty since  its  pioneer  daysi  and  therefore  as 
early  settlers  as  well  as  prominent  business 
men  they  well  deserve  representation  in  this 
volume. 

Clayton  L.  and  Edward  W.  Moses,  the 
members  of  the  firm,  are  sons  of  .A^masa  C. 
Moses  who  came  to  Barton  county  in  1871. 
He  was  born  in  Ticouderoga,  Vermont,  in 
1826,  a  son  of  Hiram  Moses,  who  was  also 
a  native  of  the  Green  Mountain  state  and  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation.  In  his  later  years 
he  removed  to  New  York,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  days.  Hisi  son  A.  C. 
Moses,  received  superior  educational  priv- 
ileges for  those  days  and  became  an  educator 
of  note.  He  filled  the  position  of  principal 
of  the  schools  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and 
later  removed  to  Chautauqua  countv.  New 
York,  eventually  becoming'  extensively  in- 
terested in  the  tanning  business  at  Clymer, 
that  state.  In  1871.  his  keen  sagacity  en- 
abled him  to  foretell  a  great  future  for  Kan- 
sas and  he  resolved  to  identify  his  interests 
with  hers.  With  his  fani'ily  he  traveled  by 
wagon  to  the  west  settling  in  a  country  of 
barren  prairie,  where  there  were  no  farms 
and  no  roads  and  where  the  work  of  progress 
and  civilization  had  hardly  been  beeun.  He 
located  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
10  in  what  is  now  Great  Bend  township.  Bar- 
ton county,  and  erected  a  small  frame  house 
— the   first   board    residence   in    the   county. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


595 


The  lumber  used  in  its  construction  was 
hauled  forty  miles,  from  the  place  now 
known  as  Russell,  on  the  Kansas  Pacific 
Railroad.  This  pioneer  home  is  still  stand- 
ing. Here  the  family  saw  what  no  person 
can  again  see  this  portion  of  the  state — great 
herds  of  buffaloes  that  completely  covered 
the  prairies  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 
There  were  also'  dro\-es  of  antelopes,  deer 
and  wolves,  and  smaller  animals  were  also 
frequently  seen. 

Many  times  in  those  early  days  Mrs. 
Moses  would  lock  herself  in  her  home 
through  fear  of  the  Indians  who  in  large 
Imnds  would  \isit  this  region  on  hunting  ex- 
peditions, but  the  settlers  were  never  harmed 
by  the  red  men.  Mr.  Moses  broke  the  prai- 
rie and  planted  the  first  eight  acres  of  corn 
in  the  county,  but  a  few  hours  after  it  had 
started  from  the  soil  it  was  destroyed  by  a 
herd  of  buffaloes  that  ran  over  the  field. 
In  1872  Mr.  Moses  removed  to  Great  Bend 
and  established  a  general  store  where  the 
store  of  James  Slinn  is  now  located,  and 
conducted  it  for  five  vears.  He  was  also 
the  first  county  superintendent  of  schools  and 
the  first  citv  clerk,  holding  those  offices  dur- 
ing the  peril  1(1  of  his  merchandising,  but 
another  enterjirise  oft'ered  more  profitable  re- 
turns and  his  attention  was  given  to  other 
pursuits  after  selling  his  store.  The  prices 
paid  for  buffalo  skins  were  from  a  dollar  and 
a  half  to  three  dollars  per  skin,  and  these  Mr. 
!Moses  secured  and  shipped  by  the  car-load 
to  the  east.  In  those  davs  buffaloes  were 
killed  for  their  skins  alone  and  the  carcas- 
ses were  left  to  the  beasts,  for  while  the  meat 
was  edible  all  of  it  could  not  be  used  as  food 
by  the  settlers.  In  later  years  many 
hundred  dollars  were  earned  by  pioneers 
picking  bones  from  the  prairies  and  selling 
them,  the  bones  bringing  from  six  tO'  seven 
dollars  a  ton,  while  the  horns  sold  from  three 
to  five  cents  each.  At  a  later  date  Mr. 
Moses  also  speculated  in  farming  land  and 
stock  and  became  ven*  successful  in  his 
business  ventures,  accumulating  a  handsome 
comnetence.  He  dieil.  however,  in  the  prime 
of  life,  passing'  awav  in  1887,  when  in  his 
sixtv-secoiul  vear. 


In  early  manhood  Mr.  Moses  married 
Miss  Naomi  Terry,  a  native  of  New  York, 
who  also  died  when  about  sixty-two  years 
of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
sons:  Arthur,  who  is  trainmaster  in  the 
employ  of  the  government  at  Seattle.  Wash- 
ington for  the  Philippine  supply:  Clayton  L.. 
and  Edward  \\'..  the  members  of  the  grain 
firm;  William,  who  has  charge  of  his  bro- 
ther's grain  houses  in  Kansas  City  Lincoln, 
a  merchant  in  Pueblo,  Colorado:  Cassius. 
who  was  colonel  of  the  First  Colorado  Regi- 
ment and  now  resides  at  Denver;  and  Sew- 
ard, also  engaged  in  merchandising  in 
Pueblo. 

Clayton  L.  Moses,  the  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Moses  Brothers,  was  b(jrn  in 
Clymer,  New  York,  in  1853,  and  pursued 
his  education  in  Westfield,  that  state,  ^^'hen 
a  young  man  he  engaged  with  his  father  in 
the  tanning  business,  which  he  completely 
mastered  in  every  minor  detail  as  well  as  in 
its  more  mportant  points.  He  was  after- 
ward employed  as  clerk  in  a  general  store 
in  Russell,  Kansas,  where  he  remaii>ed  until 
1872,  when  w  itli  liis  brother  Edward  he  em- 
barked in  the  grain  luisiness.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Clara  Mitchell,  and  they 
now  ha\e  three  children, — Clarissa,  who 
died  in  infancy.  Earl  and  Alice.  Socially 
Mr.  Moses  is  connected  with  the  jMasonic 
fraternity  in  which  he  has  taken  the  degrees 
of  the  blue  lodge  and  of  chivalric  and  cap- 
itular Masonry.  In  public  affairs  he  has  not 
sought  prominence,  his  extensive  business 
interests  claiming  his  attention  yet  he  has 
served  for  two  terms  as  county  commissioner 
and  has  given'  his  co-oneration  to  many 
movements  and  measures  for  the  general 
good. 

Edward  W.  Moses  was  born  in  Sherman, 
Oiautauc|ua  county.  New  York,  in  1856,  and 
was  only  a  boy  when  his  parents  came  to 
Great  Bend.  He  attended  school  here  and 
afterward  became  a  salesman  for  his  father, 
being  thus  occupied  in  the  business  world 
until  he  began  operations  with  his  brother. 
He  wedded  Miss  Annie  J.  Wood,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Adam  \^'ood.  of  Great  Bend,  former- 
ly of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.      He  too  is: 


596 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


.a  member  of  the  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  con- 
sistory and  is  likewise  a  representative  of  the 
-Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

It  was  in  the  year  1873  that  the  brothers 
started  upon  a  business  career  that  has  been 
an  extremely  prosperous  one.  They  began 
buying  grain  and  shipped  one  of  the  first 
car-loads  sent  from  Great  Bend.  At  the 
beginning  they  felt  that  they  had  done  a 
big  day's  business  if  they  shipped  three  car- 
loads, but  continually  their  operations  in- 
creased in  volume  and  in  1878  they  erected 
an  elevator  at  the  Santa  Fe  depot.  This  was 
comparatively  small  but  they  increased  its 
capacity  as  their  business  demanded  until  it 
"held  twenty-five  thousand  bushels.  This, 
however,  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1898  at  a 
time  when  they  were  handling  twenty  car- 
loads of  grain  daily.  In  1899  they  erected 
their  present  modern  elevator  with  its  im- 
proved equipments,  having  a  capacity  of 
seventy-tive  thousand  bushels,  w-ith  a  hand- 
ling capacity  of  about  fifty  cars  daily.  In 
1900  they  built  a  flouring  mill  with  a  capa- 
city of 'five  hundred  barrels  of  flour  daily, 
while  their  noted  brand,  "Moses"  Best,"  is 
Tcnown  throughout  the  east  and'  in  foreign 
rOarkets,  for  they  do  a  large  export  trade. 
This  flour  is  made  from  the  "hard  turkey 
wheat,"  which  is  known  as  the  best  on  the 
market.  It  is  all  raised  in  Kansas  from  a 
choice  selection  of  grain.  The  Moses  Bro- 
thers furnish  emplo}-m'ent  to  thirty  men  in 
Great  Bend  besides  furnishing  a  splendid 
market  to  the  farmers  for  their  grain  and 
thus  their  business  is  of  great  importance  and 
value  to  the  community.  They  have  estab- 
lished elevators  at  thirty-thiee  different 
points,  including  Great  Bend,  EUinwood, 
Dundee,  Pawnee  Rock,  Larned,  Garfield, 
Kinsley,  Overly,  Spearville,  Rodell,  Hanston, 
Burdette,  Jetman,  Heizer,  Albert,  Shaffer, 
Timkin,  Rush  Center,  Nekoma,  Alexander, 
Ness  City,  Beeler,  Bazine,  Dighton,  Grigsby, 
Scott  City,  Utica,  Ransom,  McCracken, 
Lacrosse,  Otmintz,  Kearney,  Spur  and  Dart- 
worth.  In  1900  they  handled  two  million 
bushels  .of  grain  and  the  same  amount  for 
the  year  1901.  To  such  gigantic  propor- 
tions has  their  grain  business  grown!     All 


has  been  accomplished  through  legitimate 
lines  of  trade, — close  application,  honorable 
dealing,  persistence  and  unflaseing  enter- 
prise, and  their  success  is  certainly  w'ell  mer- 
ited. 

Their  mercantile  interests  have  also 
largely  increased.  In  1877  they  erected  the 
store  building  which  is  to-day  known  as  the 
Cyclone.  In  1885  they  built  the  Hooper 
block,  which  they  rented.  They  also  erected 
the  Farmers'-Mechanics'  Block  and  they  own 
the  block  in  which  the  J".  V.  Brinkham"s 
Bank  is  now  located,  except  the  bank  room. 
Both  of  the  brothers  have  magnificent  resi- 
dences in  Great  Bend.  In  1887  they  pur- 
chased of  Chappell  &  Gififorts  forty  acres  of 
land  which  they  platted,  it  being  now  known 
asi  the  Moses  Brothers  addition.  It  was  laid 
out  in  lots  and  sold  and  is  now  a  thriving 
portion  of  the  city.  They  also  bought  Lin- 
coln Park,  known  as  the  Riverside  Hereford 
farm.  Here  they  own  two  hundred  acres 
of  land,  on  which  are  raised  thoroughbred 
Hereford  cattle.  They  have  seventy-fi\e 
registered  cattle,  and  in  addition  feed  other 
herds  in  Center  township.  Barton  county. 
They  have  altogether  over  ten  thousand  acres 
of  splendid  land;  together  with  a  fine  set  of 
ranch  buildings.  Here  they  feed  cattle, 
keeping  from  seven  hundred  to  one  thousand 
head.  They  own  eight  hundred  acres  in 
Homestead  township,  known  as  the  Steer 
ranch ;  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  for  graz- 
ing purposes  in  Stafford  county ;  and  six  im- 
proved farms  of  a  quarter  section  each, 
which  they  rent.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that 
their  business  interests  are  mammoth  in  pro- 
portion, and  yet  their  interests  in  each  de- 
partment are  kept  in  smooth  working  order, 
capably  managed,  ably  controlled  and  bring- 
ing in  a  good  revenue.  The  labors  of  the 
brothers  have  gained  them  a  place  among 
the  v.'ealthy  men  of  Kansas,  and  at  the  same 
time  have  enriched  the  communities  in  which 
their  interests  are  located.  From  boyhood 
days  they  have  resided  in  Barton  county  and 
central  Kansas  may  be  proud  to  number 
among  her  citizens  men  who  have  been  so 
prominent  in  developing  her  resources  and 
promoting  her  welfare. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


597 


FRANK  S.  PORTER. 

Frank  S.  Porter  is  the  proprietor  of  a 
popular  drug  and  news  store  at  the  corner 
of  Broadway  and  Main  streets  in  Great 
Bend,  and  is  recognized  as  a  successful 
business  man  of  sterhng  worth.  His  record 
pr(j\cs  ciinchisi\el_\-  that  success  is  not  a 
matter  of  genius,  as  hekl  by  some,  but  re- 
suks  much  more  frequently  from  earnest 
and  determined  labor  and  purpose. 

Mr.  Porter  was  born  in  Logan  county, 
Ohio,  in  1866,  and  is  a  son  of  Captain  Rob- 
ert B.  Porter.  He  was  at  one  time  a  resi- 
dent of  West  Virginia,  but  after  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  in  which  he  served  as  cap- 
tain, he  removed  to  Oliio.  For  some  time 
he  engaged  in  milling,  and  in  1882  he  em- 
barked in  the  drug  business  at  Paulding. 
His  death  occurred  in  1894,  when  he  was 
sixty-eight  years  of  age. 

Frank  S.  Porter,  one  of  the  honored 
citizens  of  Great  Bend,  in  which  he  is  most 
deeply  interested,  was  reared  in  the  place 
of  his  nati\'ity  and  pursued  a  common-school 
education,  which  fitted  him  for  special  train- 
ing along  business  lines.  He  afterward 
became  familiar  with  the  drug  business  in 
his  father's  store,  being  asociated  with  his 
father  in  the  capacity  of  clerk  until  1886, 
when  he  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  tire 
Sunflower  state  and  took  up  his  abode  in 
Larned,  Kansas,  where  he  secured  a  situa- 
tion as  a  drug  clerk.  After  coming  to  Great 
Bend  he  was  emploj-ed  by  A.  S.  Allen  and 
also  engaged  in  carrying  on  a  drug  store 
owned  by  Dr.  S.  J.  Shaw.  In  1891  he  and 
his  brother  Herbert  borrowed  capital  and 
opened  a  drug  store  at  old  Pawnee  Rock. 
A  year  later  they  disposed  of  their  enter- 
prise there  and  opened  a  store  in  Kinsley, 
where  they  remained  until  1897,  when  they 
disposed  of  this  enterprise  and  began  busi- 
ness at  Newton.  In  1900  Mr.  Porter  of  this 
review  established  his  drug  business  at 
Great  Bend  and  to-day  he  has  a  frne,  large 
store,  well  ecjuipped  and  stocked  with 
everything  found  in  a  first-class  establish- 
ment of  the  kind.  He  is  free  from  debt  and 
is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  energetic, 
wide-awake  voung  business  men  of  the  citv. 


He  carries  a  fine  line  of  drugs,  paints,  oils,, 
stationery  and  books  and  is  also  agent  for 
mu'sical  instruments. 

In  1890  Mr.  Porter  was  joined  in  wed- 
lock to  Miss  Lizzie  Campbell,  a  daughter  of 
William  H.  Campbell,  formerly  of  Texas. 
The}-  now  have  two  children :  Amy,  who 
w^as  born  May  i,  1891 ;  and  Baird,  born. 
April  16,  1901.  Mr.  Porter  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to  the- 
blue  lodge,  chapter  and'  council,  and  in  the 
first  named  he  is  a  past  master,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  Woodland  Lodge,  No.  87,  K. 
of  P.,  in  which  order  he  is  a  past  chancellor, 
and  he  is  a  member  of  B.  P.  O.  E.  at  Hutch- 
inson. Energetic,  wide-awake  and  pro- 
gressive his  efforts  have  been  discerningly 
directed  along  well  defined  lines  nf  labor  and 
his  prominence  as  a  merchant  is  due  to  his 
own  careful  guidance  of  business  aft'airs  and 
his  honorable  methods  qi  dealing  with  his 
patrons. 


OWEN  P.  AIcPHERSON. 

Although  one  of  the  more  recent  arrivals 
in  Barton  county,  Dr.  McPherspn  has  al- 
read}'  attained  a  'position  among  the  most 
successful  physicians  of  this  locality.  He 
established  his  ofifice  in  Hoisington  in  1900 
and  is  now  in  control  of  a  large  and  con- 
stantly growing  practice,  which  is  unmis- 
takable evidence  of  his  ability.  Life  is  the 
most  priceless  possession  of  man,  and  an 
individual  does  not  trust  himself  to  the 
hands  of  one  unskilled  in  the  treatment  of 
diseases. 

The  Doctor  was  born  in  Jacksonville, 
Illinois,  and  i?  a  son  of  Adolphus  A.  Mc- 
Pherson.  He  enjoyed  the  excellent  educa- 
tional advantages  afforded  by  his  native 
state  and  was  afterward  graduated  in  the 
Illinois  State  University,  with  the  class 
of  1895.  He  determined  to  devote  his  en- 
ergies to  a  professional  career  and  accord- 
ingly he  entered  Rush  Medical  College, 
of  Chicago;  completing  the  course  by  grad- 
uation wath  the  class  of  1899.  He  took 
several  special  courses  of  study,  thus  being- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


well  fitted  for  his  chosen  calling.  As  before 
stated  he  came  to  Hoisington  in  1900  and 
entered  upon  his  professional  career  here 
in  partnership  with  Dr.  G.  L.  Koch.  Here 
he  built  up  an  excellent  and  lucrative  prac- 
tice, which  claims  his  close  and  undivided 
attention,  the  more  so  from  the  fact  that  his 
partner  is  now  in  Berlin,  Germany,  pursu- 
ing a  special  course  of  study.  Dr.  AlcPher- 
son"s  opinions  are  largely  considered  as 
authority  in  many  instances,  for  he  is  known 
to  have  a  wide  and  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  principles  of  medicine  and  to  apply  with 
ability  his  learning  to  the  needs  of  the  pa- 
tients. The  firm  have  fine  parlors,  consul- 
tation and  operating  rooms,  their  office 
equipments  being  superior  to  those  of  any 
physician  or  surgeon  in  the  county.  Dr. 
JMcPherson  possesses  a  splendid  library, 
which  he  studies  continuously,  constantly 
increasing  his  knowledge.  His  perusal  of 
medical  journals  also  adds  constantly  to  his 
information.  He  began  practice  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Zaria,  but  after  a  very  brief  interval 
he  came  to  Hoisington,  where  his  profes- 
sional career  has  been  passed.  He  and  his 
partner  are  local  surgeons  for  the  Missouri 
Pacific  Railroad  Company,  and  as  this  town 
is  tlie  di\-ision  center  they  have  had  ample 
<:ii]i^'nuiiity  t(i  display  their  skill.  Our  sub- 
ject i>  I'k'iuitieci  with  the  Masonic  frater- 
nit}-,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
is  examining  physician  for  all  of  the  insur- 
ance orders  and  companies  of  this  locality. 
He  is  genial  and  kindly  and  his  unfailing 
courtesy  has  made  him  very  popular. 


ALBERT  S.  ALLEX. 

Albert  S.  Allen  is  the  pioneer  druggist 
of  Great  Bend,  opening  the  first  store  in  that 
line  of  merchandising  in  this  city.  He  was 
born  in  Mansfield,  Ohio,  December  9,  1846, 
and  is  a  son  of  Alanson  Allen,  who  in  early 
life  engaged  in  the  foundry  and-  machine 
business,  carrying  on  operations  along  that 
line  for  twenty-five  years,  retiring  in  1864. 
He  married  Miss  Rhoda  Clark,  who  died 
when  about  thirtv-three  years  of  age.  and 


his  death  occurred  in  1883,  when  he  was 
seventy-four  years  of  age.  Their  son  Al- 
bert S.  entered  the  public  schools  where  he 
pursued  his  studies  until  about  fifteen 
years  of  age,  when  liis  patriotic  spirit  was 
aroused  over  the  condition  of  affairs  in  this 
country  andi  although  only  fifteen  years  of 
age  he  enlisted  in  January,  1862,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  F,  Eighty-second  Ohio  In- 
fantry. He  served  for  a  period  of  three  years 
and  seven  months.  During  the  latter 
part  of  his  term  o'f  enlistment  he  was  made 
hospital  steward  o'f  his  regiment.  After  his 
return  from  the  front  he  went  to  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  where  he  pursued  a  business  course 
of  study  and  then  accepted  the  position  of 
bookkeeper  for  a  year.  On  the  expiration 
of  that  period  he  went  to  Mansfield.  Ohio, 
and  established  a  drug  store,  which  he  con- 
ducted from  1869  until  1872.  He  had  heard 
and  read  very  favorable  reports  of  the  cen- 
tral section  of  Kansas,  which  was  then  be- 
ing opened  to  civilization.  The  settlers  told 
of  its  superior  climate,  of  its  rich  lands  and 
Ijossibilities,  and  following  the  march  of  em- 
pire westward,  he  made  his  way  to  the  Sun- 
flower state,  journeying-  first  to  Fort  Scott, 
and  then  visited  several  new  towns.  On 
reaching  Hutchinson  he  found  that  a  drug 
store  had  already  been  established  there, 
biTt  while  at  that  place  he  made  the  acquain- 
tance of  D.  R.  Smith,  who  was  coming-  to 
Great  Bend  to  enter  land  and  Mr.  Allen  then 
accompanied  Mr.  Smith,  viho  was  driven  in 
a  wagon  to  Great  Bend  in  order  to  enter  land. 
He  was  pleased  with  the  country  and  its 
prospects  and  decided  to  locate  in  this  place. 
Accordingly  he  built  a  little  frame  building, 
twenty  to  thirty-two  feet,,  where  is  now  lo- 
cated the  store  owned  by  the  E.  R.  IMoses 
Mercantile  Company.  He  then  went  to 
Kansas  City,  where  he  bought  a  stock  of 
goods  and  soon  had  a  fine  line  of  drugs, 
paints  and  stationery,  having  one  of  the  best 
equipped  frontier  stores  to  be  found  in  the 
coimtry.  In  1875  he  erected  the  two-story 
block,  where  he  is  now^  located,  shipping  the 
stone  from  Florence  by  rail.  The  structure 
is  twenty-five  by  fifty  feet,  and  in  1882  he 
put  on  an  addition  to  a  depth  of  thirty  feet, 
in  the  rear.     In   188^,  in  connection  with 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


599 


John  H.  Hubbard,  they  erected  another 
Luihling  on  the  same  street,  its  dimensions 
l;eing  sixty  by  fifty  feet.  He  is  still  inter- 
ested in  the  ownership  of  this  structure.  In 
the  rear  of  his  first  building  he  erected  his 
tirst  residence  and  afterward  bought  the 
corner  lot,  the  present  site  O'f  the  drug 
store.  Although  other  drug  stores  have 
been  established  in  Great  Bend,  he  still  con- 
tinues tO'  be  the  "first  druggist"  in  the  town, 
not  only  iiT  years  of  active  connection  with 
the  business,  but  by  reason  of  his  well 
equipped  store  and  the  large  patronage 
which  he  enjoys.  His  son  Charles  has  been 
in  the  store  since  1891,  and  now  is  its  man- 
ager. 

Air.  Allen  was  uniteil  in  marriage  to 
]\Iiss  Lizzie,  daughter  of  Christian  ]Mosey. 
She  was  born  near  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
and  has  become  the  mother  of  seven  chil- 
dren. Rhoda,  now  the  wife  of  Glen  Ouinn, 
l)v  whom  she  has  one  child,  Allen ;  Florence, 
<leceased :  Charles,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
high  scIk  ol  of  (ireat  Bend  and  is  now  asso- 
ciated with  his  father;  Albert  S..  deceased; 
Elizalieth,  wife  of  Frank  Green:  Allierta: 
and  William  AL  The  family  i>  •  vw  •  f  \<V'  >m- 
inence  in  the  community,  the  nu-nilici :-  it  the 
household  occupying  an  enviable  position  in 
social  circles  in  which  they  move.  Mr. 
Allen  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, in  which  he  has  taken  the  chapter  and 
commandery  degrees.  He  also  belongs  to 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Through  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  rep- 
resentive  of  the  business  interests  of  Great 
T.end  and  a  history  of  the  city  would  be  in- 
c'  mplete  without  miention  of  his  career. 
His  business  methods  have  ever  been 
straightforward  and  commendable  and  he 
has  depended  for  success  upon  his  energy, 
determined  purpose  and  perseverance. 


AUGUST  H.   SCHAEFFER. 

August  H.  Sc!iaeffer  is  prominently  iden- 
tified with  industrial  interests  in  Great  Bend 
as  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Great  Bend 
Ice  Plant.  His  energy,  reliability  and  keen 
business  discrimination   render  him  an   ac- 


tive factor  in  business  circles,  and  his  labors 
have  contributed  in  large  measure  to  the  bus- 
iness advancement  of  the  city  with  which 
he  has  been  associated.  He  is  a  son  of  Hen- 
ry Schaeffer,  who  was  born  in  Prussia,  Ger- 
many, seventy-one  years  ago,  and  there  mar- 
ried Minnie  Rittermyer.  They  came  to  the 
United  States,  locating  in  Ouincy,  Ilfinois, 
where  the  father  followed  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  in  September,  1871,  they  took  up 
their  abode  in  Great  Bend,  locating  here  soon 
after  the  town  was  laid  out.  The  father 
erected  the  first  building — the  old  Southern 
Hotel — and  for  some  years  was  engaged  in 
the  building  business,  thus  contributing  in 
substantial  measure  to  the  improvement  and 
development  of  the  city.  About  1885  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  land,  constituting  the 
fann  upon  which  he  now  resides.  He  had 
first  built  a  small  house  and  later  replaced  it 
by  a  larger  residence,  now  one  of  the  at- 
tractive and  desirable  country  homes  of  the 
community.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  liv- 
ing, at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years  and  are 
a  highly  esteemed  and  venerated  couple. 
They  became  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
namely:  Augustus  H. ;  Henry  and  CaSrie, 
both  deceased ;  Mattie ;  Emma  ;  Charles ; 
Mary;  and  a  daughter  who  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.  Schaeffer,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary, 
daughter  of  James  Armstrong,  of  Great 
Bend,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  this  por- 
tion of  the  state.  They  now  have  five  chil- 
dren,— Albert,  Joseph,  Edward,  May  and 
Freddie.  Socially  Mr.  Schaeffer  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  in  both  the  subordinate  lodge  and 
encampment,  and  in  the  former  is  past  grand. 
He  has  represented  the  lodge  in  the  grand 
lodge  three  times,  which  fact  indicates  his 
prominence  in  the  fraternity.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen,  in  which 
he  has  occupied  various  offices,  and  has  mem- 
bership relations  with  the  National  Aid.  He 
is  prominent  among  the  business  men  of 
Great  Bend,  where  for  twenty-nine  years  he 
has  been  closely  identified  with  its  business 
development  and  progress.  Keen  dis- 
crimination and  sound  judgment  ha\-e 
brought  to  the  concern  with  which  he  is  con- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


nectecl  a  large  measure  of  success.  The  safe 
conservative  policy  lie  inaugurated  com- 
mends itself  to  the  judgment  of  all  and  has 
secured  to  the  firm^  a  patronage  which  makes 
their  volume  of  trade  of  great  importance 
and  magnitude. 


THOAIAS  G.  ELBURY. 

Thomas  G.  Elbury,  a  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful civil  engineer  and  surveyor  of 
Hutchinson,  Reno  county,  Kansas,  has  been 
a  resident  of  that  part  of  the  state  since 
1886,  and  has  resided  in  Reno  county  since 
1893.  He  is  a  representative  of  an  old  Eng- 
lish family,  his  paternal  grandfather,  Will- 
iam Elbury,  as  well  as  his  father,  Edward, 
having  been  born  in  Bristol,  England,  where 
the  family  for  many  -generations  have  been 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  pottery.  The 
records  of  the  family  trace  back  to  the  six- 
teenth century  when  they  were  residents  of 
South  Wales,  England,  South  Wales  then 
being  a  part  of  the  original  British  Isles. 
Family  tradition  says  that  the  great-great- 
great-grandparents,  referred  to  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  lived  tO'  the  ripe  old  age  of 
one  hundred  and  six  and  one  hundred  and 
eight  years,  during  which  time  neither  of 
them  slept  over  night  outside  of  the  town 
in  which  they  were  born.  The  father,  Ed- 
ward Elbury,  chose  for  his  wife.  Miss  Jane 
Simmons,  of  Sussex,  near  London,  and  was 
married  at  Shore-Ditch  church,  London,  in 
the  summer  of  1851.  Five  children  were 
born  to  this  union,  four  of  whom  attained  to 
their  majority,  Thomas  G.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  being  the  youngest. 

Thomas  G.  Elbury  was  born  in  Bristol, 
England,  Februarv  24,  1862,  where  in  his 
early  boyhood  he  attended  school,  and  at 
the  same  time  was  taught  the  art  of  making 
pottery.  He  had  little  inclination  for  this 
business  and  resolved  to  fit  himself  for  some 
higher  vocation,  and  when  but  fifteen  years 
of  age,  while  earning  his  own  livelihood  dur- 
ing one-half  the  day,  he  attended  school  the 
other  half  and  there  laid  the  foundations 
for  his  future  career.     When  a  bov  he  had 


traveled  with  his  father  verv  extensivelv 
through  the  British  Isles,  including  Eng- 
land, Ireland,  Scotland  and  Wales,  and  after 
considering  the  nossibilities  for  the  advance- 
ment of  a  young  man  in  his  native  country 
decided  there  was  a  better  future  in  a  for- 
eign country.  His  first  intention  was  to 
go  to  Australia  or  Africa,  but  finally  de- 
cided to  make  the  venture  in  America,  and 
in  1883  crossed  the  ocean,  arriving  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio.  Here  he  immediatety  obtained 
a  position,  and  having  an  ambition  to  be- 
come a  civil  engineer  la'id  his  plans  accord- 
ingly. He  entered  a  night  school  and  through 
strong  perseverance  and  unceasing  labor,  en- 
during many  hardships  and  deprivations,  j 
he  completed  his  course  and  was  qualified 
to  enter  upon  his  chosen  profession.  In 
1884  he  came  west  and  secured  the  position 
of  assistant  civil  engineer  of  Barber  county, 
under  County  Sun^eyors  Charles  and  George 
Sexton.  He  then  served  in  Kingman  county 
under  County  Surveyors  T.  S.  Benefiel,  Jr., 
and  Frank  Koresky.  When  not  occupied 
in  his  regular  line  of  business  he  engaged 
in  newspaper  work,  and  soon  became  local 
editor  and  also  had  charge  of  the  circulation 
department  of  the  Daily  Courier,  at  King- 
man. He  was  connected  with  this  paper 
until  it  was  suspended,  and,  having  a  lik- 
ing for  newspaper  work,  purchased  the  Cun- 
ningham Herald  and  successfully  conducted 
it  in  connection  with  his  work  of  surveying. 
In  1893  he  removed  the  plant  to  Pretty 
Prairie,  Reno  county,  and  there  established 
the  first  paper  in  that  town,  "The  Pretty 
Prairie  Press."  Desiring  a  larger  field,  how- 
ever,, he  removed  to  Turon,  in  the  same 
county,  in  April,  1895,  and  has  since  pub- 
lished the  "Turon  Weekly  Press."  It  is  a  , 
flourishing  paper  of  eight  pages  of  five  col- 
umns each,  and  has  a  large  circulation  in 
Reno,  Pratt  and  Kingman  counties.  He 
has  been  very  successful  in  Kansas,  both 
in  newspaper  work  and  as  a  civil  engineer, 
and  has  established  an  enviable  reputation 
as  a  thorough  and  conscientious  business 
man. 

In  the  fall  of  1895  Mr.  Elbury  secured 
the  nomination  for  countv  surveyor  at  the 
Republican  convention,  and  although  he  had 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


for  an  opposing  candidate,  Fred  H.  Car- 
penter, a  popular  gentleman  of  exceptional 
abilities,  he  was  successful  by  a  vote  of 
nearly  two  to  one,  and  at  the  regular  elec- 
tion secured  a  majority  of  about  four  hun- 
dred votes.  His  duties  have  been  performed 
with  such  satisfaction  to  his  constituents  that 
he  has  been  twice  re-elected,  althnugh  a  hard 
fight  was  made  at  his  third  nomination. 
This  opposition  Init  spurred  him  on  to  great- 
er effort,  however,  and  at  the  convention 
this  time  he  exceeded  his  former  majority  of 
over  two  to  one.  and  also  the  majority  re- 
ceived at  the  election.  Owing  to  the  new  law 
he  will  hold  the  office  for  an  extra  year  with- 
out another  election.  He  has  always  been 
actively  interested  in  the  welfare  and  suc- 
cess of  the  Republican  party,  and  has  aided 
it  materially,  both  by  his  own  individual  ef- 
forts and  by  the  support  of  his  paper.  Out- 
side the  routine  work  of  the  office  he  has 
been  called  upon  by  the  Missouri  Pacific  and 
the  Santa  Fe  roads  for  work  of  different 
kinds  in  the  line  of  his  profession,  and  has 
also  been  engaged  ou  the  preliminary  work 
for  the  projected  road  to  Patterson,  which 
will  give  an  inlet  to  the  "Frisco"  road,  and 
should  this  project  be  carried  through,  he 
will  have  charge  of  that  work  also.  He  has 
been  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  en- 
gineer booth  in  the  basement  of  the  new 
court  house,  and  also  for  that  of  the  Mon- 
arch Mills.  He  has  had  charge  of  all  the  en- 
gineer work  for  the  Independent  Salt 
Works,  and  in  the  construction  of  the  booth 
he  inaugurated  some  entirely  new  and  prac- 
tical ideas.  Mr.  Elbury  has  been  success- 
ful in  accumulating  considerable  property, 
his  first  possessions  being  farming  property 
in  Barber  county,  which  he  acquired  under 
the  pre-emption  law  when  he  first  came  to 
Kansas.  He  is  now  interested  to  quite  an 
extent  in  city  real  estate  and  has  erected  two 
residences  in  Hutchinson.  He  also  owns 
real  estate  in  Kingman  and  Cunningham, 
Kansas,  and  in  Alva,  Ponca  City  and  Nar- 
din,  Oklnhdina  I'crritory.  In  1900  he 
erected  his  present  liume,  whicli  is  situated 
at  Xo.  Q2(>  Xurtli  Main  street,  Hutchinson, 
and  the  lieautiful  residence  is  certainlv  an 


evidence  of  the  success  which  Mr.  Elbury 
has  achieved. 

On  the  2 1  St  of  August,  1889.  in  Nash- 
ville, Kingman  county,  Kansas,  Thomas  G. 
Elbury  was  joined  in  the  holy  bonds  of  mat- 
rimony to  Miss  Alice  A.  McKinnis,  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  Rev.  John  A.  McKinnis,  who  for 
many  years  has  been  a  prominent  preacher 
in  the  Baptist  church.  He  is  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  but  came  to  Kansas  early  in  the 
history  of  that  state  and  is  numbered  among 
the  pioneers  of  Kingman  county.  He  comes 
from  a  family  df  patriots,  his  ancestors  hav- 
ing served  with  Washington  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  he  himself  offered  his  ser- 
vices to  his  country  in  the  war  of  the  rebel- 
lion. The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elbury  has 
been  blessed  with  one  son,  Edward  John. 
The  parents  are  both  consistent  members  of 
the  Baptist  church  of  Hutchinson,  and  take 
and  active  part  in  its  work.  Mr.  Elbury 
being  a  deaciin  of  the  church. 

Thomas  G.  Elbury  is  one  of  the  leading' 
factors  of  the  city  of  Hutchinson,  being 
earnest  and  zealous  in  the  advancement  and 
development  of  the  community  in  which  he 
resides.  He  is  identified  both  politically  and 
socially  with  many  of  the  prominent  organi- 
zations of  the  county.  He  was  a  member  of 
Kingman  Lodge,  No.  199,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
is  now  a  member  of  Reno  Lodge,  No.  99, 
of  Hutchinson,  and  Kingman  Encampment, 
No.  96.  He  has  ably  filled  offices  in  these 
lodges  as  well  as  in  the  grand  lodge  of  the 
state.  In  Chicaskia  Lodge,  No.  100,  K.  of 
P.,  he  held  the  office  of  keeper  of  records- 
and  seals.  He  holds  membership  in  Turoix 
Camp,  No.  878,  M.  W.  A.,  and  was  also  ai 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Labor  in  King- 
man prior  to  its  entering  politics.  He  also 
served  on  the  board  of  education  of  King- 
man. In  addition  to  holding  the  office  of 
county  surveyor  of  Reno  county  he  is  now 
acting  as  special  city  engineer  of  the  city 
of  Hutchinson.  Mrs.  Elbury  holds  mem- 
bership with  Mizpah  Lodge,  Daughters  of 
Rebekah.  and  with  the  \\"oman's  Relief 
Corps,,  No.  III.  She  is  a  lady  of  intelli- 
gence and  ability,  and  is  held  in  high  es- 
teem b\-  her  man\-  friends. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Mr.  Elbury  is  a  man  who  well  merits  the 
success  he  has  achieved,  socially,  politically 
and  financially.  His  early  education  was 
acquired  with  difficulty,  for  he  recieved  as- 
sistance from  no  one,  but  with  unfaltering 
courage  and  persistent  effort  he  reached  the 
height  which  he  had  resolved  to  attain,  and 
there  found  his  reward.  He  enjoys,  the  con- 
fidence and  friendship  of  the  citizens  of 
Reno  county,  and  is  widely  known  as  a  man 
of  honor  and  integrity. 


SniEOX  J.  SHAW,  M.  D. 

In  the  subject  of  this  review  we  have 
one  who  attained  distinction  in  the  line  of 
his  profession,  who  was  an  earnest  and  dis- 
criminating student  and  who  held  a  position 
of  due  relative  precedence  among  the  med- 
ical practitioners  of  central  Kansas,  and  ul- 
timately enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  the 
oldest  practicing  physician  in  Barton  county, 
making  his  home  in  Great  Bend,  where  he 
was  not  only  esteemed  as  a  prominent  rep- 
resentative of  his  profession  but  as  a  suc- 
cessful and  honored  citizen. 

The  Doctor  was  born  in  Cardington, 
Ohio,  June  19,  1853,  and  is  a  sou  of  Jesse 
Shaw,  a  farmer,  who  was  among:  the  early 
settlers  of  that  section  of  Ohio  known  to- 
day as  Shawtown,  or  Shaw  Creek.  In  that 
locality  the  Doctor  attended  school,  and  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  began  teaching.  He  had 
fifty-six  scholars,  thirty-four  of  whom  bore 
the"  name  of  Shaw.  However,  he  abandoned 
the  educational  profession  in  order  to  take 
up  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he  pursued 
under  the  direction  of  his  brother.  Dr.  Fran- 
cis C.  Shaw,  of  Ashley,  Ohio,  now  deceased. 
Subsequently  he  was  graduated  in  the  Star- 
ling jMeclical  College,  of  Columbus,  with  the 
class  of  1879,  and  began  practice  in  Ohio, 
but  his  health  failed  him.  He  had  a  hemor- 
rhage and  his  lungs  were  badly  affected. 
Going  to  Philadelphia,  he  was  there  advised 
In-  the  best  medical  skill  of  the  city  to  seek  a 
change  (  f  climate,  for  his  physician  believed 
that  he  could  not  live  long  in  Ohio.  He  then 
went  west,  visiting  Colorado,   ^Mexico  and 


other  states,  including  Kansas.  The  last 
named  seemed  to  him  an  agreeable  place  for 
a  residence  and  he  took  up  his  abode  at 
Great  Bend,  then  a  promising  new  city,  with 
a  high  elevation.  It  seemed  to  have  every 
advantage  for  a  health  resort,  and  so  it  has 
proved.  The  Doctor  decided  to  locate  here 
and  found  that  he  rapidly  gained  in  health 
and  strength.  At  the  time  he  took  up  his 
abode  in  Great  Bend,  in  1882,  there  were 
only  two  physicians  here.  Dr.  Bayne  and  Dr. 
McCormick,  neither  of  whom  had  practiced 
for  many  years.  His  professional  duties 
were  such  as  are  usually  experienced  in  pio- 
neer settlements  where  there  were  no  roads. 
He  rode  across  the  prairie  in  every  direction 
and  has  witnessed  the  transformation  from 
the  broad  open  plains  to  a  finely  settled  coun^ 
try  with  well  improved  farms.  His  success 
in  his  chosen  profession  was  continuous,  and 
in  addition  to  his  large  private  practice  he 
served  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  for  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company  for  sixteen 
years.  His  office,  including  beautiful  par- 
lors and  well  equipped  consultation  and  op- 
erating rooms,  was  located  on  Main  street, 
in  the  Allen  block.  In  iSqe,  he  ourchased 
the  O.  B.  Wilson  drug  store",  which  he  con- 
ducted until  1 89 1,  when  he  exchanged  that 
property  for  three  quarter  sections  of  land 
which  had  been  settled  by  Lewis  Simpson. 
On  that  property  he  made  many  improve- 
ments, erecting  substantial  buildings.  He 
also  purchased  the  John  Harris  farm,  com- 
prising three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land,  and  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  formerly 
owned  by  ]Mr.  Elson.  Although  he  gave  to 
his  farming  interests  his  personal  supervis- 
ion, he  did  not  allow  his  agricultural  duties 
to  interfere  with  his  large  practice,  which 
extended  all  over  Barton  and  adjoining 
counties. 

The  Doctor  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Orlinda  Lewis,  of  Delaware  county, 
Ohio,  and  their  only  child,  Vida  M.,  is  now 
the  wife  of  Dr.  E.  E.  ]^Iorrison,  who  was  her 
father's  partner.  Dr.  Shaw  was  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  taking  all  of  the 
degrees  of  the  order,  and  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Alvstic  Shrine,  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pyth- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


603 


ias  fraternity,  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
\\'orkmen,  tlie  ^Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  the  Independent  Order  of  Red  Men, 
and  was  the  examining  physician  for  most 
of  these.  He  likewise  belonged  to  the  State 
■Medical  Society.  He  tilled  the  office  of  cor- 
oner almost  continuously  after  locating  in 
Great  Bend  and  was  prominent  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  party,  on  whose  ticket 
he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  state 
representative  in  1900.  He  ran  far  ahead 
of  the  ticket,  losing  the  election  by  only 
forty-eight  votes.  He  was  regarded  as  a 
valued  resident  of  the  community  and  one 
whose  labors  have  been  of  material  benefit 
not  only  along  the  line  of  his  profession  but 
in  other  walks  of  life.  His  manner  was 
genial,  courteous  and  kindly  and  made  him 
very  popular.  He  passed  from  the  checkered 
scenes  of  earth  December  10.  1901.  lamented 
bv  numerous  friends. 


ALBERT  R.  LASH,  M.  D. 

Among  those  who  are  devoting  their 
lives  to  medical  practice  in  Barton  county 
is  Dr.  Albert  R.  Lash,  who  has  resided  here 
since  1885,  coming  to  Kansas  from  Troy, 
Ohio.  He  was  born  in  Stark  county,  that 
state,  in  the  year  1845,  ^  son  of  David  A. 
Lash  and  a  grandson  of  Dr.  A.  Lash.  Per- 
haps an  inherited  predilection  for  the  medi- 
cal profession  led  our  subject  to  begin  study 
along  that  line.  At  anv  rate  he  iDCcame  a 
student  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Thomas  Clam- 
mack,  at  Milford,  Indiana,  and  he  began 
practice  at  Georgetown,  Virginia,  where  he 
continued  until  1871.  He  then  entered  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  at  Keo- 
kuk, Iowa,  where  he  was  graduated  but  sub- 
sequent to  that  time  he  practiced  in  Henry 
county,  Iowa,  in  1872.  His  next  place  of 
abode  was  in  Troy,  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
for  three  y^ars,  and  from  that  place  he  came 
to  Ellinwood.  In  the  early  days  he  would 
frecjuentlv  drive  across  the  country  for 
twentv  miles  in  order  to  visit  patients.  He 
had  to  ford  creeks  and  find  his  own  way 
across  the  prairie,  for  there  were  no  roads. 


He  never  refused  to  respond  to  a  call  for  aid, 
however,  and  thus  became  the  loved  family 
phj-sician  in  many  a  househould.  He  is  w'ell 
versed  in  his  profession  and  has  to-day  a 
large  and  constantly  growing  patronage. 

Dr.  Lash  was  united  in  marriage  in 
]\Iount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Alice  ]\1. 
Scott,  a  daughter  of  William  Scott,  of  that 
city.  She  is  a  lady  of  culture  and  refine- 
ment and  a  graduate  of  the  old  Howe  Acad- 
emy. They  now  have  two  children, — Edna, 
who  married  H.  C.  Fortney  and  has  one 
child,  Dewey ;  and  Florence,  who  is  at  home. 
The  family  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  com- 
munity, enjoying  the  high  regard  of  many 
friends.  The  Doctor  was  elected  county  cor- 
oner in  1892,  up  to  which  time  there  had 
never  been  a  record  kept  concerning  deaths 
in  the  county.  He,  however,  arranged  a  set 
of  books  for  records,  and  since  that  time  the 
history  of  the  same  has  been  written.  He 
has  also  been  examiner  for  lodsfes  and  in- 
surance companies.  Wherever  he  is  known 
he  has  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
his  fellow  men  and  is  a  worthy  representa- 
tive of  one  of  the  most  important  callings  to 
which  a  man's  energies  may  be  directed. 


F.  VERXON  RUSSELL. 

In  the  law  more  than  in  any  other  pro- 
fession is  one's  career  open  to  talent.  The 
reason  is  evident :  it  is  a  profession  in  which 
eminence  cannot  be  attained  except  by  in- 
domitable energy,  perseverance  and  patience ; 
and  though  its  prizes  are  numerous  and 
splendid  they  cannot  be  won  except  by  ardu- 
ous and  prolonged  efTort.  It  is  this  that 
has  brought  success  to  Mr.  Russell  and  made 
him  known  as  one  of  the  ablest  representa- 
tives of  the  bar  in  this  section  of  the  state. 

He  resides  in  Great  Bend,  w:hich  is  far 
distant  from  his  birthplace,  for  he  first 
opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  in  Jeffer- 
son county.  West  Virginia,  on  the  loth  of 
December,  1866,  his  father  being  Francis 
M.  Russell.  He  pursued  his  education  in 
the  Randolph  Macon  Colleee,  of  Virginia, 
and    afterward    in    the   Universitv   of   \'ir- 


6o4 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ginia.  and  when  he  hail  ccanpleted  liis  liter- 
ary course  took  up  the  study  of  law,  being- 
graduated  in  the  law  department  of  Colum- 
bia College,  of  Xew  York,  with  the  class  of 
1888.  Subsequently  he  was  associated  with 
Charles  F.  Beach,  Jr.,  a  distinguished  law- 
yer of  New'  York  city,  for  about  a  year, 
when  his  eyes  became  affected  and  he  went 
to  Colorado  for  his  health,  remaining  about 
eighteen  months  in  that  state.  During  that 
period  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Pueblo, 
and  to  some  extent  engaged  in  practice.  In 
1890  he  came  to  Great  Bend,  where  his  par- 
ents had  located,  and  for  six  years  he  was 
associated  here  in  practice  with  J-  ^^'•  Clark. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  alone.  He  now 
has  a  large  and  distinctively  representative 
clientage,  and  the  legal  business  entrusted 
to  his  care  is  of  an  important  nature.  He 
has  served  for  four  years  as  deputy  city  at- 
torney and  for  six  years  as  city  attorney. 
His  labors  have  contributed  in  large  meas- 
ure to  various  business  enterprises  which 
have  proven  of  public  benefit.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder and  director  in  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Great  Bend,  and  in  1900,  associated 
with  other  enterprising  business  men,  he  es- 
tablished the  Barton  County  State  Bank,  of 
Hoisington.  of  which  ]\Ir.  McElmore  is 
president  and  Mr.  Russell  vice-president. 
He  is  likewise  a  stockholder  and  director  in 
the  Kansas,  Oklahoma  and  Central  Rail- 
road, having  one  terminal  in  Salina,  Kan- 
sas, and  extending  to  Texas.  This  is  a  new- 
enterprise  which  has  received  a  generous 
and  liberal  support  of  reliable  business  men. 
^Ir.  Russell  is  also  the  ow-ner  of  a  section  of 
land,  being  section  27,  township  20,  range 
14,  and  thirty-three  acres  on  section  29, 
township  19,  range  13.  The  latter  tract  lies 
w-ithin  the  corporation  limits  of  Great  Bend^ 
in  w-hat  is  know-n  as  the  Wells  addition. 

]\Ir.  Russell  was  united  in  marriage  to 
]\Iiss  Jettie  McBride,  a  daughter  of  Ezekiel 
INIcBride,  of  Great  Bend.  They  no\v  have 
two  children. — Ruth  D.  and  Josephine.  So- 
cially Mr.  Russell  is  identified  w-ith  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  in  w-hich  he  has  taken  the  de- 
grees of  the  lodge,  chapter,  council  and  com- 
mandery,  and  in  the  first  named  he  has 
served  as  master  for  three  years,  w-hile  he  is 


now  high  priest  of  the  chapter  and  eminent 
commander  of  the  commandery.  He  also  is 
a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellow-s,  the  Knights  of  P-ythias  and  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  A\'orkmen.  He  is 
well  known  in  social  circles  and  is  a  sup- 
porter of  many  important  enterprises.  His 
chief  attention,  however,  is  given  to  his  pro- 
fession, in  which  he  is  meeting  with  splen- 
did success. 


^lAHLON  ^^•ARD. 

^laldon  \\'ard  is  a  retired  farmer  of  El- 
linw-ood  and  a  man  of  hi^h  standing  in  the 
public  regard.  He  came  to  the  county  in  an 
early  day  when  buffalo  roamed  over  the 
broad  and  uncultivated  prairie;  often  times 
he  has'  shot  buffalo,  antelope  and  deer,  and 
the  meat  of  this  wild  game  furnished  many  a 
meal  in  the  early  days  of  that  pioneer  period, 
and  his  privileges  w-ere  those  usually  found 
upon  the  frontier  ^vhen  hard  labor  and  strong 
determination  are  the  concomitants  of  char- 
acter that  enable  the  frontiersman  to  obtain 
a  home  and  work  his  way  upward  to  pros- 
perity. 

Mr.  Ward  was  born  in  Beln-iont  county, 
Ohio,  August  13,  1839.  His  father,  Moses 
M.  Ward,  was  a  native  of  Monroe  county, 
that  state,  and  the  grandfather,  Timothy 
^^■"ard,  was  born  in  Maryland.  He  served 
his  country  in  the  war  of  1812  and  became 
one  of  the  first  residents  of  Ohio,  where  he 
followed  agricultural  pursuits.  He  married 
Miss  Rebecca  Matheney  and  unto  them  was 
born,  on  the  30th  of  November,  181 7,  a  son, 
to  wdiom  they  gave  the  name  of  Moses  M. 
He  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  when,  on 
the  i8th  of  August,  1838,  he  w-edded  'Miss 
]\Iatilda  Moore,  a  daughter  of  Solomon  and 
Mary  Moore,  of  Belmont  county,  Ohio.  She 
was  born  December  31,  1812,  and  passed 
away  November  25,  1874,  while  the  father 
of  our  subject  died  in  August,  1,893.  Their 
children  were:  Mahlon ;  Henry  J.;  Benja- 
min; ]\Iary  J.,  deceased;  Timothy,  -^vho  is 
living  in  Barton  county;  Rebecca  A.,  who 
has  also  passed  aw-ay;  Mrs.  Emily  Keeler, 
and  ]\Irs.  Evelyn  Cook,  twins;  and  Albert 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


605 


E.,  now  deceased.  By  occupation  the  father- 
was  a  farmer  and  followed  that  pursuit 
throughout  his  entire  life.  About  1884  he 
came  to  Barton  county.  Kansas,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm,  upon  which  he  lived  until 
his  death. 

In  the  year  1844  ^Mahlon  Ward  removed 
with  his  father  to  Bartholomew  county,  In- 
diana, where  he  remained  for  twO'  years, 
when  he  went  to  Brown  county.  While  re- 
siding here  he  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Jane  (Clark)  Down- 
e}'.  She  was  born  in  Xoble  county.  Ohio, 
October  22,  1834.  Her  parents  were  farm- 
ing people  and  both  died  when  about  seventy 
years  of  age.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Ward 
began  farming  in  Brown  county,  Indiana, 
and  then  removed  to  Wayne  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  was  living  at  the  time  when 
he  recei\-eil  many  circulars  settine  forth  the 
advantages  of  life  in  Kansas,  the  splendid 
opportunities  of  the  state  and  the  advantages 
here  offered  to  its  residents.  His  interest 
thus  awakened,  he  resolved  to  take  up  his 
abode  in  the  Sunflower  state  and  on  the  15th 
of  February,  1873,  he  left  his  home  in  Illi- 
ni  lis  and  started  by  wagon  for  the  Eldorado. 
His  wagon  was  loaded  with  househuld  fur- 
niture and  with  his  familv  he  thus  jnunieyed 
across  the  country.  On  the  20th  of  April, 
1873,  Mr.  Ward  with  his  wife  and  children 
arrived  in  Barton  county,  and  he  entered  a 
soldier's  claim  on  section  10,  township  19, 
range  11.  thus  securing  the  southwest  quar- 
ter. He  erected  there  a  farm  house  twelve 
by  sixteen  feet.  Timber  was  at  that  time 
very  high  and  they  made  the  most  of  what 
they  had.  During  the  second  year  Mr.  Ward 
broke  sixteen  acres  of  the  land  for  sod  corn 
and  raised  about  fifteen  bushels  per  acre.  In 
the  meantime  he  engaged  in  breaking  prairie 
for  others  in  order  to  get  monev  to  carry  on 
the  work  of  his  own  farm  and  meet  the  ex- 
penses of  the  family.  He  had  to  go  to  Sa- 
lina  for  corn  to  be  used  for  food  and  grocer- 
ies were  purchased  at  Ellinwood.  Their 
meat  was  principallv  buffalo  and  antelope 
which  'Slv.  Ward  shot,  for  those  animals 
were  then  quite  numerous  on  the  prairies 
of  Kansas.  As  the  years  passed  and  his 
financial  resources  increased  he  added  to  his 


original  tract  of  land  and  also  further  im- 
proved it  by  the  erection  of  many  substantial 
buildings,  including  a  fine  residence,  a  large 
barn  and  other  structures  for  the  shelter  of 
his  grain,  -itMck  and  farm  implements.  He 
planted  shade  and  fruit  trees  and  to-day 
owns  a  valuable  tract  of  land,  splendidly  im- 
proved, six  and  one-half  miles  northeast 
from  Ellinwood.     The  excellent  appearance 

i  of  his  farm  indicates  his  life  of  industry  and 
the  diligence  which  has  ever  marked  him 
throughout  his  business  career.  He  pur- 
chased a  quarter  section  of  land  adjoining 
his  home  on  the  east  that  had  been  some- 
what improved  by  James  Thompson.  Alva 
and  Albert,  sons  of  Mr.  Ward,  now  conduct 
the  farms.  In  1900  the  father  retired  from 
business  life  and  came  tO'  Ellinwood,  wdiere 
he  ptu-chased  the  D.  Scanlan  jiroperty,  which 
he  lias  improved  and  enlarged,  and  now  he 
is  enjoying  a  well  earned  rest  in  his  pleasant 
home. 

Air.  \\'ard  enlisted  August  20,  1861,  in 
Company  C,  Sixth  Indiana  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  was  honorably  discharged  Sep- 
tember 22,   1864.  and  mustered  out  at  In- 

j  dianapolis,  Indiana.  He  was  at  the  battle 
of  Pittsburg  Landing  and  all  those  of  the 
Atlan.ta  campaign. 

The  marriage  of  ]\Ir.  and  Airs.  \\"ard  has 
been  blessed  with  the  following  children: 
Alatilda  Jane,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  months:  Alva  Carlton,  who  married 
Alay  Brown,  by  whom  he  has  three  chil- 
dren.— Elsie  Rebecca,  Chester  Lee  and  Elba 
Pearl.  Ah-a  Carlton  is  a  farmer  who  has 
fine  stock,  including  excellent  specimens  of 
short-horn  and  Hereford  cattle;  Albert 
Alonzo.  who  married  Elizabeth  Chilton  and 
they  have  one  s'on, — Homer  Orville :  he 
manages  the  farm ;  Mary  Rosetta,  who  is  the 
wife  of  A.  L.  PickeriU.  of  Kiowa  county. 
Kansas;  Joseph,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine 
years ;  and  Emma  Florence,  now  Mrs. 
George  H.  Bishop,  of  Trinidad.  Colorado. 
Mr.  ^^'ard  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Grand 
Armv  Post  and  is  now  ser\-ing  his  third 
term  as  commander,  a  fact  which  indicates 
the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held  by  the 
boys  in  blue.  He  has  served  as  treasurer  of 
the  township  school  No.  10,  the  best  district 


6o6 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


school  in  tlie  county,  for  twelve  rears,  and 
has  also  been  constable  and  road  supervisor. 
In  these  positions  he  has  discharged  his  du- 
ties with  marked  promptness  and  fidelity, 
and  his  life  record  is  indeed  creditable,  for 
in  office,  in  business  and  in  social  circles  he 
has  ever  commanded  and  received  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  his  fellow  townsmen. 


LEVI  H.  BAIXUM. 


As  one  reviews  the  history  of  the  coun- 
ty and  looks  into  the  past  to  see  who  were 
prominent  in  the  early  development  he  will 
find  that  since  an  early  day  the  name  of  Levi 
H.  Bainum  has  been  closely  connected  with 
the  progress  and  advancement  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state.  A  native  of  the  Buckeye 
state,  his  birth  there  occurred  in  ]\Ionroe 
county.  March  17.  1856.  and  his  parents, 
Levi  H.  and  Mary  ( McConnell)  Bainum, 
also  claimed  Ohio  as  the  state  of  their  nativ- 
ity. Levi  H.  remained  under  the  Darental 
roof  in  the  county  of  his  birth  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  and  from  an  early 
age.  being  the  eldest  of  nine  children,  he  was 
obliged  t(i  assist  in  the  support  of  the  family. 

In  Fcliniar\,  1S77.  just  one  month  be- 
fore he  had  reached  his  twenty-first  year,  he 
started  on  the  long  and  then  tedious  jour- 
ney to  the  west,  believing  that  in  this  new 
and  misubdued  country  he  would  find  better 
opportunities  for  securing  a  start  in  life.  He 
first  stopped  in  Champaign  and  Sangamon 
counties.  Illinois,  where  he  had  relatives  liv- 
ing, and  after  spending  a  few  months  in  the 
Prairie  state  he  continued  the  journey  to 
Wayne  county.  Iowa,  where  he  visited  at  the 
home  of  his  uncle.  William  ]\IcConnell.  and 
while  there  he  was  joined  by  another  uncle. 
Charles  JMcConnell.  and  toeetlier  they  fitted 
up  a  team  and  wagon  and  drove  through 
]\Iissouri  and  Kansas  to  Reno  county,  where 
William  Bainum.  another  uncle,  resided. 
From  there  the  two  continued  the  journey 
through  Pratt  and  Stafford  counties,  and 
they  were  also  accompanied  by  a  cousin  of 
our  subject.  George  JMcConnell.  from  Iowa, 
who  secured  a  claim  in  Pratt  countv  :  but  om^ 


subject  was  not  satisfied  with  the  appearance 
of  that  section,  and,  hearing  favorable  re- 
ports of  the  Ninnescah  country,  he  decided 
to  locate  there;  accordingly,  in  September, 
1877.  he  secured  a  claim  on  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  27,  Dresden  township. 
While  there  residing  he  was  engaged  in 
herding  and  other  work  during  the  winter 
months,  and  was  also  an  employe  on  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  until  the  following  Sep- 
tember, when  he  took  up  his  abode  in  King- 
man county.  On  his  claim  he  erected  a  sod 
house,  twelve  by  twenty-four  feet,  contain- 
ing two  rooms,  also  a  stable  eighty  by  fnur- 
teen  feet,  and  the  walls  of  his  dwelling  were 
finished  with  a  chopping  .ax.  During  the 
same  fall  he  sent  for  his  sisters.  Fannie  and 
Mary,  to  join  him  in  his  new  home,  and  the 
former  afterward  married  Edward  Branch, 
while  the  latter  became  the  wife  of  W^illiam 
Ellis,  now  of  Cleo,  Oklahoma.  A  brother, 
Charles,  also  came  to  this  county  at  the  same 
time,  and  he,  too,  m(akes  his  home  in  Okla- 
homa., being  a  minister  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  stationed  at  Alva.  For 
six  years  Mr.  Bainum  continued  to  make  his 
home  on  that  place,  during  which  time  he 
was  engaged'  at  various,  occupaitions,  but 
principally  in  agricultural  pursuits  and 
sheep-raising,  having  followed  the  latter  vo- 
cation quite  extensively  for  several  years. 
In  1883,  however,  he  sold  his  possessions 
there,  and  in  company  with  his  brother-in- 
law.  Mr.  Branch,  invested  the  proceeds  in 
cattle  in  Kingmlan  coimty,  and  one  year 
later  became  the  owner  of  his  present  home 
farm,  then  consisting  of  raw  prairie  land, 
on  which  he  erected  a  frame  dwelling,  hav- 
ing to  haul  his  lumber  from  Hutchinson. 

In  the  fall  of  1883  Mr.  Bainum  returned 
to  Ohio,  and  on  the  23d  of  December  of  that 
year,  in  Monroe  county,  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Lucy  J.  Hogue,  a  native  of  that 
county  and  a  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Flanders)  Hogue.  Shortly  after  his 
marriage  our  subject  brought  his  bride  to 
his  new  home,  and  on  his  birthday,  the  17th 
of  March,  1884,  they  began  their  domestic 
life  in  the  Sunflower  state.  Since  taking  up 
his  abode  on  his  present  homestead  Mr. 
Bainum  has  followed  general   farming  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


607 


stock-raising,  and  as  tin;e  has  passed  by  and 
prosperity  has  rewarded  his  efforts  he  has 
been  enabled  to  add  another  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  to  his  original  purchase,  thus 
making  him  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land  in  one 
body.  One  hundred'  and  sixty  acres  of  his 
place  is  under  an  excellent  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, the  remainder  being  devoted  to  pastur- 
age, and  this  is  indeed  an  excellent  stock 
fann,  well  watered  by  Painter  creek,  a  never 
failing  source.  In  his  pastures  he  keeps 
from  thirty  to  fifty  cattle  of  the  short-horn, 
Hereford  and  red  polled  breeds,  about  sixty 
heail  i)f  Poland  China  hogs  and  a  number  of 
horses,  having  two  registered  standard  bred 
mares  of  the  H.ambletonian  breed.  His  place 
is  improved  with  a  beautiful  two-story  resi- 
dence, sixteen  by'  thirty-two  feet,  which  was 
erected  in  1893.  and  a  barn  eighteen  bv 
thirty-two  feet,  while  a  beautiful  grove  and 
orcharti  further  add  to  its  value  and  attrac- 
tive appearance. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has 
been  blessed  with  four  children, — William 
v.,  Vogil  v.,  Myrtle  and  Earl.  Mrs.  Bain- 
um  is  a  lady  of  exceptional  culture  and  re- 
finement and  presides  over  her  home  with  a 
charming  and  gracimm  liMspitriIit\-,  making 
it  the  center  of  a  culturcil  -ncietv  circle. 
Since  his  arrival  in  the  Sunlluwer  state  Mr. 
Bainum  has.  tal^cen  an  active  part  in  all  move- 
ments and  measures  tending  to  promote  the 
general  welfare  of  his  locality.  He  assisted 
in  the  organization  of  Rural  township,  and 
on  the  Republican  ticket,  of  which  he  has 
been  a  life-long  supporter,  he  was  elected 
its  first  constable,  and  he  also  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  school  district  No.  25.  For 
several  years  he  served  as  clerk  and  treasurer 
of  his  district,  and  is  the  present  clerk-of  his 
township,  in  which  he  is  now  serving  for 
the  second  term,  while  many  times  he  has 
served  as  a  delegate  to  the  county  conven- 
tions of  his  party.  In  his  social  relations  he 
is  a  memljer  of  the  Modern  ^^'oodmen  of 
America.  He  is  truly  one  of  the  enterpris- 
ing and  progressive  citizens  of  Kingman 
county,  whose  work  and  influence  have  done 
nnich  for  the  i)rnmi)ti(jn  and  advancement  of 
his  community  and  his  career  in  this  state 


furnishes  a  striking  illustration  of  the  possi- 
bilities to  be  secured  in  this  favored  section 
of  Kingman  county. 


T.  E.  MORRIS. 


Among  the  widely  known  stockmen  of 
Kingman  county,  Kansas,  none  are  more 
highly  esteemed  than  is  T.  E.  Morris,  who 
since  1884  has  been  prominent  in  the  busi- 
ness life  of  this  section.  Mr.  Morris  was 
one  of  the  first  to  engaee  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  the  young  town  of  Spivey,  and 
no  one  is  better  acquainted  with  the  difficul- 
ties under  which  the  pioneer  settlers  labored 
at  that  time.  In  various  lines  of  activity  in 
this  county,  Mr.  Morris  has  been  eminently 
successful,  having  been  merchant,  land  agent 
and  cattle  raiser.  Through  all  the  discour- 
agements which  met  the  early  settlers  of  this 
state,  Mr.  Morris  held  his  faith  in  the  ulti- 
mate result,  and  his  confidence  has  not  been 
misplaced  and  no  citizen  enjoys  more  fully 
the  proud  prominence  which  Kansas  has  at- 
tained. 

The  birth  of  T.  E.  Morris  was  in  Madi- 
son county,  Ohio,  in  1857,  a  year  made  mem- 
orable by  many  public  events  of  great  sig- 
nificance, and  he  was  a  son  of  W.  D.  and 
Nancy  (Wilson)  Morris,  his  father  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  and  his  mother  of  the  Buck- 
eye state.  Later  these  i>arents  moved  to 
Jennings  county,  Indiana,  where  the  father 
engaged  in  farming  and  the  raising  of  stock, 
becoming  a  man  of  means  and  prominence. 
Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Morris,  the  survivors  now  being  two  sons 
and  two  daughters,  namely:  Isaiah,  still  liv- 
ing in  Ripley  county,  Incjiana :  Mattie  and 
Jessie,  living  in  Jennings,  Indiana,  and  both 
married,  Mattie  to  A.  E.  Grimes,  and  Jessie 
to  James  Shuck.  One  brother.  W.  A.,  is  a 
resident  of  Wellington,  Sumner  county, 
Kansas. 

T.  E.  Morris  grew  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Jennings  county,  Indiana, 
and  under  his  father  became  thoroughly  in- 
structed in  all  the  departments  of  agricul- 
tural life,  and  he  Ijecame  much  interested  in 


6o8 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


the  raising  of  stock,  this  being:  one  of  his  ob- 
jects in  seeking  the  western  plains.  His  ed- 
ucation was  of  an  exceUent  character,  as  he 
had  access  to  the  good  common  schools  of 
his  district,  and  he  came  to  Kansas  in  1884, 
equipped  with  a  trained  mind  and  robust 
health. 

^Ir.  ilorris  located  in  Kingman  county 
and  engaged  iji  an  extensive  stock  business 
and  also  had  a  large  farm.  In  1886  he  en- 
barked  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Cleve- 
land. Kansas,  a  venture  which  proved  very 
successful,  but  later  selected  the  town  of 
Spivey  as  his  home  and  here  carried  on  a 
large  mercantile  business  for  a  considerable 
period.  For  this  purpose  he  built  here  a 
large  stone  store  edifice,  two  stories  high 
and  twenty  by  eighty  feet  in  dimensions, 
and  enjoyed  a  prosperous  trade  until  he  took 
up  other  lines  of  activity.  Mr.  Morris  has 
done  much  business  in  the  way  of  buying 
and  selling  land,  and  he  has  been  particu- 
larly successful  in  the  buying  of  western  cat- 
tle, disposing  of  them  to  advantage,  his  al- 
most life-long  experience  in  cattle  and  stock 
making  him  a  very  superior  judge  of  their 
merits. 

After  seven  years  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Spivey,  where,  as  mentioned,  he  was 
a  pioneer,  he  sold  his  interests  and  bought  a 
farm  of  four  hundred  acres  and  there  en- 
gaged in  his  extensive  cattle  business.  Mr. 
Morris  handles  and  raises  only  good  stock 
and  the  output  of  his  farm  commands  excel- 
lent prices.  He  has  a  most  comfortable  home 
and  is  surrounded  with  all  of  the  necessities 
and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life. 

In  1884  Mr.  Morris  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Emily  Hoover,  a  daughter  of 
Charles  Hoover,  who  is  now  a  resident  of 
Missouri.  Three  daughters  have  been  add- 
ed to  the  family,  namely :  Florence,  Stella 
and  Inez,  all  of  whom  are  well  educated  and 
socially  attractive. 

In  his  political  belief  ^Ir.  ]\Iorris  is  a 
stanch  Republican  and  has  long  been  a  zeal- 
ous worker  for  the  good  of  his  party,  and 
exerts  a  very  considerable  influence  in  po- 
litical circles.  Fraternally  he  is  prominent 
in  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  belonging  to 
Lodge  Xo.  372,  of  Spivey,,  and  has  been  a 


delegate  to  the  grand  lodge.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  order  of  Woodmen.  Still  in 
the  prime  of  life,  much  achievement  is  still 
possible  to  Mr.  Alorris,  and  there  is  scarcely 
any  token  of  public  esteem  from  his  party, 
that  his  hosts  of  friends  in  Kingman  county 
would  not  think  justly  deserved.  The  ad- 
vancement made  in  this  county  in  the  lines 
of  public  improvements  and  more  advanced 
educational  facilities  have  always  met  with 
his  hearty  approval. 


JESSE  GREENFIELD. 

Jesse  Greenfield,  proprietor  of  the 
Hutchinson  Bottling  Works,  where  business 
is  carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  Green- 
field &  Company,  owns  an  extensive  estab- 
lishment at  Xos.  201-3-5-7  East  B  avenue, 
and  his  pleasant  residence  is  at  No.  415 
North  Main  street.  He  was  born  in  Ches- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  loth  of 
October,  1827,  a  son  of  Aaron  and  Mary 
(Green)  Greenfield.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, also  named  Aaron,  was  a  son  of 
Aaron  Greenfield,  and  the  latter  came  to 
Pennsylvania  with  William  Penn.  The  fam- 
ily for  many  generations  have  been  mem- 
bers of  the  Quaker  faith  and  prominent 
tillers  of  the  soil.  Aaron  Greenfield,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  1801,  and 
about  183 1  he  removed  from  Chester  coun- 
ty to  Muskingimi  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
improved  a  farm  from  the  heavy  timber,  and 
in  addition  to  his  arduous  work  in  the  fields 
he  also  followed  his  trade  of  shoemaking. 
In  185 1  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Jasper 
county,  Indiana,-  and  there  his  remaining 
days  were  passed,  his  death  having  occurred 
in  1876.  In  political  matters  he  was  first 
a  Whig,  but  after  the  formation  of  the  Re- 
publican party  he  supported  its  principles. 
Of  his  eight  children,  five  are  now  living, 
namely :  \\'illiam.  a  retired  farmer  of  Rens- 
selaer, Indiana:  Lydia,  the  widow  of  Dr. 
Moss,  and  a  resident  of  Rensselaer;  Eliza- 
beth, the  wife  of  Abraham  W^arner,  of  Chi- 
cago Heights,  Illinois :  John,  who  makes  his 
home  in  Colorado  City,  Colorado ;  and  Jesse, 
the  subject  of  this  review. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


The  latter  was  but  a  child  of  three  years 
■when  lie  was  taken  by  his  parents  tO'  Ohio, 
and  on  a  farm  in  that  commonwealth  he 
grew  to  years  of  maturity,  while  the  public 
schools  of  his  neighborhood  afforded  him  the 
educational  privileges  which  he  enjoyed  in 
his  youth.  In  that  early  day  the  schools 
were  very  primitive  in  character,  and  Mr. 
Greenfield  is  principally  a  self-educated  man, 
having  added  greatly  to  his  knowledge  in 
latter  years  by  constant  reading,  study  and 
observation.  After  his  marriage  he  farmed 
on  rented  land  for  one  year  in  the  Buckeve 
state,  and  then  removed  with  his  father  to 
Indiana,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
raw  prairie  land,  the  nearest  timber  tract 
having  been  eight  miles  distant.  He  erected 
a  hewed  lug  hnuse  and  barn  and  at  once  be- 
gan the  difhcult  task  of  placing  his  fields 
under  cultivation.  After  a  residence  of 
twenty-two  years  on  that  place,  on  account 
of  ill  health  he  rented  his  Indiana  farm  and 
removed  to  Clarksville,  Tennessee,  locating 
on  the  Cumberland  river,  where  for  the  fol- 
lowing three  years  he  found  work  at  the 
carpenter's  trade.  In  September,  1876,  on 
account  of  his  father's  last  illness,  he  re- 
turned to  Indiana,  but  after  two  years  he 
was  again  obliged  to  seek  a  milder  climate 
and  accordingly  located  at  Duval's  Bluff, 
Arkansas,  where  for  the  following  two  years 
he  was  employed  in  a  sawmill  and  in  the 
lumber  business.  His  next  place  of  resi- 
dence was  at  Little  Rock,  where  he  remained 
for  three  months,  going  thence  to  St. 
Louis,  but  two  months  later  removed  to 
Kirkwood,  jMissouri,  and  after  a  year  there  I 
spent  returned  to  St.  Louis  and  secured  a 
position  with  Deet  Mausher  &  Company.  ! 
where  he  remained  in  the  capacity  of  a  ship-  | 
ping  clerk  for  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  ! 
1880.  immediately  ;ifter  \iiting  at  the  presi- 
dential election,  ]Mr.  ( ir(_enlicld  came  to  Kan- 
sas, locating  first  at  Columbus.  During  his 
first  year  there,  however,  the  chinch  bugs  de- 
stroyed his  crop,  and  he  decided  to  leave  the 
farm,  which  he  had  rented,  and  remove  to 
Hutchinson.  Soon  after  his  arrival  here 
he  purchased  the  bottling  establishment  of 
J.  R.  Carr,  the  entire  stock  at  that  time  con- 
sisting rjf   about   fifty   cases  of  carbonated 


goods  and  some  primitive  machinery.  How- 
ever, Mr.  Greenfield  went  to  work  with  a 
will  to  Improve  the  plant  and  increase  the 
volume  of  business,  which  immediately  be- 
gan to  respond  to  his  eft'orts  and  it  is  now 
one  of  the  leading  houses  of  its  kind  in  this 
section  of  the  state.  At  the  lime  of  the  pur- 
chase the  plant  was  located  just  back  of  the 
present  site  of  the  opera  house,  but  our  sub- 
ject soon  purchased  a  lot  on  Fourth  street, 
where  he  erected  a  commodious  building, 
and  for  six  years  they  did  an  extensive  busi- 
ness at  that  location.  He  was  first  engaged 
in  business  with  John  ]\Iitcalf.  but  this  re- 
lationship continued  only  for  one  year,  and 
since  that  time  Mr.  Greenfield  has  carried 
on  his  business  alone.  He  later  purchased 
property  on  the  corner  of  B  avenue  and 
Poplar  street,  at  Nos.  201-3-5-7,  on  which 
he  erected  a  two-story  building,  one  hun- 
dred and  six  by  thirty-five  feet,  but  in  1898 
this  structure,  with  its  entire  contents,  was 
burned  to  the  ground.  Not  discouraged, 
however,  Mr.  Greenfield  immediately  set 
about  to  retrieve  his  lost  possessions,  and 
soon  his  business  was  again  in  a  flourish- 
ing condition.  In  addition  to  a  large  local 
trade  he  also  ships  extensively  to  the  east, 
south  and  west,  and  during  the  entire  year 
furnishes  work  for  about  ten  employes.  He 
is  a  man  of  splendid  business  and  executive 
ability  and  carries  forward  to  successful 
completion  whatever  he  undertakes,  while 
in  all  life's  relations  he  has  proved  himself 
an  upright,  reliable  and  honorable  gentle- 
man. 

In  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  on  the 
20th  of  December.  1848.'  Mr.  Greenfield 
was  united  in  marriage  ti)  ."^arah  J.  Warne, 
and  of  their  seven  children  >  nily  two  are  now 
living,  Oliver,  whn  is  enipluyed  as  book- 
keeper for  the  Greenfield  Company;  and 
Mary,  widow  of  George  Alter  and  a  mem- 
ber of  her  father's  household.  The  wife  and 
mother  was  called  to  the  home  beyond  on 
the  1 8th  of  July,  1884,  and  in  the  Buckeye 
state  our  subject  wedded  Elizabeth  Pierce, 
a  native  of  ]\Iuskingum  county,  Ohio,  and 
a  daughter  of  Joseph  Pierce.  In  political 
matters  Mr.  Greenfield  has  jjeen  a  life-long 
supporter  of  Republican  principles,  and'  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  Zachary 
Taylor.  Although  he  has  reached  the  sev- 
enty-four milestone  on  the  journey  of  life 
he  still  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters relating  to  the  pubic  welfare.  He  is 
emphatically  a  man  of  enterprise,  positive 
character,  indomitable  energy  and  liberal 
views,  and  is  thoroughly  identified  in  feel- 
ing with  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the 
locality  which  for  so  manv  years  has  been 
his  home. 


ANDREW  FENDRICK. 

Among  citizens  of  Macon  township, 
Harvey  county,  Kansas,  of  German  birth 
none  is  more  ixipular  or  more  hiehlv  respect- 
ed than  Andrew  Fendrick,  a  farmer  in  sec- 
tion 30  of  that  township,  whose  postoffice 
addTessi  is  Halstead  and  who  was  born  in 
Baden,  Germany.  November  30,  1847,  '^'id 
reared  to  the  work  of  .a  practical  farmer. 

Mr.  Fendrick  attended  the  public  school 
in  his  native  land  until  he  was  foiirteen  years 
old  and  in  1868  he  and  his  sister  came  to 
the  United  States,  landing  at  New  York 
city,  after  a  steamer  voyage  of  fifteen  days. 
They  had  a  cousin  in  Marshall  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  thev  joined  him  and  soon  Mr.  Fen- 
drick was  emplo}'ed  at  farm  work  at  twenty 
dollars  a  month,  which  is  four  times  as  much 
as  he  would  have  received  in  Germany  for 
the  same  service.  He  remained  with  his 
employer  two  years  and  in  1870  began  farm- 
ing as  a  tenant.  He  had  saved  enough 
mone}-,  after  repaying  an  advance  made  to 
cover  his  expenses  to  cross  the  ocean,  to  be- 
gin for  himself  in  a  small  way,  and  had 
bought  a  team  of  horses  with  money  which 
he  had  earned  in  the  fall  of  1869  at  husking 
and  marketing  a  crop  of  corn  at  ten  cents  a 
bushel.  For  one  year  after  he  began  farm- 
ing for  himself  he  lived  with  his  cousin. 
Then  he  took  another  farm,  nn  which  he 
kept  house  for  liimself  until  he  was  mar- 
ried. 

Sq^tember  24,  1874,  he  married  Paulina 
Krehl,  who  was'  born  in  Prussia,  on  Janu- 
ary 7.  1852,  and  had  come  to  America  in 
August.  186;.     For  a  time  after  her  arrival 


in  this  country  she  lixed  with  an  uncle  in 
Calumet  county,  Wisconsin.  In  1868  she 
went  to  live  with  her  sister  in  Marshall  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  where  she  met  and  married  Mr. 
Fendrick.  For  nine  years  after  his  marriage 
Mr.  Fendrick  worked  a  rented  farm  in  Pe- 
oria county,  Illinois.  In  January,  1883,  he 
went  to  Macon  township,  Har\-ey  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  bought  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  section  30,  for  nine  thousand 
dollars,  involving  himself  in  debt  to  the 
amount  of  six  thousand  dollars  in  the  trans- 
action. The  farm  was  impro\'ed  and  pro- 
vided with  ample  buildings  of  alT  kinds  and 
was  productive,  and  it  was  managed  by  Mr. 
Fendrick  to  such  good  advantage  that  in 
1899  lis  '^^'^s  entirely  out  of  debt.  He  de- 
votes his  land  to  general  farming,  sowing 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  with  wheat,  of 
which  he  raised  three  thousand  bushels  in 
1901.  He  raises  horses  and  mules  and 
usually  has  on  hand  eight  or  ten  horses  and 
about  twenty  head  of  cattle.  \\'hile  he 
farmed  in  Illinois  he  made  money  with  hogs, 
but  he  has  not  handled  them  extensively  in 
Kansas. 

Andrew  and  Paulina  (Krehl)  Fendrick 
have  four  children,  as  follows:  Their  daugh- 
ter Bertha  is  the  wife  of  John  Baumgartner. 
Their  daughter  Minnie  married  John 
Schlender,  of  Mound  Ridge,  Kansas.  Their 
son  Joseph  and  their  daughter  Anna  are 
members  of  their  parents'  household.  Bertha 
and  Minnie  were  both  married  in  the  church 
of  their  family,  October  12,  1898,  and  eleven 
months  and  two  weeks  later  both  gave  birth 
to  sons:  each  has  a  daug^hter,  and.  as  has 
been  noticed,  the  husband  of  each  is  named 
John. 

In  politics  ^Ir.  Fendrick  is  a  Democrat 
and  as  such  he  has  been  elected  member  of 
his  township  school  board.  He  and  his  wife 
are  identified  with  the  Evangelical  church, 
in  which  he  has  served  officially  as  trustee 
and  as  a  Sunday-school  superintendent.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Fendrick  labored  arduously  and. 
faithfully  to  acquire  their  ffne  home  and  val- 
uable property  and  are  rightfully  taking  life 
more  easily  now  than  they  did  in  former 
years.  They  feel  that  they  have  reason  to  be 
thankful  not  onlv  for  their  material  posses- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


6ii 


Mons  but  for  their  wortliy  and  interesting 
ciiiidren.  In  the  fail  of  1901  they  visited 
tlieir  old  home  in  IlHnois  and  other  points  of 
interest  in  tlie  east. 


W.  H.  FREELS. 


The  mercantile  firm  of  Baldauf  &  Freels 
is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  successfully 
conducted  houses  in  its  Line,  in  Kingnian 
county,  Kansas,  and  there  is  no  more  rep- 
resentative business  citizen  of  Spivcy  than 
is  its  junior  partner,  W.  H.  Freels,  who  is 
the  subject  of  this  biography. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Freels  was  in  1853,  in 
the  state  of  Tennessee,  and  he  came  of  a 
long  line  of  honorable  Scotch  ancestors  who 
settled  at  an  early  day  in  his  native  state. 
His  parents  were  P.  M.  and  Nancy  J.  Freels, 
the  fiirmer  of  whom  was  a  large  planter  in 
Tennessee.  He  died,  at  his  home  there,  at 
the  age  of  fifty  years,  but  his  widow  is  still 
siu'viving.  To  these  worthy  parents  Mr. 
Freels  owes  an  early  teaching  of  the  cardinal 
virtues  and  the  principles  instilled  in  early 
life  he  has  never  forgotten  or  disregarded. 

Mr.  Freels  has  been  a  resident  of  central 
Kansas  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  its 
growth  and  development  have  made  him 
proud  of  his  adopted  state.  In  1X7(1  lie  came 
to  Kansas  in  the  following  of  h\>  ti-ade,  that 
of  carpenter  and  bridge  builder,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  he  held  a  very  responsible 
position  in  the  service  of  one  of  the  great 
railroad  companies  whose  lines  now  inter- 
sect the  state.  He  was  a  skilled  workman 
and  many  of  his  structures  still  attest  his 
ability.  For  a  considerable  time  he  was  en- 
gaged by  the  railroad  as  foreman,  but  later 
he  rose  to  the  responsible  position  of  super- 
intendent of  bridge  construction  and  he  re- 
tained this  position  until  he  resigned  it  for  a 
more  restful  life.  It  was  with  regret  that 
the  old  connection  was  severed,  as  there  was 
attachment  on  both  sides,  Mr.  Freels  enjoy- 
ing the  greatest  confidence  from  his  employ- 
ers. . 

In  1901  !Mr.  Freels  located  in  Spivey, 
Kansas,  where  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
^Ir.  John  H.  Baldauf  in  an  established  mer- 


cantile business,  which  has  constantly  pros- 
pered and  is  a  leading  line  in  Kingman  coun- 
ty. Mr.  Freels  has  brought  to  this  business 
a  long  experience  withjnen  and  he  thor- 
oughly understands  the  probable  needs  of 
the  public  and  possesses  the  accommodating 
manner  which  wins  trade  and  the  honest 
methods  which  keep  it.  The  firm  style  is 
Baldauf  &  Freels,  and  they  carry  a  full  line 
of  choice  and  well  selected  dry  goods,  boots 
and  shoes,  also  groceries  of  all  kinds,  and 
deal  extensively  in  the  commodities  of  grain 
and  coal.  The  business  is  on  a  sound  basis 
and  its  constantly  increasing  trade  from  a 
wider  circle  is  the  best  testimonial  to  its 
management  and  assurance  of  future  suc- 
cess. 

Mr.  Freels  was  married,  in  his  native 
state,  to  Miss  A.  E.  McDade.  who  was  a 
daughter  of  H.  C.  and  M.  E.  McDade,  rep- 
resentatives of  old  Tennessee  families.  Mr. 
McDade  later  became  a  resident  of  Kansas 
and  died  in  this  state,  his  widow  still  resid- 
ing in  Cowley  county,  Kansas.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Freels  four  children  were  born,  name- 
ly:  Mrs.  Anna  Gascoigne,  of 'Wichita,  Kan- 
sas; Charles  A.,  a  youth  of  seventeen,  at 
home.;  Maude,  deceased  at  theaere  of  three; 
and  an  infant,  deceased.  Mr.  Freels  has  one 
of  the  most  attractive  homes  in  the  village, 
his  cottage  costing. in  the  neighborhood  of 
twelve  hundred  dollars,  and  he  owns  twelve 
acres  of  land  surrounding  it,  which  is  well 
cultivated  and  productive.  In  social  circles 
his  family  is  prominent  and  he  is  a  very  pop- 
ular and  esteemed  citizen.  In  both  the  Ma- 
son.ic  and  Odd  Fellows  orders  he  is  promi- 
nent, belonging  to  Lodge  No.  347,  in  the 
former,  and  taking  also  an  active  part  in  the 
latter.  Mrs.  Freels  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  where  she  is  valued  for 
her  piety  and  to  which  Mr.  Freels  liberally 
contributes. 


SAMUEL  DUNKELEERGER. 

There  will  be  found  in  this  work  a  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  William  Dunkelberger, 
an  old  and  respected  farmer  of  Macon  town- 
ship, Harvey  county,  Kansas,  who  married 


•6  I  2 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Elizabetli  Holderman,  who  bore  him  a  num- 
ber of  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  the  eldest. 

Samuel  Dunkelberger,  farmer,  section 
20,  Macon  township,  Harvey  county,  Kan- 
sas, who  receives  his  mail  bv  means  of  New- 
ton rural  delivery  No.  i,  was  born  in 
Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  September 
ID,  1864.  He  was  educated  in  district 
schools  in  Pennsylvania  and  Kansas,  and  re- 
ceived thorough  and  practical  instruction  in 
farming  on  his  father's  farm.  Later  for 
three  years  he  was  emjployed  in  railway 
shops  at  Newton,  Kansas,  and  as  a  locomo- 
tive fireman  on  the  Santa  Fe  system,  in  Kan- 
sas and  New  Mexico.  He  had  a  home  under 
the  parental  roof  until  his  marriage.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  years  he  bought  a  threshing 
machine,  which  in  time  he  replaced  by  a  more 
modern  and  more  expensive  one.  and  from 
that  day  to  the  present  he  has  devoted  him- 
self to  threshing,  in  season,  with  consider- 
able success.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres,  which 
he  devotes  to  mixed  crops,  raisine  six  to 
twelve  hundred  bushels  of  wheat  and  four 
to  eight  hundred  bushels  of  corn  annually ; 
and  he  keeps  fifteen  to  twenty  head  of  short- 
horn cattle  of  good  grade,  and  three  horses. 

June  14,  1894,  he  married  Miss  Martha 
Steps,  who  was  born  near  Leipsic,  Germany, 
a  daughter  of  Amiel  and  Amelia  (Krehl) 
Steps.  Mrs.  Dunkelberger  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1889  with  her  brother,  and  Frederica 
Krehl,  her  grandmother.  She  married  Gott- 
leib  Krehl.  who  died  in  Germany,  aged  sixty- 
eight  years,  leaving  four  children,  two  of 
whom  are  in  America,  two  in  Germany. 
Mrs.  Dunkelberger' s  father  died  in  Ger- 
many, in  18S7,  aged  forty-six  years,  leaving 
a  widow  and  several  children.  William,  one 
of  his  sons,  died  at  the  age  of  three  years 
soon  after  his  father.  Alfred,  who  is  em- 
ployed in  the  hospital  corps  at  Fort  Slocum, 
New  York,  has  a  wife  and  child.  Paul,  who 
is  married,  lives  at  Savannah,  Missouri. 
Carl  lives  with  his  mother  in  Germany. 
Clara,  an  attractive  young  lady,  came  to 
America  in  1901  and  is  living  with  Mrs. 
Dunkelberger.  Their  grandmother  Krehl 
■died    in    ]\Iacon    township,    in    1901,    aged 


eighty  years.  ]Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Dunkelberger 
have  an  infant  daughter  named  Inez,  who 
was  born  Julv  3,  1900. 

j\lr.  Dunkelbei-ger  is  a  member  of  Hal- 
stead  Lodge,  No.  46,  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  of  Halstead.  Kansas,  in 
which  he  was  received  as  an  Entered  Ap- 
prentice, passed  the  Fellow  Craft  degree  and 
was  raised  to  the  sublime  degree  of  Master 
Mason.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and,  being  a  man  of  patriotic,  public 
spirit,  he  serves  the  interests  of  his  fellow- 
townsmen  in  every  manner  possible  and  has 
ably  filled  the  ofikes  of  township  trustee  two 
terms  and  township  treasurer  three  terms. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical church  and  are  helpfully  devoted  to 
all  its  various  needs.  They  are  widely 
known  throughout  the  county  and  are  highly 
respected  by  ail  who  have  the  honor  of  their 
acquaintance.  Their  cosy  and  attractive 
home  is  known  for  its  hospitality. 


WILLIAM  DUNKELBERGER. 

Another  of  those  Pennsvlvanians  who 
by  their  industry  and  force  of  character  have 
given  an  impetus  to  civilization  and  pro- 
gress in  Kansas  is  William  Dunkelberger, 
whose  homestead  is  in  section  20,  Macon 
township,  Harvey  county,  and  whose  post- 
office  address  is  Newton. 

]\Ir.  Dunkelberger  was  born  in  North- 
umberland county,  Pennsylvania,  April  4, 
1834.  Jacob  Dunkelberger.  his  father,  was 
born  in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1802.  and  died  in  Schuylkill  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  in  1874.  John  George 
Dunkelberger,  father  of  Jacob  and  grand- 
father of  William  Dunkelberger,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Holland,  who  came  early  to  the  Uni- 
ted States  and  died  in  Northumberland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  at  an  advanced  age 
about  1837.  He  had  four  sons.  Jacob,  the 
eldest  of  these,  was  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  and  John  was  the  next  in  or- 
der of  birth.  The  third  son.  Daniel,  became 
a  butcher.  Samuel,  the  youngest  son,  was 
an  able  farmer  and  a  successful  horse-breed- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


613. 


er,  lived  and  died  in  Pennsylvania,  leaving 
six  or  seven  children.  John  Georgre  Dunk- 
elberger's  wife  died  at  the  old  family  home- 
stead in  Pennsylvania  about  1852,  aged 
ninety-two  years. 

Catharine  Manrer,  who  married  Jacob 
Dunkelberger  and  became  the  mother  of 
William  Dunkelberger,  was  a  native  of 
Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
a  daughter  of  Jacob  Maurer,  a  farmer  and 
distiller,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six 
years,  leaving  six  sons  and  two  daughters, 
one  of  whom,  ]\Irs.  Julia  Clock,  aged  about 
seventy  years,  lives  at  Newton,  Kansas.  Ja- 
cob Maurer's  wife  died  in  Schuylkill  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  in  1866,  aged  sixty  years. 
Their  daughter,  Catharine,  born  July  6, 
1806,  married  Jacob  Dunkelberger  in  1828, 
and  they  had  four  sons  and  five  daughters, 
all  of  whom  were  reared  to  manhood  and 
womanlnKjd.  One.  oi  their  daughters  mar- 
ried ^\'illiam  Hipler  and  died  in  Northum- 
berland county,  Pennsylvania,  aged  forty- 
two  years,  leaving  several  children.  All  of 
the  others  are  married  and  each  has  three  to 
ten  children. 

\\'illiam  Dunkelberger  received  a  scant 
education  in  the  German  lans-uaee  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  studied  English  ^-ery  insuffi- 
ciently. He  passed  his  earlier  years  in 
Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  his 
brother  Israel  is  living  and  was  married 
May  22,  1864,  in  that  county,  to  Elizabeth 
Holderman,  who  was  born  there  in  1844,  a 
daughter  of  John  Holderman,  a  progressive 
farmer,  who  died  in  1889,  aged  sixty-seven 
years,  leaving  a  wife  (his  second)  and  four 
children.  Immediately  after  his  marriage 
Mr.  Dunkelberger  settled  nn  twenty-three 
acres  of  land  not  far  from  his  father's  Imme- 
stead.  There  he  remained  until  1879.  in- 
creasing his  land  to  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  all  of  which  he  sold  in  the  year  last 
mentioned  for  six  thousand  and  two  hun- 
dred dollars,  which  was  a  modest  price  for 
the  property.  Removing  to  Kansas  he 
bought  a  quarter  section  in  Macon  township 
for  two  thousand  dollars,  and  later  he  pur- 
chased for  a  like  sum  eighty  acres,  which 

I        he  sold  to  his  son  Jeremiah. 

I  The   following   information   concerning 


Mr.  Dunkelberger's  children  will  be  interest- 
ing in  this  connection.  Samuel,  a  biograph- 
ical sketch  of  whom  appears  in  this  work,  is 
a  farmer  living  a  half  mile  west  of  his  fa- 
ther's homestead,  is  married  and  has  a  child. 
Clara  is  a  saleslady  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  and 
Mary  and  Lizzie  are  employed  in  the  same 
city;  Mary  is  a  ticket-seller  in  an  elevated, 
railway  station ;  Lizzie  is  a  saleslady  in  a  dry- 
goods  store.  William,  who  is  a  member  of 
his'  father's  household,  is  a  farmer  and 
thresher;  Jeremiah  is  married  and  lives  in 
Newtos;  Kate  married  Richard  Challand, 
and  has  two  children.  Jacob  assists  his  fa- 
ther 00  the  farm.  Francis  lives  at  Newton, 
Kansas.  Maggie  died  in  the  sixth  year  of 
her  age.  Albert,  Elnora,  Edwin  J.  and 
John,  tlie  last  two  aged  seventeen  and  six- 
teen years  respectively,  are  members  of  their 
father's  household.  Royal  died  in  infancy. 
Augustus,  the  youngest,  is  nine  years  old. 
Mr.  Dunkelberger  does  general  farming, 
his  principal  crop  being  wheat,  of  which  he 
raised  three  thousand  and  five  hundred  bush- 
els in  1901,  and  he  keeps  seven  horses  and 
sixteen  head  of  cattle.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  church,  in  which  he  holds 
the  office  of  trustee.  Originally  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  he  is  now  an  independent 
voter,  who  while  avoiding  office  himself, 
does  his  utmost  to  put  able  and  honest  men 
in  township  and  county  offices,  believing  that 
the  administration  of  no  office  can  be  better 
than  the  moral  and  intellectual  status  of  its 
incumbent.  He  is  a  public-spirited  man  of 
broad  and  liberal  views  who  does  everything 
in  his  power  to  advance  movements  which 
in  his  good  judgment  tend  to  the  general 
good. 


LOREN  L.  SEELEY. 

As  one  of  the  old  settlers  and  prominent 
and  successful  citizens  in  several  important 
lines  of  industry,  L.  L.  Seeley,  of  Spivey, 
Kansas,  has  become  well  known  through- 
Kingman  county.  A  prosperous  farmer,  a 
large  stock-raiser  and  a  successful  merchant. 
Mr.  Seeley  has  still  added  to  his  usefulness 
by  acceptably  filling  a  number  of  the  county 


€r4 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


offices,  being  at  the  present  time  a  member 
of  the  board  of  commissioners. 

The  birth  of  L.  L.  Seelev,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  in  1848,  in  Jefferson  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Polly  (Eastman)  Seeley,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  in  the  state  of  Ncav  York, 
and  his  father  took  part  in  the  war  of  1812, 
participating-  in  the  battle  of  Buffalo,  where 
he  lost  his  life.  In  Cattaraugus  county.  New 
York,  he  was  married  to  Polly  Eastman, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  noted  Eastman 
family,  which  is  one  of  the  most  highly  re- 
spected families  of  that  state.  Its  represent- 
atives have  filled  many  prominent  positions 
in  tlie  wnrld,  and  it  stands  fnr  upright  and 
h.'iK'-t  li\ing.  By  occupation  William  See- 
ley was  a  lumberman,  and  after  his  marriage 
he  moved  into  the  timber  districts  of  War- 
ren county,  Pennsylvania,  later  into  Jeffer- 
son county  in  the  same  state,  where  he  en- 
gaged for  some  time  in  rafting  lumber.  He 
was  a  very  successful  business  man  and  ac- 
cumulated considerable  means.  His  resi- 
dence was  long  in  Red  Bank,  Pennsylvania, 
hut  his  last  days  were  spent  at  Reynolds- 
ville,  in  Jefferson  county,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven  years,  honored  and 
respected.  Fraternally  he  was  connected 
with  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  politi- 
cally he  was  a  strong  supporter  of  the  policv 
of  President  Lincoln.  His  widnw  survived 
to  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years,  leaving  be- 
hind her  a  memory  fragrant  with  the  flow- 
ers of  gentleness,  kindness  and  family  de- 
votion. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  William  and 
Polly  Seeley. — four  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters,— their  names  being  as  follows :  Ed- 
ward, who  lives  in  Pennsylvania;  Edna, 
who  is  the  widow  of  Dr.  Bordwell :  Esther, 
who  is  the  wife  of  O.  F.  Smith  and  resides 
in  Reynoldsville,  Pennsylvania ;  Ada,  who  is 
the  widow  of  W.  Vanskayk,  of  Blooming- 
ton.  Illinois:  Leonard  P.,  who  residesin 
Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania;  Loren  L.,  of  this 
sketch  ;  Ella,  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of 
J.  S.  Gorsline,  of  Cattaraugus  county.  New 
York ;  and  Charles,  who  is  a  well  known 
resident  of  this  countv  and  whose  large  hotel 


in  Spivev,  erected  in  1887,  burned  down  in 
1894. 

Loren  L.  Seeley  was  reared  as  the  ordi- 
nary school  boy  of  the  time  and  locality  and 
was  kept  busy  through  youth,  in  assisting 
his  father  in  the  lumber  business,  finally  be- 
coming his  partner.  The  business  was  re- 
munerative and  the  partnership  lasted  some 
years.  In  1877  Mr.  Seeley  was  married,  in 
Reynoldsville,  to  Miss  Minerva  Reynolds,  a 
w-ell  educated  and  most  estimable  young 
lady,  a  member  of  a  family  from  which  the 
town  obtained  its  name.  Her  whole  life  has 
been  passed  in  Reynoldsville,  and  she  was  a 
daughter  of  \\'oodward  and  Amelia  (  Ross) 
Reynolds,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in 
Kittanning,  Armstrong  count}-,  Pennsyh-a- 
nia,  a  member  of  a  prominent  familv.  Mr. 
Reynolds  was  an  enterprising  business  man 
and  did  much  in  the  foundins:  of  the  village 
which  bore  his  name.  His  wife  also  repre- 
sented a  prominent  and  substantial  family  of 
Armstrong  county.  They  reared  twelve 
children,  in  which  there  were  four  sons  and 
eight  daughters,  their  names  being:  David 
and  John,  both  soldiers  who  foueht  in  the 
Civil  war,  the  latter  being  deceased :  Albert, 
who  also  was  a  soldier,  and  now  lives  in 
Reynoldsville;  Mary  J.,  who  married  C.  C. 
Gibson ;  Richard,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years;  Isabella,  who  died  young; 
IMinerva,  w-ho  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  Seeley 
Harriet,  whO'  married  Joseph  Morrow ;  Rich- 
ard, who  has  passed  away;  Ida  May,  who 
lives  at  home;  Eliza,  who  married  Frank 
Miller;  and  Mrs'.  Susan  Montgomerv',  ^yho 
lives  at  Sligo,  Pennsylvania.  The  father  of 
these  children  died  in  1861,  at  the  age  of 
fifty  years,  one  of  the  best  kno-wn  men  in 
Jefferson  county,  of  large  means,  being 
financially  interested  in  coal  and  timber 
lands,  and  town  property  of  value,  including 
a  hotel.  He  was  connected  with  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity  and  always  took  an  active 
interest  in  its  work.  The  mother  of  Mrs. 
Seeley  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-three  and 
was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her. 

The  four  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Seeley  are:  Enid,  who  married  Charles 
W^ells    and    resides    in    Kingman    county; 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


615 


Adrian,  who  is  a  popular  and  successful 
teacher :  V^ictor  H.,  who'  assists  his  father ; 
and  Bernice,  who  is  still  in  school.  All  of 
these  chil(!ren.have  had  excellent  educational 
opijurtunities,  their  advantages  being  pro- 
\i(led  by  intelligent  parents,  careful  for  their 
welfare. 

In  1887  Mr.  Seeley  opened  up  a  mercan- 
tile business  in  Spivey,  erecting  for  this  pur- 
pose a  large  and  well  arranged  store  build- 
ing, and  has  prospered  in  this  line  ever  since. 
He  also  bought  four  hundred  acres  of  good 
land  and  carries  om  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing and  also'  a  very  successful  dairy  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Seeley  is  a  man  of  excellent  busi- 
ness ability  and  thoroughly  understands  all 
the  details  of  those  lines  of  activity  in  which 
he  engages.  Although  his  business  inter- 
ests are  large,  his  active  intelligence  has  en- 
abled him  to  become  also  an  active  politi- 
cian, and  he  has  been  a  delegate  to  a  number 
of  county  conventions,  being  an  ardent  Re- 
publican. In  1900  he  was  elected  county 
commissioner  to  serve  three  years,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  useful  members  of  the 
board,  advocating  measures  tending  toward 
improvement,  yet  keeping  in  mind  a  proper 
economy. 

Fraternally  IMr.  Seeley  is  a  Mason  and 
was  master  of  Lodge  No.  347,  of  Spivey, 
and  both  he  and  wife  are  active  in  the  work 
of  the  Eastern  Star,  No.  161.  In  this  order 
Mrs.  Seeley  has  shown  much  zeal  and  she 
has  been  authorized  to  institute  a  number  of 
lodges,  notably  those  of  Ngrwich  and  At- 
tica. She  is  a  lady  of  most  pleasing  person- 
ality and  is  very  popular  in  all  social  circles. 


G.  ^^■.  BROW^N. 


Among  the  prominent  retired  farmers 
•\vho  form  a  large  proportion  of  the  substan- 
tial citizens  of  Newtop.  Kansas,  is  G.  \\\ 
Brown,  who  located  in  Harvey  county,  Kan- 
sas, in  18S0.  He  was  born  in  Meade  coun- 
ty, Kentucky,  on  June  2,  1834,  and'  he  was 
a  son  of  W.  K.  and  I\Iarv  (Nafus)  Brown, 
both  of  whom  were  nati\-es  of  Kentucky. 
The  father  of  our  suliject  fdllowed  a  farm- 


ing life  and  raised  much  stock,  and  became 
well  known  and  esteemed.  His  whole  life 
was  passed  in  Kentucky,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty-six.  Both  he  and  wife  were 
consistent  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 
Nine  children  were  born  to  these  parents, 
the  five  survi\-ors  of  the  family  being:  Sa- 
rah A.  Smith,  the  wife  of  John  Smith,  a 
farmer  residing  in  Newton;  Adaline,  the 
widow  of  Frank  Shain,  a  resident  of  Ne- 
braska: and  the  others,  with  the  exception 
of  our  subject,  reside  in  Kentucky. 

G.  \V.  Brown,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
locality  of  Kentucky,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1865  he  moved'  to  Henderson  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  bought  a  small  farm.  In  the 
spring  of  1880  he  disposed'  of  this  farm  and 
came  to  Harvey  county,  Kansas,  settling  on 
a  farm  in  Darlington  township,  bought  a 
tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which 
he  later  sold  and  then  bought  in  Newton 
township  another  quarter  section.  This 
property  Mr.  Brown  retains  and  raises  upon 
it  large  crops  of  grain.  Eighteen  acres  of 
his  land  he  has  devoted  to  fruit  and  makes 
a  specialty  of  winter  apples,  the  yield  being 
enormous.  Since  his  retirement  from  activ- 
ity, Mr.  Brown  has  rented  his  farm,  and  now 
resides  in  Newton. 

On  April  30,  i8.s6,  Mr.  Brown  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Jane  Hickerson,  who  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of 
Rev.  E.  T.  and  Ellen  (Sims)  Hickerson. 
The  former  was  a  Baptist  minister  of  prom- 
inence, who  was  born  in  1807.  and  while 
living  on  his  farm  and  managing  it,  attended 
also  to  his  clerical  dutes,  preaching  every 
Sabbath.  He  baptized  many  converts,  often 
going  with  them  down  into  the  waters  of 
the  Ohiii  ri\-er,  married  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters thmugh  his  jncality  and  was  the  friend 
and  |)reacher  when  the  necessity  came  for 
burial.  His  work  still  lives  in.  the  influence 
he  left  behind.  His  faithful  wife  was  liorn 
on  September  27,  1813,  and  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 18Q3.  She  was  a  model  woman  audi  her 
life  was  filled  with  good  works.  From  girl- 
hood she  had  been  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  but  her  kindness  extended  to 
all  who  came  into  her  accjuaintance.     Thir- 


6i6 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


teen  children  were  born  to  these  worthy  par- 
ents, and  Mrs.  Brown  was  the  second  in  the 
family.  Seven  still  survive,  all  of  them  liv- 
ing in  homes  of  their  own,  in  Kentucky,  ex- 
cept Mrs.  Brown,  a  brother  named  Loveless, 
who  lives  near  McClain,  Kansas,  and  a  sis- 
ter, Martha  Brown,  who  lives  in  Wichita. 
The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown 
are:  Julian  H.,  who  resides  on  the  farm, 
married  Anna  Black,  and  their  five  children 
are  Aland,  Alva,  Charles,  May  and  Glenn ; 
\\^illiam  E.,  who  resides  on  the  farm  in 
Harvey  county,  married  Anna  Log'an,  and 
has  one  child,  who  married  Amia  Nichol- 
son, of  Newton,  and  they  have  one  child, 
which  is  the  only  great-grandchild  of  our 
subject;  Mollie,  who  married  George  Har- 
vey, resides  in  Sterling,  Kansas,  and  they 
have  five  children, — Ina  E.,  Roy  C.,  Ethel 
N.,,  Mary  J.,  deceased,  and  Ollie  A. ;  Susan, 
who  is  Mrs.  J.  W.  Phillips,  resides  in  Har- 
vey county  and  has  six  children, — Rose  E., 
Leslie  C.,  Wilbur  P.,  Joseph  T.,  Anna  J.  and 
Mary  E. ;  Walter,  who  is  a  resident  of  this 
county,  married  Ida  E.  Coble  and  they  have 
five  children, — Leo  H..  Dora  M.,  Verne  C, 
Lesta  F.  and  Vera  M. ;  Waller  S.,  a  twin 
brother  of  Walter,  died  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years:  Minnie  I.:  and  Jemima  J.,  who 
married  Fr;iiiklin  J.  Francis,  and  resides  on 
a  farm  in  Sedgwick  county. 

Since  early  youth  Mrs.  Brown  has  been 
a  faithful  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and 
is  well  known  for  her  many  traits  of  Chris- 
tian character.  Mr.  Brown  is  noted  in  his 
locality  for  strict  integrity  and  both  have  a 
wide  circle  of  sincere  friends. 


JOHN  GERBER. 

John  Gerber,  one  of  the  early  pioneers 
of  the  state,  has  the  proud  distinction  of 
having  been  the  first  German-American  to 
secure  a  claim  in  Kingman  county.  He  was 
Iwrn  near  Bellevue,  in  Seneca  county,  Ohio, 
in  1855,  a  son  of  Jacob  Gerber,  Sr.  who 
was  born  on  the  Rhine  in  Alsace  France. 
The  latter's  father  owned  a  large  vineyard 
in  Alsace  and  was  a  well  known  and  highly 
respected  citizen  of  his  locality.     Jacob  Ger- 


ber received  an  excellent  education  in  his 
native  language  and  when  eighteen  years 
of  age  he  bcame  a  sailor  and  made  his  way 
to  America,  making  his  headquarters  at  Buf- 
falo, New  York,  for  four  years.  On  the 
expiration  of  that  period,  being  at  that  time 
twenty-two  years  of  age  he  returned  to  the 
old  country,  but  after  a  short  time  he  again 
came  to  America,  securing  a  place  in  Belle- 
vue, Seneca  county,  Ohio,  where  he  has 
made  his  home  for  sixty  yea,rs  and  during" 
this  long  period  he  has  so  lived  as  to  win 
and  retain  the  confidence  and  love  of  all 
with  whom  he  has  had  business  or  social 
relations. 

Mr.  Gerber  was  first  marired  to  Barbara 
Heitz,  also  a  native  of  Alsace,  France,  and 
there  she  was  reared  and  educated.  She 
bore  her  husband  six  children,  namely:  Ja- 
cob, a  resident  of  Evans  township,  Kingman 
county;  Barbara,  who  died  when  young; 
Mary,  who  makes  her  home  in  Ohio:  John, 
the  subject  of  this  review;  Joseph,  who 
died  in  Ohio;  and  Philopena,  the  wife  of 
Mike  Meng,  also  of  this  township.  After 
the  death  of  the  mother  of  this  family  the 
father  was  again  married,  Lena  Snyder  be- 
coming his  wife,  and  their  son,  Mike  Ger- 
ber, is  now  a  well  known  resident  of  this 
township.  The  father  gives  his  political  sup- 
port to  the  Democracy,  and  religiously  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 

John  Gerber,  the  immediate  subject  of 
this  review,  was  reared  to  farm  life  in  the 
county  of  his  nativity,  where  he  was  early 
taught  the  value  of  industry,  and  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  locality  he  received 
his  early  education.  After  reaching  years 
of  maturity  he  chose  as  a  life  occupation  the 
vocation  to  which  he  had  been  reared,  and 
he  carried  on  operations  along  that  line  in 
Seneca  county,  Ohio,  until  1878,  and  in 
that  year  came  to  central  Kansas.  For  a 
time  after  his  arrival  in  this  state  he  was 
employed  as  a  farm  hand,  receiving  fifteen 
dollars  a  month  in  compensation  for  his 
services.  During  this  time  he  also  proved 
up  a  claim,  on  which  he  erected  a  sod  house, 
and  a  team  of  Texas  steers  Avere  used  in 
breaking  his  land.  Later,  however,  he  sold 
that  place  and  purchased  the  land  which  he 


RESIDENCE  Ul'   |OHN  GERBER. 


Wf  4F^ 


^i>r'7^i>?-^ 


eAy 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


now  owns,  then  consisting  of  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres.  As  the  years  have 
passed  by  prosperity  has  rewarded  his  well 
directed  efforts  and  he  has  been  enabled  to 
add  to  his  original  purchase  until  his 
landed  possessions  now  consist  of  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  in  the  homestead  farm 
and  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  two  miles 
distant,  making  a  total  of  nine  hundred  an^ 
eighty  acres,  all  excellent  and  productive 
land.  In  1895  Mr.  Gerber  erected  one  of 
the  finest  residences  in  Kingman  county,, 
two  stories  in  height,  built  on  a  substan- 
tial rock  foundation  and  is  well  and  taste- 
fully furnished  throughout.  He  has  also 
an  excellent  rock  basement  barn,  thirty-twp 
b}-  hfty-two  feet,  well  arranged  for  the  shel- 
ter of  horses,  cattle,  grain  and  hay.  In  ad- 
dition to  these  valuable  farm  buildings' he 
also  owns  residence  property  in  Waterloo, 
Kansas. 

Air.  Gerber  was  married  to  Agatha 
Glassner,  a  native  also  of  Seneca  county, 
Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine 
(Gease)  Glassner,  both  natives  of  Germany 
and  both  now  deceased..  The  father  emi- 
grated from  Prussia  to  this  country  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years,  locating  in  Seneca 
county,  Ohio,  and  his  wife  came  to  America 
at  about  the  same  time  from  Alsace.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  years  she  gave  her  hand  in 
marriage  to  John  Glassner.  They  began 
their  domestic  life  on  a  farm  in  Seneca 
county,  Ohio,  and  there  they  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives  and  reared  their  chil- 
dren. The  father  was  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  his  neighborhood,  and 
he  also  owned  large  vineyards  on  the  Caliss 
Islands,  between  Sandusky  and  Canada, 
where  he  engaged  in  making  a  fine  grade  of 
wine.  Six  children  have  blessed  the  union 
of  our  subject  and  wife,  namely :  Lottie, 
Kathrine,  Laura,  !Mary,  Anna  and  Gertrude. 
The  Democracy  receives  Mr.  Gerber's  hearty 
support  and  co-operation,  and  many  times 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  county  commit- 
tee. He  has  also  held  the  office  of  justice 
of  the  peace.  His  religious  preference  con- 
nects him  with  the  Catholic  church,  and  for 
the  past  forty-six  years  he  has  served  as  its 
trustee. 


T.  Al.  KIDD. 

Among  the  enterprising  and  successful 
business  men  of  Aledicine  Lodge  none  is 
more  deserving  of  mention  in  this  volume 
than  T.  M.  Kidd,  a  contractor  and  builder. 
He  is  what  the  world  calls  a  self-made  man, 
for  he  owes  his  advancement  entirely  to  his 
diligence,  his  well  directed  efforts  and  his 
honorable  business  methods.  His  life  rec- 
ord is  in  nSany  respects  w^ell  worthy  of  emu- 
lation, for  under  all  circumstances  he  has 
been  loyal  to  truth,  duty  and  the  right. 

Mr.  Kidd  is  a  native  of  Clermont  county. 
Ohio,  born  December  22,  1S36,  and  belongs 
to  one  of  the  well  known  families  of  that 
locality.  His  ancestry  can  be  traced  back 
to  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  from  that  state  Daniel  Kidd,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  emdgrated  to 
Ohio  when  a  young  man,  casting  in  his  lot 
among  its  pioneers  who  aided  in  laying  the 
foundation  for  its  present  development  and 
progress.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Mary  Bunton,  a  daughter  of  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Ohio.  She  was  reared 
in  one  of  the  old  forts  and  was  taught  to 
load  and  shoot  a  rifle,  for  those  were  days 
when  an  Indian  outbreak  might  be  expected 
at  any  time,  and  the  people  were  constantly 
on  the  alert  to  avoid  such  danger.  Unto 
Daniel  Kidd  and  his  wife  was  born  a  son, 
to  whom  they  gave  the  name  of  Joseph,  and 
it  was  this  child  whO',  grown  to  manhood, 
became  the  father  of  our  subject.  In  Cler- 
mont county,  Ohio,  Joseph  Kidd  spent  the 
days  of  his  boyhood  a:id  youth,  and  after 
arriving  at  adult  age  he  married  Adelia 
Wainwright,  who  was  his  second  wife.  By 
this  iniiiin  tliere  were  nine  children,  four 
sons  and  li\c  daug^hters,  but  only  three  are 
now  living:  Thomas  AL,  of  this  review: 
William,  who  resides  in  central  Illinois ;  and 
Mrs.  Hannah  Bradley,  of  Batavia,  Ohio. 
One  of  the  sons  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifty-third  Indiana  Infantry 
and  for  a  numlber  of  years  resided  in  the 
Hoosier  state.  Others  who  have  passed 
away  are  Julia,  Alvira,  Jane,  Charles  and 
one  who'  died  in  infancy.  The  paraits  spent 
their  entire  lives  in  Ohio,  passing  away  very 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


many  years  ago.  The  fatlier,  who  was  born 
in  1803,  was  called  to  his  final  rest  in  1892, 
■and  the  mother  died  at  the  age  of  forty 
years.  Throughout  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  he  held  membership  in  the  Methodist 
■church,  in  which  he  served  as  class-leader 
through  four  decades.  His  noble  Christian 
manhood  made  him  honored  and  respected 
by  all  who  kne\v  him. 

On  the  old  homestead  in  Ohio  T.  M. 
Kidd  was  reared  and  early  trained  to  habits 
of  industry,  economy  and  honesty.  After 
acquiring  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
lie  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he 
followed  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  Buck- 
-eye  state  and  subsequently  resumed  it  in 
Kansas.  At  the  age  oif  twenty-tw^o-  he 
sought  as  a  companion  and  helpmate  for  the 
journey  of  life  Miss  Susan  Forbes,  a  lady 
■of  intelligence  and  of  gixid  family,  who  gave 
to  him  her  hand  in  marriage  and  has  since 
proved'  to  him  a  most  capable  assistant. 
She  was  born  in  Clermont  county,  Ohio,  a 
daughter  of  Anthony  Forbes,  who  was  like- 
wise a  native  of  the  Buckeye  state,  and  in 
1849,  3^t  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
Calfornia,  made  his  way  westward  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  where  he  spent  several  years 
in  mining.  He  also  engaged  in  ranching  in 
the  Mariposa  valley  and  had  other  business 
•ventures,  but  ultimately  returned  to  Ohio 
and  subsequently  removed  to  Alexandria, 
Missouri,  where  he  made  his  home  until  his 
Temoval  to  Kansas  City,  that  state.  There 
he  died  of  cholera  in  the  year  1866.  He  had 
two  sons,  Henry  and  Joseph,  who  were  sol- 
^diers  of  tlie  Civil  war,  joining  a  California 
regiment  and  taking  part  in  the  frontier 
:  service.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  and  ^Mrs. 
Kidd  has  been  blessed  with  three  children : 
•Charles,  who  is  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by 
'.trade  and  is  now  connected  with  a  hard- 
ware firm  in  Aledicine  Lodge;  Daniel,  a  resi- 
■  dent  farmer  o^  Oklahoma;  and  Diana  W., 
the  wife  of  L.'.D.  Sparks,  of  this  city. 

In  the  year- 1865  Mr.  Kidd  left  his  home 
in  Ohio  and  removed  to  Alexandria,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  lived  until  1876,  when  he 
went  tO'  Jackson  county,  Missouri.  There 
he  lived  until  1885.  when  he  came  to  Medi- 
•cine  Lodge,  where  he  has  since  engaged  in 


business,  conducting  a  hotel  and  also  en- 
gaging in  contracting  and  building.  Many 
of  the  substantial  structures  of  this  city 
stand  as  monuments  of  his  skill  and  handi- 
work. He  has  a  thorough  understanding  of 
the  builder's  art  and  his  knowledge  enables 
him  to  capably  superintend  the  labors  of 
those  who  work  under  him.  He  faithfully 
lives  up  tO'  the  terms  of  his  contracts  and  his 
reliability  in  business  has  secured  to  him  a 
good  patronage.  Mr.  Kidd  has  always  been 
a  patriotic  and  loyal  citizen  and  at  the  time 
of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  his  country's 
service  for  a  term  of  four  months,  joining 
the  army  in  ]\Iay,  1864,  as  a  member  of 
Company  K,  Fifty-third  Ohio  Infantry,  un- 
der the  command  of  Captain  J.  Dean  and 
Colonel  Stone.  The  regiment  was  stationed 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  time  in  \'ir- 
ginia,  along  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad, 
on  the  Potomac  river,  at  Harper's  Ferry, 
Virginia,  and  near  Cumberland,  Maryland, 
being  engaged  in  guard  duty.  Mr.  Kidd 
served  until  honorably  discharged  from  the 
service  and  he  is  now  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  In  politics  he  is  a 
stalwart  Prohibitionist.  Socially  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Alasonic  fraternity,  and  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church.  In  manner  he  is  frank  and  genial, 
having  just  regard  for  all  the  qualities  which 
make  up  noble  manhood. 


ROBERT  JOHXSOX  ELWOOD. 

This  popular  and  prosperous  citizen  of 
Harvey  count}-,  Kansas,  whose  homestead 
is  in  section  24,  Macon  township,  and  whose 
post-office  is  at  Newton,  was  born  at  Pine 
Flats,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania.  Jan- 
uary 29,  1846.  James  T.  Elwood.  his  fa- 
ther, who  has  attained  the  advanced  age  of  ] 
eig'hty-one  years,  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land county,  that  state.  April  17.  1821. 
James  Elwood,  the  father  of  the  James  El- 
wood just  mentioned  and  grandfather  of  ; 
Robert  Johnson  Elwood,  was  a  blacksmith,  ' 
who  moved  from  \\'estmoreland  county. 
Pennsvlvania,  to  Indiana  countv.  that  state. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


619 


about  1840.  He  married  Marg'aret  Sherri- 
dan,  also  of  Pennsylvanian  birth,  and  they 
liad  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  of 
whom  married  and  had  families.  John  EI- 
wood,  an  uncle  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
lives  on  part  of  the  old  Elwood  homestead, 
on  the  site  of  grandfather  Elwood's  first 
abode  there,  which  was  a  bark-covered  log- 
shanty.  That  pioneer  not  onlv  improved  a 
large  farm  but  cleared  an  extensive  tract  of 
timber  land  on  which  his  three  sons  settled. 
Sarah  Johnson,  who  married  James  T. 
Elwood,  and  became  the  mother  of  Robert 
Johnson  Elwood,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
in  1822.  She  married  Mr.  Elwood  about 
1845,  ^nd  died  February  7,  1846,  when 
Robert  Johnson,  her  only  child,  was  nine 
days  old.  The  boy  was  cared  for  un- 
til he  was  ten  years  old  by  grandmxDther 
Elwood,  of  whom  he  always  speaks  as  hav- 
ing been  hisliest  friend  on  earth.  Mean- 
while his  father  married  Mary  Johnson,  his 
first  wife's  sister,  and  Robert  returned  to 
the  parental  roof.  By  his  second  marriage 
^Ir.  Elwood  had.  two  children, — Sarah  Eliz- 
abeth and  John  S.  Sarah  Elizabeth,  who  is 
not  married,  lives  at  the  old  Elwood  home. 
John  S.  lives  in  Harvey  county,  Kansas,  on 
an  eighty-acre  farm  which  was  homesteaded 
by  Robert  J.,  April  30,  1871,  when  there 
was  not  a  building  on  the  present  site  of 
Xewton.  The  land  office  was  yet  located  at 
Emporia  and  the  lumber  for  the  first  build- 
ing at  Newton  was  on  the  ground,  having 
been  drawn  seventy-five  miles,  from  Em- 
poria. 

Robert  Johnson  Elwood  and  three  of  his 
cousins  met  at  Paola  in  eastern  Kansas, 
April  I,  1871,  and  started  thence  for  central 
Kansas  with  a  four-ox  team.  Camping  out 
by  the  way,  they  arrived  at  their  destination 
the  last  of  April,  and  three  of  them  home- 
steaded  eighty  acres  each,  the  other  one  hun- 
dred and  sixtv  acres  in  section  24.  range  i 
east,  five  miles  northeast  of  Xewtnn.  Dur- 
ing the  first  year  of  their  resi<lence  there,  the 
four  kept  house  together  in  a  tcn-liv-twclve- 
foot  sod  house  on  J.  M.  JchiiMin's  claim, 
each  improving  his  land  bv  Ijreaking  ten 
acres  and  fencing  it  into  forty-acre  lots  with 
Osage  hedge,  of  which  they  set  out  seven 


and  a  quarter  miles,  which  is  still  grooving 
and  from  which  Mr.  Elwood  has  secured 
many  fence  ix)sts.  All  but  one  of  the  four 
men  lived  there  until  the  spring  of  1901 
when  Mr.  Elwood  exchanged  his  eighty 
acres  there  in  part  payment  for  the  purchase 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Macon 
township,  which  he  bought  of  Robert  R. 
Chambers,  his  father-in-law,  and  to  which  he 
moved  in  order  that  he  and  his  wife  might 
care  for  Mrs.  Elwood's  parents  in  their  de- 
clining years.  As  a  pioneer  Mr.  Elwood  had 
many  interesting  experiences,  and  he  remem- 
bers that  he  and  J.  C.  Johnson  made  the 
coffin  in  which  was  buried  the  first  white 
woman  who  died  in  Highland  township. 
Her  death  occurred  in  the  fall  of  1871 ;  an 
ordinary  lumber  wagon  did  duty  as  a  hearse, 
and  she  was  drawn  to  the  grave  in  it  by  a 
yoke  of  oxen, — one  of  the  two  3"oke  that  Mr. 
Elwood  and  his  cousins  had  brougfht  with 
them  to  central  Kansas;  and  only  her  hus- 
band, Mr.  Elwood,  Mr.  Johnson  and  a  col- 
ored woman,  followed  her  to  her  lonely  rest- 
ing place. 

In  the  fall  of  i86q,  while  'Mr.  Elwood 
was  journeying  to  the  west,  he  met  Miss 
Martha  H.  Chambers,  of  Tama  county, 
Iowa,  whom  he  married  February  6,  1873. 
Mrs.  Elwood  was  born  July  11,  1850.  They 
left  Tama  cmmty  March  10,  1873,  '^^'ith  a 
coA-ered  wagnn  drawn  by  a  span  of  horses 
and  drove  through  to  Mr.  Elwood's  home  in 
central  Kansas,  where  it  may  be  truly  said 
that  they  have  grown  up  with  the  country 
and  prospered.  Their  daughter  Lau'ra.  who 
was  graduated  from  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Emporia  in  1899,  is  a  teacher  in 
the  primary  department  of  the  public  school 
at  Newton.  Their  son  Leroy  was  graduated 
at  the  Wichita  Business  College  and  was  for 
four  years  a  stenographer  in  the  offices  of 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company  in  Newton, 
and  is  now  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Val- 
ley Falls.  Kansas.  He  is  a  Master  Mason. 
Politicallv  Mr.  Elwood  was  formerly  a 
Democrat,  but  during  recent  vears  he  has 
been  an  active  Populist.  He  assisted  to  or- 
ganize Highland  townshir'  for  school  pur- 
poses and  was  long  a  member  of  the  school 
board  there,  and  has  been  chairman  of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Populist  county  central  committee  of  Har- 
vey county  since  the,  organization  of  that 
body,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  Popuhst 
National  convention  at  St.  Louis.  Mr.  and 
Airs.  Ehvood  are  Presbyterians  and  each 
was  reared  in  that  faith  by  devoted  Chris- 
tian parents,  ^h.  Ehvood  is  a  public-spir- 
ited, progressive  man,  who  is  looked  upon 
as  a  leader  in  all  good  movements  by  his  ap- 
preciative fellow  townsmen. 

Robert  R.  Chambers,  of  section  24,  Ma- 
con township,  Harvey  county,  whose  daugh- 
ter. Martha  H..  married  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  bornln  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  October  i,  1822. 
Benjamin  Chambers,  his  father,  who  was 
born  in  the  same  djunty,  in  1794,  and  died 
in  1844,  had  nine  children,  of  whom  eight 
were  reared  to  manhood  and  womanhood. 
John  was  the  first  born  and  Robert  Ralston 
was  the  second  in  order  of  nativity.  The 
-third  was  Elizabeth,  and  Georse  w-as  the 
'fourth  child.  James  lived  in  Burlingame, 
Kansas;  Benjamin  F.  in  Nebraska.  Nancy 
was  the  seventh  born  of  her  parents"  chil- 
dren. Mary  Jane  married  David  Forney, 
of  Marshall  county,  Icwa.  Benjamin  and 
Mary  ( Ralston)  Chambers  were  married 
about  I 818. 

Robert  Ralston  Chambers  and  Elizabeth 
D.  Henry  were  married  in  1847,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, where  both  were  born,  and  they 
have  reared  eight  of  their  nine  children. 
Samuel  Henry  was  born  June- 11,  1848,  and 
died  in  Iowa,  unmarried,  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-two years.  ]\Iartha  H.,  who  married 
Robert  Johnson  Ehvood,  was  born  July  11, 
1850.  Benjamin  F.,  born  December  23, 
1852,  in  Pocahontas  county,  Iowa,  has  been 
twice  married  and  has  two  children.  Mary 
J.,  born  March  2-5,  1855,  married  G.  W. 
Tattle,  and  died  at  Eldorado  Springs,  Mis- 
souri, in  1901.  Nanc\-  E.  married  Harlan 
Sage  and  died  in  Newton,  Kansas,  January 
25,  1895,  leaving  five  children,  John  W.. 
born  January  4,  i860,  died  unmarried,  in 
Macon  township,  March  i,  1889.  Isabella. 
whO'  was  born  February  11.  1862,  is  the 
widow  of  M.  O.  Reeves,  late  of  Macon 
township,  and  has  six  children.  Sarah  Mar- 


garet, born  October  5,  1864,  married  Leslie 
Brown  and  lives  near  Neosho  Falls,  Kan- 
sas. Nellie  Louisa,  born  January  29,  1870, 
died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Chambers  emigrated  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Griraiell,  Iowa,  in  the  fall  of  1854 
and  removed  thence  a  few  3'ears  later  to 
Tama  county,  and  thence  in  1874  to  central 
Kansas,  making  the  journey  with  teams,  his 
daughter  and  her  husband,  R.  J.  Ehvood, 
having  preceded  him  in  the  spring  of  1873, 
where  Mr.  Ehvood  had  homesteaded  eighty 
acres  of  land.  Mr.  Chambers  bought  of  a 
Mr.  Hardenbrook  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Macon  township,  on  section 
24,  for  one  thousand  dollars.  A  little  of  the 
land  had  been  broken  and  some  hedge  had 
been  set  upon  it,  and  there  w^as  a  small  frame 
house  ready  for  occupancy,  which  in  the 
course  of  events  was  replaced  by  the  more 
modern  structure  which  is  nqw  the  home  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chambers  and  'Mr.  aiid  Mrs. 
Ehvood  and  their  family.  Mr.  Chambers 
relates  some  disastrous  experiences  with 
grasshoppers  during  the  first  few  years  of 
his  residence  in  Kansas,  and  tells  interest- 
ingly how-  a  cyclone  swept  away  his  first 
barn  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present 
roomy  red  barn  of  the  Cham.bers  farm. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chambers  have  had  a 
happy  wedded  life  extending  over  a  period 
of  about  fifty-five  years,  and  though  they  are 
now  well  advanced  in  years  they  are  cheer- 
ful, contented  people,  well  preserved  ment- 
ally, whom  it  is  pleasant  to  meet  and  talk 
with.  Mr.  Chambers  has  been  a  man  of  iron 
constitution,  but  is^now'in  failing  health  be- 
cause of  a  diseasecl  limb,  which  was  broken 
some  years  ago.  Until  that  calamity  over- 
took him  he  was  a  model  farmer,  but  his 
disability  since  then  has  been  so  great  that 
his  farm  has  become  somewhat  run  dow^n. 
Mr.  Ehvood  iiurchased  it  with  a  \-iew  to 
making  the  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chambers 
easy  during  their  declining  years,  and  ex- 
pects soon  to  restore  it  to  the  order  and  pro- 
ductiveness that  characterized  it  in  former 
years,  for  he  is  a  thorough  farmer  and  an 
up-to-date,  progressive  man.  It  mav  be  said 
of  him  that  he  is  a  genial,  broad-minded 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


621 


gentleman,  the  number  of  whose  friends  is 
restricted  onlv  b_v  the  extent  of  his  acquaint- 
ance. 


JA^^IES  HILTOX. 


Nearly  thirty  years  were  passed  by 
James  Hilton  in  the  Sunflower  state.  To 
the  settlers  of  the  early  days,  far  removed 
from  tjie  privileges  and  conveniences  of  city 
or  town,  the  struggle  for  existence  was  a 
stern  and  hard  one,  and  these  men  and  wo- 
men must  have  possessed  indomitable  en- 
ergies and  sterling  worth  of-  character,  as 
well  as  marked  physical  courage,  when  they 
thus  voluntarily  selected  such  a  life  and 
successfully  fought  its  battles  under  such 
circumstances  as  prevailed  in  the  northwest. 

James  Hilton  was  born  in  Connecticut, 
near  Bridgeport,  ]\Iay  i,  1841,  a  son  of 
Elijah  Hilton,  who  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land. The  latter  was  reared  in  his  native 
country,  and  after  coming  to  the  United 
States  he  was  married,  in  Connecticut,  to 
Anna  Hilton,  a  native  of  that  state.  In  early 
life  Elijah  Hilton  was  employed  on  a  boat 
tm  the  Great  Lakes  between  Buffalo  and 
Chicago.  -\t  length  his  boat  was  almost 
wrecked  and  he  retired  from  the  sailor's  life. 
On  the  ^•ery  next  trip  the  boat  was  blown 
up  antl  completely  destroyed.  Mr.  Hilton 
died  in  middle  life  and  his  widow  passed 
the  remainder  of  her  life  in  Connecticut. 

James  Hilton,  our  subject,  thus  deprived 
of  a  father's  care  when  young,  was  com- 
pelled tO'  make  his  own  way  in  the  world. 
In  1 860  he  went  tO'  Jersey  City,  New  Jersey, 
where  he  learned  the  baker's  trade,  remain- 
ing there  until  1872.  Becoming  v.^eary  of 
city  life  and  learning  of  the  possibilities  and 
advantages  tn.  be  secured  in  the  new  and 
growing  west,  in  Felirnary,  1872,  he  came 
by  rail  with  a  party  from  Lancaster,  Penn- 
sylvania, to  Kansa's,  first  pre-empting  a 
claim  in  Rice  county.  He  subsequently  sold 
that  tract  and  secured  a  timber  claim.  Peo- 
ple of  the  present  century  can  scarcely 
realize  the  struggles  and  dangers  which  at- 
tended the  early  settlers,  the  heroism  and 
self-sacrifice  of  lives  passed  upon  the  bor- 


ders of  civilization,  the  hardships  endured, 
the  difficulties  overcome.  JNIr.  Hilton  wit- 
nessed the  development  and  upbuilding  of 
this  section  of  the  state  and  ably  bore  his 
I  part  in  the  work. 

In  1876  he  located  on  the  last  farm, 
where  he  recenth^  died,  of  one  hundred  and. 
eighty-six  acres,  on  section  6,  Center  town- 
ship. In  addition  there  is  also  a  grove  of 
forty  acres.  The  place  is  improved  with  a 
good  residence,  which  is  situated  on  a  nat- 
ural building  site,  and  the  large  barn,  thirty- 
six  by  thirty-eight  feet,  furnishes  accom- 
modations for  twelve  horses  and  the  same 
number  of  cows,  and  thirty  tons  of  hay  can 
also  be  stored  therein.  He  also  owned 
ninety-three  acres  a  half  mile  south  of  the 
home  farm,  which  was  afterward  sold,  and 
his  landed  possessions  finally  aggregated 
two;  hundred  and  sixty-six  acres.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  raising  of  the  cereals  best  adapted 
to  this  soil  and  climate  he  also  engaged  in 
stcKk-raising,  breeding  white-faced  or  Here- 
ford cattle.  In  this  branch  of  his  business 
he  met  with  a  well  merited  degree  of  suc- 
cess. The  fields  are  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  and  e^•erything  about  the  place 
indicates  the  careful  supervision  of  a  pro- 
gressive owner.  Before  the  county  was  or- 
ganized the  old  Santa  Ee  trail  \\-ent  directly 
through  this  farm. 

May  19,  1874,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Hilton  and  Miss  Tillie  Thompson,  who 
was  born  in  Lycoming  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  was  reared  and  educated  in  tlie 
Keystone  state.  When  seventeen  years  of 
age  she  remo-^-ed  to  Jasper  county,  Iowa;  lo- 
cating near  Prairie  City.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Adaline  (Smeed)  Thomp- 
son,, natives  of  Pennsylvania.  After  the  fa- 
ther's death  the  mother  became  the  wife  of 
John  Pentico.  and  she  now  resides  in  Fred- 
erick, Rice  county,  Kansas.  ■  Mrs.  Hilton 
is  the  only  child  by  her  mother's  first  mar- 
riage, and  by  her  second  union  she  had  seven 
children.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hil-. 
ton  was  blessed  with  three  children,  one  son 
and  two  daughters,  namely :  Ford  J.,  who 
was  born  in  1875,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Geneseo,  Rice  county:  Addie  E.,  the  wife  of 
Charles  A.  Bellinger,  who  follows  farming 


622 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


on  section  7,  Center  township,  and  tliey 
have  one  daug-hter,  Anna  Alarie;  and  Anna 
E.,  a  young  lady  of  nineteen  years,  who  is 
at  home  and  is  an  excellent  musician. 

Mr.  Hilton  was  an  advocate  of  Repub- 
lican principles,  but  was  never  an  aspirant 
for  office,  preferring  to  give  his  time  and 
attention  to  his  business  affairs.  When 
twenty-one  )-ears  of  age  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  East  ^lechanics"  Lodge,  No.  66,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  at  Jersey  City,  and  at  his  decease 
was  a  charter  member  of  Sterling  Lodge. 
Mrs.  Hilton  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
cluirch. 

Xut  only  did  'Sir.  Hilton  see  Rice  county 
grow  from  a  wild  country  to  a  rich  agricul- 
tural district,  containing  thousands  of  good 
homes  and  acres  of  growing  towns,  inhab- 
ited by  an  industrious,  enlightened  and  pro- 
gressive people,  but  he  also  participated  in 
and  assisted  the  slow,  persistent  work  of  de- 
\elopment  which  was  necessary  to  produce 
such  a  complete  and  wonderful  change.  He 
died  Alarch  26,  1902,  respected  by  a  wide 
circle  of  acquaintances. 


WILLIAM  CAPPIS. 

One  of  the  most  straightforward,  en- 
ergetic and  successful  agriculturists  of 
Kingman  county  is  William  Cappis.  Few 
men  have  been  more  prominent  or  widely 
known  in  this  community. than  he.  In  busi- 
ness circles  he  has  ever  been  an  important 
factor  and  his  popularity  is  well  deserved, 
for  in  him  are  embraced  the  characteristics 
of  an  unbending  integrity,  unabating  energy 
and  industry  that  has  never  flagged.  He  is 
public-spirited  and  thoroughly  interested  in 
whatever  tends  to  promote  the  moral,  intel- 
lectual and  material  welfare  of  Kingman 
county,  and  for  many  years  he  has  been 
numbered  among  its  most  valued  and  hon- 
ored citizens. 

A  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  ]\Ir.  Cap- 
pis  was  born  in  Berks  county  in  183 1,  a  son 
ci  Martin  Cappis,  who  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, that  state,  and  was  a  member  of  a 
prominent  oild  Pennsylvania  Dutch  family. 


He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Polly  Cupp, 
also  a  native  of  that  state,  and  in  May, 
1832,  they  removed  to  Richland  county, 
Ohio,  locating  in  the  dense  woods.  In  1846, 
however,  they  left  their  Ohio  home  for 
Champaign  county,  Illinois,  there  spending 
the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the  father  pass- 
ing away  at  the  age  of  sixty  years,  while  the 
mother  survived  until  she  had  attained  the 
age  of  seventy-two  years.  Seven  children 
were  born  unto  this  worthy  couple, — Abra- 
ham, Moses,  John,  Mary,  William,  Caro- 
line and  Martin.  The  family  were  members 
of  the  Lutheran  church  and  one  of  promi- 
nence in  the  communities  in  which  they 
made  their  home,  and  the  children  have  be- 
come an  hunor  to  an  honored  family  name. 
William  Cappis,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, spent  the  early  years  of  his  life  in 
Ohio  and  Illinois,  where  he  was  employed 
as  a  brick-maker,  carpenter  and  farmer,  and 
for  several  years  he  also  worked  in  a  mill. 
When  the  Civil  war  was  inaugurated  he 
nobly  put  aside  all  personal  considerations 
and  in  1862  offered  his  services  to  the 
Union  cause,  entering  Company  FT,  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-fifth  Illinois  Infantry. 
During  his  military  career  he  took  part  in 
thirteen  important  battles,  including  those 
o-f  Perryville,'  Chattanooga, .  Missionary 
Ridge,  Resaca  and  Kenesaw  Mountain.  At 
the  battle  of  Morgantown,  Tennessee,  he 
was  wounded  in  the  neck,  and  near  the  close 
of  his  army  experience  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner and  for  eleven  months  was  confined  in 
the  rebel  prison  at  Andersonville,  from 
which  he  was  paroled  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
receiving  an  honorable  discharge  on  the 
6th  of  July,  1865.  Returning  thence  to  his 
home  in  Illinois,  Mr.  Cappis  remained  there 
for  a  time  and  then  came  to  Kansas,  where 
he  now  owns  four  hinidred  and  sevent}-- 
five  acres  of  rich  and  fertile  land  on  section 
I,  Richland  township.  Kingman  county, 
fifty  acres  of  which  is  de^'oted  to  an  orchard 
and  timber,  and  he  raises  many  varieties  of 
fruits.  Since  taking  up  his  residence  in  this 
state  he  has  met  with  mauy  reverses.  On 
one  occasion  his  house  was  completely  de- 
stroyed by  a  cvclone  and  his  horses  and  oxen 
were  taken  sick  and  died,  but  his  undaunted 


UOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


623 


enterprise  and  indomitable  perseverance, 
which  have  been  his  chief  characteristics 
throughout  hfe,  enabled  him  to  retrieve  his 
lost  possessions,  and  he  is  now  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  the 
locality. 

In  1853  occurred  the  marriage  of  ■Mr. 
Cappis  and  Miss  Dulcena  Catherine  Dale, 
who  was  born  in  Coles  county,  Illinois,  a 
daughter  of  Daniel  F.  and  Polly  (Osborn) 
Dale.  The  father  passed  away  in  death  in 
Illinois,  but  the  mother  afterward  came  to 
Kansas  and  she  was  called  to  her  final  rest 
lr(jiii  Linn  county,  this  state.  Eight  chil- 
dren blessed  the  union  of  our  suljject  and 
wife,  namely:  Daniel,  of  Champaign  coun- 
t_\-,  Illinois ;  Francis,  who  makes  his  home  in 
this  tO'wnship;  Mary  Sluder,  of  Woods 
C'  unty,  Oklahoma;  and  Eva  Belle,  wife  of 
v..  M.  Lippincott,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be 
found  below.  Four  of  the  children  are  de- 
ceased, one  daughter,  Polly  Ballfinch,  hav- 
ing died  at  Rich  Hill,  Missouri,  and  the  re- 
mainder passing  away  in  infancy.  The  wife 
and  mother  also  has  passed  to  the  home  be- 
yond, having  departed  this  life  at  the  age  of 
forty-two  years,  in  the  faith  of  the  Baptist 
church,  of  which  she  was  a  worthy  and  con- 
sistent member. 

E.  M.  Lippincott,  also  one  of  the  well 
known  and  influential  agriculturists  of 
Kingman  county,  \\'as  born  in  Logan  coun- 
t\-,  Ohio,  in  1866,  a  son  of  George  and 
Sarah  (Line)  Lippincott,  also  natives  of 
the  Buckeye  state  and  there  they  passed 
their  entire  lives,  the  mother  dying  at  the 
age  of  forty-seven  years  and  the  father 
when  he  had  reached  the  seventy-seventh 
milestone  on  the  journey  of  life.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  six  children,  namely: 
James;  John,  deceased;  E.  M.,  of  this  re- 
view; \V.  M. ;  Frank;  and  Anna,  deceased. 
E.  M.  Lippincott  was  sixteen  years  of  age 
when  he  left  the  home  of  his  birth,  where 
he  had  been  reared  and  educated,  for  the 
Stuifldwer  state.  After  hi-  arri\al  here  he 
was  employetl  for  a  time  in  the  salt  works  at 
Kingman.  Since  taking  up  his  abode  in  his 
present  ti:\vnship  of  Richland  he  has  met 
with  a  gratifying  degree  of  success  in  his 
chosen  line,   and   now  occupies    a    leading 


place  among  the  substantial  and  representa-. 
tive  agriculturists  of  Kingman  county.  He 
is  in  full  sympathy  with  all  the  great  move- 
ments of  the  world  about  hinv,  and  watches 
the  progress  of  events  with  the  keenest  in- 
terest, giving  an  active  support  and  co- 
operation to  all  movements  and  measures 
which  in  his  best  judgment  he  considers  for 
the  public  good.  As  a  companion  on  the 
journey  of  life  he  chose  Eva  Belle  Cappis, 
and  they  have  three  children, — George  W., 
Grace  May  and  Anna  Edna.  The  family 
reside  in  a  pleasant  home  in  Richland  town- 
ship and  are  surrounded  by  many  of  the  lux- 
uries and  comforts  of  life. 


ROBERT  OLIVER  AIOSCRIPT. 

One  of  the  early  pioneers  and  permanent 
settlers  of  Chicaski  township,  Kingman 
county  Kansas,  wdro  is  also  notable  as  an 
ex-soldier  of  the- Civil  war,  is  Robert  Oliver 
Moscript,  who  is  one  of  the  best-known 
men  in  this  part  of  Kingman  county.  Since 
187S  h>j  111-  ];een  a  resident  here,  and  has 
succo-fulh-  I'vercome  all  of  the  disasters 
from  which  the  early  settlers  suffered.  The 
same  courage  which  made  him  bra\-ely  face 
shot  and  shell  on  the  field  of  battle  has  en- 
abled him  to  repair  the  ravages  of  grass- 
hoppers, replant  the  field's  destroyed  by 
drouth  and  hot  wind,  and  to  ride  safely  on 
the  top  of  the  financial  wave  which  engulfed 
so  many. 

The  birth  of  jNIr.  Aloscript  was  in  Delhi, 
Delaware  county,  New  York,  and  he  was  a 
son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Reynolds)  Mos- 
cript, the  former  of  wdiom  was  born  in  the 
lowland  of  Scotland.  Thomas  Moscript 
was  a  son  of  Robert  Moscript,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  when  the  former  was 
twelve  years  of  age,  and  wdiO' served  in  the 
war  of  1812.  The  ancestors  of  the  mother 
of  our  subject  were  of  Xew  England  birth, 
although  she  was  born  in  Delaware  county, 
New^  York,  and  died  there  at  the  age  of 
forty  years.  The  father  of  our  subject  spent 
his  life  in  his  home  in  Delaware  county. 
These  parents  reared  one  daughter  and  six 


624 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


sons,  and  a  notable  fact  connected  with  this 
loval  and  patriotic  family  is,  that  all  these 
sons  became  soldiers  during  the  Civil  war. 
Robert  O.  served  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty-second  Pennsylvania  Infantry.  Will- 
iam was  killed  at  Petersburg,  Virginia.  The 
other  members  of  the  famdy  w'ere:  An- 
drew, Stephen,  Daniel,  Edward  and  Sallie. 
One  child  died  young.  These  children  were 
all  carefully  reared  in  the  Presbyterian 
faith  and  in  the  political  belief  of  the  Whig 
party. 

the  early  life  of  Robert  O.  Moscript 
was  passed  on  the  Delaware  county  farm 
and  he  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  In  1861 
he  enlisted  for  service  in  Company  Ij  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-second  Pennsylvania 
Infantry,  his  officers  in  the  regiment  being 
Captain  Archibald  and  Colonel  Richard  A. 
Oakford,  and  with  his  comrades  partici- 
pated in  some  of  the  most  serious  battles  of 
the  Civil  war.  These  include  Bull  Run,  the 
seven  days  of  fighting  before  Richmond, 
South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericks- 
burg, Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro.  These 
names  stand  out  in  history  and  reflect  a 
glory  of  the  faithful  soldier  which  no  later 
life  can  ever  dim.  From  Jonesboro  Mr.  Mos- 
cript went  w-ith  his  regiment  back  to  Rich- 
mond and  then  on  to  the  final  magnificent 
review  at  Washington  city.  It  could 
scarcely  be  expected  that  such  hard  and  con- 
stant service  should  be  without  injury, 
and  our  brave  subject  suffered  twice  from 
wounds,  first  at  Fredericksburg,  when  his 
right  foot  was  cut  by  a  shell,  and  more 
seriously  at  Chancellorsville,  wdien  a  minie 
ball  passed  througii  his  body,  piercing  the 
left  breast  and  coming  out  at  the  back. 

In  1853  Mr.  Moscript  was  married,  in 
Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania,  tO'  jMiss  Lu- 
cinda  Swartz,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Althea  (Steward)  Swartz,  both  of 
whom  died  in  that  state.  Four  children  were 
born  to  our  subject  aud  wife,  namely :  Mrs. 
Ada  Boswell,  of  Aledicine  Lodge,  Kansas; 
E.  M.,  of  Idaho  Springs,  Colorado;  Elmer, 
a  resident  of  Rochester  township;  and  Will- 
iam, on  the  homestead.     The  latter  married 


Clara  Tracy  and  they  make  cheer  and  com- 
fort around  the  path  of  this  brave  old  sol- 
dier and  equally  courageous  pioneer,  for 
since  1894  he  has  been  deprived  of  the  com- 
panionship of  his  devoted  wife,  her  death 
occurring  then,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four. 
She  was  a  w-oman  of  many  most  lovable 
qualities,  a  consistent  member  of  the  ]Meth- 
odist  church  and  devoted  to  deeds  of  kind- 
ness to  all. 

For  fifteen  years  Mr.  ]\Ioscript  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  one  of  the  most  re- 
liable officials  in  this  county,  his  decrees  giv- 
ing universal  satisfaction  as  to  their  justice. 
In  the  G.  A.  R.  he  is  valued  as  a  comrade, 
and  he  has  long  been  connected  fraternally 
with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  In  religious  belief  he 
is  a  "Methodist  and  lives  a  life  consistent 
with  his  profession. 

When  ^Ir.  JMoscript  first  located  in  this 
township  he  found  plenty  of  antelope  and 
other  wild  things  of  the  wilderness.  It  has 
taken  years  to  turn  these  acres  into  the 
fertile  farm  which  he  now  owns,  but  he  feels 
that  they  have  been  well  s])ent.  He  has  the 
hospitable  manner  and  friendly  spirit  which 
were  so  common  in  the  early  days,  when 
neighbors  were  many  miles  apart,  and  it  is 
just  as  genuine  as  of  old.  Personally  he 
still  shows  his  soldierly  training,  his  erect 
figure  and  brisk  walk  telling  .of  robust 
health,  although  he  still  bears  the  marks  of 
his  battle  wounds.  He  is  one  of  the  truly 
representative  men  of  Kingman  county.. 


THO^IAS  J.  AXDERSOX. 

Thomas  T.  Anderson,  manager  of  the 
Hutchinson  Produce  Company,  located  at 
Nos  404  and  406  North  Main  street,  Hutch- 
inson, was  born  in  Panola  county.' Texas, 
on  the  3d  of  April,  1842.  a  son  of  T.  J.  and 
Margaret  A.  ( Irving)  Anderson.  The  father 
w^as  a  native  of  Georgia  and  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent,  and  after  coming  to  the  United 
States  he  located  in  Texas,  in  1839,  where 
he  was  among  the  early  pioneers.  There 
he  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life,  pass- 
ing away  at  sixtv-five  years  of  age. 


'^=^'Jy^^^^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY 


625 


Thomas  J.  Anderson,  of  this  review, 
grew  to  manhood  in  the  place  of  his  nativity- 
In  March,  1862,  he  noblv  responded  to  the 
call  of  his  countrv,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  I,  Twenty-second  Texas  State 
Regiment  of  Infantry,  in  which  he  served 
for  three  and  a  half  years  in  Louisiana,  Ar- 
kansas and  Texas.  After  the  close  of  hos- 
tilities he  returned  to  his  home,  where  he 
remained  for  a  short  time  and  then  went  to 
western  Texas,  where  he  remained  until 
1S69.  In  that  year  he  embarked  in  the  cat- 
tle business,  drivinp"  them  from  Texas  to 
ICansas.  In  ,  1871  he  located  his  herd  on 
the  range  of  southern  Kansas,  keeping  awa} 
from  the  settlements  as  much  as  possible  in 
order  to  take  advantage  'of  the  abundant 
prairie  grass,  and  at  that  time  his  herd  con- 
sisted of  about  eight  hundred  head.  Abilene 
was  then  the  nearest  shipping  point  for  thi? 
section.  In  1874  'Mr.  Anderson  pre-empted 
a  claim  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
21,  also  homesteaded  the  northwest  quarter 
of  the  same  section  and  secured  a  timber 
claim,  where  he  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  stock  raising  on  an  extensive  scale. 
On  his  land  he  erected  a  box  shanty,  in 
which  he  lived  for  two  years,  and  then  built 
a  good  residence,  which  continued  to  be  his 
home  for  ten  years.  As  time  passed  he  suc- 
ceeded in  placing  about  five  hundred  acres 
of  his  land  under  cultivation,  but  in  1884  he 
sold  his  property,  which  then  consisted  of 
about  nine  thousand  acres,  to  the  Thompson 
Land  &  Cattle  Compam;,  of  Kentucky,  and 
in  the  following  year  he  removed  to  Hutch- 
inson and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business. 
During  the  wonderful  boom  which  occurred 
in  this  section  at  this  time,  Mr.  .Vnderson 
practically  built  up  the  town  of  Plevna  and 
also  many  of  the  neighboring  towns,  as  well 
as  Hutchinson,  but  in  the  terrible  decline 
which  soon-  followed  he  lost  aboirt  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  During  his  career 
as  a  real  estate  dealer,  which  covered  a  pe- 
riod of  about  four  years,  he  handled  both 
city"  and  farm  property,  and  after  retiring 
from  the  business  he  still  retained  much 
farming  land,  on  which  he  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  for  several  years.  In  JNIay, 
1899,  he  became  associated  with  the  busi- 


ness which  now  claims  his  attention  and 
which  at  that  time  was  carried  on  under  the 
firm  style  of  Braggs  &  Company,  but  later 
our  subject  purchased  their  interests  and  in 
September,  1900,  the  firm  jjecame  known  as 
the  Hutchinson  Produce  Company,  which 
is  composed  of  Mr.  Anderson  and  members 
of  his  family.  His  daughter,  Sybil,  is  the 
efificient  secretary  and  bookkeeper.  The 
Hutchinsrin  Prnduce  Company  conduct  a 
lar,L;(,'  In-.-nic--  in  fruit  and  vegetables,  re- 
ceiving c -nM-nments  from  the  south,  which 
are  distributed  to  home  and  adjacent  mar- 
kets. .The  larger  part  of  their  supplies,  how- 
ever, are  purchased  from  growers  and  ship- 
pers, and  in  addition  to  sun^Iying  the  dealers 
of  this  city  and  neighborin.«^  towns  they  ship 
in  carload  lots  to  the  retail  trade.  The  bus- 
iness has  met  with  a  steady  growth  and  it 
now  represents  a  volume  of  one  hundred' 
thousand  dollars  per  year. 

On  March  7,  1877,  in  Kansas,  ]\Ir.  An- 
I  derson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Alice 
Sevey,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  John  C.  Sevey,  a  minister  of  the 
Christian  church.  Unto  this  union  were 
born  six  children :- Roy,  deceased  in  in- 
fancy; Ray,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three 
vears;  Sybil  L.,  secretary  of  the  Hutchin- 
son produce  Company :  ]\Iidge,  assistant  sec- 
retary of  the  same  company ;  and  ?^Iargeory 
and  Glen,  who  are  attending  school.  The 
wife  and  mother  was  called  to  the  home  be- 
yond on  the  6th  of  March,  1890.  and  Feb- 
ruary 7,  of  the  following  year,  the  father 
married  Miss  Mattie  Robley.  In  political 
matters  Mr.  Anderson  was  reared  in  the 
Democratic  oartv.  but  in  the  latter  years  of 
his  life  he  has  been  a  reformer,  favoring  the 
"greatest  good  for  the  greatest  number  of 
oeople,"  thus  supporting  the  nrinciples  com- 
monly termed  socialist.  He  has  been  a 
close,  intelligent  and  observant  student  of 
humanity  and  acknowledges  no  class  or 
part\-  111  aimlaries,  but  is  in  favor  of  methods 
and  iiita-ure--  wliich  shall  result  in  a  univer- 
sal rotVirniatirin  noliticallv,  financially  and 
socially.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  or- 
ganization and  the  erection  of  the  Christian 
church  of  Hutchinson,  of  which  he  was  long 
a  prominent  member  and  active  worker.    He 


626 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


is  almost  entirely  a  self-educated  man,  hav- 
ing received  but  meager  school  advantages 
during  his  youth,  but  being  naturally  a  close 
student  and  observer  he  has  acquired  a  wide 
fund  of  knowledge.  He  has  kept  fully 
abreast  of  the  times  and  takes  a  deep  interes;)- 
in  all  questions  which  afi'ect  the  welfare  of 
state  and  nation  and  mold  the  public  policy. 
He  is  a  broad-minded,  progressive  man  and 
public-spirited  citizen,  .and  in  all  life's  re- 
lations he  is  found  true  to  all  the  duties  of 
jjrofessional  and  social  life  which  the  day 
mav  bring   forth. 


AA'ERY  R.  AIXS^^■ORTH. 

Avery  R.  Ainsworth,  who  is  city  mar- 
shal of  Xewton,  Kansas,  was  born  in  Me- 
dina county,  Ohio,  on  April  30,  1847,  ^^d 
he  was  a  son  of  Richard  W.  and  Harriet 
AI.  (Homan)  Ainsworth,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  New  York.  In  1855  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject  moved  to  Bloomingtou-, 
Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he 
established  himself  as  a  merchant-clothier 
in  Bloomington  and  remained  there  until 
1867,  when  he  removed  to  Pleasant  Hill, 
Missouri,  and  there  became  the  cashier  of  a 
bank.  From  there  he  came  to  Larned,  Kan- 
sas, and  resided  with  his  daughter  Hattie, 
but  later  returned  to  Pleasant  Hill,  dying 
two  months  later,  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-eight years.  His  widow  still  survives, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  residing  at 
St.  John,  Kansas.  In  early  life  both  she 
and  husband  had  become  members  of  the 
Episcopal  church.  The  three  children 
which  comprised  the  family  of  these  par- 
ents are:  Avery  R.,  who  is  our  subject; 
James  A..  whO'  lives  in  Pleasant  Hill,  Mis- 
souri; and  Hattie,  who  is  Mrs.  Avery  H. 
Ainsworth,  of  Larned.  Kansas. 

]\Ir.  Ainsworth,  of  this  sketch,  was  a 
student  in  the  W'esleyan  University  near 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  when  the  call  came 
for  troops  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union. 
Among  those  who  loyally  responded  was 
Averv  R.  Ainsworth,  although    he    was    a 


member  of  the  sophomore  class  in  his  col- 
lege, with  bright  prospects  before  him,  and 
in  reality  was  but  a  lad  o'f  sixteen.  He  was 
accepted  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  Fifth 
Illinois  Cavalry,  and  bore  a  gallant  part  in 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  the  battles  at  Jack- 
son, Mississippi,  Corinth,  Natchez  and  many 
minor  engagements.  At  Jackson  he  was 
taken  prisoner  but  managed  to  escape  within 
two  hours,  made  his  way  back  to  his  regi- 
ment and  again  joined  his  comrades  in  the 
battle.  The  regiment  then  was  sent  on  a 
fifteen  days  detour  to  ]\Ieridian,  then  re- 
turned tO'  Vicksburg,  and  later  marched  all 
over  southwestern  Arkansas  and  ^lissis- 
sippi,  went  up  the  Red  river  with  General 
Banks,  and  in  1865  took  its  last  march  up 
the  Red  river,  through  Texas  and  Louisiana 
to  Springfield,  where  it  was  discharged  after 
two  years  and  nine  months  of  faithful 
service. 

After  his  return  from  the  army  Mr. 
Ainsworth  accepted  a  position  as  shipping- 
clerk  in  a  wholesale  confectionery  house  in 
Bloomington,  the  firm  name  of  which  was 
J.  L.  Green  &  Company,  and  a  year  later  be- 
came one  of  their  traveling  salesmen,  which 
position  he  held  for  five  years.  Then  he 
continued  in  the  same  position  for  five  years 
more,  in  the  interests  of  Aldrich  Brothers  & 
Company,  at  Bloomington,  and  then  spent 
another  five  years  with  Turner  \\'ilson  & 
Company,  wholesale  cigars.  Then  Mr. 
Ainsworth  came  to  Kansas  City  and  be- 
came connected  with  the  firm  of  Thurber  & 
Company,  this  house  being  the  largest 
wholesale  grocery  house  in  the  United 
States,  and  for  two  years  he  was  their  rep- 
resentative. The  next  eleven  years  were 
spent  with  the  Symms  Grocery  Company,  of 
Atchison,  Kansas,  making  his  headquarters 
in  Newton  in  1879.  Later  he  engaged  as 
travehng  sralesman  for  the  \\'ichita  Soap 
Company,  and  continued  in  that  capacity 
four  years. 

Since  that  time  ]Mr.  Ainsworth  has  given 
his  services  to  the  city  of  Newtou,  and  is 
now  in  his  seventh  year  as  marshal.  This 
continued  service  is  testimony  as  to  his  efli- 
ciency.  It  is  a  matter  of  congratulation  tO' 
the  quiet  and  law-abiding  citizens  of  New- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ton  that  no  city  of  its  size  in  Kansas  is  freer 
from  joints  and  places  of  resort  for  evil- 
doers. This  is  immediately  attributable  to 
the  excellent  mianagement  and  vigilance  of 
the  marshal.  He  has  filled  other  positions 
of  prominence  in  the  city,  having  served  as 
coinicilman,  and  has  four  terms  been  a 
member  of  the  school  board. 

]Mr.  Ainsworth  was  married  on  Sep- 
tember 14,  1870,  to  ]\Iiss  Sarah  J.  Coney, 
who-  was  born  in  Xew  York,  and  whO'  was 
a  daughter  of  William  Coney,  being  a  resi- 
dent of  Bloomington  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage.  The  ceremony  was  performed  at 
the  home  of  her  sister,  Mrs.  O.  B.  Stiles. 
One  child  has  been  born  of  this  union, — 
Clayton  A., — a  pupil  in  high  school,  who  is 
looking  forward  to  an  education  in  the 
Santa  Fe  railroad  shops,  being  a  mechanical 
genilis  and  anxious  to  be  able  to  work  out' 
his  ideas.  Both  our  subject  and  wife  are 
members  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

Alarshal  Ainsworth  has  been  a  life-long 
Republican  and  thoroughly  believes  in  the 
principles  of  that  party.  His  leadership  is 
acknowledged  and  his  influence  in  political 
matters  has  been  of  value  to  his  party.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  prominent  in  the  order  of 
Knights  of  Pythias,  uniting  with  it  in  1870, 
in  Bloomington,  where  he  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  lodge.  Since  that  time  he 
has  been  a  delegate  tO'  the  grand  lodge  three 
times,  has  been  captain  of  the  division  in 
Xewton  for  four  years  and  he  is  alsO'  a  char- 
ter member  of  Union  Lodge,  Xo.  22^,  of 
Xewton. 


,ER. 


Among  the  progressive,  reliable  and  rep- 
reseiitaii\c  citizens  of  Lorraine,  Ellsworth 
C(niiity,  K;in<;!s,  is  P.  D.  Miller,  who  is  a 
mcnilier  nf  the  well  known  firm  oi  Miller, 
Peter  &  Schmidt,  of  this  town.  This  busi- 
ness firm  has  succeeded  that  of  Miller  & 
Peter,  which  was  established  in  1900,  Mr. 
]\liller  having  previously  founded  a  success- 
ful blacksmith  and  implement  business. 

The  ancestry  of  Mr.  ]\Iiller  reaches  back 
til  the  fatherland,  his  respected  grandfather. 


Peter  Miller,  coming  from  Germany  to  the 
United  States  when  the  father  of  our  subject 
was  but  twelve  years  old,  founding  the  fam- 
ily home  in  Wisconsin,  where  his  life  was 
spent.  H.  J.  Miller,  who  became  the  father 
of  our  subject,  was  a  son  of  Peter  Miller  and 
grew  up  in  Washington  county,  \\'iscon- 
sin,  and  there  engaged  in  fanning  until  the 
outbreak  oi  the  Civil  war.  In  loyal  spirit 
he  enlisted  for  service,  entering  Company  F, 
Twelfth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  for  three 
years  was  one  of  the  brave  soldiers  who 
made  the  state  of  Wisconsin  so  conspicuous 
for  loyalty.  During  the  last  twenty-five 
years  of  his  life  'he  was  a  consistent  and 
zealous  minister  of  the  German  Baptist 
church,  the  territory  of  his  labors  extending 
over  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.  His  useful 
life  ended  on  August  2,  1900,  at  his  home 
in  Tacoma,  Wisconsin,  where  his  widow 
still  resides.  Mr.  Miller  was  a  man  of  great 
public  spirit,  took  an  active  and  intelligent 
interest  in  all  public  affairs,  and  was  firm  in 
his  devotion  to  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

Ten  children  were  born  to  Rev.  H.  T. 
and  Margaret  (Schuinton)  Miller,  namely: 
Maggie,  who  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Sternberg, 
of  Mason  City,  Iowa ;  P.  D.,  who  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Katie,  who  is  the  wile 
of  John  Voke,  of  X''orth  Freedom,  \Viscoii- 
sin;  Henry,  who'  holds  the  position  of  cap- 
tain of  the  guards  in  the  state  penitentiary 
at  Waupaca,  W'isconsin;  Minnie,  who  is  a 
missionary  of  the  German  Baptist  church 
and  lives  in  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin:  Lydia, 
who  resides  in  Lincoln  county,  Kansas; 
Matilda,  who  is  the  wife  of  Joel  Piatt,  of 
Waupaca,  Wisconsin;  William,  who  is  in 
business  at  Fox,  Wisconsin;  Freda,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Henry  Kruger,  of  Oconomowoc, 
Wisconsin;  and  Benjamin,  who  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Miller  Brothers  at  Fox,  Wis- 
consin. 

Mr.  Miller,  of  this  biography,  was  born 
in  Washington  county,  Wisconsin,  on  No- 
vember 13,  1859,  snd  passed  his  boyhood 
and  youth  engaged  on  his  father's  farm  and 
in  attendance  upon  the  public  echools  until 
the  age  of  twenty  years.  At  this  date  he 
entered  a  flouring  mill  at  X'orth  Freedom, 


625 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


^\'isco^sin,  remaining  there  for  two-  years, 
or  until  his  marriage.  This  took  place  on 
November  24,  1882,  in  Baraboo,  Wiscon- 
sin, to  ]\Iiss  Ida  Blankenburg.  She  was  the 
estimable  and  highly  esteemed  daughter  of 
Frederick  and  Minnie  (Ceagler)  Blanken- 
berg,  and  she  was  born  in  Germany,  accom- 
panying her  parents  to  America  when  but  a 
child.  Four  sturdy  sons  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  ^^Irs.  Miller  namely :  Walter,  Ber- 
nard, Arthur  and  Edward.  These  sons 
have  been  given  excellent  educational  ad- 
vantages and  all  promise  to^  follow  in  the 
footsteps  of  their  father  and  to  worthily  rep- 
resent the  future  citizenship  of  Kansas. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Miller  engaged 
in  farming,  renting  land  in  North  Freedom 
for  four  years.  In  1886  he  removed  to  Ells- 
worth county,  Kansas,  his  father  having 
purchased  a  half  section  of  land  in  Green 
Garden  township.  Mr.  Miller  took  charge 
of  this  property,  which  at  that  time  was  raw- 
prairie,  and  with  energy  set  about  its  im- 
provement, succeeding  in  breaking  all  but 
ninety  acres  in  three  seasons.  Here  lie 
erected  suitable  buildings  and  successfully 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  wheat  until  1896. 
At  this  date  he  moved  to  Lorraine,  one  in- 
ducement being  better  school  facilities  for 
his  children,  and  here  he  established  a 
blacksmith  and  implement  business,  which 
he  still  owns  and  operates,  although  his  en- 
terprise has-  grown  to  large  proportions. 

In  September,  1900,  in  connection  with 
Paul  Peters,  he  opened  up  a  large  agricul- 
tural implement  business  under  the  firm 
name  of  Miller  &  Peters,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1901  the  present  partnership  was  formed, 
the  members  of  the  firm  being  P.  D.  Miller, 
Paul  Peters  and  A.  H.  Schmidt.  The  com- 
modious buildings  occupied  by  this  firm  con- 
tain a  complete  stock  of  groceries,  dry 
goods,  hardware,  farm  machinery,  harness, 
etc.,  and  is  a  leading  house  in  fine  wagons 
and  buggies  and  vehicles  of  all  kinds. 

Mr.  Miller  has  been  identified  with  the 
business  iilterests  and  public  affairs  of  this 
locality  very  prominently  e\'er  since  his  lo- 
cation here.  •  In  politics  a  stanch  Republi- 
can, in  1889  he  was  elected  township  trus- 
tee, and  was  re-elected  in  1890;  served  as 


township  clerk  in  1893-4  and  for  the  past 
two  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board.  The  religious  connection  of  the  fam- 
ily is  with  the-  German  Baptist  church,  to 
which  he  is  a  liberal  and  generous  contrib- 
utor. Mr.  Miller  is  justly  regarded  as  one 
of  the  representative  citizens  of  Ellsworth 
county,  \\here  he  is  held  in  the  highest 
esteem. 


J.   S.  ENDICOTT. 

One  of  the  enterprising  and  successful 
farmers  of  Galesburg  township,  Kingman 
county,  is  J.  S.  Endicott,  who  was  born  at 
Stanford,  near  Bloomington,  in  McLean 
county,  Illinois,  on  the  17th  of  March,  1876. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  an  old  southern  fam- 
ily, his  grandfather,  Joseph  Endicott,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Kentucky  and  early  in  the 
history  of  Indiana  emigrated  to  Posey 
county  with  his  family  and  founded  a  home 
in  the  unbroken  forest.  His  son,  Henry 
Endicott,  was  also  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
but  was  reared  in  Indiana.  He  married 
Jane  Calvert,  who  was  a  native  of  the 
Hoosier  state  and  a  daughter  of  Patrick  Cal- 
vert, who  was  born  in  Vanderburg  county, 
Indiana.  Ten  children  were  'ijorn  to  Henry 
and  Jane  Endicott,  'five  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, namiely:  Melinda  ;  James  C. ;  Nancy; 
Patrick;  Rebecca;  Henry;  Mary  Ann,  since 
deceased ;  Caswell ;  Samuel ;  and  Sarah  E. 
After  the  mother's  death,  which  occurred  in 
her  fiftieth  year,  the  father  removed  west, 
locating  in  Shelbyville,  Illinois,  and  thence 
lie  settled  in  Arkansas  City,  Cowley  county, 
Kansas.  He  passed  away  at  Ponea  City, 
Oklahoma,  at  eighty-nine  years  of  age.  His 
political  support  was  given  the  Democracy, 
and  he  was  ever  earnest  and  zealous  in  all 
movements  which  tended  toward  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  the  community  in  which  he 
resided. 

James  C.  Endicott,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  December  23,  1832,  in  Posey 
county,  Indiana,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm, 
and  in  the  schools  of  this  county  received  his 
early  education.  He  removed  to  McLean 
countv,  Illinois,  and  here  married  in   18^6, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


629 


at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  Miss  Elizabeth 
Xeal,  also  a  native  of  Posey  comity,  Indiana. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Nancy 
Xeal,  who  make  their  home  in  McLean 
county,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Endicott  was  the 
mother  of  four  children:  Thomas  H.,  a 
resident  of  Galesburg  township;  Jenny,  the 
wife  of  E.  B.  Long,  also  of  Galesburg  town- 
ship; Mattie  Abbelena,  who  married  Will- 
iam Wallace,  of  the  same  township;  and 
James  S.,  the  subject  of  this  review.  The 
lather  came  west  in  1877  ^"d  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  in  Galesburg  township,  King- 
man county,  and  is  numbered  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  this  part  of  the  state. 
The  mother  passed  away  in  1879,  at  the  age 
(jf  fifty  years,  in  the  faith  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  In  1882,  in  McLean  county, 
Illinois,  J.  C.  Endicott  was  married  a  sec- 
ond time,  to  Martha  E.  McReynolds.  She 
was  born  in  Posey  county,  Indiana,  and  is 
a  daughter  of  Leonard  and  Nancy  Mc- 
Reynolds, both  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 
j\Ir.  Endicott  has  been  prosperous  during 
his  life  of  labor,  and  the  property  now  in 
possession  of  himself  and  children  comprise 
seventeen  hundred  acres  of  highly  cultivated 
land,  modern  residences,  substantial  barns 
and  outbuildings,  and  groves  and  orchards 
of  flourishing  trees.  The  father  was  at  the 
head  of  a  Christian  household,  and  all  the 
family  are  members  of  the  Cumberland 
Presb}-terian  church,  whose  lives  are  con- 
sistent W'ith  its  teachings. 

J.  S.  Endicott  was  reared  and  educated 
in  Galesburg  township,  where  early  in  life 
he  learned  lessons  of  honesty  and  industry. 
When  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  chose  for 
a  companion  on  life's  journey  Blanch  L. 
Taylor,  who  has  been  to  him  a  most  helpful 
and  loving  wife.  She  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated in  Galesburg  township,  her  parents 
being  C.  F.  and  Alary  C.  (Willingham:) 
Taylor.  Mrs.  Endicott  was  one  of  eight 
children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters. 
LTnto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Endicott  has  been  born 
one  child,  Bernice  P.  T.,  who  was  born  De- 
cember 7,  1899. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  ]Mr.  Endicott 
has  been  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity,  and 
his  present  success  is  due  to  his  energy,  his 


close  application  to  duty-  and  his  upright 
dealings  with  all  with  whom  he  has  been-  as- 
sociated. The  cause  of  education  has  always 
found  in  him  a  loyal  supporter,  and  he  has 
held  the  office  of  township  clerk,  also  has 
served  on  the  township  board,  and  in  every 
way  lending  liis  aid  in  the  advancement  and 
progress  of  his  adopted  county.  In  the' 
political  world  he  is  identified  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
the  issues  of  the  day.  The  homestead  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  of  whicli 
he  is  the  owner,  is  one  ,of  the  fine  farms 
which  beautify  the  county  of  Kingman. 
Everything  about  the  place,  from  the  com- 
fortable residence  and  substantial  barns  and 
sheds  to  the  well  tilled  fields  and  verdant 
pasture  lands,  plainly  indicate  that  a  master 
hand  has  directed  the  operations  of  the 
farm  and  that  success  and  prosperity  w-ill 
surely  be  the  result  of  such  well  guided  la- 
bor. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Endicott  have  many 
friends  in  Kingman  county,  and  are  alike  re- 
spected and  esteemed  for  their  hospitality, 
genialitv  and  his'h  worth. 


WTNFIELD  SCOTT  PARIS. 

\\'infield  Scott  Paris,  who  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Paris  Brothers,  farmers  and 
stockmen,  is  one  of  the  prominent  citzens  of 
Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  and  resides  on 
sections  4,  16  and  7,  owning  a  ranch  con- 
sisting of  fourteen  hundred  and  eighty 
acres. 

The  Faris  family  originated  in  Scot- 
land, from  which  country  some  of  its  mem- 
bers fled  to  Ireland  on  account  of  religious 
persecution.  About  1770  the  family  records 
tell  of  William  Faris,  who  was  the  great- 
grandfather of  niir  Milijcct,  taking"  his  three 
sons — John,  Da\  id  and  Adam — from  Coun- 
ty Down,  Ireland,  and  emigrating  to^  Amer- 
ica, where  they  located  in  West  Virginia. 
\\'\i\\  William  came  two  brothers,  but  ob- 
scurity has  settled  both  upon  them  and  their 
movements.  Adam  Faris  became  prominent 
in  politics  and  was  a  member  of  the  \'irginia 
legislature,  althougli  the  family  has  always 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


been  agricultural.'  John  Faris,  who  was  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
1759  and  married  in  Virginia,  Agnes  Stuart, 
who^  claimed  .ancestry  from  the  noble  line  of 
that  name  in  her  native  Scotland,  where  she 
was  born  in  1758.  Her  family  came  to 
-Vmerica  about  the  same  period  as  did  the 
Faris  family.  She  was  the  eldest  in  a  fam- 
ily of  eleven  children,  and  she  reared  twelve 
of  her  own. 

Grandfather  John  Faris  took  an  active 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  chil- 
dren born  to  him  and  wife  were  as  follows : 
]\Iary  G.,  who  married  John  Gaston ;  Martha 
B.,  who  mlarried  Gilbert  Potter  and  was 
born  at  Fort  Williamson,  whithei:  her 
mother  had  fled  to  escape  the  Indians ;  Will- 
iam, who  was  born  in  1793;  Dorothy,  who 
was  born  in  1796  and  married  Williain  Gas- 
ton :  Samuel,  who  was  born  in  1798;  Nancy, 
who  was  born  in  1800  and  married  Daniel 
]\Iaxwell ;  Ro-tert,  who  was  born  on  Decem- 
•ber  6,  1801,  and  was  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject: Sarah,  who  was  born  in  1803  and 
married  Zephaniah  Bell;  John,  who  was 
born  in  1805:  Jane,  who  was  born  in  1807, 
married  Joseph  Finley ;  Rosanna,  who  was 
born  in  1812,  married  Samuel  Maxwell; 
and  Adam,  who  was  born  in   1813. 

Robert  Faris,  who  was  the  father  of  our 
subject,  married  first  Margaret  J.  Irwin,  and 
four  children  were  born  of  this  union: 
Xancy  A.,  w'ho  married  Silas  Emmerson, 
both  of  whom  are  deceased,  their  descend- 
ants still  living  in  Delaware  county,  Ohio; 
Arthur  Irwin,  who  came  to  Kansas  in  1859 
and  located  in  Ellsworth  county  in  i860  and 
died  in  June,  1872,  from  the  effects  of  hydro- 
phobia ;  Alary  G.,  who  married  P.  S.  Cun- 
ningham, of  Ellsworth  county;  and  Eliza  J., 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  the  mother  died 
in  1836.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Faris 
was  to  Esther  Maxwell,  who  was  born  in 
Ohioi  county,  now  in  West  Virginia,  on  July 
29,  1805,  and  was  married  on  April  6,  1837, 
the  children  of  this  marriage  being  as  fol- 
lows :  Henry  V.,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Ellsworth  county;  George  W.,  who  was 
born  on  August  12,  1839,  and  was  a  soldier 
during  the  Civil  war,  being  connected  with 
Company  I,  Fourth  Ohio;  William  H.  H., 


of  Faris  Brothers,  associated  with  our  sub- 
ject in  business,  served  diu'ing  the  Civil  war 
ill  the  Ninety-sixth  Ohio  Volunteers :  Amzi, 
a  farmer  in  Ellsworth  county,  was  also  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  belonging  to  tlie 
Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry^ ;  Margaret  J.,  who 
married  Theodore  Ruth,  lives  in  Pomona, 
California;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Samuel 
B.  Holler,  of  Alanhattan,  Kansas ;  and  Win- 
field  Scott,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy. 

Mr.  Faris  remained  in  Virginia  until 
after  his  second  marriage,  in  1837,  and  then 
moved,  by  team,  to  Delaware  countv,  Ohio, 
and  located  there,  amidst  the  heavy  timber. 
Here  Mr.  Faris  cleared  up  a  farm  and  until 
1863  was  engaged  in  farming.  At  that  date 
he  removed  to  Marshall  county,  Illinois,  and 
there  he  died,  in  April,  1867.  He  was  a 
pian  of  more  than  average  ability,  of  pleas- 
ant personality,  a  fluent  speaker  and  was 
active  in  public  affairs.  In  politics  he  was 
formerly  a  Whig  and  then  became  a  stanch 
Republican.  He  held  to  the  old  family  re- 
ligion and  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life 
was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Until  he  had  attained  bis  majority  our 
subject  remained  on  the  home  farm,  in  Dela- 
ware county,  where  he  was  born  on  Janu- 
ary 15,  1847.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years 
the  family  removal  to  Illinois  took  place, 
and  after  the  death  of  the  father,  Winfield 
and  his  brother  William^  remained  on  the 
Illinois  farm  until  1872,  when  they  fol- 
lowed their  three  brothers,  H.  V.,  Amzi 
and  Irwin,  who'  had  gone  to  Kansas  some 
time  previously. 

Our  subject  and  his  much  attached 
brother  ,started  together  with  one  covered 
wagon,  drawn  by  six  horses,  crossed  the 
Mississippi  river  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  and 
the  Missouri  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri.  After 
a  journey  of  five  weeks  they  reached  the 
home  of  their  brother  Henry,  and  they  ini- 
mediately  took  up  claims  on  Clear  creek, 
but  they  never  proved  up  on  them.  They 
soon  became  interested  in  live  stock,  herding 
and  grazing,  .starting  in  a  small  way, — with 
but  a  few  cattle. 

At  that  period  the  early  settlers  took  life 
much  easier  than  was  possible  in  later  years. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


631 


Then  the  complex  elements  which  confuse 
social  life  and  the  economic  problems  which 
now-  cannot  lie  ignored  were  unknown,  and 
existence  had  a  simplicity  which  was  almost 
Acadian.  \\'hile  each  was  interested  in  the 
other,  the  pettiness  and  strife  of  later  days 
were  absent.  Many  of  the  first  claims  taken 
were  allow^ed  to  re\-ert  to  the  government 
and  this  wais  the  case  with  our  subject  and 
brother.  In  1877  they  located  a  claim  on 
secticns  j8,  15  and  7,  which  our  subject  later 
"homesteaded,"  as  the  transaction  was 
called,  and  there  erected  a  house  and  broke 
seventy  acres.  He  improved  this  property 
in  many  ways  and  lived  there  until  coming 
to  his  present  home  in  1893,  purchasing  it 
in  association  with  his  brother,  W.  H.  H. 

Upon  this  fine  property  the  brothers 
engaged  in  grazing  and  feeding  and  also  in 
agriculture,  cultivating  some  two^  hundred 
and  fifty  acres.  They  keep  one  hundred  and 
fifty  head  of  cattle,  raising  the  most  of 
them,  their  herds  being  of  high  grade,  prin- 
cipally Herefords.  They  ship  for  them- 
selves some  fifty  or  sixty  head  every  year. 
Mr.  Paris  and  his  brother  have  an  excellent 
stock  farm  ou  the  Smoky  Hill  river.  The 
residence,  outbuildings  and  sti  )ckyards  are 
situated  on  a  le\el  tract  nf  Ixittnm  land,  some 
rods  in  width,  lying  lietweeii  the  river  and 
a  high,  rocky  bluff.  In  the  solid  rock  of  this' 
cliff,  some  sixty  feet  in  h.eiglit.  are  exca- 
vated three  rooms,  and  one  of  tliese  is  util- 
ized as  a  spring  house,  with  a  never-failing 
spring,  while  o-ne  of  the  others  is  at  present 
in  use  as  a  school-room.  This  excavation 
was  not  a  natural  formation,  but  was  done 
by  the  former  OAvner,  who  was  an  English 
miner  and  artisan.  On  account  of  this  pos- 
session Mr.  Paris  is  facetiously  called  "the 
cliff'-dweller,"  and  it  was  made  the  text  of 
a  very  readable,  if  not  a  very  truthful,  article 
for  a  prominent  newspaper  at  one  time  and 
was  copied  into  many  publications. 

The  surroundings  are  worthy  of  more 
than  passing  note,  and  are  unique  and  inter- 
esting. The  time  may  come  wdien  some 
learned  scientist  will  decipher  tlie  many 
strange  Indian  hieroglyphics  which  cover 
the  faces  of  the  rocks  and  probably  tell  tales 
of  Indian  historv  never  before  revealed. 


Mr.  Paris  was  united  in  marriage,  on 
}vlarch  30,  1886,  to  Aliss  Jessie  Hudsou, 
\A-ho'  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah 
(Redpath)  Hudson,  these  parents  having 
also  been  pioneers  in  this  county,  a  sketch 
of  whom  appears  in  another  portion  of  thio 
volume.  One  son,  Robert  ^\^,  was  born  to 
this  union,  on  June  11,  1891. 

Mr.  Paris  is  an  enthusiastic  Republican, 
but  he  is  best  known  in  the  Presbyterian 
church,  to  which  he  has  devoted  much  time 
dnd  means.  He  was  one  wf  the  organizers 
of  the  Fort  Harker  church.  iIk-  first  meet- 
ings being  held  in  the  surrounding  school- 
houses.  The  church  was  built  in  1884,  and 
our  subject  has  worthily  filled  the  office  of 
elder,  and  has  been  an  active  worker  for  the 
Sunday-school.  His  interest  is  always  en- 
gaged on  educational  matters  and  he  is 
justly  considered  a  representative  man  of 
Ellsworth  countv. 


CHARLES  P.  BOY. 

Among  the  earnest  men  whose  depth  of 
character  and  strict  adherence  to  principle 
excite  the  admiration  of  his  contenmpo- 
raries,  Mr.  Boy  is  prominent.  He  is  now 
the  esteemed  and  capable  clerk  of  Raymond 
township  and  is  also  connected  with  the 
business  interests  of  Raymond.  He  first 
opened  his  eyes  ti>  the  light  of  day  in  Bu- 
chanan county,  ]\liss(iuri.  near  Rushville,  in 
February,  1877.  ^^'^  father,  Albert  Boy, 
was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Germany. 
He  was  married  in  Atchison,  Kansas,  to 
Miss  Theresa  Miller,  also  a  native  of  the  fa- 
therland, born  in  Australia.  The  father  is 
now  one  of  the  enterprising  farmers  of  Rice 
county,  honored  and  respected  by  all  v.'ho 
know  him. 

Charles  F.  Boy,  one  of  a  family  of  eight 
children,  six  sons  and  two'  daughters,  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  Rice  county, ' 
Kansas,  graduating  June  i,  1895,  and  sup- 
plementing his  knowledge  there  gained  by 
study  in  the  State  Xormal.  at  Emporia. 
Kansas.  After  putting  aside  his  text-books 
he  became  a  salesman  for  the  Fair  &  Shaak 


632 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


■Mercantile  Company,  dealers  in  hardware, 
lumber  and  grain  at  Raymond,  one  of  the 
reliable  firms  of  the  community.  Mr.  Boy 
is  now  superintendent  and  manager  of  the 
firm,  and  his  unfailing  courtesy  and  pleas- 
ant manner  have  gained  for  the  company 
many  patrons  and  won  iox  him  the  friend- 
ship of  all  \vith  whcan  he  has  come  in  con- 
tact. ^Ir.  Boy  is  also  a  prominent  and  act- 
ive worker  in  the  ranks  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  in  Xovember,  1898,  he  was  the 
choice  of  his  party  for  the  office  of  township 
clerk.  He  proved  one  of  the  strongest  men 
on  the  ticket,  receiving  a  mjajority  of  thirty 
votes,  and  in  this  position  he  is  now  serving 
with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to 
his  constituents.  Mr.  Boy  is  also  well 
versed  in  music,  performing  on  both  the 
violin  and  piano,  and  is  thus  able  to  while 
away  many  pleasant  hours.  In  the  W'ooster 
Business  College,  of  Ohio,  he  received  a 
diploma  in  penmanship  in  the  Bixler  sys- 
tem. 

I\Ir.  Boy  has  been  a  resident  of  Rice 
county  for  fourteen  years,  and  although 
young  in  years  he  is  well  known  in  business 
circles  and  is  regarded  as  a  progressive  citi- 
zen and  a  popular  young  man,  whose  circle 
of  friends  is  extensive.  October  31,  190T, 
at  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  he  m^arried  Miss 
Katherine  Willett,  of  Alden,  Kansas,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  J.  and  Sarah  Willett, 
her  father  a  prominent  farmer  of  \"alley 
tOwnship'. 

REV.  E.  C.  COOPER. 
Rev.  E.  C.  Cooper,  whose  life  has  been 
consecrated  to  the  cause  of  Christianity  and 
whose  influence  is  of  no  restricted  order, 
has  become  widely  known  as  a  minister  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church,  but  is  now 
incapacitated  by  disease  and  age.  He  came 
to  central  Kansas  in  the  pioneer  days  as  a 
traveling  missionary,  while  there  were  yet 
many  Indians  in  the  state.  His  arrival  here 
was  in  the  year  1867,  when  all  was  new  and 
wild,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  educational  and  re- 
ligious development  of  this  portion  of  the 
state. 


Rev.  Air.  Cooper  was  born  in  Randolph 
county,  Illinois,  in  October,  1832,  and  is  of 
Scotch-Irish  parentage  on  the  paternal  side. 
His  grandfather,  John  Cooper,  was  proba- 
bly born  in  the  North  of  Ireland  and  emi- 
grated in  early  life  to  North  Carolina,  re- 
maining there  a  short  time.  Thence  he  re- 
moved to  Chester  district.  South -Carolina, 
remaining  there  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
I  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  loyally 
.  aiding  in  the  cause  of  independence,  and  his 
son,  John  Cooper,  Jr.,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1 81 2,  serving  under  General  Andrew- 
Jackson.  The  family  is  one  in  which  strong 
purpose  has  ever  been  manifest.  Its  mem- 
bers have  been  identified  with  the  Scotch 
Covenanter  (the  Presbyterian)  church 
through  many  generations,  and  has  given 
an  unfaltering  support  tO'  the  principles  in 
which  they  believe.  Andrew  Cooper,  the 
father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  and  when  small  moved  with  his 
parents  to  Chester  district,  South  Carolina, 
and  was  there  married  to  Margaret  ]McKel- 
vey,  who  was  born  in  that  state.  Her  fa- 
ther, Hugh  ]McKelvey,  was  born  in  Ireland. 
His  death  occurred  "  in  Illinois.  Andrew 
Cooper  and  family,  consisting  of  wife  and 
eight  children,  emigrated  in  1830  to  Ran- 
dolph county,  Illinois,  and  there  he  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  about  five 
feet  eleven  inches  in  heisrht  and  well  built. 
Brave  and  fearless  in  defence  of  what  he 
believed  to  be  right,  he  was  an  earnest 
champion  of  the  Abolitionist  cause,  and  in 
religious  faith  was  a  Scotch  Covenanter. 
His  wife  belonged  to  the  same  chufch  and 
was  an  ardent  Christian  woman,  greatly 
beloved  for  her  kindness.  She  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-one  years,  while  Andrew  C. 
was  called  to  the  home  beyond  at  the  age 
of  seventy-five,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1863. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children  :  Sally, 
Mary,  John,  Hugh,  ]\Iartha  and  !\Iargaret, 
all  deceased;  while  Elizabeth,  Xancy  and 
Ebenezer  C.  are  the  onlv  remaining  mem- 
bers of  the  family.  Andrew  J.,  the 
youngest  of  the  family,  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Tenth  Missouri  Infantrv  and  was  killed  in 
the  Civil  war  in  1862. 

Rev.  Cooper  was  reared  among  the  re- 


(f ,  t  e, 


-uiy^. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


633 


fining  influences  of  a  good  Christian  home, 
and  in  the  common  schools  acquired  his 
early  education,  which  was  supplemented 
by  study  in  Sparta  Union  Academy,  and 
in  the  Indiana  State  University,  where  he 
completed  the  freshman  and  sophomore 
vears.  He  then  entered  Monmouth  Col- 
lege of  Illinois,  where  he  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1862.  He  had  deter- 
mined to  devote  his  life  to  the  cause  of  the 
ministry  and  preparatory  to  this  work  he 
entered  the  theological  seminary  at  Xenia 
and  was  later  ordained  as  a  mmister  of  the 
gospel,  being  licensed  to  preach  and  ad- 
minister the  ordinances.  His  first  pastor- 
ate was  at  Ottawa,  Kansas,  where  he  was 
in  charge  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  for  five  years.  He  was  then  pastor 
at  Neodosha,  Kansas,  for  one  year,  after 
which  he  was  appointed  traveling  missionary 
for  central  and  western  Kansas,  travers- 
ing these  sections  of  the  state  many  times 
in  pioneer  days.  The  Indians  had  not  yet 
all  left  for  reservations  further  west  and 
south,  and  the  buffaloes  were  fleeing  before 
the  advance  of  civilization.  Rev.  Cooper 
often  slept  upon  the  plains  in  the  primitive 
dugouts  and  cabins,  which  were  the  homes 
of  the  early  settlers.  He  forded  the  streams, 
for  bridges  were  not  then  built  over  the 
creeks  and  rivers,  and  he  endured  all  the 
hardships  and  dangers  incident  to  frontier 
life.  He  organized  many  churches  and 
Sunday-schools  on  the  frontier,  and  was 
most  faithfuland  zealous  in  the  cause  of 
Christianity.  In  1877  he  organized  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  in  Kingman 
county,  and  the  members  urged  him  to  re- 
main with  them  as  their  pastor.  This  he 
consented  to'  do,  and,  taking  a  claim,  he 
built  thereon  a  sod  house  in  1878.  He  acted 
as  pastor  of  the  church  for  six  years  and 
in  this  time  he  also  wrought  a  great  trans- 
formation in  his  farm.  He  set  out  a  large 
orchard  of  apple  and  peach  trees  planted 
a  vineyard  and  berries  and  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  cereals  best  adapted  to  this'  cli- 
mate. He  now  has  a  valuable  tract  of  land 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  a  good 
residence  in   Kingman. 

Rev.    Cooper    was    united    in  the    holy 


bands  of  matrimony  in  1862,  in  Winterset, 
Madison  county,  Iowa,  to  Nancy  A.  Brit- 
ton,  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  culture  who 
was  reared  and  educated  in  Ohio.  Her  fa- 
ther, James  Britton,  was  born  in  Ireland 
and  died  at  Redfield.  Dallas  county,  Iowa, 
while  his  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name 
of  Mary  Bell,  and  is  also  deceased,  was 
born  in  Ohio,  her  parents  having  emigrated 
from  the  state  of  Maryland.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cooper  have  become  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Mrs.  Lillie  Ola  Gillespie,  of 
Loveland.  Colorado;  Mrs.  Lelia  Ula  Rey- 
nolds, of  Witchita,  Kansas;  Mrs.  Annie  Liz- 
zie Friend,  of.  Alexandria,  Louisiana ;  Otho 
C,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  who  held  an  im- 
portant position  under  Governor  Leedy; 
and  Arthur  V.  who  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Kingman  high  school  of  the  year  1901,  and 
is  now  a  successful  teacher.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cooper  have  lost  two  children.  Rosa  Linn, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  months,  and 
a  son  who  died  in  infancv- 

Rev.  Cooper  became  identified  with  the 
Republican  party  on  its  organization,  vot- 
ing for  John  C.  Fremont  in  1856,  and  for 
many  years  he  gave  his  support  to  the  men 
and  measures  advocated  by  that  party.  He 
was  a  strong  Alliance  man  and  served  as 
county  lecturer  and  organizer  in  Kiijgman 
county  for  one  year.  A  man  well  informed 
on  political  historv  and  upon  all  questions 
of  general  interest,  he  keeps  in  touch  with 
the  progress  of  the  world,  and  has  marked 
influence  upon  the  past  development  of 
central  Kansas,  lending  his  aid  and  support 
to  every  measure  calculated  to  prove  of 
general  good.  His  life,  consistent  with 
its  professions,  has  been  a  powerful  factor 
for  the  promotion  of  Christianity  among 
his  fellow  men. 


FRED  T.  CLOUD. 


Through  no  medium  other  than  its 
newspaper  press  can  the  specific  prestige 
and  character  of  any  community  be  defi- 
nitely determined,  and  thus  it  is  ever 
gratifying  to  all  enterprising  and  loyal  citi- 


634 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


zens  when  they  can  point  with  justifiable 
pride  toi  ably  managed  and  journalistic,  en- 
terprises which  exploit  the  interests  of  the 
community  and  conserve  its  progress  and 
prosperity.  In  the  thriving  little  city  of 
Norwich,  Kingman  count^%  Kansas,  is  pub- 
lished the  Norwich  Herald,  a  weekly  jour- 
nal which  is  under  most  capable  and  pro- 
gressive management  and  which  has  thus 
proved  a  popular  and  potent  exponent  of 
local  interests,  standing  alike  creditable  to 
its  publisher  and  the  territory  which  it  rep- 
resents. It  is  clearly  incumbent  that  in  a 
compilation  of  this  nature  there  should  be 
incorporated  a  review  of  the.  career  of  the 
publisher  and  editor  of  this  excellent  paper, 
and  this  we  are  pleased  to  present  herewith. 
Fred  J.  Cloud  is  a  native  of  the  state  of 
Missouri,  having  been  born  near  the  city  of 
Springfield,  Greene  county,  on  the  17th  of 
March.  1877,  being  the  son  of  John  J.  and 
Mary  J.  Cloud,  natives  of  Missouri.  The 
subject  of  this  review  was  but  one  year  of 
age  at  the  time  of  his  parents'  removal  tu 
Kingman  county,  Kansas,  and  thus  he  has 
passed  practically  liis  entire  life  in  this  state 
and  is  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  progress- 
ive spirit  of  the  west,  while  his  career  has 
been  such  as  tO'  retain  to-  him  uniform  con- 
fidence and  esteem.  As  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative young  men  of  Kingman  county  he 
is  well  worthy  of  consideration  in  this  con- 
nection. Mr.  Cloud  was  reared  to  the 
sturdy  discipline  of  the  pioneer  farm  in 
Kingman  connty,  and  his  early  experiences 
were  such  as  were  typical  of  the  time  and 
place,  so  that  he  is  able  to  recall  many  inter- 
esting incidents  and  episodes  t'  luching  life 
on  the  frontier.  His  preliminary  educa- 
tional discipline  was  secured  in  the  district 
school  in  the  vicinity  of  the  parental  farm- 
stead, and  after  the  founding"  of  the  present 
city  of  Norwich  and  the  establishing  here  of 
excellent  public  schools  he  here  continued 
his  studies,  devoting  himself  carefully  to 
his  educational  work  and  making  such  ad- 
vancement that  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
he  was  enaljled  to  put  his  scholastic  acquire- 
ments io  practical  use.  tlien  gi\'ins-  inception 
to  his  career  as  a  teacher  and  cmtinuing  in 
pedagogic  work  for  a  period  of  five  years, 


working  on  the  farm  during  the  summer  \a.- 
cations  and  attending  the  various  teachers' 
institutes  held  in  the  county.  He  was  also 
a  student  in  the  Kansas  State  Normal 
School,  at  Emiporia,  for.  one  year,  and  he 
gained  a  high  reputation  as  an  earnest  and 
successful  teacher.  During  the  last  year  of 
his  school  \\'ork  he  also  found  employment 
in  the  office  of  the  Norwich  Herald,  in  whicii 
he  thus  became  familiar  with  the  details  and 
intricacies  of  the  "art  preservative  of  all 
arts."  In  June,  1901,  Mr.  Cloud  efifected 
the  purchase  of  the  Herald,  of  which  he  has 
since  continued  editor  and  publisher,  mak- 
ing the  paper  a  credit  to  himself,  to  the 
tO'wn  and  to  the  editorial  profession  of  the 
state.  The  Herald  was  founded  in  Janu- 
ary, 1898,  by  J.  A.  Maxey,  who  continued 
in  control  of  the  same  until  the  regime  of 
the  present  proprietor,  w^as  inaugurated. 
Mr.  Cloud  is  issuing  a  bright  and  readable 
paper,  the  same  giving  an  excellent  sum- 
ming up  of  the  news  of  local  and  general 
character,  while  the  editorial  utterances  are 
invariably  timely  and  show  marked  origin- 
ality. At  the  time  when  he  assumed  control 
of  the  Herald  Mr.  Cloud  was  but  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  and  he  is  to  be  recorded  as 
one  of  the  youngest  editors  on  the  list  of 
Kansas  journalists,  handling  his  paper  with 
the  skill  of  a  veteran  and  gaining  unqualified 
endorsement. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  Mr.  Cloud 
was  seriously  injured  in  the  hands  and  face 
by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a  shotgim, 
necessitating  the  amputation  of  one  finger 
on  each  hand,  while  the  left  hand  was  drawn 
in  such  a  manner  that  only  the  first  finger 
can  be  straightened.  From  his  boyhood 
days  he  has  been  an  enthusiast  in  regard  to 
outdoor  sports  and  general  athletics,  being 
fi>nd  of  skating-  and  bicycling  and  being  a 
fine  player  of  baseball,  notwithstanding  the 
handicap  involved  in  the  physical  injuries 
mentioned,  and  he  is  well  known  in  base- 
ball circles.  The  favorite  pastime  and  amuse- 
ment of  Mr.  Cloud  is  musical  study  and 
work.  He  began  the  study  of  the  "divine 
art"  when  a  mere  boy,  and  though  he  has 
had  but  little  instruction,  he  has  shown  that 
native  talent  and  predilection  which  have  en- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


635 


abled  him  to  make  notable  progress,  gaining 
a  tliorough  knowledge  of  theor}^  and  hav- 
ing much  technical  skill  in  both  vocal  and  in- 
strumental interpretations,  being  able  to 
read  the  more  complicated  scores  at  sight 
and  devoting  his  attention  more  particularly 
to  band  music,  in  which  connection  he  has 
attained  a  reputatiun  oi  more  than  local 
order. 

I\lr.  Glond  is  one  of  the  popular  young 
men  of  the  county,  and  in  both  business  and 
social  circles  is  most  highly  esteemed.  He 
has  a  distinct  individuality,  is  genial  in  his 
nature  and  has  the  gracious  facility  of 
gaining  and  retaining  friends.  He  is  well 
known  in  the  county  where  he  has  passed 
practically  his  entire  life,  and  his  popularity 
attests  the  integrity  of  his  character  and 
his  ability  in  his  chosen  tield  of  endeavor. 
In  politics  he  gives  his  support  to-  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  he  ever  manifests  a 
lively  interest  in  all  that  conserves  the  wel- 
fare of  Jiis  city,  county  and  state.  Those 
who  know  him  best  will  feel  that  this  slight 
tribute  is  eminently  merited. 


HON.  U.  G.  MUSTOE. 

Hon.  U.  G.  Mustoe,  who'  is  now  repre- 
senting his  district  in  the  state  legislature, 
has  been  a  prominent  factor  in  the  public 
life  of  Kingman  county  since  a  very  early 
day.  His  residence  in  the  Sunflower  state 
dates  from  1877,  and  during  the  long  period 
which  has  since  intervened  he  has  ever 
borne  his  part  in  the  work  of  progress  and 
development  which  has  here  taken  place. 
He  was  born  in  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  on 
the  i6th  of  August,  1863.  His  paternal 
great-grandfather  was  a  native  of  England, 
but  subsecpiently  came  from  that  country  to 
the  United  States,  and  his  son  Anthony,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  was  born  in 
Virginia. 

The  latter's  son„  H.  G.  Mustoe,  became 
the  father  of  our  subject  and  was  born  in 
Barbour  county.  West  Virginia.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  in  the  state  of  his  nativ- 
ity, and  was  there  married  to  Margaret  Wil- 


son, a  daughter  of  John  Wilson,  who  was 
of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  After  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Mustoe  removed  from  his  native 
state  to  Indiana,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years,  and  then  took  up  bis  abode  in 
Scotland  county,  Missouri,  near  Memphis. 
There  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits until  1877,  which  year  witnessed  his 
arrival  in  Kingman,  Kansas.  Here  he  se- 
cured a  tract  of  Osage  Indian  land  on  sec- 
tion 28,  Galesburg  township,  where  he  made 
his  home  during  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
passing  away  on  the  6th  of  September, 
1880,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  At 
his  death  he  left  a  widow  and  seven  sons, 
namely:  J.  D.,  a  resident  of  Gheney,  Kan- 
sas; William  K.,  of  Dunlap,  Harrison  coun- 
ty, Iowa;  G.  H.,  who  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  New  Murdock,  Kansas ;  Thomas  A., 
who  was  foremrly  the  postmaster  at  New 
Murdock  but  is  now  deceased,  passing  away 
at  Greensburg,  Kiowa  county,  Kansas; 
H.  A.,  a  prominent  merchant  of  New  Mur- 
dock; Lewis  H.,  who  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  Gheney,  this  state;  and  U.  G.,  the 
subject  of  this  review.  Mr.  Mustoe  was  a 
machinist  by  trade,  and  was  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  RepubHcan  principles.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  were  worthy  and  acceptable 
members  of  the  Ghristian  church. 

U.  G.  Mustoe  was  only  fourteen  years 
of  age  wdien  the  family  removal  was  made 
from  Missouri  to  Kansas,  and  in  this  state 
he  was  reared  to  farm  life  and  attended  the 
public  schdol  of  Kingman  county.  After 
beginning  the  battle  of  life  on  his  own  ac- 
count he  was  for  a  time  employed  as  a  hotel 
proprietor,  but  for  many  years  he  has  been 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  His  fine 
farm  now  comprises  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land,  and  there,  in  addition  to  the 
raising  of  the  cereals  best  adapted  to  this 
soil  and  climate,  he  is  also  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  stock  business,  both  branches 
proving  a  profitable  source  of  investment. 
He  has  recently  removed  to  New  Mur- 
dock, where  he  has  purchased  a  residence 
and  gone  into  the  livery  business. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Mustoe  was  cele- 
brated in  1886,  when  Miss  Susy  Davis  be- 
came his  wife.     She  was  born  in  Scotland 


636 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


county,  ^Missouri,  and  was  there  reared  and 
educated.  Her  father,  C.  J.  Davis,  now  de- 
ceased, was  for  many  years  a  well  kno-wn 
citizen  of  Galesburg  township,  Kingman 
count)-.  The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife 
has  been  blessed  wath  five  children, — Ethel, 
born  ' February  2T,,  1888;  Cortie,  October 
14,  1889;  Ralph,  November  20,  1891;  Alta, 
October  20,  1896;  and  Beulah,  June  20, 
1898.  Mr.  Mustoe  has  always  taken  an  act- 
ive part  in  the  public  life  of  his  locality,  and 
in  1889  he  was  elected  to  the  position  of 
clerk  of  Kingman  county,  in  which  he 
served  for  one  term,  proving  an  efficient  and 
trustworthy  official.  In  January,  1901,  he 
took  his  seat  as  a  member  of  the  state  legis- 
lature, and  in  this  important  position  he  has 
proved  equally  worthy  to  discharge  the  du- 
ties entrusted  to  his  care.  His  strong  men- 
tality, close  study  of  the  questions  of  the 
day  and  sound  judgment  well  fitted  him  for 
leadership,  and  his  course  has  been  marked 
by  patriotic  devotion  to  the  public  good.  In 
his  social  relations  he  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Woodmen  fra- 
ternities. 


ASA  S.  SWINGLE. 

The  prosperity  and  prominence  of  cen- 
tral Kansas  is,  no  doubt,  in  a  great  measure 
due  to  the  fact  that  so-  many  of  its  early  set- 
tlers came  hither  from  homes  where  they 
had  been  reared  in  the  principles  of  industry, 
honesty,  morality  and  patriotism.  From 
such  a  home  came  Asa  S-  Swangle,  who  is 
one  of  the  most  worthy  and  reliable  and  rep- 
resentative citizens  of  Rochester  township, 
in  Kingman  county. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Swingle  was  on  a  farm 
near  the  town  of  South  Canaan,  Wayne 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1840.  The  origin 
of  the  family  was  in  Switzerland,  his  great- 
grandfather, Urich  Swingle,  being  a  native 
of  that  land ;  and  his  son,  Conrad,  was  one 
of  the  band  who  sought  religious  freedom 
in  a  new  country.  Conrad  Swingle  became 
the  father  of  thirteen  children,  one  of  whom 


was  ^.Icses,  who-  became  the  father  of  our 
subject.  Aioses  Swingle  grew  to  manhood 
in  Wa)^^e  county  and  married  Elizabeth, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  prominent  Cobb 
family  of  that  county.  They  also  reared  a 
numerous  family,  consisting  of  six  sons  and 
six  daughters,  these  being  as  follows : 
Laura;  Ruby;  Clark,  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
war,  living  in  the  far  west;  Ralph;  Paul, 
also  a  soldier;  Asa  S.,  our  subject;  Frank; 
Lewis,  a  soldier;  Ruth;  Ann;  Stella;  and 
Abigail.  Lewis  was  a  resident  of  Kingman 
county  for  some  time,  but  died  in  1881, 
leaving  a  widow  and  six  children.  The  fa- 
ther of  these  children  grew  aged  in  \\'ayne 
county,  passing  from  life  at  about  ninety 
years  of  age.  In  his  locality  he  was  a  rep- 
resentative man,  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
Democratic  party  and  a  respected  and  con- 
sistent member  oi  the  Methodist  church. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  also  reached  the 
unusual  age  of  ninety  years  and  died  in  the 
full  fruitage  of  a  kind  and  well  spent  life. 

Asa  S.  Swingle  spent  his  early  ife  on  a 
farm  and  all  his  life  his  interests  have  cen- 
tered in  agricultural  pursuits.  His  educa- 
tion was  acquired  in  the  district  schools  of 
his  neighborhood,  and  perhaps  he  \\-ould 
still  be  a  resident  of  his  native  state  had  not 
the  stirring  events  of  1861  roused  the  loyal 
feeling  of  his  elder  brothers  and  communi- 
cated itself  to  him.  Almost  a  boy  at  the 
time  of  his  enlistment,  he  made  a  good  rec- 
ord as  a  soldier,  entering  a  regiment  of 
state  troops  for  a  short  term  of  service,  later 
becoming  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Forty-third  New  York  Infantry,  serv- 
ing for  eighteen  months  and  receiving  an 
honorable  discharge. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  Mr.  Swin: 
was  united  to  Miss  Mary  Cobb,  in  matri 
mony,  and  for  forty  years  she  has  been  his 
beloved  and  congenial  companion,  the  part- 
ner of  his  joys  and  the  cheerful  companion 
Jivho  has  encouraged  him  in  times  of  trou- 
ble. She  was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Shaffer)  Cobb,  estimable  and  respected 
residents  of  Wayne  county,  where  both 
passed  out  of  life,  the  latter  in  1862.  They 
had  eight  children,  namely :  Angeline, 
Susan,  Alice,  Olive,  INIary,  Aurilla,  Abigail 


■A 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


(>Z7 


and  Joseph.  Xine  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swingle,  namely :  Darius,  of 
Wood  county,  Oklahoma ;  Mrs.  Ellen  Haw- 
ley,  of  Rochester  toiwnship;  Benjamin,  of 
Wood  count}-,  Oklahoma;  Frank,  at  home; 
Mrs.  Dolly  "Westfall,  of  Oklahoma;  and 
Fred.  Ralph,  Lewis  and  Sam,  all  at  home. 
All  of  these  children  are  robust  specimens 
^'  oi  Kansas  youth,  intelligent  and  well  edu- 
cated. 

In  1865  Air.  Swingle  left  Pennsylvania 
and  moved  to-  Iowa,  locating  in  Hamilton 
comity,  near  \\'ebster  Cit)'.  The\'  were  pio- 
neers there  and  reniained  until  1869,  when 
Mr.  Swingle  decided  to  make  a  trip  with  his 
family  to  Texas  in  order  to  see  if  that  coun- 
try offered  more  attractions  for  a  permanent 
location.  The  long  but  interesting  journey 
was  made  in  a  prairie  schooner,  with  a  mule 
team,  traveling  south  in  as  direct  a  line  as 
possible,  through  Iowa,  Missouri  and  Ar- 
kansas, entering  Texas  in  Tarrant  county. 
Later  illness  in  his  family  caused  a  removal 
to  Tack  cijunty.  but  later  Mr.  Swingle  de- 
cided h  I  return  to  the  north.  With  two  yoke 
of  ]iuig-]i<:)rned  Texas  oxen  and  a  covered 
Magon  the  faiiiily  exodus  was  made,  a  selec- 
tion I  :f  a  home  in  King;man  county,  Kansas, 
being  decided  upon  m  1878. 

Mr.  Swingle  took  up  a  claim  which  was 
situated  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from 
the  present  home,  where  improvements  were 
made  and  a  fine  farm  placed  in  good  condi- 
tion. This  home  was  advantageously  sold 
in  1893  and  then  the  present  location  was 
taken,  which  Mr.  Swingle  has  converted 
into  one  of  the  finest  estates  in  Rochester 
township.  This  beautiful  and  fruitful  farm 
comprises  four  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and 
what  Nature  has  not  done  Mr.  Swingle  has 
supplied.  One  of  the  improvements  that  he 
has  made  is  a  fine  fisii  pond,  while  the  coni- 
fortaljle  residence,  the  commodious  accom- 
modations f<jr  stuck  and  cattle,  the  excellent 
arrangements  which  he  has  perfected  for  the 
satisfactory  irrigation  of  his  land,  all  testify 
to  his  excellent  business  management.  He 
has  always  been  one  of  the  most  industrious 
farmers  and  is  a  successful  stock-raiser,  and 
has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  this 


locality,  which  when  he  first  came  here  was 
covered  with  the  bones  of  buffaloes. 

The  face  of  the  country  has  changed 
much  in  all  these  intervening  years,  but  not 
more  than  many  of  its  old  settlers,  this  mak- 
ing the  vigor  and  robustness  of  Mr.  Swingle 
all  the  more  remarkable,  as  he  appears  to 
be  yet  in  the  very  prime  of  life.  He  has 
been  called  upon  to  serve  his  township  in  a 
nunilicr  of  re-.p- -iisihle  pnsitiniis,  and  for 
year>  \\a>  inwusiiip  treasurer,  and  for  three 
terms  was  tlie  efiicient  Inwnsliip  trustee. 
The  regard  in  which  he  is  held  in  his  locality 
may  be  expressed  in  the  words  of  a  neigh- 
bor, who  declared,  "Asa  Swingle's  word  is 
as  good  as  his  boud.  I  want  nothing  bet- 
ter." His  hospitable  doors  stand  open,  his 
hand  is  extended  in  friendship  to  all  who 
deserve  it,  and  no-  one  in  this  locality  bet- 
ter exemplifies  the  heartiness  and  friendli- 
ness of  the  old  Kansas  settler. 


DAXIEL  PALMER. 

Daniel  Palmer,  a  retired  farmer  of  Hal- 
stead,  Kansas,  was  born  in  Ross  county, 
Ohio,  Saturday,  December  31,  1836,  it  being 
the  last  day  of  the  week  as  well  as  of  the 
month  and  year.  He  was  of  Dutch  lineage, 
his  paternal  grandfather,  Edmo-nd  Palmer, 
having  come  to  the  new  world  from  Hol- 
land, settling  in  A^irginia.  where  he  passed 
away  in  1804  in  the  prime  of  his  life.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Milbourn, 
and  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter, sur\'i\ed  him.  In  1856  the  mother 
passed  away  and  was  laid  by  the  side  of  her 
husband  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia.  The 
daughter  of  the  family,  not  having  married, 
went  to  live  with  her  brother,  Landon 
Palmer.  He  lived  to  cpiite  an  advanced  age, 
but  was  survived  by  his  sister,  who  became 
an  octogenarian.  The  grandfather  was  a 
cotiper  l>v  trade,  an  honest  and  industrious 
man,  who  gave  to  his  descendants  a  legacy 
of  far  greater  worth  than  worldly  possess- 
ions, that  of  honesty  and  fidelity  to  that 
which  is  right. 


638 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Milbourn  Palmer,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  a  native  of  Virginia,  his  birth  hav- 
ing occurred  in  October,  1798.  He  began 
the  life  of  a  farmer  in  that  state  in  1828, 
where  he  wedded  Miss  Rachael  Cowgill, 
also  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  born  in 
October,  1804.  Her  father,  Isaac  Cowgill, 
was  one  of  a  family  whose  patriotic  spirit 
aroused  them  to  take  up  ann's  in  defense  of 
their  countr}^  in  its  struggle  for  freedom, 
seven  of  the  sons  having  served  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war.  Early  in  life  Milbourn 
Palmer  removed  to  Ohio,  and  thence  in  1854 
to  Indiana.  In  1856,  however,  he  returned 
to  O'hio.  He  had  met  with  reverses  during 
his  life,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  June  21,  1865,  he  left  no  estate. 
His  widow  survived  him  many  years,  pass- 
ing away  in  1885.  The  children  born  to  this 
couple  were:  Isaac,  born  in  1832,  died  in 
White  county,  Indiana,  September  2,  1855, 
leaving  no  family.  ^lary,  born  in  1834,  is 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Seelig,  of  Ross  county, 
Ohio,  and  is  the  mother  of  a  fine  family  of 
fourteen  children,  having  lost  one  in  child- 
hood. Daniel  is  the  subject  of  this  review. 
Sarah,  the  second  daughter  of  the  family, 
lived  to  be  fourteen  years  of  age.  Rachael  is 
the  W'idow  of  Joseph  Trego,  who  resided  in 
Ross  county.  She  has  no  children.  Har- 
riet is  the  youngest  of  the  children,  and  is' 
the  wife  of  Frank  Flee,  of  Fayette  county, 
Ohio,  now  in  Virginia.  The  eldest  child, 
a  son,  died  in  infancy. 

Daniel  Palmer,  while  acquiring  a  com- 
mon-school education,  at  the  same  time 
learned  the  duties  of  farm  life  and  the  la- 
bors attending  the  same,  and  at  an  early  age 
was  competent  to  undertake  any  ordinary 
business  aside  from  farming.  He,  however, 
lemained  with  his  parents  on  the  home 
farm,  assisting  his  father  in  the  work.  On 
the  twenty-seventh  day  of  July,  1862,  Mr. 
Palmer  was  married  to  Miss  Abigail  Edg- 
ington,  a  young  lady  nineteen  years  of 
age,  who  was  born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio-, 
the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  (White) 
Edgington.  The  father  was  a  native  of  the 
Buckeye  state,  and  the  mother  of  Ohio. 
They  were  farmers,  and  reared  a  family  of 
se\'en  children,  two  sons  and  five  dauehters. 


For  two  years  after  his  marriage  Daniel 
Palmer  remained  on  the  home  farm,  assist- 
ing in  the  cultivation  oi  the  land,  and  there 
lost  his  first  child,  Mary  Jane,  when  thirty 
days  old.  Isaac,  the  second  child,  was  born 
in  Ohio  in  18G4,  and  is  now  a  prosperous 
farmer  living  near  his  parents.  His  family 
consists  of  his  wife  and  two  sons,  the  only 
grandchildren  of  Mr.  Palmer.  The  third 
child,  a  daughter,  died  when  past  three 
years  of  age.  The  other  children  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Palmer  are  Elbert  J.,  unmar- 
ried and  assisting  on  the  home  farm ;  Frank, 
also  single  and  at  home;  Oliver  Thurman, 
who  was  born  in  Iowa,  May  17,  1871,  died 
in  Kansas,  May  7,  1873,  when  two  years 
old ;  and  Harley  Irvin,  born  in  Iowa,  De- 
cember 30,  1867,  died  also  in  that  state,  De- 
cember 24,  1868. 

In  1864  Mr.  Palmer  removed  with  his 
family  to  Iowa,  where  he  remained  for  eight 
years,  having  purchased  some  town  property 
in  Indianola,  Warren  county,  but  he  later 
bought  a  farm,  which  he  operated  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  1873,  however,  he  re- 
moved to  Kansas,  settling  in  Halstead  in 
December  of  that  year,  where  he  pre-empted 
a  homestead  of  eighty  acres.  For  eight 
years  he  resided  here  and  in  1881  sold  tlie 
property,  purchasing  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Garden  township,  on  which 
he  successfully  followed  the  pursuit  of  agri- 
culture until  1886.  The  death  of  his  wife 
at  this  time  was  a  great  loss  to  him,  for  she 
had  been  a  faithful  and  helpful  companion 
during  their  married  life,  always  lending  her 
assistance  whenever  it  was  required.  He 
was  then  left  to  care  for  the  three  mother- 
less children,  a  son  of  twenty-two  and  two 
younger  sons  of  ten  and  five  years,  respect- 
ivly.  Tenderly  and  carefully  has  he  reared 
these  boys,  being  both  lather  and  mother  to 
them,  and  noAV  as  reward  for  the  care  in 
boyhood,  he  lives  with  them  in  Halstead, 
enjoying  the  rest  wdiich  he  well  deserves 
after  so  many  years  of  hard  labor  and  sacri- 
fice. The  children  all  realize  what  he  has 
done  for  them,  having  worked  and  striven 
to  bring  them  into  perfect  manhood,  and 
lovingly  render  any  service  possible  to  the 
beloved  father.     I\Ir.  Palmer's  success  has 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


639 


Ijeen  reinarkahle.  he  having  liegun  Hfe  with- 
out a  duUar,  and  even  being  obliged  to  bor- 
row the  fee  with  which  to  get  married.  His 
father-in-law  was  about  to  leave  for  another 
state,  taking  with  him  his  family,  and  this 
precipitated  his  intentions  before  he  had  ac- 
cumulated sufficient  means  with  which  to 
begin  married  life.  His  perseverance  and 
iiadustry,  however,  have  brought  tO'  him  un- 
questionable success,  and  his  honesty  and  in- 
tegrity have  won  for  him  scores  of  friends, 
who  admire  him  not  only  as  a.  man  of  high 
honor  but  as  one  who  has  i)erformed  his 
duties  to  his  family  as  becomes  a  man  of 
strong  character  and  noble  purpose.  Be- 
sides the  large  farm  in  Garden  township  he 
also  owns  eighty  acres  of'  finely  cultivated 
land  in  Halstead  township,  and  these  bring 
to  him  a  handsome  competence. 

Mr.  Palmer  is  a  loyal  Democrat,  and,  be- 
ing modest  and  unassuming,  he  has  never 
sought  nor  held  an  office.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Quaker  church,  a  descendant  of  the 
old  Puritan  stock,  his  maternal  ancestors 
belonging  to  the  colony  founded  by  Will- 
iam! Penn,  and  with  such  inherent  qualities 
given  to  him  by  a  conscientious  people  he 
has  lived  a  life  of  loyalty  to  their  teachings, 
firm  in  his  con\-iction5,  true  to  his  friend- 
ships and  loving  and  unselfish  with  those 
with  whom  he  was  closelv  connected. 


T.  C.  HOLCOMB. 


T.  C.  Holcomb,  a  prominent  resident  of 
Zenda,  Kansas,  has  been  one  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  Kingman  county  and  for  a 
number  of  years  has  been  a  merchant  of  es- 
tablished reputation  in  this  vicinitv  as  well 
as  a  successful  dealer  in  -^tock.  He  has  re- 
cently sold  out  with  the  view  <<\  L'.oing  upon 
his  ranch  and  devote  his  attention  to  horse- 
raising,  etc. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Holcomb  was  on  the 
borders  of  Lake  Champlain,  Essex  county. 
New  York,  in  1851,  descending  from  a  fam- 
ily which  for  many  years  has  re.Dresented  the 
highest  ideals  of  patriotism  and  good  citizen- 
ship.    His  father,  B.  F.  Holcomb.  was  born 


in  New  York,  his  forefathers  having  been 
among  the  Revolutionary  patriots  in  Ver- 
mont. B.  F.  Holcomb  married  Elizabeth 
Towner,  who  was  born  in  Canada,  but 
reared  in  Essex  county.  New  York,  where 
her  family  still  remains.  Eight  children 
were  born  to  the  parents  of  our  subject.  T. 
C.  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs.  Ella 
Converse  resides  in  Zenda,  an  the  others  are 
residents  of  Galesburg,  Illinois. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holcomb  moved  from 
New  York  in  1856  to  Knox  county,  Illinois, 
locating  at  Galesburg,  where  he  was  an  early 
settler.  During  the  Civil  war  he  attained 
prominence  as  a  gallant  officer  on  the  staff 
of  General  Logan,  and  made  a  fine  record 
as  a  member  of  the  Forty-fifth  Illinois  In- 
fantry. He  was  a  man  who  commanded  re- 
spect in  every  locality  in  which  he  made  his 
home,  and  was  prominent  in  public  affairs,  a 
leader  in  the  councils  of  the  Republican 
party.  L'ntil  his  death,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight,  he  was  actively  interested  in  the  G.  A. 
R.  The  mother  of  our  subject  still  lives  in 
Galesburg,  Illinois. 

T.  C.  Holcomb  was  five  years  old  when 
the  family  removal  was  madte  to  Galesburg, 
and  there  he  obtained  an  excellent  common- 
school  education,  later  enterino-  a  business 
estaljlishment,  where  he  served  an  appren- 
ticeship to  the  book-binding  trade,  follow- 
ing this  business  for  a  period  of  nine  years. 
Then  he  accepted  the  positiom  of  manager  of 
a  large  shirt  factory  and  remained  with  that 
concern  for  several  years.  In  1879  he  went 
to  Kansas,  where  he  took  up  a  claim  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  near  Lj'ons. 
in  Rice  oauitv.  and  remained  there  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising  until  1882,  sell- 
ing out  at  that  time  and  coming  then  to 
Kingman  county.  Mr.  Holcomh  now  owns 
a  fine,  well  watered  farm  of  twelve  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  which,  with  the  assistance 
of  his  sons,  he  has  made  one  of  the  very  best 
faruT^  in  Rochester  township,  and  here  he 
has  engaged  extensively  in  farnfing  and 
stock-raising. 

Although  much  interested  in  his  above 
named  enterprise.  Mr.  Holcomb  has  also 
been  actively  engaged  since  1890  in  a  xhry 
successful    and    constantly   increasing   mer- 


640 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


cantile  business  in  Zenda  and  is  well  and 
favorably  known  all  over  tbe  count}',  prob- 
ably being  one  of  the  most  popular  men  of 
this  locality.  Since  1894  he  has  been  the 
l>ostmaster  of  Zenda. 

In  1874  Mr.  Holcomb  was  married,  in 
Galesburg,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Ida  Mecorney, 
the  intelligent,  accomplished  and  educated 
daughter  of  John  L.  and  Frances  (Cook) 
Mecorney,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  well 
known  and  esteemed  citizen,  and  both  of 
w^iom  are  now  deceased.  Five  children  sur- 
vive of  the  seven  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hol- 
CL'mb,  and  all  of  these  are  conspicuous  mem- 
bers of  business  and  social  circles.  The  eld- 
est son,  F.  L.,  is  a  graduate  of  the  medical 
college  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  in  the  class  of 
1901.  ha\'ing  previously  been  educated  in 
Lombard  College,  at  Galesburg,  graduating 
there  in  the  academic  course  in  1897.  Earl 
C.  is  at  home  and  is  engaged  with  his  father 
in  the  stock  business,  as  is  also  the  third 
son,  John  E.  Two  daughters,  Bessie  and 
Lillie,  make  up  the  family.  The  two  chil- 
dren who  died  were  Ethel,  at  the  age  of  ten 
years,  and  an  infant  son. 

Mr.  Holcomb  is  a  stanch  member  of  the 
Republican  party  and  zealously  works  for 
its  measures  and  candidates.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  order  of  Woodmen 
and  has  been  prominent  in  the  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Lodge,  No'.  2)7-'  of  Spivey,  in  which  he  has 
passed  all  of  the  chairs  and  of  which  he  has 
been  a  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge.  As  a 
private  citizen  Mr.  Holcomb  commands  the 
respect  of  all  who  know  him  and  he  is  much 
beloved  by  those  who  are  admitted  to  his 
close  friendship.  His  business  career  has 
reflected"  only  credit  upon  him  and  he  is 
known  to  be  one  of  the  most  upright  men  of 
affairs  in  Rochester  township. 


WTLLIA^I   RAUP. 


As  an  honored  pioneer  and  sterling  cit- 
izen of  Kingman  county  and  as  one  of  the 
veterans  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  in 
which  he  rendered  the  valiant  service  of  a 
true  son  of  the  republic,  we  are  permitted 
to  refer  to  this  well  known  and  popular  res- 


ident of  Allen  township,  Kingman  county, 
where  he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  agri- 
culture and  stock  growing  since  the  year 
1879,  developing  a  fin,e  farm  and  gaining 
prestige  as  one  of  the  successful  men  of  this 
favored  section  of  our  great  state.  His 
farmstead  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  is  located  on  section  26,  and  his  post- 
office  address   is  Norwich. 

Mr.  Raup  comes  of  stanch  German  lin- 
eage and  is  himself  a  native  of  the  old 
Keystone  state  of  the  Union,  having  been 
born  on  the  parental  farm  in  Columbia 
county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  4th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1839.  His  father,  George  Raup, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  where  he  passed 
his  entire  life.  He  bore  the  full  patro- 
nymic of  his  father  Georee  Raup,  Sr.,  who 
was  born  in  Germany,  whence  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  and  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Pennsvlvania,  in  which  state  he 
died,  as  did  also  his  estimable  wife.  George 
Raup,  Jr.,  was  reared  on  the  old  farm, and 
also  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter.  He 
married  Martha  Marks,  who  was  likewise 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  nine 
lived  to  attain  years  of  maturity,  namely: 
Henry,  Hannah,  John,  Rachel,  George, 
Jonah,  David,  William  and  Elizabeth. 
George,  John  and  William  were  Union  sol- 
diers in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion.  The  fa- 
ther of  our  subject  was  a  Democrat  in  his 
political  proclivities,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  were  devoted  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-two 
and  his  wife  lived  to  attain  the  venerable 
age  of  ninety-six,  while  her  mother  was 
ninety-nine  years  and  nine  months  of  age 
when  she  was  summoned  into  eternal  rest, 
both  having  retained  their  faculties  to  a 
remarkable  extent  and  the  latter  having 
passed  away  while  sitting  in  her  chair. 

The  principles  of  industry  were  incul- 
cated in  the  mind  of  William  Raup,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  while  he  was  a  mere  lad, 
for  he  early  began  to  assist  in  the  work  of 
tbe  farm,  the  while  attending  the  public 
schools  of  the  neighborhood  as  opportunity 
afforded.  He  continued  on  the  old  home- 
stead until  the  outbreak  of  the  war  of  the 


(Ci^n-X 


J  \^^x\^y}i^c^  (}n  J^covt^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


641 


Rebellion,  when  his  intrinsic  loyalty 
prompted  him  to  tender  his  services  in'sup- 
port  of  the  cause  of  the  Union.  Accord- 
ingly, in  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A  of 
the  Sixth  Penns\  ]\ania  Volunteer  Infantry, 
commanded  by  Culonel  Ricketts,  while  his 
company  was  in  command  of  Captain  Sam- 
uel \Vatters.  Mr.  Raup  continued  to  ac- 
tive service  for  a  period  of  three  years,  with- 
in which  time  he  participated  in  a  number 
of  the  most  imnortant  engagements  inciden- 
tal to  the  great  fratricidal  conflict,  including 
the  battles  of  Antietam,  South  Mountain, 
Gettysburg  and  the  Wilderness,  beside  many 
others.  In  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  he 
received  a  slight  wound,  but  was  not  inca- 
pacitatetl  to  anv  e>dtent  during  his  entire 
term,  which  was  marked  by  devoted  and 
unflinching  attention  to  the  duties  devolving 
upon  him,  implving  toil  and  privation  and 
imminent  danger  f^r  the  major  portion  of 
the  time.  He  made  a  good  record  as  a  sol- 
dier and  after  receiving  his  honorable  dis- 
charge returned  to  his  home  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  continued  to  follow  farming. 
In  Columbia  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
August  I,  iSr,9,  ]\Ir.  Raup  was  united  in 
marriage  to  INIiss  Mary  E.  Kunkle,  who  was 
born  in  that  county,  being  the  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Lydia  Ann  (Fahringer)  Kun- 
kle, both  natives  of  the  Keystone  state, 
where  they  passed  their  entire  lives.  Of 
their  eleven  children,  nine  lived  to  attain 
maturity,  namelv :  Sarah,  Andrew,  Will- 
iam, Charles.  Eli,  Mary  E.,  Harriet,  Eliza 
and  Jeremiah.  Andrew,  Charles  and  Eli 
were  soldiers  in  the  Civil  war.  The  father, 
who  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  who 
was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  died 
at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years,  and  his 
widow  died  in  Columbia  on  the  13th  of 
November,  1901.  having  attained  the  age 
of  eighty-five  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Raup 
are  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom 
we  offer  a  brief  record,  as  follows :  Qiarles, 
who  is  a  successful  carpenter  and  builder 
of  Kingman,  married  Eva  Hovey,  and  they 
have  one  child,  Walter;  Eliza  J.  marrie^ 
Oliver  Kinney,  of  Cheney,  Sedgwick  coun- 
tv,  and  thev  have  four  children,  Clarence. 
Alazie.  Jilabel  and  William  W, :  Cora  B.  is 


the  wife  of  James  H.  King,  of  Allen  town- 
ship, and  they  have  two  daughters,  Beryl 
and  lona;  and  John,  the  youngest  of  the 
children,  is  a  sterling  young  man,  who  is 
his  father's  able  coadjutor  in  carrying  on 
the  work  of  the  homestead. 

Mr.  Raup  came  to  Kingman  county  [n 
1879  ^I'^d  took  up  a  tract  of  the  fine  Osage 
Indian  land,  upon  which  he  erected  a  box 
house,  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet  in  dimen- 
sions, where  he  and  his  faithful  wife  estab- 
lished themselves  and  prepared  to  make  a 
home.  That  they  endured  many  depriva- 
tions and  inconveniences,  and  that  they  la- 
bored with  all  the  strength  of  mind  and 
body,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  state,  but 
prosperity  attended  their  efforts  as  the  years 
passed  by  and  they  have  now  one  of  the 
valuable  farm  properties  of  this  county,  the 
same  being  improved  with  a  modern  and 
spacious  dwelling  and  other  excellent  build- 
ings, while  the  harvests  come  with  each  suc- 
cessive year  and  the  herds  of  cattle  yield  due 
recompense  for  the  care  and  attention  be- 
stowed. Success  has  come  to  thein  and  it 
has  been  gained  by  worthy  means  and  is 
the  just  reward  of  years  of  toil  and  en- 
deavor. They  have  reared  their  children 
to  lives  of  usefulness  and  honor,  and  may 
now  look  back  with  satisfaction  upon  the 
early  years,  when,  side  by  side,  they  laid  the 
foundations  for  their  prosperity.  They  have 
the  esteem  of  the  people  of  the  community 
in  which  thev  have  lived  for  more  than  a 
score  of  years  and  are  honored  for  their 
sterling  worth  of  character.  In  iiolitics  Mr. 
Raup  is  a  stanch  Repulilican.  and  he  has 
served  three  years  as  township  trustee  and 
for  nine  years  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  his  district,  ever  showing  a  deep 
interest  in  all  that  touches  the  general  wel- 
fare of  the  community.  ^Nlr.  Raup  maintains 
a  deep  concern  in  his  old  comrades,  in  arms 
and  is  a  popular  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

HON.  SAMUEL  Rin-ER  PETERS. 

The  ancestors  of  this  distinguished  Kan- 
san.  on  both  sides,  were  Germans.  The 
family  were  among  the  earliest  residents  of 


642 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Baltimore,  and  at  one  period  in  tiie  state 
of  Maryland  were  the  proprietors  of  exten- 
sive tracts  upon  which  portions  of  the  great 
city  are  built. 

When  Ohio  was  admitted  into  the  Union 
as  a  state,  the  family  removed  into  the  cen- 
tral portion  of  the  new  commonwealth  and 
settled  in  what  is  now  Fairfield  county.  In 
that  county,  on  the  23d  day  of  March,  1816. 
Lewis  S.  Peters,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born,  and  died  in  1897.  He 
was  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children.  He 
inarried  IMargaret  Ritter.  the  only  daughter 
of  I  k-iir\-  Ritter.  who  emigrated  from  Penn- 
syh  ania  tc  Ohio  in  the  early  days  of  the  set- 
tlement of  that  state,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  to  locate  in  Pickaway  county.  The 
mother  died  in  September.  1861,  at  the  age 
of  forty-two  years.  Both  father  and  mother 
were  meml^ers  of  the  JMethodist  church. 

Samuel  Ritter  Peters,  whose  middle 
name  is  that  of  his  mother,  was  born  on  the 
home  farm'  in  W'alnut  township,  Pickaway 
county,  Ohio,  August  16,  1842.  As  was  the 
fortune  of  hundreds  of  other  boys  of  that 
era  in  that  relatively  new  country,  he 
worked  on  a  farm  during  the  summers  and 
attended  the  country  district  school  in  the 
winters  until  he  had  arrived  at  the  age  of 
sc\-enteen  \ear^,  when  he  was  sent  tO'  the 
Ohio  W'esleyan  University,  which  was  un- 
der the  control  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  He  remained  there  for  two  years, 
when,  im"bued  with  the  martial  spirit  awak- 
ened in  the  north  by  the  hostile  attitude  of 
the  south  in  its  attempt  to  sever  its  connec- 
tion with  the  Union,  he  enlised,  on  the  29th 
day  of  Octoljcr,  iSi'u.  in  Company  E,  of 
the  Seventy-third  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry. 
With  his  regiment  the  yoiuig  soldier,  not  yet 
twenty  years  old,  took  a  prominent  part  in 
many  of  the  principal  engagements  of  the 
war,  from  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run  up 
to  and  including  the  famous  victory  at  Get- 
tysburg, after  which  he,  with  his  regimenr, 
was  transferred  to  the  western  army,  join- 
ing it  at  Chattanooga.  He  made  the  won- 
derful "march  to  the  sea."  under  General 
Sherman,  thence  to  Richmond  and  wit- 
nessed the  collapse  of  the  Rebellion.     His' 


military  record  shows  him  to  have  been  an 
excellent  soldier,  having  successfully  passed 
through  the  grades  of  private,  non-commis- 
sioned officer,  second  and  first  lieutenants 
and  adjutant,  and  he  was  mustered  out  as 
captain  of  his  company. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 
his  studies  at  the  Ohio'  Wesleyan  University, 
but  becoming  dissatisfied  with  his  surround- 
ings left  there  and  entered  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  celebrated  Universitv  of  Mich- 
igan, in  October,  18O5.  He  was  graduated 
in  March,  1867,  and,  imbued  with  a  desire 
to  see  something  of  the  great  west,  he  deter- 
mined! to  look  up  a  location  where  h.e  could 
begin  the  practice  of  his  profession,  his 
choice  of  all  others  from  his  earliest  recnl- 
lections.  Upon  arriving  in  Memphis,  in  the 
northeast  portion  of  Missouri;  he  was  in- 
duced to  settle  there  and  at  once  entered  into 
practice.  He  soon  acciuired  a  very  lucra- 
tive business,  which  continued  for  five  years, 
when,  io  consequence  of  incipient  lung 
trouble,  in  February,  1873,  he  sought  a  more 
congenial  climate,  locating  in  Kansas,  fix- 
ing upon  Marion,  the  county  seat  of  Marion 
county. 

In  a  little  more  than  a  year  after  his  ad- 
\-L'i]t  intii  the  new  state,  his  political  career 
l;c,L:an,  which  continued  uninterruptedly  un- 
til ilie  summer  of  1890.  he  declined  further 
political  honors,  returning  to  his  first  love, 
the  practice  of  law. 

In  the  fall  of  1874  he  was  elected  to  the 
state  senate  for  the  district  comprising  the 
counties  of  Marion,  Chase  and  Morris.  At 
that  particular  juncture,  in  Kansas,  the 
"Grange"  was  at  the  height  of  its  political 
prestige,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  "Alliance" 
to-day,  it  hated  everything  that  savored  of 
the  name  of  lawyer;  but  sO'  great  was  the 
personal  popularity  of  Mr.  Peters  that  he  de- 
feated liis  1  ipponent  nominated  by  the  Grang- 
er,-., and  it.ik  his  seat  in  January,  1875.  On 
the  eighth  of  the  following  JMarch  he  was  apr 
pointed  judge  of  the  ninth  judicial  district, 
to  succeed  the  Hon.  W.  R.  Brown,  who  had 
been  elected  to  the  forty-fourth  congress 
from  the  third  district.  The  very  next  day 
Judge  Peters  entered'  upon  the  duties  of  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


643 


new  position.  The  vast  territory  over  which 
he  had  jnrisdiction  was  comix>sed  of  eiglit- 
een  organized  counties  in  the  central  and 
southwestern  portions  of  the  state,  which, be- 
sides its  immense  area,  was  a  trying  region 
in  wliich  to  hold  covirt,  in  consequence  of  the 
lawless  element  that  mamed.  regardless' of 
tlie  rig-hts  of  indi\i(luals,  (i\-er  the  immense 
prairies  in  the  great  district.  But  Judge 
Peters  wis  equal  to  the  task  and  adminis- 
tered the  law  fearlessly,  in  a  short  time 
Ijringing-  order  out  of  chaos,  which  was  rap- 
idly assisted  also  by  the  influx  of  a  magnifi- 
cient  immigration  into  the  new  country. 
The  character  of  the  litigation,  as  may  well 
be  imagined,  anmng  such  a  heterogeneous 
p()|nilation,  was  as  di\-crsitiedi  as  was  the 
varied  aspect  physically  as  the  region  itself; 
but,  notwithstanding  all  this,  Jud'ge  Peters 
was  three  tinges  elected  to  the  difficult  posi- 
ton  without  oppijsition.  As  the  code  of  the 
state  abolished  all  distinctions  between  the 
forms  of  law  and  equity,  his  court  had  juris- 
diction in  all  law  and  equity  cases  and  also 
in  crimes  and  misdemeanors.  Perhaps  no 
judge  in  the  United  States  ever  before  had 
such  a  checkered  career,  so  far  as  the  diver- 
sity of  suits  is  concerned  that  were  brought 
before  him  to  decide.  It  was  certainly  a 
trying  time  and  taxed  not  only  his  judicial 
brain  but  also  consumed  all  his  hours.  \Mien 
not  on  the  bench  he  was  occupied  in  cham- 
bers or  poring  over  decisions  to  be  promul- 
gated the  next  day;  and,  notwithstanding 
this  multifarious  exercise  of  the  judicial  pre- 
rogative. Judge  Peters'  decisions  were  never 
reversed  by  the  supreme  court  of  the  state 
in  a  singde  criminal  Gase  during  his  long  term 
of  service  on  the  bench ! 

For  nearly  eight  years  he  continued  to 
work  earnestly  and  industriously  in  every 
part  of  his  immense  judicial  district,  when, 
in  Januar}'.  1883,  having  at  the  previous  No- 
vember election  been  voted  by  the  people  to 
represent  them  in  the  house  of  congress,  he 
resigned.  This  was  at  the  time  of  the  new 
apportionment  for  representatives,  and  he 
was  elected  at  large  to  the  forty-eighth  con- 
gress. His  seat  was  contested,  in  conse- 
quence :■{  the  provision  in  tlie  stcte  consti- 


tution that  sought  to  make  a  judge  ineligible 
to  any  other  position  during  the  term  for 
which  he  was  elected ;  but  this  provision. 
Judge  Peters  claimed,  did  not  apply  to  any 
one  who  had*  been  elected  to  congress,  as 
that  body,  under  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States.  \Aas  made  the  sole  judge  of 
the  eligibility  and  qualification  of  its  mem- 
bers. In  April,  when  tlie  fjuestion  came  Ije- 
fore  the  house,  he  made  an  argument  cover- 
ing the  legal  questions  involved,  and  the  re- 
sult was  that  he  was  declared  to  be  entitled 
to  his  seat  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote. 
Thus  this  vexed  question  was  settled  for  all 
time  to  come. — one  which  has  been  of  serious 
disturbance  to  the  jjolitical  affairs  of  the 
state,  and  which  has  been  the  means  of  keep- 
ing out  of  the  race  for  congressional  honors 
more  than  one  asj.iirant  on  the  local  bench, 
who-  were  eminently  qualified  for  the  posi- 
tion and  were  urged  by  hosts  of  adherents  to 
accept  a  nomination.  That  Judge  Peters 
was  clearl\'  right  on  this  question,  is  now 
conceded  by  all  lawyers. 

Judge  Peters'  oijponent  in  this  race  for 
congress  was  the  notorious  Sam  Wood,  who, 
after  a  turbulent  career  in  Kansas,  at  last 
met  a  tragic  death  at  the  hands  of  a  western 
desperadoi.  Judge  Peters  \\as  elected  succss- 
ively  to  the  forty-ninth,  fiftieth  and  fifty- 
first  congresses,  with  scarcely  any  opposi- 
tion that  might  be  considered  worthv  of  the 
term,  so  popular  was  he.  His  district  is 
now  cijvered  by  thirty-six  organized  coun- 
ties. 

In  the  forty-eighth  congress  Judge  Peters 
served  on  the  committees  on  commerce  and 
election  of  the  president  and  vice-president ; 
in  the  forty-ninth  and  fiftieth,  on  post  offices 
and  post  roads:  and  in  the  fifty-first,  on  ap- 
propriations and  patents.  Plis  most  notable 
speeches  were  on  the  interstate-commerce 
law  and  counting  the  electoral  vote,  which 
was  delivered  during  the  sessions  of  the 
forty-eighth  congress.  His  speech  in  the 
forty-ninth  congress  in  defense  of  the  home- 
stead settler  was  a  masterpiece  of  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  rights  of  the  settler  on  the  pub- 
lic domains,  for  which  he  was  a  champion  in 
every  sense  of  the  word.     During  his  last 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


-term  in  congress  he  delivered  able  speeches  | 
■on  such  important  matters  as  the  tariff,  the 
Pacific  mail-steamship  subsidy  and  the  rela- 
tions of  the  Union  Telegraph  Company  to 
the  land  grant  railroad  lines. 

Judge  Peters  was  succeeded  in  public 
life  by  Jerry  Simpson,  who  defeated  the  Re- 
publican nominee  at  the  ensuing  election. 
Simpson  has  since  become  a  character  of 
national  interest.  Judge  Peters  is  young 
yet,  and  if  at  any  time  he  should  decide  to 
re-enter  the  arena  of  politics,  there  is  no 
doubt  he  would  be  welcomed  and  placed  in 
any  position  he  might  seek. 

In  January,  1890,  he  wrote  a  letter  to 
his  home  newspaper,  "The  Newton  Daily 
Republican,"  declining  again  to  become  a 
candidate  for  further  congressional  honors, 
in  which  he  announced  his  intention  to  re- 
turn to  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In 
the  following  July  he  entered  the  firm  of 
Ady  &  Nicholson,  in  Newton,  and  at  once 
began  a  lucrative  business.  The  style  of  the 
firm  is  Ady,  Peters  &  Nicholson,  the  senior 
member,  Joseph  W.  Ady,  being  the  United 
States  district  attorney  for  Kansas. 

Judge  Peters  was  married  on  the  i8th 
of  April.  1867,  to  Miss  Amelia  C.  Doan,  of 
Circleville,  Ohio,  a  lady  of  education,  ac- 
complishments and  fine  presence.  ]\Irs. 
Peters  was  a  universal  favorite  in  Washing- 
ton society  and  her  departure  from  the  cap- 
ital of  the  nation  was  deeply  regretted.  They 
have  one  child,  a  son,  Fletcher  B.  Peters, 
now  thirty-two  years  of  age,  wh"b  has  com- 
menced the  study  of  law,  and  promises  to  fol- 
low closely  in  the  footsteps  of  his  distin- 
guished father. 

The  Judge  was  grand  commander  of  the 
Knights  Templar  in  Kansas  in  1882-3  and 
was  the  first  past  commander  of  the  Judson 
Kilpatrick  Post,  No.  36,  of  the  G.  A.  R..  of 
Newton.  He  is  also  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Odd  Fellows  organiza- 
tions. 

[The  foregoing  sketch  is  taken  from 
"Distinguished  American  Lawyers,"'  copy- 
righted in  1890  by  Henry  W.  Scott.  All 
rights  reserved.] 

In  June,  1895,  ^I""-  ■^'^Y  severed  his  con- 


nection with  the  firm,  since  which  time  the 
st_\-le  of  the  firm  has  been  Peters  &  Nichol- 
son. 


AIARTIN   HOAGLAND. 

During  the  recent  years  the  average  char- 
acter of  public  office  holders  have  been  ele- 
vated very  materialy.  Formerly  men  were 
given  important  official  positions  who  had 
made  a  failure  of  life  otherwise,  but  the 
tendency  of  late  has  been  to  choose  to  pub- 
lic office  men  who  have  oroven  themselves 
efficient  in  private  enterprises.  Such  a 
well  tried  and  satisfactorv  official  is  Mar- 
tin Hoagland,  commissioner  of  streets  of 
Hutchinson  and  also  connected  with  the 
United  States  mail  service. 

Mr.  Hoagland  was  born  on  his  father's 
farm  adjoining  the  corporation  line  of  Bar- 
dolph.  McDonough  countv,  Illinois,  Decem- 
ber 18,  1843,  a  son  of  Oakey  and  Ernily 
r Collins)  Hoagland.  Oakey  M.  Hoagland, 
the  grandfather  of  our  subject,  emigrated 
from  Scotland  to  the  United  States,  locat- 
ing in  Pennsylvania,  whence  he  removed  to 
Kentucky.  He  was  reared  in  the  latter  state, 
and  there  married  Ellen  Batterton.  Unto 
this  union  were  born  the  following  children : 
Belle  B.,  who  married  T.  J.  Creel,  who  for 
years  has  been  a  merchant  at  Bardolph.  Illi- 
nois, and  has  long  held  the  office  of  post- 
master there;  Kate  F.,  who  is  the  wife  of 
George  McCabe,  of  Gibson  City,  Illinois; 
Michael  H..  who  went  to  the  Pacific  coast 
in  1849  ^nd  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
army  in  1861,  in  Oregon,  and  saw  much 
arduous  service,  which  ended  in  his  death 
while  acting  as  escort  to  the  United  States 
mail  during  a  terrible  storm;  Professor  B. 
S.  Hoagland,  of  Hutchinson,  has  been  man- 
ager of  the  Kansas  [Musical  Jubilee  since  its 
organization. 

Oakey  Hoagland,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Frankfort,  Kentucky, 
April  I,  1803.  About  1836  he  removed  to 
Beardstown,  Illinois,  where  for  three  years 
he  was  proprietor  of  a  general  store.  From 
Beardstown  he  removed  to  Bardolph,  Mc- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


643- 


Donough  county,  wliere  for  eigiit  hundred 
dollars  he  bought  a  half  section  of  land  con- 
tiguous to  the  corporation  line.  His  first 
yeai's  farming  was  so  profitable  that  from 
the  proceeds  of  his  crop  of  wheat  he  was 
able  to  pay  for  his  farm.  Later  he  bought 
a  quarter  section  of  land,  which  increased 
the  dimensions  of  his  oossessions  to  three- 
quarters  of  a  section,  and  he  prospered  in  a 
business  way  and  won  honors  as  a  citizen  of 
public  spirit  who  was  foremost  in  all  pub- 
lic affairs.  He  held  several  official  posi- 
tions and  was  a  leader  in  organizing  the 
first  Presbyterian  church  at  Bardolph,  in 
which  he  was  an  elder  as  long  as  he  lived. 
He  furnished  the  timber  which  entered  into 
the  construction  of  its  house  of  worship.  He 
had  previously  been  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Macomb,  McDonough 
county,  and  was  the  owner  of  pew  No.  80 
in  its  house  of  worship  until  the  day  of  his 
death.  He  was  instrumental  in  securing  the 
right  of  way  for  the  Northern  Cross  Rail- 
road, now  a  portion  of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  system.  He  spent  the 
years  of  his  retirement  in  Bardolph  and 
died  there  July  15,  1875.  His  second  wife 
was  Emily  Collins,  a  native  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  they  had  three  sons,  Oakey  M., 
W'illie,  whii  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
and  the  subject  of  this  review.  The  former 
enlisted  in  Company  I.  Fiftv-seventh  Regi- 
ment, Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  under  Sherman  in  his  historic  march 
to  the  sea.  His  health  had  been  precarious 
before  he  entered  the  army  and  his  physical 
disabilities  had  been  augmented  by  the  hard- 
ships he  endured  in  the  service  and  he  has 
been  an  invalid  ever  since  the  war. 

Martin  Hoagland  was  reared  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm  in  McDonough  county  and  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  district 
schools  near  his  home.  Between  the  terms 
and  at  nights  and  mornings  and  Saturdays 
he  assisted  his  father  about  the  farm  and 
store  work.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  en- 
tered the  old  and  efficient  private  academy 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Branch  at  Macomb,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  was  a  student  for  two 
years,  and  after  that  he  was  a  student  for 
two  vears  at  the  academy  at  Prairie  Citv.  Illi- 


nois. December  5,  1861.  he  enlisted  as  a 
corporal  in  Company  I,  Fifty-seventh  Reg- 
iment, Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  by 
successive  promotion  he  served  in  every 
office  up  to  that  of  first  lieutenant,  and  at 
the  grand  review  at  Washington  at  the 
close  of  the  war  he  commanded  a  company. 
On  the  8th  of  February,  1862,  his  regiment 
went  to  Camp  Douglas,  Chicago,  and  from 
there  it  soon  afterward  went  to  the  front. 
He  fought  under  Grant  at  Fort  Henrv  and 
at  Fort  Donelson,  meantime  ]iarticipating 
in  much  varied  and  arduMus  service,  in 
which  he  suft'ered  se\cri_'i\  n-iii  exposure, 
his  regiment,  scantily  pru\idcd  with  blank- 
ets, camping  on  the  ground  in  rain  and 
snow.  Later  he  fought  at  Shiloh  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  siege  of  Corinth  and  both 
battles  at  that  place,  and  after  that  for  some 
time  his  regiment  was  detailed  to  guard 
railways.  He  saw  service  under  Sherman, 
when  the  latter  marched  his  command  to 
the  relief  of  Thomas,  who  was  besieged  at 
Chattanooga,  participating  in  the  battles  of 
Lookout  Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge  and- 
Snake  Creek  Gap.  He  served  under  Gen- 
eral Logan  at  Resaca.  and  during-  the  siege 
of  Atlanta  was  stationed  at  Rome,  Georgia. 
After  General  Hood  was  defeated  by  Gen- 
eral Sherman  and  had  started  for  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  the  command  to  which  Mr. 
Hoagland  was  attached  marched  from 
Rome,  Georgia,  and  pursued  Hood  about 
fifteen  miles,  when  Hood's  rear  guard  made 
a  stand  for  battle  and  during  an  artillery 
duel  that  followed  Mr.  Hoagland  was 
thrown  to  the  ground  and  his  left  ear  was 
rendered  useless  by  the  concussion  of  a 
large  shell  bursting  near  his  head.  At  Rome 
Cross  Roads  his  regiment  constituted  a 
portion  of  an  advance  force  of  about  three- 
thousand  men,  which  was  unexpectedly  con- 
fronted by  Wheeler's  cavalry,  twelve  thou- 
sand strong.  The  situation  of  the  little 
band  of  Unionists  was  desperate,  outnum- 
bered as  they  were  four  to  one.  but  they 
were  armed  with  Henry  repeating  rifles 
and  fortunately  had  an  advantageous  posi- 
tion at  the  base  of  a  triangle,  the  other  two 
sides  of  which  were  formed  by  two  con- 
fluent   rivers,    which    effectually    protected 


646 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


their  flanks  and  rear.  The  Confederate 
attack  on  their  front  was  terrible.  Charge 
after  charge  was  made  by  the  men  in  gray, 
who  were  literally  mowed  down  by  the  re- 
peating rifles  in  the  hands  of  the  Federal 
troops  until  their  dead  formed  a  breast 
work  in  front  of  the  Union  position.  For 
six  hours  the  battle  raged,  until  the  three 
Federal  regiments  had  nearly  exhausted 
their  ammunition,  when  General  Logan  senr 
troops  for  their  relief  and  the  Confederate 
force  under  Wheeler  was  totally  routed. 

Mr.  Hoagland's  regiment  participated 
in  the  march  back  from  the  sea  through  the 
Carolinas,  and  at  Columbia,  South  Caro- 
lina, the  command  was  fired  on  by  a  Con- 
federate battery  from  the  opposite  side  of 
the  riyer.  About  forty  cannons  were 
trained  on  this  battery  bv  the  Union  artil- 
lery men,  who  destroyed  it  with  a  few 
rapid  volleys.  The  state  house  was  a  tar- 
get for  our  batteries  later,  as  well  as  other 
points  in  the  city.  From  there  Mr.  Hoag- 
land's command  marched  to  Cheraw  in  the 
same  state,  where  several  Union  soldiers 
were  killed  and  wounded  by  the  explosion 
of  a  quantity  of  ammunition,  which  had 
been  sent  there  from  Charleston  by  the  Con- 
federates. From'  Cheraw  tlie  Federal 
forces  marched  to  Bentonville,  North  Caro- 
lina, where  a  severe  battle  was  fought,  in 
which  Mr.  Hoagland  had  his  first  experi- 
ence of  fighting  behind  breastworks  and 
which  ended  in  a  Confederate  defeat. 
From  Bentonville  the  Unionists  marched  to 
Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  where  they  were 
stationed  when  Lee  surrendered,  thence  pro- 
ceeded to  Greensboro  and  were  present  at 
the  surrender  of  Johnston's  command;  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  as  has  been  stated,  First 
Lieutenant  Hoagland  commanding  a  com- 
pany in  the  grand  review.  During  the  war 
he  was  four  times  very  near  to  death  on  the 
battlefield' — once  when  a  shell  exploded  very 
near  to  him,  as  has  been  narrated,  once  when 
a  musket  ball  carried  away  one  of  his 
knuckles,  once  when  a  ball  struck  his  watch 
and  once  when  a  ball  struck  his  musket  close 
to  his  hand  and  in  front  of  his  person. 

When  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  ser- 
vice Mr.   Hoagland  returned  to   Bardolph, 


McDonough  county,  Illinois,  ami  finding 
that  his  father  had  retired  from  active  life 
and  taken  up  his  residence  in  the  town  of 
Prairie  City,  Illinois,  he  located  on  the  lat- 
ter's  farm  and  worked  it  successfully  for 
three  years.  Then  the  older  Hoagland  re- 
turned to  the  farm  and  the  son  bought  an 
eighty-acre  place  west  of  Bardolph,  on  which 
he  put  many  improvements,  cleared  of¥  the 
timber  and  built  a  good  house  and  outbuild- 
ings. There  he  made  his  home  until  1871, 
when  he  went  to  Reno  county,  Kansas,  and 
took  up  a  homestead  claim  on  section  30, 
township  23,  range  4,  where  he  erected  a 
frame  building,  a  story  and  a  half  high  and 
occupying  a  ground  space  of  sixteen  by 
twenty-four  feet,  which,  with,  twenty-fi\-e 
dollars  in  money,  six  months'  provisions  and 
other  valuable  property,  was  whisked  out  of 
existence  by  a  cyclone  May  15,  1872.  He 
scraped  up  such  fragments  as  were  available 
and  put  up  another  house  on  the  place,  in 
which  he  lived  three  years  or  until  he  was 
able  to  erect  a  substantial  brick-lined  resi- 
dence. He  gave  his  attention  to  general 
farming  with  much  success  and  was  the  first 
to  introduce  nursery  stock  in  Reno  county, 
bringing  from  Prairie  Citv  and  Blooming- 
ton,  Illinois,  in  the  fall  of  1872,  a  car-load 
of  young  trees,  which  were  ferried  across  the 
Missouri  river  at  Atchison.  He  set  out  a 
ten-acre  orchard  and  was  so  successful  as  a 
fruit-grower  that  he  was  awarded  seventeen 
premiums  at  the  county  fair  in  1879. 

Mr.  Hoagland  also  engaged  extensively 
in  breeding  thoroughbred  Berkshire  hogs, 
beginning  with  three  fine  animals  which  he 
brought  from  Illinois  in  a  box  on  the  side  of 
his  wagon,  and  increasing  his  sales  year  after 
year  until  they  were  remunerative.  He  has 
added  a  timber  claim  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  to  his  original  farm.  In  1883  he 
began  buying  grain  for  C.  B.  Myton,  at 
Windom,  McPherson  county,  Kansas,  and 
continued  at  Pawnee  Rock  until  the  death 
of  his  employer,  his  annual  purchases  aggre- 
gating about  thirty  thousand  bushels.  He 
then  removed  to  Hutchinson  and  bought  the 
Central  restaurant,  which  stood  on  the  pres- 
ent site  of  the  "A  and  A"  drug"  store,  which 
he  conducted  about  a  >  ear  or  until  he  bought 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


647 


the  Old  Ohio  House,  then  a  popular  hotel. 
After  a  year's  experience  at  hotel  keeping  he 
bought  an  interest,  with  \V.  R.  Morrison,  in 
the  Oueen  City  meat  market,  the  trrst  enter- 
prise of  the  kind  in  Hutchinson  north  of 
the  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  Contin- 
uing in  the  meat  trade  successfully  for  three 
years  he  then  accepted  a  position  with  the 
Hutchinson  Packing  Company,  and  for  three 
and  a  half  years  was  in  charge  of  the  whole- 
sale and  retail  delivery  department  of  that 
concern.  He  served  two  terms  as  member 
of  the  council,  in  1899  and  again  in  1900 
he  was  elected  commissioner  of  streets  for 
the  city  of  Hutchinson,  and  while  assuming 
the  duties  of  the  office  he  has  had  entire 
super\'ision  of  every  street  in  the  city  and 
lias  pro\-en  himself  a  careful,  energetic  and 
honurable  official.  Before  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Hutchinson  he  was  for  eighteen 
\cars  a  member  of  his  township  school 
ii-ard. 

He  took  a  prominent  part  in  organizing 
the  Presbrterian  church,  of  Hutchinson,  in 
1872,  and  later  the  Valley  Presbyterian 
church,  in  which  he  long  filled  the 
offices  of  elder  and  Sunday-school  su-. 
perintendent,  and  of  which  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  charter  members.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  and  his  influence  in  local  af- 
fairs is  recognized  by  all  who  know  him.  He 
is  a  charter  member  of  Reno  Lodge,  No. 
140.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  for 
three  years  has  been  treasurer  of  the  local 
( -rganization  of  the  Knig-hts  and  Ladies  of 
Sccurit}- :  and  his  sons.  Walter  B.  and  Arthur 
are  Knight  Templar  ^Masons  and  past  emi- 
nent commanders  of  Reno  Commandery, 
No.  26.  For  the  past  twenty-six  years  Mr. 
Hoagland  has  been  local  correspondent  for 
the  agricultural  department  at  Washington 
and  for  the  past  eight  years  a  regular  cor- 
respondent for  the  Orange  Judd  Farmer. 
He  is  past  commander  of  Joe  Hooker  Post, 
No.  17,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Hutchinson,  and  has 
filled  every  office  in  the  organization  and  is 
now  its  quartermaster.  He  built  his  pre- 
sent fine  residence  in  1887.  It  is  a  com- 
modious, two-stor}'  building,  arranged  with 
a  view  to  comfort  and  sulistantialitv.     One 


of  his  chief  aims  in  life  has  been  and  is  to 
give  his  children  the  advantages  of 
thorough  and  practical  education,  and  from 
time  to  time  he  has  engaged  actively  in  char- 
itable and  benevolent  work.  He  is  a  man  of 
much  patriotism  and  public  spirit,  takes  a 
deep  interest  in  his  city,  countv  and  state 
and  has  discharged  fully  and  nobly  all  his 
duties  as  a  soldier,  citizen,  public  official,  fa- 
ther, husband  and  friend. 

Mr.  Hoagland  was  married  November 
26,  1867.  to  Emma  Evans,  the  adopted 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  Evans.  She 
was  born  in  Ohio  and  during  the  period  of 
the  Civil  war  attended  school  at  Steuben- 
ville,  Ohio.  She  also  taught  school  for 
some  time  in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  and  is 
a  woman  of  much  refinement  and  many  ac- 
complishments. Martin  and  Emma  (Evans) 
Hoagland  have  had  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely:  Walter  B.,  superinten- 
dent of  the  Riverside  Salt  Plant ;  Arthur  C, 
the  manager  of  the  Hoagland  Clothing  Com- 
pany in  Hutchinson,  Kansas  ;  W.  Louis,  who 
is  a  graduate  of  the  Medical  University  of 
Kansas  City,  with  the  class  of  1899,  and  is 
a  ph\sician  to  the  Central  Coal  and  Coke 
Company  at  Neame,  Louisiana;  David  R., 
an  employe  (if  the  Adams  Express  Company 
at  St.  Louis.  Missouri:  Olive  C,  who  gradu- 
ated in  music  at  the  Chicago  Conservatory 
and  is  the  wife  of  H.  A.  Lloyd,  of  the  reg- 
istry department  of  the  post-office  at  Kan- 
sas City,  Missouri :  Nellie,  a  graduate  of  the 
higli  sc'hiidl  nf  Hutcliinson  and  now  a  teacher 
in  the  public  schr(ils  of  that  city;  Rosa,  who 
died  in  her  graduating  year,  in  February, 
1899;  and  Floy,  who  has  just  completed  her 
first  year  in  the  high  school  of  Hutchinson. 
Mrs  Hoagland  is  past  president  of  the  Joe 
Hooker  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  No.  1 1 1,  and 
is  alsoi  past  department  inspector  of  the  Wo- 
man's Relief  Corps.  _ 


^^'ALTER   PICKERILL. 

The  list  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Rice 
countv  contains  the  name  of  \\'alter  Pick- 
erill,  one  of  the  representative  and  honored 


648 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


citizens  of  the  county.  He  was  born  in 
Brown  county,  Ohio,  near  Ripley,  December 
17.  1863,  a  son  of  Thomas  J.  Pickerill,  one 
of  Rice  county's  early  pioneers  and  leading 
agriculturists.  He  was  born  in  Ohio,  and 
there  received  a  good  education,  following 
the  profession  of  a  teacher  for  many  years. 
He  married  Jane  Scott,  who  proved  to  him 
a  faithful  companion  through  life.  In  1865 
they  took  up  their  abode  in  Topeka,  Kansas, 
where  they  remained  for  one  year,  and  then 
removed  to  Missouri,  locating  in  Jackson 
county.  They  remained  there  until  1872, 
when  they  took  up  their  abode  in  Carthage, 
Jasper  county,  Missouri.  Three  years  after- 
ward they  returned  to  Jackson  ct)unty,  that 
state,  remaining  there  until  1879,  when  they 
took  up  their  abode  in  Victoria  township. 
Rice  county,  Kansas.  The  father  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  here  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  February  i,  1901,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight  years.'  At  his  death  he  left  a 
widcnv  and  six  children,  four  of  whom  still 
survive :  Maggie,  wife  of  J.  K.  Board,  of 
Victoria  township;  Walter,  our  subject; 
Ida,  wife  of  John  Armstrong,  of  Oklahoma ; 
Minnie,  wife  of  .Adam  Collins,  of  Gault 
township.  Rice  county.  Two  children  died 
in  childhood, — Lulu  and  Jennie.  The  father 
of  this  family  was  an  elder  in  the  Church  of 
Christ  for  forty  years,  exemplifying  his 
Christian'beliefin  his  every  day  life. 

^^'alter  Pickerill,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  spent  the  days  of  his  youth  upon 
a  Missouri  farm,  there  enjoying  the  educa- 
tional privileges  afforded  by  the  commou 
schools,  but  by  reading  and  experience  he 
has  added  greatly  to  his  knowledge.  In 
1879  he  came  with  his  father  to  Rice  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  now  owns  a  well  improved 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  on 
which  he  has  resided  for  eleven  vears.  The 
place  is  improved  with  a  good  residence,  a 
large  barn,  a  beautiful  grove  and  orchard, 
excellent  pastures,  and  everything  about  the 
place  indicates  the  supervision  of  a  progress- 
ive and  thriftv  owner. 

In  1883  Mr.  Pickerill  was  united  in  mar- 
riage whh  Lizzie  Weckma.n,  who  was  born 
in  Blackhawk  county,  Iowa,  near  Waterloo, 
a  dausfhter  of  Adam  and  Sarah  (Walker) 


^^'eckman,  natives  of  Stark  county,  Ohio. 
The  father  was  of  Pennsylvania  German  de- 
scent, and  his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of 
thirty  years,  leaving  three  children, — Byron, 
Minnie  and  Lizzie.  The  mother  was  a  sec- 
ond time  married,  becoming  the  wife  of 
William  Strayer,  and  they  had  nine  children, 
five  now  living, — Calvin,  Hattie.  Frank, 
Orville  and  Jessie.  Three  of  the  children 
died  in  childhood,  and  Ida  departed  this  life 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  The  mother 
now  resides  in  Iowa,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Dunkard  church.  Mrs.  Pickerill  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Iowa,  and  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  came  with  her  grandmother  to  Kan- 
sas. She  is  now  the  mother  of  eight  chil- 
dren, five  sons  and  three  daughters:  Jesse, 
who'  is  seventeen  years  of  age;  Lelia,  aged 
fifteen ;  Roy,  aged  thirteen ;  James,  aged 
eleven;  Minnie,  aged  nine  years;  Qiarles, 
aged  eight  years ;  Grace,  aged  five  years ;  and 
Alfred,  a  lad  of  three  years.  Air.  Pickerill 
is  a  supporter  of  Democracy  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Church  of  Christ.  He  enjoys  the 
high  esteem  of  all  who  have  the  honor  of 
his  acquaintance. 


DAVID  FOX. 


From  the  position  of  shepherd  boy 
watching  his  flocks  on  the  fertile  uplands 
and  meadows  of  old  Sussex  county,  Eng- 
land, to  that  as  the  owner  of  one  of  the 
finest  stock  farms  in  the  state  of  Kansas, 
represents  a  marked  contrast,  and  such  has 
characterized  the  career  of  the  honored  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  who  is  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Kingman  county  and  whose  iiiflu- 
ence  in  the  promotion  of  the  stock  business 
of  this  section  of  the  Union  has  been  so 
notable  and  valuable  that  on  this  score  alone 
he  merits  consideration  in  any  work  touch- 
ing the  lives  of  the  representative  citizens 
of  the  commonwealth.  He  has  contributed 
in  large  measure  to  the  normal  development 
and  substantial  upbuilding  of  Kingman 
county,  has  served  in  positions  of  distinct 
public  trust  and  respousibility,  and  to-day 
is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  as  one  of  the 


Mi 


^ay^^oj    ^^^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


649 


leading  stock-growers  and  valued  citizens 
of  the  county,  his  fine  herd  of  thoroughbred 
Hereford  cattle  being  recognized  as  one  of 
the  finest  in  the  state.  His  beautiful  stock 
farm  is  located  in  Allen  township,  while 
Niorwic'h  is  his  post-office  .aldtlress.  As  a  ster- 
ling citizen  and  as  onie  O'f  the  representa- 
tive stockmieu'  of  Kansas  we  are  pleasad  to 
enter  at  this  juncture  a  brief  record  of  his 
varied  and  interesting  career. 

In  the  count_v  of  Sussex,  England,  Da- 
vid Fox  was  born,  on  the  loth  of  January, 
1848,  coming  of  stanch  old  English  lineage 
and  being  the  son  of  Caleb  and  Jane 
(Woods)  Fox,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
tlie  same  county,  where  the  latter  died  when 
our  subject  was  a  child  of  two  years,  so 
that  he  was  deprived  of  the  tender,  so^lici- 
tude  and  fostering  care  which  only  a  mother 
can  accord.  His  father  was  a  farmer  and 
stock  grower,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note 
that  David  thus  became  familiar  with  flocks 
and  herds  when  a  mere  boy,  thus  early 
fostering  that  love  for  the  great  industry 
through  which  he  has  attained  such  marked 
success  and  prestige  in  his  later  years.  He 
attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
county,  but  as  a  boy  was  called  upon  to  as- 
sume personal  responsibilities,  serving  as  a 
shepherd  when  a  mere  lad,  and  so.  care- 
fully studying  his  flocks  that  he  could  give 
definite  information  as  to  the  dispositions 
and  characteristics  of  the  various  individ- 
uals in  the  same  and  also  point  out  their 
good  and  bad  features.  This  knowledge  be- 
came of  nutch  practical  value  to  him  in  after 
years,  when  he  became  a  purchaser  of  high 
grade  merinoi  sheep  in  the  United  States,  as 
will  be  duly  noted  later  on. 

After  giving  up  his  position  as  a  shep- 
herd Mr.  Fox  served  for  a  time  on  the  ocean 
brig  Robiner,  and  finally,  in  1867,  he  came 
to  America,  determined  tO'  try  his  fortunes 
in  the  great  republic,  where  he  felt  that  bet- 
ter opportunities  were  afforded  for  young 
men  dependent  upon  his  own  responsibili- 
ties and  efi^orts  for  a  livelihood.  From  Xew 
York  he  made  his  way  to  Allegan  countv, 
Michigan,  where  he  remained  until  1S70, 
when  he  became  a  pioneer  of  Ivansas,  com- 
ing tO'  Wichita,  Sedgwick  county,  the  now 
attraotice  city  being  at  that  time  indicated 


by  only  a  few.  small  buildings,  while  the 
characteristics  of  the  locality  were  those 
typical  of  the  frontier.  Finally  he  took  up 
a  claimi  of  government  land'  irr  that  county. 
and  then  turned  his  attention  to  freighting 
to  Fort  Sill  and  the  Indian  Territory.  Thi's 
line  of  enterprise  was  frought  with  much 
danger  and  difiiculty  in  tlie  early  days,  and 
Mr.  Fox  had  many  exciting  experiences  in 
this  connection.  He  was  associated  with 
and  knew  intimately  Pat.  Hennessy  and  the 
nine  other  men  who  were  killed  by  the  In- 
dians while  on  a  freighting:;-  trip.  Afterward 
for  a  time  the  goxcrnment  provided  escorts 
of  soldiers  for  the  freighters,  this  being  nec- 
essary in  order  to  secure  protection  from  the 
hostile  Indians. 

After  devoting  bis  attention  to  freight- 
ing for  some  time  Mr.  Fox  engaged  in  th£ 
sheep  business,  being  associated  with  J.  R. 
Askew,  a  capitalist  of  Wichita.  He  intro- 
duced the  thoroughbred  merino  sheep  and 
through  his  discriminating  methods  and  ex- 
cellent judgment  in  the  selection  of  breed- 
ing stock  made  southern  Kansas  famous  for 
its  fine  sheep,  securing  most  of  the  first  pre- 
miums in  the  line  at  the  state  fairs  for  a 
number  of  years.  In  inaugurating  this  en- 
terprise he  purchased  some  of  the  best  thor- 
oughbred stock  to  be  found  in  the  state  of 
Vermont,  and  he  had  the  distinction  of 
bringing  to  Kansas  at  this  time  the  best 
sheep  ever  introduced  in  the  state,  "Lord 
Wool,"  register  No.  50.  At  a  state  fair 
held  at  Topeka,  in  a  competition  with  twelve 
others  from  Kansas,  New  York,  Vermont,. 
Missouri  and  Michigan,  "Lord  Wool"  took 
the  premium.  About  this  time  Mr.  Fox"s 
ambition  was  aroused  by  the  fact  that  a 
breeder  named  H.  Brookings,  of  Vermont, 
raised  a  sheep  whose  wool  weighed  fort}'- 
four  and  a  quarter  pounds,  and  this  became 
the  world's  record.  Mr.  Fox  knew  that  to 
excel  this  record  it  required  density  of  wool 
and  oil  and  length  ci  fleece,  and  he  began 
to  breed  accordingly,  and  in  the  course  of 
time  he  bred  and  raised  the  ram,  /'Babv 
Lord,"  sired  by  "Lord  Wool,"  who'se  clip 
of  wool,  weighed  by  a  committee  appointed 
for  this  purpose  at  a  public  shearing  at 
jMulvane.  Kansas,  reached  fifty-two  pounds, 
three  hundred  and  si.xty-five  days'  growth — 


650 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


beating  the  world's  former  record  seven  and 
three-fourths  pounds,  and  up  to  the  present 
time  this  has  remained  the  world's  record. 
■"Baby  Lord,"  who  was  sold  by  Air.  Fox 
at  a  large  price,  became  the  head  of  a  fine 
herd  in  Texas,  and  was  afterward  purchased 
by  an  Australian  for  five  thousand  dollars. 

In  1885  Mr.  Fox  disposed  of  his  sheep 
interests  and  came  to  Kingman  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  es- 
tablishing his  present  herd  of  pure-blood 
Hereford  stock,  in  connection  with  which 
he  has  attained  a  reputation  even  higher 
than  he  did  in  the  raising  of  sheep.  His 
herd  is  headed  by  Conselor,  No.  71.682, 
recognized  as  one  of  the  finest  animals  of 
the  breed  in  the  state,  while  his  cows,  heif- 
ers and  young  males  are  second  to  those 
of  no  herd  in  this  section  of  the  Union,  his 
stock  commanding  the  maximum  market 
prices  and  the  demand  being  ready  and  con- 
stant. He  makes  a  point  of  genuine  merit, 
not  mere  show,  and  this  fact  is  recognized 
and  has  begotten  uniform  confidence  in-  his 
representations,  from  which  no  appeal  is 
taken.  His  fine  stock  farm  comprises  four 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  excellent  land, 
particularly  well  adapted  for  the  purpose 
for  which  it  is  utilized,  and  here  he  has  an 
attractive  home  of  modern  architectural  de- 
sign, the  best  of  barns  and  other  adequate 
facilities  for  the  shelter  and  care  of  his 
stock. 

As  one  of  the  representative  men  of  the 
county  ]\Ir.  Fox  has  shown  a  lively  interest 
in  public  affairs  of  a  local  nature,  and  the 
confidence  and  esteem  in  which  he  is  uni- 
formly held  has  been  indicated  by  his  having 
been  chosen  incumbent  of  responsible  offi- 
cial positions.  His  political  support  is 
given  to  the  People's  party,  as  the  candi- 
date of  which,  in  1890,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners, serving  for  a  tei"m  of  three  years, 
and  with  such  signal  ability  that  he  was 
chosen  as  his  own  successor  and  continued 
in  office  for  a  second  term  of  equal  dura- 
tion. '  On  the  board  his  attitude  was  that 
-cf  the  thorough  business  man.  and  it  is  con- 
ceded that  he  was  one  of  the  best  and  most 
popular    commissioners     Kingman     county 


has  ever  enlisted  in  her  service.  He  also 
served  as  trustee  of  Minnescahi  township  for 
a  term  of  two  years.  Prior  to  coming  to 
this  county  he  assisted  in  the  organization 
of  Sedgwick  county,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers  and  in  which  he  is  well 
known  and  highly  esteemed.  Fraternally 
he  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  order,  in 
w'hich  he  has  taken  the  Royal  Arch  degrees, 
while  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  adjunct  or- 
ganization, the  order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 
For  many  years  he  has  also  been  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
No.  316,  of  Norwich.  He  is  a  man  whose 
integrity  of  character  is  inflexJble,  while  his 
genial  personality  has  won  to  him  a  host 
of  warm  friends.  His  success  has  been 
achieved  by  worthy  means,  and  none  can 
view  the  same  save  with  satisfaction  and 
admiration  for  the  energy  and  ability  which 
made  the  same  possible. 

Mr.  Fox  has  been  twice  married.  On 
the  1st  of  May,  1875,  at  Wichita,  Sedgwick 
county,  he  was  united  in  wedlock  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Smith,  who  was  born  in  England, 
the  daughter  of  Peter  Smith,  who'  passed  his 
entire  life  there.  She  accompanied  her 
brothers  on  their  emigration  to  the  United 
States  and  was  a  resident  of  Wichita  at 
the  time  of  her  marriage.  Of  this  union 
three  children  were  born,  Charles  C,  who 
is  now  twenty-six  years  of  age;  Minnie, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Albert  W.  Shipley,  of 
Deer  Creek.  Oklahoma;  and  one  who  died 
in  childhood.  Mrs.  Fox  was  summoned  into 
eternal  rest  in  1882,  and  in  January,  18 
was  solemnized  the  marriage  of  our  subject 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Baldock,  who  was  born 
in  England,  the  daughter  of  James  Baldock, 
now  a  resident  of  Kingman  county,  having 
attained  the  venerable  age  of  seventy-nine 
years.  His  wife  died  prior  to  his  coming  to 
America.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fox 
occurred  on  the  5th  of  December,  1900,  and 
her  loss  was  deepiv  deplored  bv  a  wide  cir- 
cle of  friends  who  had  thoroughly  appre- 
ciated her  gentle  and  womanly  character. 
She  was  a  communicant  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church  and  was  a  popular  mem- 
ber of  the  order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and 
the    Rebekah    chapter    ai   the    Independent 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


651 


Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  By  her  second 
marriage,  to  Air.  Fox,  two  children'  were 
born,  David  J.  and  Lizzie. 


LaRUE  H.  DURHAM. 

LaRue  H.  Durham,  editor  and  propri- 
etor of  the  Sylvia  Sun,  at  Sylvia,  Reno  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  was  born  in  Cass  county,  Illi- 
nois, on  the  nth  of  March,  1862.  His 
grandfather,  Silas  Durham,  was  a  native  of 
the  Keystone  state,  born  at  or  near  Mead- 
ville,  and  became  a  pioneer  settler  of  Ashta- 
bula county,  Ohio.  He  wedded  Laura  Morse, 
of  Scotch  ancestry,  and  probablv  a.  native  of 
that  country,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters. 
Mr.  Durham  passed  away  in  death  in  Illi- 
nois, in  1875,  and  his  wife  survived  him  for 
seven  years,  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years,  and  she  lies  buried  at  Oakland,  Illi- 
nois. Their  son,  Ebin  R.,  the  father  of  our 
subject,  was  born  in  Ashtabula  county.  Ohio, 
on  the  28th  of  April,  183.^.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Stafford  county,  Kansas.  March 
14,  1899,  to  which  place  he  had  removed 
from  Illinois  in  October,  1876.  In  this  state 
he  secured  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  and  his  house  was  the  first  one 
erected  in  Hayes  township,  Stafford  coun- 
ty. He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  was 
also  a  professor  of  music,  having  served  as 
a  violin  teacher  and  band  master.  As  a  com- 
panion for  the  journey  of  life  he  chose  Jane 
McDaniels,  a  native  of  Scotland.  She  was 
left  an  orphan  in  early  life  with  an  only 
brother,  whom  she  afterward  accompanied 
to  America.  In  this  country,  in  Aoril,  1858, 
she  married  Mr.  Dunham,  and  they  became 
the  parents  of  five  children,  three  of  whom 
grew  to  years  of  maturity. 

LaRue  H.  Durham,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review,  suffered  from  ill  health  in 
his  youth,  and  in  consequence  obtained  but  a 
limited  education.  At  the  early  age  of 
twelve  years  he  became  a  printer's  devil  on 
the  Oakland  Herald,  remaining  on  its  staff 
for  three  years,  after  which  he  accompanied 
his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Kansas.    In 


1889,  however,  he  left  his  Kansas  home  and 
remo\ed  to  Colorado,  where  he  followed  his 
trade  in  Pueblo  for  three  years,  after  which 
he  leased  the  Villa  Grove  Head  Line  for  two 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
became  a  journeyman  for  the  Colorado  Her- 
ald, and  soon  purchased  a  controlling  inter- 
est in  that  paper,  later  becoming  its  sole 
owner  and  proprietor,  which  he  conducted 
until  1898.  In  that  year  he  returned  to 
Stafford  county,  Kansas,  and  in  December, 
1900,  came  to  Sylvia.  June  i,  1900,  he  es- 
tablished the  Sylvia  Sun.  In  the  newspaper 
business  Mr.  Durham  has  been  eminently 
successful,  and  through  his  connection  with 
this  paper  has  become  widely  and  favorably 
known  throughout  Reno  county. 

On  the  i6th  of  August,  1883,  was  cele- 
brated the  marriage  of  Mr.  Durham  and 
Miss  Rebecca  J.  Warren.  The  lady  is  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  a  daughter  of 
James  B.  and  Sarah  (Caldwell)  Warren, 
the  former  of  Scotch  and  the  latter  of  Scotch 
and  English  descent.  The  father  was  a  coal 
miner,  and  for  three  and  a  half  years  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  havinc;^  been  twice 
wounded  in  battle.  Both  are  now  living  and 
make  their  home  in  Indian  Territory,  and  of 
their  eleven  children  eight  still  survive.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Durham  have  been  born  three 
children, — William  E.,  who  is  a  youth  of 
nineteen  years  and  is  a  compositor  on  the 
Sylvia  Sun;  Albert  L.  and  Steve,  aged  re- 
spectively fourteen  and  thirteen  years,  and 
both  are  learning  the  printer's  trade.  Mr. 
Durham  is  independent  in  political  matters, 
preferring  to  vote  for  the  men  whom  he  re- 
gards as  best  qualified  for  public  office. 


RENNING  H.  GRIEM. 

Among  the  stockmen  of  Kingman  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  few  are  more  prominent  than  is 
Renning  H.  Griem,  who  resides  on  a  fine 
farm  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  on 
section  i,  Rochester  township.  His  large 
stock  operations  have  made  him  known  very 
widely  through  central  Kansas. 

By  birth  Mr.  Griem  is  a  German,  and  he 
was  born  in  1863  at  Loge,  in  the  province 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


i 


of  Hanover,  and  was  a  son  of  John  H.  and 
Catherine  Griem,  both  of  whom  were  na- 
tives of  Germany.  John  H.  Griem  served 
in  his  youth  as  a  soldier  in  the  German  army 
during  the  famous  campaign  against  Kos- 
suth, known  as  the  Kossuth  rebellion.  He 
later  became  prominent  and  wealthy  in  his 
native  place  and  was  honored  by  an  election 
to  the  office  of  mayor  of  his  village.  He  lives 
there  yet,  held  in  universal  esteem.  The 
mother  died  some  years  ago.  The  family  of 
the  parents  of  our  subject  consisted  of  four 
children,  namely:  R.  F.,  who  is  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Peters  township,  in  this  county; 
Renning  H.,  w^ho  is  our  subject;  Sophia, 
who  is  the  wife  of  H.  Winter,  a  prominent 
public  man  and  postmaster  of  his  native 
German  town ;  and  Henry,  who  still  resides 
in  Germany. 

The  educational  advantages  offered  the 
youths  of  Germany  are  known  to  be  of  an 
excellent  character,  and  Mr.  Griem  passed 
through  the  schools  of  his  native  place,  with 
credit.  He  was  a  regular  attendant  at  school 
until  he  was  fifteen  years  old_^at  which  time 
he  began  to  work  on  the  farm,  where  he  was 
thoroughly  taught  the  values  of  different 
methods  of  farming,  the  benefits  of  drainage 
and  the  adaptation  of  different  grains  to 
van-ing  soils,  indispensable  knowledge  to 
those  who  successfully  cultivate.  In  addi- 
tion Mr.  Griems  learned  lessons  in  economy 
which  are  also  taught  in  perfection  in  the 
fatherland  and  which  do  so  much  to  assist 
the  sons  of  Germany  in  other  countries. 

Many  of  the  friends  and  companions  of 
young  Renning  had  gained  wealth  and 
prominence  in  America,  and  when  but  nine- 
teen our  subject  also  decided  to  cross  the 
ocean  and  carve  out  a  career  for  himself. 
\Y\i\\  numbers  of  others  who  were  also  in- 
tent upon  securing  homes  in  the  great  west, 
Mr.  Griem  went  first  to  Nebraska,  but  soon 
was  attracted  to  the  lands  offered  in  central 
Kansas,  and  in  1881  he  located  in  Kingman 
countv,  where  he  has  been  a  valued  and  use- 
ful citizen  ever  since.  In  the  selection  of  his 
farm  he  was  led  to  purchase  one  \vhich  is 
well  watered  by  the  beautiful  Chicaski  river, 
and  here  he  has  four  hundred  and^  eighty 
acres  of  some  of  the  best  land  in  this  part  of 


the  county,  which  is  most  admirably  adapt- 
ed to  the  extensive  raising  of  cattle  and 
stock.  Mr.  Griem  also  is  a  large  grain 
farmer,  having  one  of  the  best  farms  for  the 
culture  of  wheat  in  this  township.  Here 
'Mr.  Griem  has  erected  a  mos't  comfortable 
residence,  at  a  cost  of  eight  hundred  dollars, 
w-hile  his  commodious  barns,  large  yards, 
feed  lots,  pastures  and  grain  fields  present  to 
the  visitor  a  spectacle  which  tells  of  thrift 
and  prosperity. 

In  1891  ]\Ir.  Griem  was  married' to  ]\Iiss 
Minnie  Meyer,  who  also  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, a  daughter  of  Herman  Meyer,  who 
all  his  life  was  a  resident  of  that  country. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Griem  have  a  bright,  intelli- 
gent family  of  five  children,  all  showing  the 
robustness  of  healthy  country  life.  Their 
names  are  Sophia,  JNIartha,  Lua,',  Clara, 
and  Ada.  In  politics  Mr.  Griem  is  inde- 
pendent, with  leanings  toward  the  Republi- 
can party.  The  religious  connection  of  the 
family  is  with  the  Lutheran  churchy  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Griem  belongs  to  Spivey  Lodge, 
No.  347,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  has  won  his 
way  by  honest  effort  and  has  gained  a  posi- 
tion of  prominence  in  this  township  and  is 
most  highly  respected  by  every  one.  In 
manner  he  has  the  genialit}-  of  his  country- 
men, although  Kansas  considers  him  a  rep- 
resentative American,  such  as  he  having 
done  much  to  advance  the  prosperity  and 
standing  of  this  state. 


AYILLIA^I  A.  WARREN. 

There  is  particular  satisfaction  in  revert- 
ing to  the  life  history  of  the  honored  gentle- 
man whose  name  initiates  this  review,  since 
his  mind  bears  the  impress  of  the  historic 
annals  of  the  state  of  Kansas  from  the  early 
pioneer  days,  and  from  the  fact  that  he  has 
been  a  loyal  son  of  the  Republic  and  has  at- 
tained to  a  position  of  prominence  in  King- 
man county. 

He  was  born  in  Giles  county,  Tennessee, 
in  1850.  His  father,  Joseph  A.  \\'arren, 
was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  but  when  a 
child   in  arms   was  taken   to   Giles  countv. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


653 


Tennessee,  the  joiu-ney  being  made  with 
teams  and  wagon,  and  there  his  father  be- 
came one  of  the  very  early  settlers.  He  se- 
cured government  land  and  improved  a 
farm  in  the  valley,  where  Joseph  A.  grew  to 
years  of  maturity.  He  also  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  a 
number  of  years.  As  a  companion  on  the 
journey  of  life  he  chose  Elizabeth  Morton, 
who  was  born  in  Tennessee,  a  daughter  of 
William  Morton,  also  a  native  of  that  state. 
Unto  Joseph  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Morton) 
Warren  were  born  eight  children,  four  sons 
and  four  daughters.  The  latter  are :  Ann 
Hastings,  Emily  ■  Jane  Hartford,  Olive 
\\'elsh  and  Mary  Riggs.  Two  of  the  sons 
died  when  young.  The  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily was  called  to  the  home  beyond  at  the  age 
of  fifty-six  }-ears,  while  the  father  reached 
the  age  of  sixty-two  years,  when  he,  too, 
passed  away.  He  was  both  a  blacksmith 
and  farmer  by  occupation,  and  in  his  politi- 
cal affiliations  was  first  a  Whig  and  after- 
ward a  Republican.  He  was  a  local  minis- 
ter in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
was  an  efficient  and'  active  worker  in  the 
cause  nf  the  ^Master.  One  of  his  brothers, 
Alison  AVarren.  was  a  gallant  officer  in  the 
Union  anny  during  the  memorable  strug- 
gle between  the  north  and  the  south.  He 
raised  a  company  in  Giles  county,  Tennes- 
see, in  the  winter  of  1863-4,  and  remained 
in  service  tO'  the  end  of  the  war.  and  after 
the  close  of  hostilities  he  passed  away  in 
death,  in  Tennessee. 

^^'ilIiam  A.  Warren,  the  subject  of  this 
re\-iew.  was  reared,  in  the  state  of  his  nativ- 
ity until  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  was  there 
early  inured  to  the  labors  of  blacksmithing 
and  farming.  In  1864,  on  account  of  his 
father's  Union  sympathies,  tlie  family  re- 
moved to  Illinois,  and  in  IMadi^nn  county, 
that  state,  our  subject  completed  his  educa- 
tion. In  the  Prairie  state  he  made  his  home 
rmtil  his  removal  to  Kansas,  which  occurred 
in  1873,  a  location  being  mad'e  in  Reno  coun- 
ty. Shortly  after  his  arrival  there  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  to  which  he 
later  added  another  eighty-acre  tract,  but  in 
1893  he  sold'  his  possessions  there  and  pur- 
chased  the   farm   which   he  now    owns    in 


Evans  township,  Kingman  county.  Since 
coming  to  the  Sunflower  state  prosperity 
has  abundantly  rewarded  his  efforts,  and  he 
is  now  the  owner  of  one  of  the  finest  farms 
in  the  locality,  consisting  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  well  improved  land.  In 
addition  to  the  raising  of  the  cereals  best 
adapted  to  this  soil  and  climate,  Mr.  Warren 
is  also  extensively  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness, in  which  he  is  meeting  with  an  equal 
degree  of  success. 

Mr.  Warren  chose  for  his  wife  Miss 
Mary  E.  Riggs,  who  is  a  native  daughter  of 
this  state,  her  birth  having  occurred  in  Law- 
rence county  forty-two  years  ago.  Her  fa- 
ther, Nathan  S.  Riggs,  was  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  of  Reno  county,  Kansas,  his  resi- 
dence there  dating  from  1871,  and  at  that 
time  not  a  railroad  had  been  built  into  the 
county.  A  more  extended  account  of  his  life 
will  be  found  in  the  history  of  E.  J.  Riggs, 
in  this  volume.  The  union  of  our  subject 
and  wife  has  been  blessed  with  seven  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  five  daughters,  nainelv : 
Mrs.  Estella  Becket,  of  Reno  county,  Kan- 
sas; \\'.  R,  at  home;  Mamie  E.,  who,  in 
1901,  was  voted  the  most  popular  teacher  in 
Kingman  county,  and  she  is  now  engaged  in 
teaching  school  at  Cunningham,  this  state; 
Jessie  A.,  wife  of  H.  L.  Oliver,  and  also  a 
successful  teacher  of  Reno  county;  Ethel, 
who  follows  the  teacher's  profession  in  the 
Evan  Mound  district ;  and  Bertha  and  Jerry 
Allen.  ]\Ir.  Warren  has  also  reared  a  sis- 
ter's son,  Archie  Hartford,  who  is  now  a  lad 
of  thirteen  years. 

*  In  political  matters  our  subject  supports 
the  Populist  party,  and  religiously  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  is  a  progressive  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zen who  takes  an  acti\-e  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters which  he  believes  for  the  public  gond. 


REV.  FATHER  M.  MAGUIRE. 

Rev.  Father  M.  ]\Iaguire.  the  esteemed 
pastor  of  St.  Mary's  Catholic  church,  of 
Newton.  Kansas,  was  born  in  County  Wex- 
ford, Ireland,  and  came  to  America  in  1866, 


654 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


when  seven  years  of  age.  He  was  the  young- 
est son  ui  ^latliew  and  Mary  (Murphy) 
Maguire,  the  furnier  of  whom  followed  agri- 
cultural  pursuits  in  his  native  country  and 
came  to  the  United  States  with  the  idea  of 
promoting  the  welfare  of  his  children.  Lo- 
cating at  Lemont,  Illinois,  he  there  engaged 
in  business  for  four  years,  but  in  the  fall  of 
1870  removed  to  Kansas,  in  the  same  year 
locating  near  Chapman,  in  Dickinson  coun- 
ty, where  he  took  a  claim,  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  section,  and  cleared  and  im- 
proved a  fine  farm.  Here  his  life  was  passed 
until  his  death  on  August  29,  1897,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-three  years.  The  mother  re- 
sides wath  her  son,  our  subject,  and  is  one 
of  the  most  highly  esteemed  ladies  of  ad- 
vanced age,  in  this  city. 

Rev.  Father  Maguire  was  the  youngest 
member  of  the  family  of  six  children  born 
to  his  parents,  the  only  other  survivor  being 
his  brother,  Patrick  Maguire,  who  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Chapman,  Kansas,  where  he  owns 
and  manages  the  work  on  the  old  home- 
stead. Our  •subject  attended  the  parish 
school  in  his  native  county,  but  after  coming 
to  the  United  States  he  acquired  a  good  com- 
mon-school education  in  the  schools  of  Illi- 
nois and  Kansas.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
he  began  to  teach  school,  continuing  until 
he  was  twenty-one,  when  he  entered  the  Jes- 
uit college  at  St.  Mary's,  Kansas,  where  he 
pursued  his  studies  for  the  five  succeeding 
years.  The  next  year  he  was  employed  in 
severe  study  and  discipline  at  the  Lazarist 
seminary  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Missouri, 
after  this  still  pursuing  a  higher  course  »t 
the  Benedictine  seminary  at  St.  Meinrad, 
Indiana,  where  he  continued  for  three  years, 
going  thence  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas, 
where  he  was  ordained  on  A^ril  8,  1890,  bv 
the  Rt.  Rev.  Lewis  M.  Fink,  O.  S.  B. 

For  nearly  a  year  Father  Maguire  was 
stationed  at  the  church  of  the  Assumption 
at  Topeka,  Kansas,  as  assistant,  and  later 
was  sent  to  Fulton,  Kansas,  at  which  place 
it  was  through  his  efforts  that  the  imposing 
church  and  parsonage  were  erected  and 
placed  out  of  debt,  in  nine  and  a  half  years. 
In  1900  his  services  to  the  church  were  rec- 
ognized Ijy  his  appointment  to  his  present 


charge.  Here  is  established  a  parochial 
school,  which  is  under  the  care  of  the  Sisters 
of  St.  Joseph,  with  two  teachers  and  forty- 
five  pupils.  The  parish  contains  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  families  and  about  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  communicants.  It  was  found- 
ed in  the  fall  of  1870,  under  Father  Schwem- 
berg,  who,  a  western  missionary,  remained 
here  seventeen  years,  during  which  time  he 
built  the  first  church  and  also  secured  the 
property  very  much  as  it  is  to-day.  After  its 
founder  came  Rev.  B.  Schmeihausen.  for 
four  years,  then  came  Rev.  M.  J.  Casey  for 
four  yeai-s,  then  Rev.  John  Maher,  also  for 
four  years,  then  Father  Wirsma,  for  two 
years,  and  finally  Father  Maguire. 

Father  Maguire  has  much  of  the  indom- 
itable spirit  that  filled  the  lives  of  the  early 
teachers  of  his  faith,  in  this  country.  His 
successful  work  speaks  for  him.  For  eleven 
years  he  has  lived  a  life  of  duty,  asking  no 
vacation.  He  is  energetic,  magnetic,  schol- 
arly, and  thoroughly  understands  both  the 
financial  aspects  and  the  religious  needs  of 
his  parishioners.  In  the  city  of  Newton  he 
is  universally  esteemed. 

The  congregation  is  a  large  and  wealthy 
one  and  much  is  required  of  them  by  their 
earnest  and  faithful  priest.  Under  his  care- 
ful management  this  parish  will  doubtless 
have  a  church  and  parsonage  in  keeping  with 
the  enterprising  spirit  of  the  worthy  people 
of  Newton. 


J.  R.  DUFF. 


The  firm  of  Duff  &  Duft'  is  one  of  the 
leading  ones  in  Newton,  Kansas,  and  one 
of  the  directing  spirits  of  that  enterprising 
city  is  J.  R.  Duf¥,  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Duff  was  in  Baltimore. 
Maryland,  on  October  27,  1861,  and  he  was 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  A.  (Flaherty) 
Duff,  the  former  of  whom  was  of  Scotcli- 
Irish  descent,  born  on  the  border,  and  the 
latter  was  a  native  of  Maryland.  By  trade 
the  father  of  our  subject  was  a  contractor 
and  builder,  and  his  home  for  many  years 
was  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  died 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


655 


in  1887,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  He 
was  a  worthy  and  consistent  member  of  the 
Brethren  church.  His  widow  is  one  of  the 
respected  residenits  of  Springfield. 

J.  R.  Duff,  who  is  our  subject,  was  the 
oldest  of  the  eight  children  in  the  family, 
six  of  whom  are  still  living,  one  brother, 
Albert  J.,  being  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Duff  &  Duff.  Our  subject  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools,  including  the  high  school, 
in  Springfield.  Illinois,  and  then  learned  the 
trade  of  cabinet-maker,  carpenter  and  uphol- 
sterer, first  in  Springfield,  later  in  Chicago, 
whither  he  went  in  1880.  For  nine  years 
the  latter  city  was  his  home,  where  he 
worked  at  his  trade  with  satisfaction  and 
success,  but  in  1891  he  moved  to  Kansas, 
locating  in  Arkansas  City,  and  there  opeued 
up  a  Ijusiness  in  furniture  and  undertaking, 
which  latter  l.iranch  he  had  also  learned  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Chicago. 

In  ]\Iarch,  1890,  Mr.  Duft'  came  to  New- 
ton, Kansas,  and  bought  the  interest  of  W. 
C.  Powers  in  the  same  line,  and  the  firm 
now  occupies  the  Gertsen  block,  which  has 
seventy-five  feet  of  frontage  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  of  depth,  which  they  oc- 
cupy to  the  full  capacity.  Duff  &  Duff  carry 
the  largest  line  and  the  most  complete  stock 
within  a  radius  of  several  counties  and  they 
do  an  immense  business  through  the  small 
towns  included  within  fifty  miles,  giving  the 
people  a  chance  to  select  from  a  large  and 
varied  assortment  without  being  obliged  to 
go  to  one  of  the  large  centers.  This  stock 
comprises  furniture,  carpets,  draperies  and 
curtains  of  all  kinds  and  also  displays  the 
latest  designs  in  house  fittings  of  all  descrip- 
tions. Mr.  Duff  is  also  an  experienced  em- 
balmer. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Duff'  was  on  No- 
vember 21,  1885,  to  Miss  Adah  Beard,  who 
was  born  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  who 
was  a  daughter  of  H.  N.  Beard,  both  parents 
being  now  deceased.  The  three  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duff  were  Macile, 
Eva  and  Albert.  The  religious  connection 
of  the  familv  is  with  the  Episcopal  church, 
while  in  politics  Mr.  Duff  is  an  active  Re- 
publican. Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  the 
IMasouic  order,  a  thirtv-second  degree  Ma- 


son, and  has  been  five  times  a  delegate  to 
the  grand  lodge;  also  he  is  counected  with 
the  order  of  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  has 
been  secretary  and  venerable  counsel  in  the 
order  of  Woodmen  of  America. 

There  is  no  business  citizen  who  stands 
higher  in  public  regard  than  our  subject.  He 
has  won  his  own  way  tn  the  front,  has  hon- 
estly placed  himself  among  the  substantial 
citizeus  of  Harvey  county,  and  is  justly  re- 
garded as  a  representative  businjess  man  of 
this  thri\'ing  citv. 


T.  N.  TINCHER. 


J.  N.  Tincher  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Nnlile  &-  Tincher,  attorneys  at  law  of  Medi- 
cine Lodge.  He  is  a  young  man  whose  con- 
nection with  the  bar  covers  but  a  brief  pe- 
riod, yet  his  years  seem  not  to  impede  his 
progress  and  he  has  already  attained  a  repu- 
tation which  many  an  njder  practitioner 
might  well  en\y.  The  hnu  bias  liec  me  wide- 
ly recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  law  firms 
of  southern  Kansas  and  has  been  intrusted 
with  the  conduct  of  important  litigation. 

The  junior  member,  who  is  also  serving 
as  city  attorney  of  Medicine  Lodge,  came 
to  this  place  in  1894.  He  was  burn  near 
Browning.  Sullivan  county.  ^Missouri,  on  the 
2d  of  Xo\ember.  1878,  and  rejiresents  one 
of  the  old  families  of  that  locality,  his  par- 
ents being  A.  T.  and  Corinne  F.  (Clifford) 
Tincher.  His  father  is  now  a  resident  of 
Sharon,  Barber  county,  but  was  a  native  of 
Frankfort,  Kentucky,  whence  he  removed  to 
Missouri  and  ultimately  came  to  this  coun- 
ty. His  wife  was  born,  reared  and  educated 
in  ^Missouri  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
four  sons  and  four  daughters,  including  J. 
N.  Tincher,  who  likewise  obtained  his  edu- 
cation in  the  pubic  schools  of  his  native  state 
and  by  study  and  reading  at  home.  After 
nutting  aside  his  elementary  text  books  he 
became  a  clerk  in  a  law  office  in  1897  and  in 
1899  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Two  years 
later  he  became  a  memlier  of  the  law  firm 
of  No1)le  &  Tincher  and  has  rapidly  won  his 
way  to  a  foremost  position  in  the  ranks  of 


656 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


the  legal  fraternity  in  Barber  county.  He 
has  gained  a  distinctvely  representative  cli- 
entage and  his  success  results  from  his  com- 
prehensive knowledge  of  the  law,  marked 
devotion  to  his  clients'  interests,  and  his 
careful  preparation  of  cases. 

In  June,  1901,  was  celebrated  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Tincher  and  Miss  Nellie  South- 
worth  of  Medicine  Lodge,  a  lady  of  culture 
and  refinement  who  presides  with  gracious 
hospitality  over  their  pleasant  home.  She 
was  a  graduate  of  the  high  school  and  is  a 
daughter  of  G.  J.  Southiworth.  a .  pioneer 
business  man  oi  Medicine  Lodge.  She  holds 
membership  in  the  Christian  church  and  her 
circle  of  friends  is  very  extensive.  Mr. 
Tincher  gives  his  political  support  to  the 
Republican  party,  and  is  most  active  and  ear- 
nest in  its  support  and  labors  indefatigably 
for  the  success  of  his  friends  in  a  political 
wav.  but  has 'never  sought  or  desired  office 
fur  himself  outside  the  line  of  his  chosen 
vocation.  He  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge, 
and  of  the  latter  he  is  vice-chancelloT.  His 
life  record  shows  conclusively  what  may  be 
accomplished  through  determination,  strong 
purpose  and  indefatigable  energy.  He  is  a 
self-educated  and  self-made  man  and  stands 
to-day  among  those  for  whom  the  future  has 
a  bright  outlook.  His  strong  manhood  and 
broad  learning  are  certainly  a  foundation  of 
a  successful  legal  practice.  His  manner  is 
co'urteous  and  genial,  his  disposition  kindly 
and  conisiderate  and  such  qualities-  have 
made  him  popular  with  a  large  circle  of 
friends. 


^L\ROUIS  L.  EASTOX. 

Among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Kingman 
county,  Kansas,  who  came  hither  in  April, 
1878,  from  Pennsylvania,  was  ^larquis 
Lafayette  Easton,  who  since  that  time  has 
been  identified  with  the  interests  of  Rich- 
land tijwnship,  where  he  is  one  of  the  es- 
teemed and  substantial  citizens. 

The  birth  of  Mr.  Easton  was  in  Luzerne 
countv,   Pennsylvania,   near     the    town    of 


W'ilkesbarre,  in  1847,  and  he  was  a  son  of 
William  and  Alary  (Derby)  Easton,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Essex  county, 
New  Jersey,  a  son  of  an  ex-soldier  of  the 
war  of  1812.  The  latter  was  born  in  Brad- 
ford county,  Pennsylvania,  where  she  was 
reared  and  educated.  William  Easton  grew 
to  manhood  in  New  Jersey  and  after  his 
marriage  moved  with  his  wife  to  Licking 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four.  As  a  worker  in  iron  and  steel 
be  was  considered  a  fine  mechanic  in  his 
younger  years,  but  in  later  life  he  devoted 
his  attention  to  farming.  He  was  a  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
were  consistent  supporters  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Tlie  mother  of  our  subject  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty-one  years,  a  s"Ood  and  con- 
scientious woman,  an  example  of  Christian 
virtues,  devoted  to  her  family  and  beloved 
in  the  neighborhood  for  her  many  acts  of 
kindness.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Easton,  two  of  whom  survive, 
viz..  Marquis  Lafayette,  our  subject;  and 
Charles  Orville,  who  resides  in  Columbus, 
Ohio.  Those  who  passed  away  were  :  Hes- 
ter Ann,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years; 
Ophelia,  who  lived  to  reach  sixteen;  and 
Marietta,  who  lived  to  the  age  of  twenty- 
four. 

Marquis  L.  Easton  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  state,  assisting  on  the  farm  and 
attending  school,  preparing  himself  pliysi- 
cally  and  mientally  for  future  work.  In 
1874  he  was  married,  in  Peru,  Indiana,  to 
Miss  Maggie  Letitia  Moore,  a  woman  who 
has  been  his  loving  companion  for  twenty- 
eight  years,  and  one  to  whom  he  attributes 
much  of  his  success  in  life.  She  was  the 
estimable  daughter  of  John  Moore  and  was 
reared  and  educated  in  Indiana.  John  Moore 
was  a  successful  farmer  who  lived  to  the 
age  of  sixty-two  years,  born  in  1814  and 
died  in  1876,  and  was  one  of  the  most  re- 
spected men  in  his  neighborhood.  He  mar- 
ried Rebecca  Stevens,  who  also  was  a  native 
of  Indiana,  and  who  lived  to  the  age  of 
fifty-one.  She  was  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  was  unremitting  in 
good  works  and  charitable  deeds.  They 
had  five  children,  who  are  living,  namely: 


g 


MR.  AND  MRS.  M.  L.  EASTON. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


657 


Amanda,  Washington.  Henry,  Mary  and 
jNIaggie.  The  three  deceased  are  John  H., 
who  died  aged  seventeen;  Sarah  A.,  wlio 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty :  and  Diza  Jane, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  one  year  and  ten 
days. 

In  1878  Mr.  Easton  and  family  came  to 
Kansas,  taking  an  o.x  team  fn  an  Wichita  to 
his  present  location.  S'xjn  lie  Iniilt  a  small 
cabin  of  twelve  by  fourteen  feet  in  dimen- 
sions, and  here  began  the  cultivation  of  the 
farm  which  now  ranks  with  the  best  and 
most  productive  in  the  county.  His  present 
residence  cost  eight  hundred  dollars  and  is 
a  most  comfortable  one,  while  all  of  his  im- 
provements show  the  progressive  methods 
of  an  excellent  manager.  Mr.  Easton  has 
divided  his  farm  so  that  every  acre  yields 
a  satisfactnr\'  amount,  grain,  particularly 
corn,  di'ing  well  on  his  land,  while  he  also 
raises  some  cattle,  horses  and  swine,  a 
want  of  shade  preventing  his  engaging  more 
extensively  in  this  busines'^. 

Mr.  and  Mr>.  T-a-tnn  liave  been  blessed 
with  three  children,  iIk-c  1  icing:  Roce,  who 
is  the  wife  of  L.  L.  Littrell,  of  Creston, 
Pratt  county,  Kansas,  who  was  born  May 
27,  1876;  Roy,  who  resides  in  Cunningham, 
where  he  has  charge  of  a  creamery,  and  also 
runs  a  barber  shop  in  the  town  ;  he  was  born 
April  7,  1880;  and  Harry,  who  was  born 
April  25,  1888,  and  is  in  school. 

Mr.  Easton  has  taken  a  very  deep  inter- 
est in  all  educational  matters  and  for  thir- 
teen years  has  been  the  treasurer  of  the 
school  board.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Lodge  No. 
199.  at  Kineman;  and  ]\Irs.  Easton  belongs 
to  the  order  of  Rebekah,  Chapter  No.  102, 
at  Kingman,  and  both  belong  to  the  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security,  Lodge  No.  374,  of 
Kingman.  She  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  United  Brethren  churcli,  taking  an  ac- 
ti\'e  part  in  its  benevolent  work  and  to  the 
best  of  her  ability  extending  its  influence. 
Although  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Easton  were 
obliged  to  pass  through  many  unavoida- 
ble hardships  during  their  pioneer  days,  they 
are  surrounded  by  comforts  now,  and  are 
considered  representatives  of  the  element  in 
this  state  which  ever  exerts  a  powerful  in- 
fluence in  the  direction  of  temperance  and 


morality.  As  such  they  deserve  and  enjoy 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom 
they  are  connected  by  either  business  or  so- 
cial ties. 


WILLIAM  M.  BAIXUM. 

There  is  an  element  of  peculiar  satisfac- 
tion in  entering  a  review  of  the  life  history 
of  this  venerable  and  honored  citizen  of 
Kingman  county,  for  his  experiences  in  con- 
nection with  pioneer  life  have  intimately 
touched  three  different  states  in  the  Union 
and  his  career  has  been  one  of  consecutixe 
toil  and  endeavor,  while  his  unblemished 
character  has  gained  to  him  the  unqualified 
confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow  men  in 
the  various  localities  where  he  has  lived  and 
labored.  As  the  shadows  of  his  life  begin 
to  lengthen  in  the  west  he  may  find  satisfac- 
tion in  a  retrospective  view  and  feel  that  he 
has  not  lived  in  vain,  though  he  has  endured 
his  quota  of  the  vicissitudes  and  burdens 
which  fall  to  the  lot  of  human  kind.  This 
epitome  of  the  career  of  one  of  Kansas'  ster- 
a•^g  pioneers  can  not  fail  of  interest  and  ap- 
preciation and  is  offered  as  a  well  deserved 
tribute  to  him  as  a  man  and  a  citizen. 

William  M.  Bainum,  whose  well  im- 
pro\-ed  fami  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
is  located  on  section  2y,  Dresden  township, 
is  a  native  of  the  old  Buckeye  state,  having 
been  born  on  the  parental  farm  in  Noble 
county,  Ohio,  on  the  22d  of  February,  1825. 
He  was  there  reared  to  maturity,  being  fa- 
miliar with  the  work  of  clearing  and  improv- 
ing the  pioneer  farm  and  liaA'ing  such  lim- 
ited educational  advantag'es  as  the  primitive 
schools  of  the  place  and  perioci  affoirded. 
On  the  20th  of  November,  1845.  '\vhen 
twenty  years  of  age,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Lucretia  Fogle,  who  likewise 
was  born  in  Noble  county,  on  the  3d  of 
June,  1826,  being  the  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Phoebe  (Stevens)  Fogle,  natives  respec- 
tively of  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey.  Mr. 
Fogle  was  first  married  to  Elizabeth  Sala- 
day,  who  died  in  Pennsylvania.  His  second 
wife  came  to  the  old  Keystone  state  with 
her  parents  and  was  there  reared  and  edu- 


658 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


cated.  After  lier  marriage  to  Mr.  Fogle 
they  removed  to  Noble  county,  Ohio,  be- 
coming pioneer  settlers  in  that  section  of  the 
state,  where  Mr.  Fogle  took  up  a  tract  of 
government  land,  heavily  timbered,  reclaim- 
ing the  same  from  the  wilderness  and  devel- 
oping a  good  farm.  He  there  made  his 
home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1876,  at  the  venerable  age  of  ninety  years. 
He  V  as  a  man  of  prominence  in  his  com- 
munity, waj  a  devoted  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church  and  served  in  various  offices 
of  local  nature.  By  his  second  marriage  he 
became  the  father  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Bainum  is  the  only  survivor  at  the 
present  time,  so  far  as  is  definitely  known. 
Of  them  we  enter  -the  following  data :  Ra- 
chel, who  married  Owen  Rucker :  John,  wiio 
died  in  Sangamon  coimty,  Illinois;  Lucre- 
tia,  the  wife  of  our  subject:  Anna,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  Samuel  Carey,  of  Sanga- 
mon county,  Illinois:  James,  who  was  at 
Durango,  Colorado,  when  the  last  news  was 
heard  concerning  him;  George,  who  made 
his  home  in  Kentucky  until  his  death :  and  a 
daughter,  who  married  Alfred  Berry,  of 
Colorado:  and  Peter,  who  died  at  Caldwell, 
Ohio,  in  July,  1901. 

AA' illiam  M.  Bainum.  to  whom  this  sketch 
is  dedicated,  is  a  son  of  William  and  Nancy 
(Collins)  Bainum.  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  New  Jersey  and  the  latter  in  Dela- 
ware, the  respective  families  having  been  es- 
tablished on  American  soil  in  the  colonial 
epoch.  Their  marriage  occurred  in  Dela- 
ware and  thence  they  removed  to  the  sylvan 
wilderness  of  Noble  county,  Ohio,  being 
numbered  among  its  first  settlers  and  there 
reclaiming  a  tract  of  wild  government  land. 
The  father  was  a  man  of  strong  individuality 
and  utmost  probity  of  character,  and  he  be- 
came one  of  the  prominent  and  influential 
citizens  of  the  pioneer  communinty,  to 
whose  development  and  material  upbuilding 
he  contributed  in  large  measure.  He  filled 
various  local  offices  of  trust  and  responsibil- 
ity and  was  a  zealous  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  being  for  many  years 
a  meml3er  of  official  boards  and  acting  as 
class  leader.  He  passed  the  last  years  of 
his   life  at  the  home  of  his   son  John,    at 


]\Iount  Ephraim,  Noble  county,  where  he 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years,  his  wife 
having  passed  awav  in  1843,  ^t  the  age  of 
sixty-three  years.  They  had  a  large  family 
of  children,  and  of  those  who  attained  ma- 
turity we  are  enabled  to  offer  a  brief  record  : 
John  died  in  [Missouri :  Hannah  became  the 
wife  of  Robert  Hill  and  died  in  Ohio;  Mary, 
the  wife  of  Robert  Carey,  died  in  Urbana, 
Illinois;  Elizabeth,  who  married  and  after 
the  death  of  her  husband  became  the  wife 
of  William  McFadden.  and  died  in  Ohio; 
Levi  also  died  in  that  state:  William  M.  is 
the  subject  of  this  sketch :  Nancy  married 
Charles  Collins  and  her  death  occurred  in 
Ohio,  our  subject  being  thus  the  onlv  sur- 
vivor. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Bainum  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  tim- 
ber land  in  his  native  county,  clearing  and 
improving  the  same  and  there  continuing  to 
be  engaged  in  farming  until  the  fall  of  1853, 
when  he  sold  the  place  to  his  brother  Levi 
and  remoived  to  Sangamon  county,  Illinois. 
where  he  rented  a  farm  and  continued  its  cul- 
tivation for  two  years,  and  then  purchased  a 
quarter  section  on  the  south  fork  of  the 
Sangamon  river,  paying  eight  hundred  dol- 
lars for  the  same.  He  finally  lost  the  farm 
and  the  money  invested,  by  reason  of  the  title 
being  defective.  In  the  fall  of  1857  he  re- 
turned to  Noble  county,  Ohio,  locating- 
near  Caldwell,  where  he  engaged  in  oil  spec- 
ulation, leasing  oil  lands  and  putting  down 
several  wells.  He  was  thus  engaged  about 
four  years  and  then,  in  1861,  disposed  of  his 
interests  in  the  line  and  purchased  a  farm  in 
that  county,  paying  four  thousand  dollars 
for  a  quarter  section  and  three  years  later 
disposing  of  the  same  for  five  thousand.  He 
then  returned  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Cham- 
paign county,  where  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  and  there  engaged  in  farming 
for  five  years,  leasing  an  adjoining  quarter 
section.  In  1869  he  sold  out  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  came  to  Olathe,  Johnson  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  where  he  rented  a  farm  for  three 
years.  In  the  meamvhile,  in  the  fall  of  1873, 
he  located  a  claim  in  Langdon  township, 
Reno  county,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  fol- 
lowing vear  he  brought   his   familv  to  this 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


659. 


homestead,  their  first  dwelling'  being'  a  typi- 
cal box  house,  sixteen  by  twenty  feet  in  di- 
mensions. Buffalo  were  still  to  be  found  in 
quite  large  numbers  in  this  locality,  and  Mr. 
IJainum  brought  down  a  nun^ber  of  the  no- 
ble beasts  with  his  rifle,  at  various  intervals. 
In  coming-  to  Reno  county  Mr.  Bainum  made 
the  overland  trip  from  Johnson  county  with 
two  ox  teams,  transporting  sufficient  provi- 
sions to  supply  the  family  for  a  year  and  be- 
ing seventeen  days  en  route.  He  also  brought 
seven  milch  cows,  and  one  of  these  was 
brought  into  requisition  to  take  the  place  of 
one  of  the  oxen  which  died  on  the  way. 
The  preceding-  fall  he  had  sent  a  young 
man  to  tlie  claim  with  a  pair  of  horses  and  a 
plow  and  thus  instituted  at  that  time  the 
breaking  of  the  virgin  soil  of  the  prairie.  In 
the  spring  of  1874  our  subject  had  thirty 
acres  in  wheat  and  the  same  promised  to 
yield  as  high  as  fifty  bushels  per  acre,  but  on 
the  third  day  of  June  the  wheat  was  en- 
tirely destroyed  by  hail.  Thereafter  his  work 
of  developing-  continued  and  he  met  with 
varying  success  in  the  securing  of  crops,  as 
was  the  case  with  all  the  early  settlers  in  this 
locality.  He  persevered,  however,  and  the 
final  results  justified  his  courage  and  deter- 
mination. In  the  winter  of  1876  Mr.  Bain- 
um took  a  government  contract  and  engaged 
in  freighting  provisions  from  Newton  to  the 
fort  at  Sun  City,  Barber  county, — a  distance 
of  about  two  hundred  miles.  In  filling  this 
contract  our  subject  and  his  sons  Josephus 
and  William  G.  v.-ere  engaged  during  the 
entire  winter,  realizing  -a  good  profit  from 
the  venture.  They  also  held  a  similar  con- 
tract the  following  winter,  and  on  their  re- 
turn trips  transported  cedar  posts,  which 
they  secured  at  a  cost  of  five  cents  each  and 
which!  thev  sold  for  t\\ienty-five  cents  each  in 
Newton.  Later  much  time  was  given  to  the 
collection  of  buffalo  bones,  which  brought 
from  five  to  eight  dollars  per  ton.  The  ex- 
tent to  which  these  bones  covered  the  prairie 
may  be  imagined  when  it  is  stated  that  Mr. 
Bainum  was  compelled  to  clear  the  same 
from  his  farm  before  it  was  possible  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  breaking  of  the  land. 

During   his   traversing   of   the   country 
while  engaged  in  freighting  and  the  collec- 


tion of  bones,  Mr.  Bainum  had  become  fa- 
vorably impressed  with  the  character  of  the 
land  to  the  south  of  Reno  county,  and  in 
1877  he  induced  a  company  of  Ohio  men  to 
locate  in  the  Ninnescah  valley  of  Kingman 
county,  among  the  number  being  Joseph 
McPeek,  Charles  McCnniK-ll.  Angus  Bain- 
um, Charles  Cooley  ami  Hamilton  Watkins, 
all  of  whom  enteral  claim>  in  the  rich  bot- 
tom lands.  After  proving  up  on  his  claim 
in  RenO'  county,  Mr.  Bainum  disposed  of  the 
same  and  took  up  his  abode  on  his  present 
farm,  to  which  he  had  entered  claim  in  May,, 
1879.  Here  he  built  a  good  sod  house  with 
two  rooms,  the  same  being  used  as  a  resi- 
dence at  the  presefit  time.  It  is  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation  and  is  probably  the 
only  remaining  landmark  of  its  kind  to  be 
found  in  the  county,  a  reminder  of  the  pio- 
neer epoch.  Mr.  Bainum  now  has  a  modern 
residence.  Since  coming  to  Kingman 
county,  in  whose  organization  he  took  a 
prominent  part.  Mr.  Bainum  has  given  his 
attention  principally  to-  the  raising  of  live- 
stock, having  one  of  the  best  stock  farms  in 
this  section,  the  same  being  well  watered  by 
the  Ninnescah  river,  the  fertile  bottom  lands 
furnishing  the  best  of  pasturage,  while  our 
subject  has  never  failed  to  secure  a  good 
corn  crop,  even  in  the  years  of  greatest 
drouth.  Our  subject  is  favored  also  by  an- 
other exceptional  advantage,  having  on  his 
place  the  only  artesian  well  to  be  found  in 
this  section  of  the  state.  In  July,  1898,  while 
sinking  a  drive  well  he  struck  an  artesian 
vein,  and  the  same  has  since  furnished  an 
unfailing  flow  of  excellent  water,  the  well 
having  a  head  of  some  forty  feet  and  a  vol- 
ume of  water  which  completely'  fills  a  two- 
inch  pipe,  flowing  forty  gallons  per  minute. 
The  overflow  is  conducted  into  a  beautiful 
lake  of  four  acres,  and  this  has  been  well 
stocked  with  several  varieties  of  fish.  ]Mr. 
Bainum  keeps  on  his  place  an  average  of 
about  two  hundred  head  of  cattle,  and  he 
has  kept  as  high  as  four  hundred  head,  in- 
cluding stock  which  he  pastured  for  others. 
His  stock  is  all  of  high  grade  and  is  nrinci- 
pally  of  the  short-horn  variety.  He  also  has 
a  good  herd  of  pure-bred  Poland^China 
swine,  and  his  live  stock  commands  invari- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


ably  the  higliest  market  prices.  Prior  to  the 
advent  of  the  raih'oad  he  used  to  butcher  and 
pack  an  average  of  forty  head  of  'hogs  each 
3^ear,  and  he  hast  always  taken  a  deep  inter- 
est in  introducing"  a  good  grade  of  stock, 
doing  much  to  advance  this  line  of  industry 
in  the  county. 

In  politics  our  subject  is  a  radical  and 
uncompromising  Republican,  his  first  presi- 
dential vote  having  been  cast  in  support  of 
William  Henry  Harrison,  and  he  has  voted 
for  every  Republican  presidential  candidate 
since  that  time.  During  the  greater  portion 
of  his  residence  in  Kingman  county  he  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Republican  cen- 
tral committee  of  the  same.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Sangamon  crauity.  Illinois,  he  be- 
came intimately  acquainted!  with  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  on  the  first  case  which  the  mar- 
tyred president  tried  in  the  courts  our  sub- 
ject appeared  as  a  juryman.  On  one  occa- 
sion Mr.  Bainum  sold  to  the  future  presi- 
dent twenty-five  cords  of  wood,  delivering 
the  last  load  on  Christmas  day.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln insisted  on  his  pulling  the  load  into  the 
shed  and  taking  dinner  with  him  on  the  holi- 
day occasion.  Our  subject  was  attired  in  his 
Avorking  clothes  and  was  entirelv  unprepared 
for  a  function  oif  the  sort,  but  yielded  to  the 
kindly  importunities  nf  his  host  and  met  at 
dinner  a  companv  of  the  elite  of  the  city 
of  Springfield  and  also  other  distin- 
guished guests,  including  the  eminent  law- 
yer. Roscoe  Conkling.  He  received  the  same 
courteous  treatment  as  did  other  guests,  and 
recalls  the  incident  with  marked  pleasure,  as 
signifying  the  true  democratic  spirit  and 
simple  honesty  of  purpose  which  so  charac- 
terized the  noble  Lincoln.  The  religious 
faith  of  Mr.  Bainum  is  that  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  church,  and  he  is  one  of  the 
prominent  members  of  the  church  at  Cun- 
ningham. 

Of  tlie  ten  children  of  INIr.  and  Mrs. 
Bainum  we  incorporate  the  following  rec- 
ord: Josephus  is  a  successful  farmer  of 
Reno  county;  Phoebe  J.,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Harrison  Ball,  is  deceased;  John  W. 
died  in  childhood,  as  did  also  Nancy;  Mary 
was  killed  by  lightning  when  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  in  Reno  countv;  William  G. 


resides  on  the  home  farm  and  of  him  further 
mention  is  made  in  the  appending  sketch ; 
Ellen  Viola  died  in  childhood,  as  did  also 
Charles  A. ;  Hannah  is  the  wife  of  Thoanas 
Branaman,  a  farmer  of  Dresden  township; 
and  Delia  A.  is  the  wife  of  Taylor  E.  Ul- 
man,  of  Hutchinson. 


WILLIA^I  G.  BAIXUM. 

In  the  preceding  paragraphs  has  been 
given  an  outline  of  the  career  of  the  hon- 
ored father  of  the  gentleman  whose  name 
initiates  this  sketch,  and  a  recapitulation  of 
the  data  touching  the  ancestry  and  many  of 
the  events  in  which  our  subject  was  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  concerned  will  not  be 
demanded  at  this  juncture.  \\'illiam  G. 
Bainum  is  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
live-stock  business,  under  the  firm  name  of 
William  M.  Bainum  &  Son,  and  he  is  the 
owner  of  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  adjoining  the  parental  homestead  and 
equaling  it  in  fertility  and  gaieral  excel- 
lence. He  secured  this  claim  by  pre-emp- 
tion, has  made  the  best  of  improvements  on 
the  same  and  is  known  as  one  of  the  able 
and  progressi\'e  ynimg  business  men  of  this 
locality  and  as  a  wurthy  representative  of 
the  sterling  pioneer  family  of  which  he  is  a 
member. 

Mr.  Bainum  is  a  native  of  Noble  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  where  he  was  born  on  the  17th  of 
January,  1858.  He  was  reared  under  the 
parental  roof  and  his  educational  discipline 
was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois 
and  Kansas,  to  which  latter  state  his  par- 
ents removed  wheii  he  was  about  ten  years 
of  age.  in  1869,  and  thus  he  participated  in 
the  life  characteristic  of  the  pioneer  days 
and  noted  somewhat  more  specifically  in  the 
foregoing  article.  While  on  the  freighting 
expeditions  there  referred  to  he  was  often 
on  the  road  for  a  week  or  more  at  a  time, 
and  during  these  intervals  slept  out  of  doors 
each  night,  being  far  removed  from  houses. 
The  free  life  of  the  prairies,  however,  and 
the  sturdy  labors  which  fell  to  his  share, 
gave  him  a  robust  constitution  and  a  deep 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


66 1 


appreciation  of  the  independence  which 
comes  to  the  man  who  holds  himself  "far 
from  the  madding  crowd."  At  the  time 
when  his  father  took  up  his  claim  in  King- 
man co'unty  our  subject  also  made  pre-emp- 
tion entry  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 27,  Dresden  township,  but  during  his 
absence,  while  employed  in  connection  with 
the  construction  of  the  line  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  south  of  Wich- 
ita, his  claim  was  "jumped,'"  and  rather  than 
contest  the  title  he  abandoned  the  same,  tak- 
ing up  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  same  sec- 
tion, which  is  his  present  farm  and  which 
is  operated  in  connection  with  that  of  his 
father,  with  whom  he  has  ever  since  been 
associated  in  liusiness. 

Ill  Kiiis^iuan  county .  oir  the  22d  of 
March.  1894.  ]\lr.  Bainum  was  united  in 
marriage  td  Miss  Etfie  Pinkston,  who  was 
borm  in  Cole  county,  Missouri,  the  daughter 
of  Rev.  P.  J.  Pinks'ton  and  Bary  (  Medlock) 
Pinkston.  the  former  being  a  clergyman  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  has 
done  effective  service  in  the  cause  of  the 
Master,  having  been  a  member  of  tlie  Kan- 
sas conference  for  a  period  of  sixteen  years, 
after  which  he  removed  to  Al\-a.  Oklahoma, 
where  he  is  now  in  charge  of  a  church.  In 
his  family  were  fourteen  children,  of  whom 
ten  survive,  the  other  four  having  died  in 
infancy.  The  others  are  here  named  in  or- 
der of  birth :  Louis,  Rebecca.  Effie.  Thomas. 
Charles,  Martha,  Marian,  Maud,  Harley  and 
Carroll.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bainum  have  two 
daughters, — Mildred  J.  and  Mary  Lucretia. 

In  politics  our  subject  gives  an  unfalter- 
ing allegiance  to  the  Republican  party,  and 
he  has  maintained  a  lively  interest  in  public 
affairs  of  local  character,  having  served  as 
treasurer  of  his  township,  as  constable  and 
for  several  years  a^^  treasurer  nf  the  schim] 
board  of  his'districl.  Fraterr.allv  lie  i-  iden- 
tified with  the  Modern  W'oddnien  nf  Amer- 


WILL  R.  ^lURPHY. 

Not  only  as  an  excellent  photographer 
and  talented  artist  is  Will  R.  Murphy 
known  to   the  people  of   Newton.   Kansas, 


but  also  as  a  worthy  citizen  and  pleasant  and 
agreeable  member  of  social  circles.  ■  Mr. 
Murphy  was  born  in  Jefferson  City,  Mis- 
souri, on  January  5,  1867,  and  he  v,as  a  son 
of  Richard  and  Catherine  (Fitzgerald) 
Murphy,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Cork,  Ireland;  Richard  Murphy  was  a  con- 
tractor and  builder  previous  to*  his  location 
in  the  United  States,  whither  he  came  in 
1856.  His  first  settlement  was  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  but  later  he  removed  to  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  and  there  built  the  great 
St.  Louis  reservoir,  a  most  stupendous  task. 
He  was  also  the  contractor  and  builder  of 
one  of  the  largest  buildings  in  the  United 
States  and  while  at  this  work,  superintend- 
ing the  employes  during  winter  winds,  he 
contracted  llie  cnld  which  caused  his  death, 
in  1875,  at  tlic  age  of  fifty-two  years.  His- 
widow  sur\-i\es.  and  both  had  been  members 
of  the  Catholic  church  since  youth. 

Will  R.  Murphy,  who  is  the  subject  of 
this  review,  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Jefiferson  City,  and  early  began  to 
be  interested  in  photography.  He  later  served 
an  apprenticeship  of  four  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  period  he  was  thoroughly  acquaint- 
ed with  every  kind  of  photography.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  years  he  opened  up  a  g-allery 
of  his  own  at  Osceola,  Missouri,  and  re- 
mained there  five  years,  and  then  went  to 
Jefferson  City  for  the  succeeding  year.  The 
next  six  months  he  spent  in  a  delightful  trip 
through  many  states  and  as  far  south  as  the 
gulf  of  Me_xico.  during  which  time  he  filled 
many  portfolios  with  sketches  and  views  in- 
tended for  filling  orders  from  papers  and 
periodicals,  and  also  for  speculative  work. 
Returning  to  Missouri,  he  opened  a  gallery 
in  St.  Louis,  soon  afterward  accepting  a  po- 
sition on  one  of  the  city  papers  .as  sketch 
artist:  l)ut,  although  this  was  both  pleasant 
and  iirMhtable,  Mr.  Murphy  was  obliged  to 
resign  it  on  account  of  its  requiring  too 
much  night  work.  In  September,  1897,  he 
came  to  Newton,  Kansas,  and  bought  the 
business  which  had'  been  established  here  bv 
^^'.  E.  Langan,  in  photography,  and  since 
that  time  he  has  had  a  niost  encouraging  line 
of  patronage,  and  engages  in  all  kinds  of 
photographic  work,   including  the  enlarge- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ment  of  photographs.  He  has  introduced 
•all  kinds  of  mechanical  effects  to  render  his 
pictures  life-like  and  attractive,  and  has  one 
of  the  best  appointed  studios  in  this  local- 
ity. He  has  been  selected  as  the  artist  for 
the  work  of  the  Commercial  Club,  of  this 
city. 

Mr.  Murphy  was  married  on  October  lo, 
1894,  to  Miss  Maggie  Woodall,  who  was 
born  in  Osceola.  Missouri,  and  she  was  a 
daughter  of  I.  M.  and  Winnifred  Woodall, 
now  residents  of  Newton.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Woodall  had  four  children,  viz. :  J.  D.,  who 
resides  in  Soda  Springs,  Idaho;  William, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years ;  Mag- 
gie, who  is  Mrs.  Murphy;  and  James,  who 
also  is  employed  in  the  studio.  _Two  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mur- 
phy,— Muriel  iNIargaret  and  Catherine  W. 
Mrs.  Murphy  is  a  most  estimable  lady  and 
a  consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 
Mr.  Murphy  is  well  and  favorably  known  as 
an  honest  and  upright  citizen,  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  convictions  and  is  fra- 
ternally connected  with  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and 
also  with  the  Elks. 


STEPHEN  S.  LEIGHTY. 

One  of  the  practical,  progressive  and  en- 
terprising farmers  and  stock-raisers  of  Reno 
county  is  Stephen  S.  Leighty,  whose  valua- 
ble and  attractive  homestead  is  located  in 
Lincoln  township.  He  was  born  in  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  20th  of  Feb- 
ruary,' 1853,  a  son  of  Stephen  S.  and  Eliza  J. 
(Hutson)  Leighty,  both  also  natives  of  the 
Keystone  state.  Stephen  S.,  one  of  the 
twelve  children,  was  reared  to  farm  life  on 
his  parents'  homestead  in  the  east,  and  to 
the  district  schools  of  his  native  locality  he 
is  indebted  for  the  educational  advantages 
which  he  received  in  his  youth.  He  remained 
upon  the  old  home  farm,  in  Pennsylvania 
until  1882,  in  which  year  he  came  to  Reno 
county,  Kansas,  and  here  purchased  "the 
quarter  section  of  Jand  which  he  now  owns 
in  Lincoln  township,  the  purchase  price  be- 
ing fourteen  hundred  dollars.  At  that  time 
the  land  was  but  partially  improved  and  con- 


tained a  small  house  and  barn.  Here  he  at 
once  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  he  is  now  recognized  as  one  of 
the  practical,  progressive  and  enterprising 
business  men  of  Reno  county.  He  has 
placed  his  fields  under  an  excellent  state  of 
cultivation,  and  in  his  pastures  are  found  an 
excellent  grade  of  cattle.  In  1883  he  erec- 
ted his  commodious  and  convenient  barn  and 
in  1897  his  present  attractive  and  beautiful 
residence  was  completed,  and  everything 
about  the  place  indicates  the  supervision  of 
a  thrifty  and  progressi\'e  owner. 

On  the  13th  of  November,  1872,  was 
celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Leighty  and 
Miss  Nancy  J.  Harper.  The  lady  was  born 
in  Faj'Ctte  county,  Pennsylvania,  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  R.  and  Sarah  A.  (Wadsworth) 
Harper.  Seven  children  have  graced  their 
marriage,  namely:  Alice  A.,  the  wife  of 
George  Getter;  Sarah  E.,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Harper,  a  farmer  of  Lincoln  town- 
ship; W.  G.,  Stephen  S.,  Clyde  \\'.  and  Se- 
bina  E.  The  children  have  all  received  ex- 
cellent education  in  the  schools  of  Hutchin- 
son and  Wichita. 

In  political  matters  Mr.  Leighty  form- 
erlv  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party,  but 
since  1890  he  hasi  given  his  support  to  the 
People's  party.  He  has  taken  a  very  active 
part  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  community 
and  has  served  in  many  positions  of  honor 
and  trust,  having  serv-ed  for  two  years  as 
township  treasurer,  as  overseer  of  highways 
for  one  year  and  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  for  fourteen  years,  while  many  times 
he  has  been  a  delegate  to  county  conven- 
tions. He  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  gives  his  support  to  all 
moral,  educational,  social  or  material  inter- 
ests which  he  believes  will  benefit  the  com- 
munity. He  is  a  man  of  sterling  worth  and 
iustly  merits  the  high  regard  in  which  he  is 
held. 


PATRICK  O.  FORD. 

Patrick  O.  Ford  is  now  living  a  retired 
life  in  Sterling,  Kansas,  and  his  rest  is  well 
merited  for  he  manifested  marked  activity 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


663 


and  energy  in  business  affairs,  was  a  loyal 
defender  of  the  Union  and'  has  ever  been  a 
faithful  citizen  and  upright  man.  Surely 
his  rest  is  justly  deserved! 

Mr.  Ford  was  born  in  County  Clare,  Ire- 
land, a  seaport  town,  May  4,  1840,  and  in 
October,  1848,  he  came  to  the  United  States 
with  his  mother  and  his  stepfather,  William 
and  Mary  (McNaughton)  Custy,  who  were 
also  natives  of  the  same  county.  They  came 
to  the  new  world  in  order  to  escape  the  fam- 
ine which  Ireland  was  undergoing,  and,  after 
reaching  America  took  up  their  abode  in 
Dayton,  Ohio.  The  father,  John  Ford,  died 
in  early  manhood,  leaving  but  one  child, — 
our  subject,  and  the  mother  then  married 
Mr.  Custy.  Our  subject  continued  at  home 
until  eighteen  years  of  age  and  during  that 
period  acquired  a  good  education  in  the 
common  schools.  He  then  went  to  Kentucky 
and  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which 
proved  to  him  a  source  of  livelihood  in  later 
years.  He  was  in  the  Blue  Grass  state  at 
the  time  of  the  inauguration  of  the  Civil 
war,  and  on  the  2d  of  October,  1861,  he  re- 
sponded to  the  call  of  the  Union,  enlisting 
as  a  member  of  Company  C,  Thirteenth 
Kentucky  Infantry,  with  which  he  served 
fnr  three  and  a  half  years,  coming  out  as 
c  rderly  sergeant.  By  the  bursting  of  a  shell 
at  Peach  Tree  Gap,  Georgia,  on  the  22d  of 
July,  1864.  the  drum  of  his  left  ear  was  de- 
stroyed and  h'is  right  ear  \\^as  mudli  injured. 
This  r,f  course  brought  on  considerable  deaf- 
ness and  the  government  therefore  grants 
him  a  pension  of  twenty-four  dollars  per 
month.  He  received  an  honorable  discharge 
on  the  I2th  oi  February,  1865. 

In  Kentucky,  in  January,  1868,  Mr. 
Ford  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Ara- 
minta  Edderington,  of  Aclair  county,  Ken- 
tucky. She  was  then  but  fifteen  years  of 
age,  but  for  nine  vears  she  brightened  life's 
pathway  for  him.  proving  a  pleasant  and 
helpful  companion  on  the  journey  of  life. 
On  the  13th  of  February.  1877,  however,  at 
their  home  in  Sterling,  Kansas,  she  depart- 
ed this  life,  and  Mr.  Ford  has  since  lived 
alone. 

He  is  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Ster- 
ling.    He  engaged  in  contracting  and  build- 


ing in  Kentucky  and  followed  the  same  pur- 
suits after  coming  to  Kansas.  He  was  also 
in  the  furniture  business  in  Sterling  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  through  his  well  direc- 
ted business  efforts  he  won  a  competence 
which  now  enables  him  to  live  in  retire- 
ment, enjoying  a  well  earned  rest.  Mr.  Ford 
was  reared  a  Catholic,  but  by  careful  and 
close  study  of  the  Bible  he  was  led  to  change 
his  faith  and  is  now  a  Protestant.  In  his 
political  views  he  is  a  Republican  but  the 
honors  and  emoluments  of  office  have  had 
no  attraction  for  him,  as  he  is  content  to-  per- 
form the  duties  of  citizenship  as  a  private 
citizen. 


IRA  H.  CLARK. 

Ira  H.  Clark  is  proprietor  and  editor  of 
the  weekly  and  daily  Register,  of  Great 
Bend.  This  was  the  first  newspaper  pub- 
lished in  Barton  county  and  was  established 
by  A.  J.  Hoisington  on  the  9th  of  May, 
1874.  In  1883  it  was  sold  to  E.  L.  Chap- 
man, audi  was  purchased  by  Morgan  Cara- 
way in  1889.  In  1893  Joe  Borders  became 
pToprietor,  and  in  1895  it  again  passed  into 
the  ownership  of  the  first  proprietor,  A.  J. 
Hoisington,  who  sold  the  paper  to  Ira  H. 
Clark  in  1899.  It  has  a  circulation  of  nine- 
teen hundred,  and  is  a  wide-awake,  progres- 
sive Republican  sheet.  In  1900  Mr.  Clark 
and  F.  E.  Brown  printed  the  first  daily,  a 
small  paper,  but  it  has  a  good'  circulation 
and  is  fully  up-to-date  in  every  particular. 

Mr.  Clark  was  born  in  Harrison  county, 
Ohio,  May  23,  1866.  and  is  a  son  of  Oscar 
and  Margaret  (Hamilton)  Clark,  who  re- 
moved to  Harvey  county,  Kansas,  in  1874, 
and  are  yet  representative's-  oi  its  farming 
interests.  Their  son  attended  the  public 
scIiMi.ls  a!i<l  the  State  Normal,  of  Emporia, 
and  afterward  secured  a  situation  with  the 
Walton  Independent,  having  determined  to 
become  a  journalist.  After  one  year  he  pur- 
chased the  paper,  which  he  conducted  for  a 
3'ear,  when  he  removed  to  Frederick,  Rice 
county,  Kansas,  and  established  a  weekly 
journal,  which  he  called  the  Independent. 
He  contiiuied  its  publication  for  a  year,  after 


664 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


whicli  he  brought  out  the  first  issue  of  the 
Dispatch,  in  Hoisington,  remaining  as  its 
editor  and  puMisher  until  1899,  when  he 
came  to^  Great  Bend  and  purchased  the 
weekly  and  daily  Register.  He  is  a  young 
man  of  broad  general  information,  who 
treats  in  a  fair  and  impartial  manner  the 
questions  of  the  day,  and  at  the  same  time 
gives  a  stanch  support  to  Republican  princi- 
ples. 

]\Ir.  Clark  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Nellie  DeLong,  a  daughter  of  Garrett 
and  Mary  ( Cole)  DeLong,  the  wedding  be- 
ing celebrated  on  the  27th  of  June,  1899. 
Their  union  has  been  blesised  with  five  chil- 
dren, namely :  ]\Iary  Hazel,  Bessie  Mar- 
garet, Ethel  Gertrude,  Flora  Janet  and 
Dwight  De  Long. 


M.  H.  McCAXDLESS. 

One  of  the  honored  residents  of  King- 
man county,  where  he  is  extensively  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock  raising,  M.  H. 
I^IcCandless  is  a  native  of  the  Keystone 
state,  his  birth  having  there  occurred  in 
Butler  county  in  1865.  His  father,  Robert 
^^^.  was  bom  within  a  half  mile  of  our  sub- 
ject's birthplace  and  was  a  son  of  William 
NicCandless,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  Rob- 
ert W.  grew  to  years  of  maturity  in  the 
place  of  his  nativity,  and  ^vas  there  married 
to  ]\Iiss  Matilda  Hays,  a  native  also  of  But- 
ler county,  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Scotch- 
Irish  parentage.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
^^■illiam  Hays.  Unto  Robert  W.  and  Ma- 
tilda j\IcCandless  were  born  ten  children, 
seven  sons  and  three  daughters,  but  only  six 
of  the  number  are  now  living,  namely  :  New- 
ton W.,  who  was  a  gallant  soldier  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  war;  Martin  L.,  Amanda, 
IMaryetta.  Emma  and  Milton  H.  The  fa- 
ther was  called  to  the  home  beyond  at  the 
age  of  sixty-five  years,  but  is  still  survived 
by  his  widow,  who  has  reached  the  seventy- 
seventh  milestone  on  the  journey  of  life. 

^I.  H.  McCandless,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  spent  his  youth  and 
earlv  manhood  in  the  countv  of  his  nativitv, 


and  to  its  public  school  system  he  is  indebted 
for  his  elementary  education.  The  year 
1893  witnessed  his  arrival  in  the  Sunflower 
state,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  num- 
bered among  the  leading  farmers  and  stock 
raisers  of  Kingman  county.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years  he  was  vmited  in  marriage 
to  Hattie  Gruver,  who  prior  to  her  marriage 
was  a  popular  and  successful  teacher.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Philip  Gruver,  who  loyally 
served  his  countiy  during  the  period  of  the 
Civil  war,  having  enlisted  from  Butler  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania.  He  still  resides  in  tJiat 
county.  Unto  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Airs. 
JMcCandless  have  been  born  three  children, 
Mabel  L.,  Mary  H.  and  jSIerle  G.,  aged,  re- 
spectively, thirteen,  eleven  and  eight  years. 
Both  Mr.  and  2\Irs.  jMcCandless  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  in  po- 
litical matters  he  gives  an  unfaltering  sup- 
port to  the  Republican  party.  The}-  are 
held  in  high  esteem,  and  the  kindly  social 
I  ciualities  with  which  they  are  endowed  win 
I  for  them  the  friendship  and  good  will  of 


all. 


E.  J.  DODGE. 

People  of  the  present  period  can  scarcely 
realize  the  struggles  and  dangers  which  at- 
tended the  early  settlers;  the  heroism  and 
self-sacrifice  of  lives  passed  upon  the  bor- 
ders of  civilization;  the  hardships  endured, 
the  difficulties  overcome.  Those  tales  of  the 
early  days  read  almost  like  a  romance  to 
those  who  have  known  only  the  modern  pros- 
perity and  convenience.  To  the  pioneer  of 
the  early  days  the  struggle  for  existence, 
far  removed  from  the  privileges  and  con- 
veniences of  city  and  town  was  a  stern,  hard 
one,  and  those  men  and  women  must  have 
possessed  wisdom,  immutable  energies  and 
sterling  woctli  of  character,  'as  well  as 
marked  physical  courage,  when  they  thus 
selected  such  a  life  and  successfully  fought 
its  battles  under  such  circumstances  as  pre- 
vailed in  the  west, 

E.  J.  Dodge  is  one  of  the  honored  pio- 
neers of  Barton  county  and  is  now  engaged 
in    blacksmithing    and    carriage-ironing    in 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


G65 


Great  Bend.  He  is  well  preserved  both 
mentally  and  physically  and  is  a  successful 
man  esteemed  by  all.  He  has  reached  the 
age  of  eighty  years,  is  five  feet  and  four 
inches  in  height  and  weighs  one  hundred 
and  sixty-two  pounds.  His  vigor  and  en- 
ergy remain  unimpaired  and  his  activity  is 
that  of  a  man  many  years  his  junior.  Mr. 
Dodge  was  born  in  Rome,  Oneida  county, 
New  York,  November  22,  1822,  and  traces 
his  ancestry  back  to  an  Englishman  who 
came  from  the  merrie  isle  in  the  Mayflower 
The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  Ozia 
Dodge  and  came  to  ^Massachusetts  and  fol- 
lowed farming,  but  was  killed  in  early  man- 
hood by  a  bull.  His  son,  John  Dodge,  the 
fatlier  of  our  subject,  wasi  born  in  Tailing- 
ham,  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,,  in 
17S3,  and  in  the  year  1806  married  Miss 
Sarah  Bullen,  also  a  native  of  that  state. 
Subsequent!}-  they  removed  to  Oneida  coun- 
ty, New  York,  where  the  father  carried  on 
business  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  In 
1S24  they  went  to  Oswego,  New  York,  and 
seven  years  later  to  Genesee  county,  where 
they  remained  for  only  a  year.  Their  next 
place  of  abode  was  in  Allegaii}-  cnunty,  and 
in  1836  they  went  with  their  family  to  Ke- 
nosha, \A'isconsin.  settling  in  Salem  town- 
ship. There  the  father  took  up  land  and  im- 
pro\ed  a  farm,  but  ultimately  located  in  the 
city  of  Kenosha,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade.  In  1859  he  remuvcd  to  Port  \\'ash- 
ington,  AA'isconsin,  making  his  home  with 
the  subject  of  this  review.  He  was  a  strong, 
hearty  man,  when  one  day,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven  years,  he  walked  to  the  door 
where  he  looked  about  him'  and  said  "amen." 
Turning  he  walked  back  to  the  bed,  said 
that  he  was  dying  and  Izx  down.  In  five 
minutes  life  was  extinguished.  His  wife 
passed  away  wlien  se\ent}-three  years  of 
age.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Emeline  S.,  Permelia  A., 
Leander  \A'.,  Philander  W'.,  Acsah,  Edson, 
Edwin,  Edward  J..  Lyman,  Wallace  and 
Susan. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Ed- 
ward J.  Dodge  we  present  to  our  readers  the 
life  record  of  one  who  is  widely  and  favor- 
ablv  known  in  Great  Bend  and  Barton  coun- 


ty. In  early  life  he  learned  the  trade  of  car- 
riage-ironing and  blacksmithing  with  his 
brother-in-law,  David  Crossett,  at  Kenosha, 
Wisconsin.  He  subsequently  located  at 
Port  Washington,  Wisconsin,  where  he  be- 
gan business  for  himself,  his  labors  bring- 
ing to  him  creditable  success.  \\'hile  there 
residing  he  was  married  on  the  31st  of  De- 
cember, 184b,  to  ;\Iiss  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Henry  Possen.  He  remained  a  resident 
of  Wisconsin  until  1871,  when  he  sought  a 
milder  climate,  proceeding  by  rail  as  far  as 
he  could  and  then  continued  his  journey  into 
the  interior  of  Kansas  on  a  prtispecting  tour. 
After  leaving  Russell  he  encountered  dut- 
laws  and  saw  men  shot  (liw  n.  This  rough, 
wild  life  almost  discouraged  him  in  his  at- 
tempt to-  make  a  home  in  the  west,  but  when 
he  reached  Barton  county,  saw  its  fine  lands 
and  recognized  its  possibilities  he  decided  to 
take  up' his  abode  in  thi-;  pcrtiMn  of  the  stale. 
Accordingly  he  enteral  secliMU  10,  tnwnsliip 
19,  range  13.  Through  liis  land  ran  Walnut 
creek  and  there  was  a  nice  spring  upon  the 
bank.  With  characteristic  energy  he  began 
the  work  of  erecting  a  home.  He  made 
an  excavation  fourteen  by  thirty  feet,  put 
the  body  of  a  tree  across,  covered  the  top 
with  poles  and  willow  lirush  and  then  sod 
and  dirt.  The  front  was  built  up  of  sod  and 
there  were  one  door  and  two  windows.  He 
then  built  a  barn  in  similar  manner  yet  of 
greater  extent,  and  securing  mud  from  tlie 
creek  he  plastered  this  and  wliilcw  ashed  the 
walls.  He  made  a  st'i.t  rii\]il;ice  in  his 
home  and  was  soon  well  prepared  tn  return 
for  his  family,  who  reached  Barti  11  enunty 
on  the  14th  of  November,  1ia\  iug  made  the 
journev  with  wagnu  an.]  i\\><  teams,  liring- 
ing  with  tlieni  tlieir  ii^  UM/li-ld  go,  ,d>.  Mr. 
Dodge  alsi)  liuih  a  smithy  and  was  the  first 
person  to-  engage  in  black-niithing  in  Barton 
county.  Mr.  Dodge  li\ed  hap])ily  in  the 
sod  house  for  some  thne  and  then  purchased 
a  building  which  had  been  erected  for  a 
school-house,  and  into  this  he  moved  his 
family.  In  1874  he  built  a  new  residence, 
the  best  residence  in  the  county  at  that  time. 
Buffaloes  were  to  be  seen  in  vevy  large  num- 
bers, for  in  immense  herds  they  roamed  over 
this  section  of  the  state.     In  the  early  days 


666 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


they  had  no  fear  cf  men,  having  never  seen 
them  before,  and  tlierefore  a  man  could  go 
into  the  midst  of  a  drove  of  hundreds  and 
shoot  the  one  which  he  wanted.  He  would 
then  take  the  hide  and  as  much  meat  as  he 
desired  and  leave  the  remainder  upon  the 
prairies.  Bufifaloes  often  ran  over  the  top 
of  the  sod  house  and  Mr.  Dodge  and  other 
members  of  the  family  would  go  out  and 
drive  them  away.  There  were  also  elks,  an- 
telopes, deer,  prairie  lions  and  wolves  which 
the  pioneers  killed,  selling  their  skins,  which 
thev  took  to  market  forty  or  sixty  miles 
away,  exchanging  them  for  provisions  or 
money. 

In  1872  Mr.  Dodge  erected  a  shop  at 
Great  Bend  and  engaged  in  black^mithing 
there,  but  continued  his  residence  upnn  the 
farm  until  1879,  when  he  sold  the  property. 
Avhich  now  belongs  to  his  son,  Charles  E. 
In  that  year  he  erected  Hotel  Dodge  at 
Great  Bend  and  conducted  the  hostelry  for 
two  years,  after  which  he  removed  it  to  the 
college  grounds,  living  there  for  three  years. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  built  his 
present  residence  and  shop  and  has  since 
done  a  good  Imsiness  in  the  line  of  his  trade. 
He  patented  the  Dodge  tire-shrinker  machine 
and  the  sod-cutter  disc,  which  ablv  served  the 
puq^oses  for  which  they  were  intended  and 
thus  found  a  ready  sale. 

In  1889  Mr.  Dodge  was  called  upon  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  his  first  wife,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  sixty  years.  Their  children  were : 
Charles  Edward,  Wallace  Henry,  Don  Du- 
ane,  Jennie  M.,  Lizzie  L.,  John,  Maggie  C, 
Mary  L.  and  Giles  B.,  and  with  the  excep- 
tion of  John  all  are  living.  For  his  second 
Avife  Mr.  Dodge  chose  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wells, 
a  daughter  of  William  Thornton  and  the 
widow  of  George  S.  Wells,  a  farmer  of 
Russell  county,  Kansas,  who  died  at  the  age 
O'f  forty-nine.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  namely:  Delaney  E., 
Charles  ^^^,  Benjamin  F..  Newman  G.,  Lil- 
lie,  Homer  M.,  Lizzie.  Thornton  W..  Lottie 
G.  Arthur  T.  and  Mabel. 

At  the  time  O'f  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Dodge 
enlisted  three  times  but  was  never  mustered 
into  the  service.  However,  he  acted  as  fore- 
man of  the  Chattanooga  locomotive  works 


and  thus  rendered  valuable  aid  to  his  coun- 
try. He  is  a  memlser  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity and  in  his  political  views  is  a'  stanch 
Republican.  For  several  years  he  has  ser\-ed 
as  justice  of  the  peace,  discharging  his  du- 
ties with  promptness  and  fidelity.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Presbyterian  church  and  in  all 
life's  relations  is  true  and  faithful  tO'  manly 
principles  and  to  every  duty.  Living_ through 
the  experiences  of  pioneer  life  he  is  enabled 
to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labor  and  the  im- 
provements and  conveniences  which  civiliza- 
tion has  brought  to  this  section  of  the  coun- 
trv. 


GEORGE  W.  DOZE. 

In  ever}'  period  of  American  history  the 
people  of  France  have  sympathized  with 
Americans,  in  whose  footsteps  they  have 
followed  politically,  and  in  every  decade 
from  the  beginning  of  the  settlement  in  the 
colonies  to  the  present  time  Frenchmen  have 
been  leaders  among  our  pioneers  and  in  our 
civilization  and  material  progress.  Kansas 
has  reason  to  be  proud  of  her  citizens  of 
French  blood,  and  of  such  there  is  none  in 
Kingman  county  more  prominent  or  more 
highly  esteemed  than  George  W.  Doze,  the 
proprietor  of  the  Xorwich  Roller  Mills  and 
police  judge  of  the  city  c'f  Norwich,  who 
was  born  in  America  of  French  parents. 

George  W.  Doze  is  a  native  of  Decatur 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  opened  his  eyes  upon 
this  world  November  23,  1851,  and  is  a  son 
of  Vicioi  and  Mary  (Baily)  Doze,  natives 
of  Lorraine,  France.  His  grandfather, 
John  Doze,  was  a  soldier  under  Na- 
poleon and  fought  at  Austerlitz.  Victor 
came  to  America  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
with  his  father  and  thev  located  near  Cov- 
ington, Kentucky,  where  the  elder  Doze  be- 
came a  land-owner.  Later  Victor  removed 
to  Decatur  county.  Iowa.,  where  some  years 
later  he  was  joined  by  his  father.  Eventu- 
ally he  removed  to  Sullivan  county.  Mis- 
souri, where  he  enlisted  in  Company  G, 
Eleventh  Regiment  of  Missouri  Cavalry, 
with  which  he  served  in  the  Civil  war  two 
years,  until  discharged  on  account  of  age, 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


667 


with  the  rank  of  major.  Returning  home 
he  organized  a  company  of  home  guards 
and  after  the  war  gave  his  attention  to  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising,  becoming  one  of  the 
most  extensive  land-owners  in  Sullivan 
county,  an  influential  citizen  and  a  leader  in 
many  important  affairs.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Democrat.  He  died  in  August,  1881,  aged 
eighty-five  years;  his  widow  in  1885,  aged 
sixty-eight  years.  They  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  nine  of  whom  li\ed  to  luan- 
hood  and  womanhood.'  John  i~  a  farmer  in 
Allen  township,  Kingman  cniiiii\,  l\aii-a~: 
Job  is  a  farmer  of  Sullivan  r-iiniy,  .Mis- 
souri: X'iotMi"  died  in  infancy;  Julia  is  the 
widinv  (if  <i.  T.  ^lellan:  I'dlv  is  the  widow 
of  Job  D.Mlsnn;  .Margaret  is  tlie  wife  of 
John  Hill,  of  Lyonsville,  Iowa  ;  Phoebe  mar- 
ried C.  Custer  of  Sullivan  county,,  Mis- 
souri; George  W.  is  the  immediate  subject 
of  this  sketch;  Melvina  ditd  in  infancy; 
Thomas  Jefferson  lives  in  Brown  county, 
Nel>raska;  Frank  lives  on  the  old  family 
homestead  in  Sullivan  county,  Missouri; 
and  Peter  is  a  farmer  in  Bennett  township, 
Kingman  county,  Kansas. 

George  W.  Doze  was  the  eighth  in  the 
order  of  birth  of  the  children  of  Victor  and 
Mary  (Baily)  Doze,  who  were  married  in 
Ohio.  He  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm  in 
Sullivan  cnunty.  MisSMuri,  gained  his  edu- 
cation iu'  enmniMn  schmils,  an<.l  remained 
under  his  father's  roi  ^f  until  he  was  twenty- 
three  years  old.  June  jS,  1S74,  at  Osceola, 
Missouri,  he  married  Fan  me  i '.  1  lahn,  a  na- 
tive of  St.  Clair  county,  IMissnnri,  and  a 
daughter  of  Cohunbus  and  Cilia  (Brown) 
Hahn.  natives  of  Kentucky,  who  settled 
early  in  INIissoiuri.  For  some  years  after 
his  marriage  he  farmed  in  Sullivan  county, 
Missouri,  and  after  that  gave  his  attention 
t(i  enntracting-  and  budding  tlierc  until  the 
fall  (if  1S83,  when  he  went  U>  Kingman 
county.  Kansas,  remaining  only  a  short  time, 
and  went  thence  to  Pratt  county,  Kansas, 
He  pre-empted  land  in  McPherson  township, 
in  the  county  just  mentioned,  paid  for  it  and 
remained  on  it  until  the  fall  of  1895,  when 
he  removed  to  Norwich.  Kingman  county, 
where  he  has  since  lived. 

Judge  Doze  was  engaged  in  contracting 


and  building  at  Norwich  until  October, 
1901,  when  he  leased  the  roller  mills  there, 
then  newly  remodeled  and  equipped,  with  the 
latest  machinery.  The  mill  has  a  capacity  of 
sixty  barrels  of  flour  daily,  and  the  flour 
made  by  Judge  Doze  is  as  good  in  every  re- 
spect as  any  made  aiivwhere.  In  ])(ilities  he 
is  a  Deniderat,  and  wlua-exer  he  has  lived 
he  has,  since  he  grew  up,  lieen  always  active 
in  political  affairs.  In  his  former  jdace  of 
residence  he  served  long  and  ably  in  the 
"ff!i;e  (if  ju.sticc  ("if  tlie  peace.  In  September, 
i()(H,  lie  \v;is  elected  p;dice  judge  of  the  city 
(ii  Xiirwieh,  the  duties  of  which  office  he  is 
perf I  inning  justly  and  expeditiously  and 
without  fear  or  fa\-or.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

George  W.  and  Fannie  C.  (Hahn)  Doze 
have  had  four  children:  Wallace  \V.  and 
Edgar  O.,  of  Norwich,  are  up^-to-date  pros- 
perous carpenters;  J.  Burtis  is  connected 
whh  the  circulating  department  and  the  rep- 
ortorial  statt  of  the  Wichita  Eagle;  and  Ger- 
trude Lena  died  in  Pratt  county,  Kansas, 
aged  fi\-e  years. 


JUDGE  B.  F.  OGLE. 

An  enumeration  of  those  men  of  the  pres- 
ent generation  who  have  won  honor  and 
public  recognition  for  themseh-es,  and  at  the 
same  time  ha\"e  h(ini;red  the  state  in  which 
they  belong,  would  be  incnm])Iete  were  there 
failure  to  make  prominent  reference  to  one 
w'hose  name  initiates  this  paragraph,  a  man 
of  scientific  and  literary  attainments  and  a 
valiant  and  jiairidtic  soldier.  He  has  been 
and  is  (Ii-^tilloli\■ely  a  man-of-afifairs  and  one 
whi  lias  wielded  a  wide  influence.  A  strong 
mentality,  an  in\-incil>le  courage,  a  most  de- 
termined indiA-idnalitv  has  so  entered  into 
his  makeup  as  tii  render  him  a  natural  leader 
of  men  and  a  director  of  opinion. 

Benjamin  F.  Ogle  was  born  in  Seneca 
county,  Ohio.  March  22,  1837,  his  birth- 
place being  a  farm  on  the  banks  of  Wolf 
creek.  His  father,  Josqoh  Ogle,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  followed 
teaming  until  about  thirty  years  of  age.    He 


66S 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


served  for  a  time  in  the  Continental  militia 
antl  was  a  iDatrolmp.n  in  the  war  of  1812. 
He  married  [Miss  Elizabeth  Valentine,  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  and  they  emigrated  to  Ohio, 
where  Mr.  Ogle  purchased  a  farm  upon 
which  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  active 
business  life.  At  length  he  put  aside  the 
more  arduous  duties  of_business  and  retired 
to  Tiffin,  where  he  resided  until  called  to^  the 
heme  beyond,  at  the  age  of  eighty  three 
}  ears.  His  wife  passed  aw'ay  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven  years.  In  their  fami]y  were 
tweh-e  children,  but  two  of  the  number  died 
in  infancy,  the  others  being  Maria,  Mar- 
garet, Thomas,  Elizabeth,  George,  John, 
Joshua  S..  Aaron  V.,  Joseph  and  Benja- 
min F. 

The  last  named  remained  upon  his  fa- 
ther's farm  until  seventeen  j-ears  of  age, 
during  which  period  he  had  acquired  his 
preliminary  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  and  had  been  a  student 
of  the  high  school  at  Tiffin.  He  was  after- 
ward graduated  in  the  Seminary  at  Repub- 
lic, having  completed  a  course  in  English, 
Latin  and  Greek  with  the  class  of  1855. 
During  the  winter  of  1856  he  engaged  in 
teaching  and  in  the  sprfng  of  that  year  he 
joinedi  a  party  en  route  for  California.  Mak- 
ing their  way  eastward  to  New  York  city, 
they  sailed  from  that  harbor  on  the  ship 
Crescent  City  bound  for  Panama.  Cross- 
ing the  isthmus  they  then  embarked  on  the 
sailing  vessel  Clarissa,  which  on  the  way 
stopped  at  various  islands.  This  w^as  an  in- 
teresting experience  to  Mr.  Ogle.  The  voy- 
age consumed'  seventy-two  days  and  after 
reaching  California  it  w^as  followed  by  a 
mining  experience  of  two  years.  In  this 
work  Mr.  Ogle  met  with  very  desirable  suc- 
cess and  then  returned  by  way  of  the  water 
route,  stopping  at  Valparaiso,  Kingston  and 
Xew  Orleans,  whence  he  proceeded  north- 
ward to  his  Ohio  home.  He  then  took  up  the 
study  of  law  under  the  direction  of  Judge 
James  P.  Pillars,  of  Tiffin,  Ohio,  but  before 
admitted  to  the  bar  he  saw  service  in  de- 
fense of  his  country.  When  the  element  of 
disturbance  in  the  south  precipitated  the 
country  in  civil  war  his  patriotic  spirit  was 


aroused  and  almost  before  the  smoke  from 
Fort  Sumter's  guns  had  cleared  away  he 
offered  his  aid  to  the  government,  enlisting 
on  the  20th  of  April,  1861,  as  a  meniber  of 
Company  A,  Eighth  Ohio  Infantry.  He  w^as 
made  first  lieutenant  and  the  same  year  was 
promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain  of  his  com- 
pau}'.  He  was  a  brave  and  loyal  officer  and 
his  own  valor  often  inspired  his  men  to 
deeds  of  daring.  After  two  years  spent  at 
the  front  he  received  an  honorable  discharge 
and  returning  to  his  home  resumed  his  law 
studies,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1865. 
Judge  Ogle  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Tiffin.  Ohio,  and  also  became 
interested  in  other  Hjusiness  ventures  there. 
After  two  years  he  removed  to  Toledo, 
Ohio,  where  he  followed  his  profession  for 
ten  years,  when  on  account  of  ill  health  he 
sought  a  drier  climate.  He  suffered  from 
bronchial  troubles,  and  learning  of  the  clear, 
dry  atmosphere  of  Kansas,  he  was  induced 
by  his  friends  to  take  up  his  abode  at  Great 
Bend.  He  found  that  the  report  of  the  health- 
ful conditions  of  the  country  was  not  exag- 
gerated, for  he  has  enjoyed  excellent  health 
throughout  the  period  of  his  residence  in 
Barton  county.  Opening  a  law  office  he  has 
enjoyedi  a  large  and  lucrative  business,  hav- 
ing a  distinctively  representative  clintage. 
From  1887  until  1891  he  served  as  probate 
judge  of  Barton  county  and  is  now  serving 
his  third  term  as  justice  of  the  peace,  while 
for  eighteen  months  he  acceptably  filled  the 
office  of  police  judge.  As  a  lawyer  he  is 
sound,  clear-minded  and  well  trained.  He 
is  at  home  in  all  departments  of  the  law 
from'  the  minutire  of  practice  to  the  greater 
topics  wherein  is  involved  the  consideration 
of  the  ethics  and  science  of  jurisprudence 
and  the  higher  concerns  of  public  policy. 
His  thorough  preparation  of  cases,  his  keen 
discrimination  and  logical  deductions  are  al- 
ways manifest  in  his  work  of  the  court- 
room and  much  of  the  important  litigation 
tried  in  the  district  finds  him  as  a  represent- 
ative of  either  the  defense  or  the  prosecu- 
tion. 

He  has  a  pleasant  suite  of  rooms  over 
the  Brinkman  Bank  and'  in  addition  to  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


669 


many  legal  volumes  he  has  a  very  large  and 
well  selected  general  library.  Socially  he  is 
connected  with  the  Grand  Army  Post,  has 
served  as  its  commander  and  is  now  chap- 
Iain.  He  has  won  a  host  of  friends  in  Great 
Bend  and  the  surrounding  country  and  as  a 
gentleman  of  high  scholarly  attainments  and 
sterling  worth  he  is  a  most  pleasant  and  in- 
teresting companion.  In  politics  he  has 
been  a  life-long  Republican. 


J.  T.  AXTELL,  'M.  D. 

One  of  Harvey  county's  most  progress- 
ive and  enterprising  citizens  is  Dr.  J.  T.  Ax- 
tell,  ]>hysician  and  surgeon,  and  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  Axtell  Hospital,  at  Newton, 
Kansas. 

The  birth  of  Dr.  Axtell  was  in  Warren 


countv,  Illinois,  on  August 


;6,  and  he 


was  a  son  of  J.  M.  and  Lydia  (Long)  Ax- 
tell, who  were  natives  of  Pennsjdvania  and 
Kentucky,  respectively.  His  father  came  to 
Kansas  in  1865  and  bought  a  ranch  in  An- 
derson county,  where  he  engaged  in  stock- 
raisings.  He  was  a  man  of  superior  char- 
acter and  soon  became  prominent  in  the 
county,  both  in  public  and  political  affairs, 
and  for  many  years  served  as  township  trus- 
tee. For  some  time  he  battled  with  a  serious 
attack  of  Bright's  disease.  In  1887  he  came 
to  Newton  and  his  affliction  was  treated  in 
the  Axtell  Hospital,  but  no  skill  could  cure 
him  and  his  death  occurred  in  18S8,  at  the 
age  of  sixty  years.  In  religious  belief  he 
embraced  the  Unitarian  faith  and  would 
have  been  a  mentber  of  a  church  of  that  de- 
nomination if  one  had  been  in  his  vicinity. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  passed  away 
many  years  ago,  at  the  age  of  thirty  years. 
.She  had  always  been  a  devout  member  of 
the  Baptist  churcli.  Eight  children  were 
born  to  the  parents  of  our  subject  and  all 
of  them  still  siu'vive,  with  one  exception. 

After  obtaining  a  good  common-school 
education  our  subject  passed  with  honor 
through  the  curriculum  of  the  hi,gh  school 
in  Garnett,  and  then  taught  school  for  the 
succeeding  three  vears,  following  this  period 


with  two  years  at  the  University  of  iNIichi- 
gan  at  Ann  Arbor.  His  high  standing  at 
this  great  institution  enabled  him  to  secure 
the  position  as  principal  of  one  of  the  large 
western  schools,  and  he  remained  there  for 
two  years.  During  all  of  his  teaching  life 
he  kept  steadily  in  view  the  end, — that  of 
qualifying  himself  as  a  physician  and  sur- 
geon. The  opportunity  came  at  last  and  he 
graduated  at  Bellevue  Hospital,  New  York, 
in  1883.  Previous  to  taking  his  last  course. 
Dr.  Axtell  practiced  in  Honeywell  through 
the  summer  of  1882,  but  after  graduation 
he  went  to  Newton  and  remained  there  in 
practice  until  the  present  time. 

On  May  18,  1882,  Dr.  Axtell  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Lucena  Chase,  who 
was  a  native  of  Michigan  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  I.  Chase,  at  that  time  a  very  promi- 
nent man  in  the  state  of  Kansas.  In  1886 
Dr.  Axtell  returned  to  Bellevue  Hospital 
and  took  a  post-graduate  coiu'se  and  was 
one  of  the  surgeons  of  the  out-door  depart- 
ment, gaining  experience  there  which  he 
could  have  obtained  in  no  other  way.  To 
give  an  idea  of  the  volume  of  his  business, 
we  v.ould  state  that  in  one  year  seventy 
thousand  cases  were  treated,  ranging  from 
those  which  required  but  little  surgery  to 
those  of  the  most  delicate  and  dangerous 
character.  After  one  year  of  this  laborious 
but  instructive  work,  Dr.  Axtell  returned  to 
Newton  and  established  the  Axtell  Hos- 
pital, in  1887.  Since  that  time  many  thou- 
sand patients  have  been  under  treatment 
here,  the  number  now'  averaging  one  thou- 
sand a  year.  This  institution  has  much 
more  than  a  local  celebrity.  The  staff  of 
physicians  and  surgeons  include  Mrs.  Dr. 
Axtell,  who  graduated  in  medicine  in 
March,  1897,  at  the  University  of  Kansas 
City,  and  noav  devotes  her  entire  time  to  the 
hospital  work;  and  also  Dr.  Frank  Abbey, 
with  a  number  of  consulting  physicians. 
Dr.  Abbey  is  a  brother-in-law  to  Dr,  Axtell, 
graduating  at  the  University  of  Kansas 
City  in  1897,  since  which  time  his  close  care 
ancl  attention  has  been  given  to  the  hospital 
patients.  All  diseases  are  treated  except 
contagious  ones,  but  much  of  the  skill  of 
tlie  facultv  is  directed  to  surgical  cases,  and 


6/0 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


a  specialty  is  made  of  the  diseases  of  the  eye, 
ear  and  nose.  A  general  practice  is  also 
carried  on,  although  Dr.  Axtell  is  almost 
always  occupied  with  surgical  cases,  his  skill 
and  success  having  caused  the  public  to  rely 
upon  him.  In  1895  Dr.  Axtell  was  elected 
professor  of  orthopedic  surgery,  and  occu- 
pies this  chair  in  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  at  Kansas  City,  Kansas,  and 
he  usually  passes  his  winters  as  an  instructor 
and  demonstrator  m  that  city. 

]Many  honors  have  been  bestowed  upon 
Dr.  Axtell.  In  1896  he  was  made  one  of 
the  surgeons  of  Bethany  Hospital,  a  Metho- 
dist hospital  in  Kansas  City,  and  has  been 
on  that  stafif  ever  since.  Probably  no  opera- 
tion known  to>  modern  surgery  has  not  been 
performed  in  the  Axtell  Hospital.  Dr.  Ax- 
tell is  a  student  and  a  forcible  and  instruct- 
ive writer,  and  many  of  his  papers  have  been 
published  by  the  various  medical  societies 
before  which  they  have  been  read.  He  is  a 
consulting  surgeon  for  at  least  one  hundred 
physicians,  and  his  judgment  is  almost  uni- 
versally accepted. 

The  Doctor  has  three  daughters :  Lil- 
lian, who  is  a  student  in  the  State  Univer- 
sity at  Lawrence,  Kansas ;  [Marguerite,  a 
student  in  the  Newton  public  schools ;  and 
Alildretl.  In  religious  belief  Dr.  Axtell  is 
a  Unitarian.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  has  been  a  delegate  many  times  tO'  con- 
\-entions. 

Aside  from  his  professional  life,  Dr.  Ax- 
tell has  found  recreation  in  the  breeding  of 
fine  horses,  of  which  he  has  a  great  admira- 
tion. One  of  the  horses  bred  in  his  stables 
is  the  w'ell  known  Hans  McGregor,  who  has 
a  trotting  record  of  2  : 1 1  ;^ .  Besides,  he  has 
about  fifty  standard  mares  and  colts  and 
other  fine  animals.  He  has,  perhaps,  the 
largest  and  most  complete  stables  in  the 
county,  and  in  Athletic  Park,  at  Newton,  he 
has  built  forty  box  stalls.  Of  this  park  he 
was  one  of  the  founders,  in  1897,  and  he  is 
still  one  of  the  proprietors.  It  comprises 
forty  acres  and  is  well  arranged  for  driving 
and  racing.  The  Doctor  also  owns  four 
hundred  acres  of  land  adjoining  Newton. 

As  a  physician  our  subject  is  prudent 
and  careful,  an  enthusiast:  as  a  citizen  and 


man  he  is  upright  and  progressive,  and  he 
is  justly  esteemed  both  in  his  profession  and 
bv  his  fellow  citizens. 


W.  B.  CLAYTON. 

The  list  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Rice 
county  contains  the  name  of  W.  B.  Clayton, 
one  of  the  representative  and  honored  citi- 
zens of  the  locality.  His  record  as  a  soldier 
and  as  a  business  man  has  been  so  honorable 
that  he  has  gained  the  confidence  and  good 
will  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought 
in  contact.  He  w;as  born  in  Marshall  coun- 
ty, West  Virginia,  January  13,  1845,  ^""J  is 
a  son  of  .Tylee  Clayton,  a  native  also  of  Vir- 
ginia. His  parents  removed  from  New  Jer- 
sey to  the  Old  Dominion  and  were  of  Ger- 
man descent.  Tylee  Clayton  was  reared  to 
the  cpiiet  pursuits  of  the  farm  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Bush,  a  native  of  Virginia  and 
of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  descent.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  ten  children,  namely : 
John  Wesley,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Lhiion  army  during  the  Civil  war,  and  is 
now  deceased;  Jacob,  who  served  in  the 
Forty-third  Ohio  Regiment  for  three  years 
during  the  Civil  war.  and  died  in  Marshall 
county,  \'irginia:  A\'illiam  B.,  the  subject 
of  this  review :  Isaac,  a  resident  of  Newark. 
Ohio ;  George,  of  Dodge  City,  Kansas ; 
Elizabeth,  deceased;  Sarah  who  became 
Mrs.  Caldwell  and  resides  in  Marshall  coun- 
ty, Virginia;  Margaret,  now  Mrs.  Wilson, 
of  Marshall  county,  Virginia ;  and  Susan 
and  Rebecca,  who  died  in  the  Old  Doinin- 
ion.  The  father  was  called  to  the  home  be- 
yond at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  He  was 
a  stanch  supporter  of  Republican  principles, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The 
mother  also  reached  the  se\entieth  mile- 
stone on  the  journey  of  life. 

A\'.  B.  Clayton,  whose  name  introduces 
this  record  was  reared  to  the  honest  toil  of 
the  farm,  and  the  common  schools  of  Mar- 
shall county  afforded  him  his  educational 
privileges.  At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war 
his  lovaltv  asserted  itself  and  lie  liecame  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


671 


member  of  Compan\-  A,  Forty-third  Ohio 
\'olunteer  Infantry.  He  enlisted  in  Octo- 
ber, 1 86 1,  at  Bellaire,  Ohio,  under  Colonel 
Kirby  Smith,  who  was  mortally  wounded 
at  Corinth.  He  was  later  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Swann,  who  was  wounded 
at  South  Corinth,  at  which  place  Captain 
Spangler  was  also  killed,  and  Mr.  Clayton 
\Aas  next  under  the  command  of  Captain  C. 
'SL.  Davis.  His  regiment  took  part  in  many 
hard  fought  battles,  including  Xew  Madrid, 
Corinth  and  Alemphis.  and  at  the  last  named 
place  the  regiment  veteranized  and  our  sub- 
ject returned  home  on  a  furlough.  After 
his  leave  of  absence  had  expired  he  rejoined 
his  regiment  and  went  to  the  front,  fighting 
against  General  Hood's  forces  at  Decatur, 
Alabama.  He  took  part  in  the  siege  of  At- 
lanta, went  with  General  Sherman  on  his 
memorable  march  to  the  sea,  and  on  through 
the  Carolinas  tO'  Richmond,  Virginia,  and 
finally  to  Washington,  D.  C.  where  he  took 
part  in  the  grand  review,  the  most  wonder- 
ful militar}'  pageant  ever  seen  on  the  western 
hemisphere. 

After  the  close  of  hostilities  IMr.  Clay- 
ton retuned  to  his  home  in  [Marshall  coun- 
ty, Virginia,  where  he  remained  until  1870, 
when  he  removed  to  Kendall  county,  Illi- 
nois. The  year  1874  witnessed  his  arrival 
in  the  Sunflower  state,  securing  a  homestead 
in  Center  township.  Rice  coimty.  He  after- 
ward sold  that  property  and  purchased  his 
present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
which  he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  the  rich  and  fertile  fields  annu- 
ally yielding  to  the  owner  a  golden  tribute 
in  return  for  the  care  and  labor  which  he  be- 
stows upon  them.  The  place  is  located  five 
miles  from  Frederick  and  is  one  of  the  well 
improved  and  valuable  places  of  the  lo- 
cality. 

\Mren  twenty-three  years  of  age  'Sir. 
Clayton  secured  as  a  companion  for  the 
journey  of  life  ]\Iiss  Margaret  Coffield, 
who  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in  Vir- 
ginia, a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Sarah  Cof- 
field. She  was  subsequently  called  to  the 
home  beyond,  leaving  three  children  :  New- 
ton, who  is  an  employe  of  the  Standard  Oil 
Company  and  resides    in    southern    Ohio ; 


William,  a  resident  of  Marshall  county,  Vir- 
ginia ;  and  Sarah,  of  Dodge  City,  Kansas. 
In  ]\Iarch,  1881,  Mr.  Clayton  was  again 
married,  his  second  union  being  with  Miss 
Mary  Keesling,  who  was  born  in  ^Vythe 
county,  Virginia,  and  was  there  reared  and 
educated.  She  is  a  daug'hter  of  James 
Harvey  Keesling,  of  Rice  county,  Kansas. 
The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clayton  has 
been  blessed  with  three  children,  namely : 
Cora,  Harvey  and  Libby.  M^r.  Clayton 
maintains  pleasant  relations  with  his  did 
army  comrades  by  his  membership  in  Kit 
Carson  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Lyons,  of  which 
he  is  a  charter  member.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  active  and  worthy  members  of  the 
^^lethcdist  Episcopal  church.  He  is  a  man 
of  strong  mentality,  of  broad  humanitarian 
principles  and  kindly  motives.  No'  trust  re- 
posed in  him  has  ever  been  betrayed,  and 
whether  on  the  field  of  battle  or  in  private 
life  he  is  true  to  his  country  and  its  best 
interests, — a  loyal  and  patriotic  citizen. 


DAVID  HOWELL. 


David  Howell  is  a  retired  ranchman  and 
farmer  of  prominence,  who  has  for  some 
years  been  identified  with  agricultural  in- 
terests in  Barton  county,  but  is  now  enjoy- 
ing a  well  earned  rest  in  Great  Bend.  He 
was  horn  in  Knox  countv,  ()hiii.  in  1S3J, 
his  parents  Ijcing  Jeremiah  and  ?\Iargaret 
(Sharp)  Howell.  His  father  was  a  lum- 
berman, who  died  when  about  forty  years 
of  age.  His  wife  survived  him  until  forty- 
five  years  of  age,  when  she,  too,  was  called 
to  the  home  beyond.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  nine  sons,  all  of  whom  grew  to 
manhood,  namely :  Philip,  Aaron,  John, 
Xelson,  Morris,  William,  David,  Caleb  and 
Peter, 

Our  subject,  how^\-er,  is  the  only  repre- 
sentative of  the  family  now  living.  In  his 
youth  he  learned  the  hlacksniith's  trade  and 
on  leaving  Ohi':  i-eni-vod  1. 1  Winterset, 
Iowa,  where  he  I)c_;aii  Imsiiiess  for  himself. 
He  soon  secured  a  good  patronage,  but  de- 
siring- to  extend  the  field  of  his  labors  he 


6/2 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


left  the  Hawkeye  state  for  sunny  Kansas, 
having  heard  various  reports  of  the  splendid 
opportunities  afforded  in  this  state.  In 
1878  he  purchased  railroad  land  for  five  dol- 
lars and  twenty  cents  per  acre,  becoming- 
owner  of  a  tract  on  section  29,  Eureka 
township.  Barton  county.  With  character- 
istic energy  he  commenced  improving  his 
]ja-operty  and  for  four  years  thereafter  he 
also  carried  on  his  blacksmithing  business 
in  Iowa.  He  would  come  to  Kansas,  plant 
his  crops  and  then  return  to  his  smithy. 
Subsequently  he  sold  four  hundred  acres  of 
his  land,  which  is  now  owned  by  R.  W. 
Gould,  but  he  still  retains  two  hundred  acres 
of  the  original  tract.  He  after^vard  bought 
for  ten  dollars  an  acre  the  northern  half  of 
section  20.  Eureka  township,  and  there  he 
made  his  home,  erecting  thereon  a  fine  set 
of  buildings.  He  also  planted  considerable 
fruit,  putting  out  cherry  and  peach  trees 
and  much  small  fruit.  His  farm,  however, 
is  largely  devoted  to  the  raising  of  stock  and 
grain,  making  a  specialty  of  wheat,  which 
has  yielded  as  high  as  forty  bushels  to  the 
acre.  In  1900  he  raised  on  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  sixty-nine  hundred 
bushels  by  machine  measurement,  while  his 
barley  crop  yielded  sixty-five  bushels  to  the 
acre.  He  also  keeps  on  hand  one  hundred 
and  sixty  head  of  graded  cattle,  and  his 
business  interests  are  conducted  along  the 
most  progressive  lines.  In  1900  Mr.  How- 
ell purchased  the  Brinkman  residence  on 
jMartin  street.  Great  Bend,  where  he  is  novv' 
living.  From  that  point  he  superintends  his 
farming  interests,  but  is  not  activelv  en- 
gaged in  the  operation  of  his  land  and  the 
care  of  his  stock  as  he  was  in  former  years. 
Mr.  HoAvell  has  been  twice  married. 
He  first  married  INIiss  ]\Iartha  Jane  Snavely, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  forty-seven  years.  There  were  four 
children  born  of  that  marriage,  but  Her- 
schel,  Elliott  and  Ellsworth  are  now  de- 
ceased. Charles,  the  third  son,  is  a  farmer 
of  Barton  county,  who  married  Miss  Mary 
L.angford  and  has  four  children.  For  his 
second  wife  Mr.  Howell  chose  iliss  Kate, 
daughter  of  Amos  De  Koe.  of  Ohio.  They 
had  three  children :     Xellie,  who  possesses 


considerable  music  talent;  Eveline  il.;  and 
Leona  \'..  who  are  now  deceased. 

Mr.  Howell  has  long  been  an  honored 
and  enterprising"  pioneer  citizen,  and  when 
the  lebellion  in  the  south  made  necessary  the 
military  services  of  the  patriotic  sons  of  the 
nation,  he  responded  to  the  call  for  troops 
in  1862  enlisting-  as  a  private  in  Company 
F,  Thirty-sixth  Iowa  Infantry,  in  which  he 
served  until  honorably  discharged  in  Sep- 
tember, 1865.  He  was  wounded  in  the 
neck  at  the  battle  of  Mark's  ]^lill.  Arkansas. 
He  now  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order 
cf  Odd  Fellows,  being  identified  with  both 
blue  lodge  and  encampment  and  is  likewise 
a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
^^'crkmen,  and  he  is  a  member  of  Pap 
Thomas  Post  cf  Great  Bend. 

Through  an  active  and  useful  business 
career  he  has  not  only  won  a  competence 
br.t  has  also  gained  the  high  regard  of  those 
witli  whom  he  has  been  associated. 


HEXRY   STROHAIEYER. 


Reno 


Of  the  honored  retired  farmer; 
county,  Kansas,  none  is  held  in  higher  es- 
teem by  his  fellow  citizens  than  Henrv 
StroRmeyer,  whose  residence  is  at  Xo.  1000 
Sixth  a^•enue.  East  Hutchinson,  a  brief  bi- 
ographical account  of  whom  it  is  the  pur- 
pose of  the  editors  to  include  in  this  work. 

Henry  Strohmever  was  born  at  Pome- 
roy,  Meigs  county,  Ohio.  January  4.  1843. 
a  son  of  Frederick  C.  Strohmeyer.  who  was 
a  native  of  Bickaburg  province  in  Prussia. 
One  of  Mr.  Strohmeyer's  great-uncles 
served  under  X^apoleon  as  a  soldier  in  his 
historic  Russian  campaign.  Frederick  C. 
Strohmeyer,  who  was  a  wea\-er  and  a  fanner 
and  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  came 
to  America  in  1840,  on  a  sailing  vessel  which 
landed  at  Baltimore.  From  Baltimore  he 
went  to  Ohio  and  after  working  on  the 
Ohio  canal,  near  Athens^,  for  a  short  time. 
he  located  at  Pomeroy,  Ohio,  where  from 
1840  to  1858  he  was  overseer  of  coal  mininp- 
operations  and  speculated  to  some  extent 
in  real  estate.     In  i8^8  he  bought  a  farm  of 


MR.   AND   MRS.    HENRY  STROHMEYER. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


6/3 


one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  acres  nine  miles 
from  Pomeroy,  on  which  he  hved  until 
1872,  during  which  time  he  put  many  im- 
provements on  the  place.  In  1873  1''^  sold 
i.ut  his  interests  in  Ohio  and  removed  to 
i'.arton  county,  Kansas,  where  he  bought 
<  lie  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  which, 
hnwever,  he  soon  sold  to  buy  three  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  in  Pioneer  township.  Rice 
c'unty.  Kansas,  where  he  farmed  for  some 
lime  1  r  until  he  became  a  member  of  his 
s,  n's  li.aHclioId.  He  died  in  1884,  deeply 
regretted  li\-  all  .wIim  had  knuwii  him,  for 
he  wa.s  a  friomll}-  man  i;f  hmad  s_\aiipathies, 
a  man  of  much  intelligence  with  a  rich  fund 
of  general  information,  who  read  much  and 
thought  deeply  on  many  subiects.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  devout  in  his  worship,  upright  in 
his  daily  life  and  helpful  alike  to  the  church 
and  to  his  brethren  in  the  human  family,  ir- 
respective of  religious  af^liation.  Politi- 
cally he  was  a  AMiig  and  later  a  Republican 
and  his  interest  in  all  important  public  ques- 
I  tions  was  intelligent  and  comprehen'sive. 
Mr.  Strohmeyer's  mother  died  February 
5,  1899,  at  the  residence  of  her  son,  Got- 
ieib  Strohmeyer,  in  Rice  county. 

The  suliject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth 
born  of' his  parents'  seven  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living  at  this  time.  Their  son, 
Frederick  G.  Strohmever,  is  an  employe  of 
'  a  coal  and  salt  company  at  Syracuse,  Meigs 
county,  Ohio.  Their  daughter,  Mary,  who 
is  the  widow  of  Frederick  Elberfeld,  lives 
at  Pomeroy,  Ohio.  Their  son,  Gotleib,  is  a 
farmer  in  Rice  county,  Kansas-  Their  son, 
^  Henry  Strohmever,  who  is  the  immediate 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  next  in  order 
of  birth.  Their  son.  AA'illiam,  died  in  in- 
fancy. Their  daughter.  Sophia,  married 
John  Circle,  a  farmer  oi  Racine,  Ohio. 
Their  daughter,  Catherine,  died  in  infancy. 
Henry  Strohmeyer  had  no  educational  ad- 
vantages lic\-t  nd  till  se  afforded  by  common 
schools  near  In-  1m  i\  Ik  h  id  home.  He  worked 
,  on  his  fatlar's  ':irm  until  June,  1861,  when, 
at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  enlisted  for  three 
years"  service  in  the  Civil  war,  in  Company 
M,  First  Regiment  Virg-inia  Cavalry,  at 
Pomeroy,  Ohio.     .Vfter  spending  some  time 


in  the  barracks  at  \\'heeling,  \'irginia,  now 
West  Virginia,  he  was  sent  to  Clarksburg, 
where  the  regiment  was  drilled  and 
equipped.  From  Clarksburg  the  regiment 
was  sent  to  New  Creek,  Virginia,  where  its 
experience  of  war  began.  During  the  fall 
of  1861  it  was  employed  in  scoutmg  and  in 
picket  duty,  and  it  was  then  sent  to  Paw- 
paw Tunnel,  where  it  remained  until  March, 
1862.  Thus  far  it  had  not  i).-irliriii;:(Lil  in 
any  important  engagement,  Inn  n-,  -nxice 
had  been  constant,  arduous  .-md  .Ian -n  .  .ns. 
In  March,  1862,  the  reginu:::  mi,,  .;  ;Iie 
rear    guard    of    Stonewall     i,i>;  <    m- 

mand,  and  in  a  charge  wliirli  •  <  ri;;i,  4  at 
diat  time  young  Strohmeyer's  horse  fell  and 
the  youth  received  a  severe  injury  to  his 
left  hip  joint,  from  which  he  has  never  fully 
recovered,  and  for  the  disability  so  caused 
and  for  a  considerable  impairment  of  his 
vision  caused  by  exposure  in  service  he  re- 
ceives an  inadequate  pension  of  fourteen 
dollars  a  month.  After  its  attack  on  Stone- 
wall Jackson's  rear,  the  regiment  was  next 
engaged  at  Winchester,  where  the  Union 
army,  under  General  Shields,  defeated 
Stonewall  Jackson  and  compelled  him  to 
retreat.  The  regiment  participated  in  the 
pursuit  of  Jackson  under  ci  .mniand  of  Gen- 
eral Kimbel,  as  General  Shields  was  badlv 
wounded  at  Winchester,  and  was  unfit  for 
active  service.  It  was  in  the  engagements 
at  Newmarket,  Cross  Keys,  Port  Repulilic, 
Manassas,  and  other  ooints  and  assisted  in 
the  defense  of  Washington.  After  the  bat- 
tle of  Antietam  it  took  part  in  the  pursuit 
of  Lee  \.o  the  Rapidan  river  and  saw  hard 
fighting  at  Culpeper  Court  House.  At 
the  second  Bull  Run  engagement  the  regi- 
ment was  attached  to  General  Buford's 
command  and  was  sent  to  the  defense  of 
Wa,shington,  till  after  the  battle  of  Antie- 
tam. At  \A'arrenton,  while  the  horses  were 
unsaddled,  they  were  surprised  bv  Mosby's 
guerrillas.  A  few  threw  themselves  on  bare- 
backed horses  and  escajjcd  ami  "iliers  gath- 
ered in  a  convenient  buildiuL;  and  made  a 
hard  fight,  but  the  force  was  badly  cut  up. 
After  the  fights  at  Culpeper  Court  House, 
Brandy  Station  and  Kelly's  Ford,  the  regi- 
ment  participated   in    the   pursuit     of    Lee 


674 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


toward  Frederickstown,  Maryland,  and  at 
Hanover  Coiu't  House  it  was  in  a  severe 
engagement  with  General  Stewart's  cavalry. 
After  that  the  regiment  fought  at  Gettys- 
burg. Pennsylvania,  in  the'  brigade  of  Gen- 
eral Fanisworth,  who  with  many  others 
was  killed  in  a  desperate  charge.  In  that 
decisive  battle  Lieutenant  Palmer  of  Com- 
pany C,  was  badly  wounded  and  young 
Strohmeyer  assisted  him  from  the  field.  The 
young  man's  next  fighting  experience  was 
in  the  capture  of  a  train  at  South  Mountain 
Gap,  where  he  and  his  companions  dashed 
in  between  Early  and  Longstreet,  wh'oi  were 
defeated  and  pursued  to  Hagerstown, 
^Maryland.  There  was  another  fight  on  the 
old  pike  road  and  another  on  Gaines'  cross 
roads  and  still  another  at  Warrenton,  fol- 
lowed by  more  fighting  near  Gaines"  Mills, 
^leanwhile  IVIr.  Strohmeyer's  term  of  en- 
listment had  expired  and  he  re-enlisted  in 
his  old  company  and  regiment.  In  the 
spring  of  1864  he  was  in  the  Dublin  depot 
raid  in  southwest  Virginia,  under  command 
of  General  Averill.  In  the  severe  fight  at 
Wytheville  a  detachment  which  included 
v'-iung  Strohmever  was  cut  off  from  the 
main  command  and  compelled  to  cross  the 
mountains  by  a  rugged'  and  dangerous  road, 
over  which  the  men  were  obliged  to  lead 
their  horses  much  of  the  way.  Arriving  at 
Lewiisburg,  Virginia,-  the  detachment 
camped  there  for  a  time.  ^'1  mng  Stroh- 
meyer's regiment  Avas  in  the  L\nclil>urg  raid 
and  met  Hunter's  command  at  Staunton  and 
after  a  fight  at  Lynchburg  fell  back,  cover- 
ing its  retreat  to  Salem.  After  that  it 
fought  at  Carter's  Farm  and  at  Bunker's 
Hill,  then  at  A\"inchester  and  at  Fisher's 
Hill,  under  General  Sheridan.  Mr.  Stroh- 
meyer's command  was  not  actively  engaged 
at  Cedar  Creek  but  he  was  an  eye  witness 
cf  Sheridan's  famous  ride.  Later  he  was 
sent  to  Sandyhook,  near  Harper's  Ferry, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  drilling  troops 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  On  one  occa- 
sion our  young  soldier  captured  a  Confed- 
erate flag,  and  on  account  of  that  gallant 
service  he  was  mentioned  for  promotion, 
which  he  refused  to  accept.  He  participated 
in  the  grand  review  at  Waslrington  and  was 


honorably   discharged   from   the   service   at 
Wheeling,  West  Virginia. 

November  20,  1865,  Henry  Strohmeyer 
married  Margaret  Schlagel,  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  Schlagel, . 
who  was  descended  from  German  ancestrv. 
For  some  time  he  farmed  near  Pomero\-, 
Ohio,  and  then  went  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  a  boss  driver  for  a 
mining  company.  Later  he  took  charge  of 
a  mine  at  Tarentum,  Pennsylvania,  and 
thence  he  went  to  the  oil  region  of  West 
Virginia,  where  for  a  time  he  was  engaged 
in  boring  wells.  From  West  Virginia  he 
returned  to  Pomeroy,  Ohio,  where  he 
worked  in  the  rolling  mills  and  later  set- 
tled on  his  father-in-lawi's  and  then  on  his 
father's  farm.  July  26,  1872,  he  started 
for  Kansas  and  soon  after  his  arrival  there 
he  took  up  a  homestead  claim  in  Barton 
county,  where  he  was  one  of  the  earlv  set- 
tlers and  where  he  remained  until  1875, 
when  he  sold  his  interests  there  and'  went  to 
Rice  county,  Kansas,  where  he  pre-empted 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  and 
afterward  bought  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres.  There  were  many  buffaloes  roam- 
ing the  plains  when  Mr.  Strohmeyer  went: 
to  Kansas,  but  they  disappeared  rap- 
idly. Mr.  Sfn:lnneycr  sin  t  the  last  O'ue  ever 
seen  north  if  l-;i!iii\\  m,  d.  In  1874  grass- 
hoppers tuok  all  his  cm  and  later  he  had 
many  other  trculiles  peculiar  to  the  locality. 
In  1890  he  sold  his  land  in  Rice  county  and 
went  to  Reno  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
bought  the  northwest  one-quarter  of  section 
30,  township  22,  range  4,  upon  which  he 
made  many  improvements. 

Mr.  Strohmever  continued  farming  and 
stock  raising  until  1899,  when  he  sold  his 
farm  and  removed  to  Hutchinson,  \^•here 
he  owns  six 'houses  and 'about  twenty  valua- 
ble lots.  He  has  a  large  and  well  appointed 
residence  situated  on  a  homestead  comprised 
of  eight  lots.  While  a  resident  of  Rice 
county  he  served  his  fellow  citizens  as  town- 
ship treasurer  and  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  is  ;i  strong  Republican,  though  not  a 
priicucal  politician,  and  he  ^nd  his  wife 
are  niLiiiliers  nf  the  United  Brethren  church. 
Nine  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


675, 


^Irs.  Strohmeyer,  named  as  follows,  in  the 
order  of  their  birth :  William,  a  farmer  in 
Oklahoma;  Anna  M.,  the  wife  of  Alonzo 
]\Ioore,  who  is  employed  in  the  salt  works 
at  Hutchinson;  Dorothy  E.,  the  wife  of 
William  Randall,  a  carpenter  and  painter 
at  Hutchinson;  Cathrina  A.,  the  wife  of  Asa 
Swen,  a  farmer  of  Rciin  CMunty;  Sarah  E., 
the  wife  of  William  Alackliii.  of  Kent,  Kan- 
sas; Charles  F.,  a  farmer  in  Oklahoma; 
Susan  L.,  a  member  of  her  parents'  house- 
hold; and  \Mlliam,  Carter  H.  and  Matilda, 
who  are  deceased.  ISIr.  Strohmeyer  is  re- 
garded as  one  of  Reno  county's  substantial 
citizens,  enterprising  beyond  many  others, 
his  puljlic  spirit  is  well  developed  and  he  is 
an  acti\e  and  helpful  friend  of  all  measures 
tending  to  the  general  good  of  the  people 
of  his  citv  and  county. 


FRAXCIS  L.  YOUXGS. 

Among  those  in  Rice  county,  Kansas, 
who  b.ave'been  in-miiucnUil  in  advancing 
agricultural  intcre-!-.  <  nr  >  1  the  most  prom- 
inent is  Francis  F.  Vnuny-.  "f  Little  River 
township.  Mr.  Youngs  was  born  in  Broome 
county.  New  York,  October  2,  1853,  a  son 
of  John  and  Dotia  (Silliman)  Youngs,  who 
were  born  and  married  in  the  state  of  New 
York.  John  Youngs  was  born  February 
iS,  1809,  was  a  prominent  farmer  and  died 
on  his  homestead  in  the  state  of  New  York 
on  :March  17.  1S78,  and  his  wife  survived 
him  until  January  16,  1879.  He  was  a 
plain,  unassuming  man  without  political 
aspirati.in,  a  patriotic  citizen  and  a  faithful 
husljand  and  ].;ner,t.  1  )^  ti:i  Silluiian,  the 
mother  of  the  -^ul-jcct  <  1  ilii.>  skctch,_  was  a 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Silliman,  a  farmer, 
who  served  his  country  in  the  war  of  1812, 
nu>ved  to  Wisconsin  in  i860,  was  a  farmer 
in  Rock  count)-  and  died  there  past  ninety 
vears  of  age.  '  He  had  children  named 
Dutia.  Pollie.  Hiram,  Benjamin,  Marcia  and 
Car.  ■lino.  J' hn  Youngs  had  brothers 
named  William,  Ira,  George,  Frederick  and 
Griggs  Youngs,  the  last  mentioned  of  whom 
was"  a  soldier  in  the  Federal    army    in    the 


Civil  war,  and  sisters  Jane  and  Margaret. 
The  mother  uf  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  an  earnest  ar,<!  active  member  of  the 
Methodist  F[)iscui)al  church,  a  model  wife 
anel  mother,  who  bore  her  husband  children 
as  folloiws:  Jennie,  not  married;  Ettie  M., 
born  January  27,  1852,  and  married  George 
Jewell;  Sarah,  who  died  young;  Charle.-. 
who  lives  at  Binghamton,  New  York ; 
Francis  L.,  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Hibbard,  who  lives  in  the  west,  in 
Arkansas;  Edward  1).,  who  is  in  Alaska; 
Benjamin,  who  is  a  Methodist  minister  and 
lives  in  JMichigan ;  Flora ;  and  Ella. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  at  the  age 
of  nine  years  taken  to  Wisconsin  by  his 
uncle,  B.  J.  Silliman,  to  live  with  his  grand- 
parents there  until  he  was  fourteen  years 
old,  when  he  t^uk  up  tht^  battle  uf  life  for 
hinisell',  wcrknig  through  the  spring,  sum- 
mer and  fall  as  a  farm  hand  for  such  pay  as 
he  could  get  and  working  for  his  board  and 
attending  school  during  winter  months,  and 
so  diligent  was  he  as  a  student  that  he  ob- 
tained a  fair  practical  education.-  In  1869 
he  went  to  Illineiis,  where  he  secured  em- 
ployment as  a  farm  hand  and  where  he  made 
his  headqtiarters  while  traveling  extensively 
in  Illinois,  Dakota  and  other  western  states. 
Eventually  he  rented  a  farm  in  Illinois  and 
farmed  there  successively  until  the  fall  of 
187S,  when  in  company  with  others  he  went 
to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Rice  count}-,  where 
he  yet  lives.  In  iiartnership  with  another 
he  made  the  purc'iK'-e  >  i  a  eiaim  fr^  ni 
Charles  Brown,  on  A\Iiich  there  were  S'.nie 
poor  improvements  and  on  which  they  tiled 
homestead  papers.  They  began  active  op- 
erations by  building  a  small  house.  The 
following  year  Mr.  Young's  partner  became 
dissatisfied  and  decided  to  return  east,  and 
in  order  to  buy  his  share  in  the  claim  ]\Ir. 
Youngs  was  obliged  to  borrow  money,  at 
four  per  cent,  per  month.  It  was  a  dubious 
proposition,  but  his  motto  was  "make  or 
break,"  and  he  believed  that  he  could' solve 
the  prulilcm  liy  hard  labor  and  in  time 
provci]  himself  master  of  the  situation. 

In  iSSo  Mr.  Yuungs  married,  and  from 
that  time  on  his  good  wife  stood  with  him 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  helping  him  most  vali- 


6/6 


UOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


antly  to  wage  the  battle  of  life.  They 
fought  a  good  fight  and  victory  perched  on 
their  banner.  They  imi>roved  a  good  farm, 
erected  a  substantial  dwelling,  barns  and 
other  necessary  outbuildings  and  at  last 
knew  themselves  to  be  free  from  debt  and 
prosperous.  Mr.  Young's  honest,  manly 
course  during  that  period  of  trials  and 
struggles  commended  him  strongly  to  the 
good  opinion  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He 
has  added  to  his  original  holdings  until  he 
now  OAms  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
land  as  good  as  lies  within  the  borders  of 
Rice  county,  divided  by  beautiful  hedge 
fences  into  fields  devoted  to  various  branches 
of  agriculture  and  beautified  with  groves  and 
shade  trees.  The  location  of  this  model 
farm  is  a  very  convenient  one,  in  the  Little 
River  valley,  six  jniles  southeast  of  Little 
River.  j\Ir.  Youngs  has  given  his  attention 
to  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  he 
has  been  very  successful  in  raising  and  feed- 
ing Poland  China  hogs.  He  is  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  term  a  self-made  man,  of  whom 
it  may  be  truly  said  that  "he  is  the  archi- 
tect of  his  own  fortune."  Inheriting  from 
his  forefathers  a  goodly  stock  of  Yankee  en- 
ergy and  perseverance,  he  has  made  it  avail- 
able to  him  in  his  struggles  for  success,  and 
it  has  enabled  him  to  advance  to  a  position 
in  which  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing men  in  the  county,  and  by  his  triumph 
over  many  obstacles  tn  demonstrate  in  a 
measure  the  possibilities  which  Kansas  holds 
out  to  men  of  enterprise  who  are  Avilling 
to  venture  and  to  labor.  He  is  a  public- 
spirited  citizen,  w'ho  is  helpful  to  all  prom- 
ising general  interests.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  ^Masonic  order  who  has  taken  the  Mark 
i\Iaster's  degree,  the  Past  ]Master's  degree 
and  the  Most  Excellent  INIaster's  degree  oi 
capitular  Masonry  and  been  exalted  to  the 
august  degree  of  Royal  Arch  Mason. 

In  1880  Mr.  Youngs  married  Mary  J. 
Galpin,  who'  was  born  in  Knox  county,  Illi- 
nois, July  10,  i860,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Augusta  (Curtis)  Galpin,  who  were  born 
in  Indiana  and  Ohio,  respectively,  and  were 
early  settlers  in  Knox  county,  Illinois, 
where  John  Galpin  is  a  man  of  prominence. 
]Mrs.  Galpin  was  a  daughter  of  Paul  D.  Cur- 


tis, who  went  from  Ohio  to  Galena,  Illinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  lead-mining  and  was 
at  one  time  the  associate  of  the  late  General 
and  President  U.  S.  Grant.  Later  in  life 
Mr.  Curtis  was  a  prosperous  farmer  in  Illi- 
nois, whence  he  removed  to  Rice  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  died.  He  had  children 
named  as  follows:  Diantha,  Jerome,  Jo- 
seph, Louisa,  Helena  and  Augusta.  John 
and  Aug'usta  (Curtis)  Galpin  had  children 
named  as  follows :  Thomas,  who  lives  in 
Galesburg,  Illinois;  Sadie,  who  married  E. 
Case;  Marj'  J.,  who  is  Mrs.  Francis  L. 
Youngs ;  Wesley,  Henry  and  Fred,  whO'  live 
in  Illinois ;  and  Rose,  who  married  Qarence 
Sherman.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Galpin  were  con- 
sistent members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

Francis  L.  and  Mary  J.  (Galpin) 
Youngs  have  nine  children,  who  were  born 
at  the  dates  which  follow  their  respective 
names  :  LeRoy,  November  19,  "1880;  Sadie, 
January  3,  1882;  Carrie,  April  2^  1884; 
Hugh,  April  24,  1886;  John,  October  23, 
i887;,Rufus,  May  18,  1889;  Mary,  July  18, 
1891 ;  Frank,  June  7,  1893;  and  Willie, 
September  20,  1895. 


J.  W.  PATTERSON. 

Among  the  leading  citizens  of  Newton, 
Kansas,  is  J.  W.  Patterson,  who  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  real-estate,  insurance  and  loan 
business,  and  who  possesses  in  high  degree 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  whole  com- 
munity. 

The  birth  of  INIr.  Patterson  was  in 
Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  on  May  13,  1843, 
and  he  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Andrew  and  Eliza- 
beth (England)  Patterson,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Dr.  Patter- 
son, after  graduating  at  Jefferson  Medical 
College,  in  Philadelphia,  located  at  ^^'ash- 
ington,  Ohio,  as  early  as  1836,  and  for 
fifty-eight  years  devoted  his  whole  energy 
to  the  practice  of  medicine.  Both  as  a  citi- 
zen and  as  a  practitioner  he  was  well  known, 
his  knowledge  and  skill  giving  him  a  repu- 
tation even  as  far  as  Zanesville  and  Colum- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


677 


bus,  to  which  cities  he  was  frequently  called. 
There  are  residents  of  Xewton  who  bear 
grateful  tribute  to  his  meniDry  as  the  physi- 
cian in  their  families  during  tlie  greater  part 
of  his  active  life.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war  he  was  not  physically  able  to  enter 
the  ranks,  but  he  was  in  full  accord  with  the 
policy  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  used  his  influence 
for  the  prosecution  of  the  war.  The  death 
of  Dr.  Patterson  was  in  October,  1897,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six  years,  his  wife  sur- 
viving" but  one  year,  her  age  being  seventy- 
eight  years.  Both  had  been  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which 
Dr.  Patterson  was  an  elder. 

J.  W.  Patterson,  of  this  sketch,  was  the 
second  member  of  the  family  of  four  chil- 
dren born  to  his  parents,  the  (jthers  being: 
David  E.,  who  resides  in  \\'ashini;ion.  Ohio, 
where  he  keeps  a  general  sture  and  has  been 
prominent  for  a  number  of  years ;  Mary  J., 
who  is  'Mrs.  O.  B.'  Clark,  of  Minneapolis, 
J\Iinnesota,  where  her  husband  has  been  a 
most  efficient  officer  O'f  the  express  service 
for  twenty  years ;  and  Dr.  Andrew,  who  be- 
came well  kno'wn  in  the  practice  of  den- 
tistry, but  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six 
years. 

Our  subject  received  botli  a  common- 
school  and  academic  education  and  then  en- 
tered the  mercantile  business,  in  1865,  mov- 
ing to  Marion  county,  Illinois,  and  removing 
to  Kansas  in  1868.  Locating  in  Fyrt  Scott, 
he  accepted  the  position  of  day  clerk  in  a 
hotel  and  remained  one  year  there,  and  then 
went  to  Kumboldt,  Kansas,  where  he  be- 
came a  clerk  in  a  land  office  and  had  an  ex- 
cellent opportunity  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  law  pertaining  to  the  same.  On  May 
I,  1870,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  by 
President  Grant  and  served  until  1880,  dur- 
ing a  part  .if  wliich  time  he  also-  served  as 
agent  for  the  Aihinis  Express  Company.  At 
the  expiration  (jf  hib  official  term,  he  remov- 
ed to  Xewton  as  the  agent  of  this  company 
and  continued  in  their  employ  until  they 
sold  their  interests  to  the  Wells-Fargo  Com- 
pany in  1882. 

At  this  time  i\[r.  Patterson  entered  the 
Harvey  County  Bank  as  the  real-estate  and 
lean  agent,  serving  until    two    years  later. 


when  this  institution  was  merged  into  the 
Newton  National  Bank,  since  which  time 
he  has  engaged  in  the  real-estate,  loan  and 
insurance  business  on  his  own  account. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Paterson  was  in 
1878,  in  Humboldt  Kansas,  tO'  Miss  Eva  F. 
Bellus,  who  was  born  in  Adrian,  Michigan, 
and  who  filled  the  position  of  money-order 
clerk  in  the  post  office  in  that  city  for  eighr 
years.  She  graduated  at  the  Adrian  high 
school  and  has  been  of  much  assistance  to 
Mr.  Patterson  on  account  of  her  fine  pen- 
manship and  accuracy  at  figures.  Two  chil- 
dren have  been  born  of  this  marriage,  viz. : 
Clara  M.,  of  the  home  circle;  and  James  B., 
who  is  now  in  the  United  States  railway 
miail  service,  running  from  Newton  to 
Guthrie,  Oklahoma. 

Both  ]\ir.  and  Mrs.  Patterson  are  con- 
nected with  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
socially  they  belong  to  the  Knights  and  La- 
dies of  Honor.  ]\Ir.  Patterson  is  a  well 
known  MaTi'i,  belrniging  to  the  blue  lodge, 
chapter  and  ciiMiiandery,  for  ten  years 
being  secretary  ^1  the  first  named,  for  ten 
years  holding  the  position  in  the  chapter, 
and  several  years  the  standard-ljearer  in  the 
commandery.  For  a  period  of  ten  years  our 
subject  was  one  of  the  leading  members  of 
the  school  board,  resigning  that  position  to 
become  a  director  and  the  \'ice  president  of 
the  public  lilirary,  which  office  he  has  filled 
for  the  pa-^t  twelve  years.  :\Ir.  Patterson  is 
an  ardent  Renuljlican  and  has  served  on  the 
central  and  (-ther  committees  at  various 
times.  Both  he  and  3.1rs.  Patterson  enjoy 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  citizens  of 
Newton. 


G.  F.  AHLBEI>LG. 


The  subject  of  this  review  is  actively 
connected  with  a  profession  which  has  im- 
portant bearing  upon  the  progress  and  stable 
prosperity  of  any  section  or  community,  and 
one  which  has  long  been  considered  as  con- 
serving the  public  welfare  by  furthering  the 
ends  of  justice  and  maintaining  public  right. 
Mr.  Ahlberg  is  now  one  of  the  well  known 
voung  attornevs  at  Lvons,   where    he    has 


678 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


already  won  a  prominent  position  since  his 
admission  to  the  har  in  1S94.  He  is  one  of 
the  native  sons  of  Rice  county,  his  birth 
ha\-ino-  occurred  near  Lyons,  on  the  9th  of 
March,  1874.  Like  many  of  the  intelligent 
and  progressive  citizens  of  the  west,  he  rep- 
resents Swedisli  ancestry.  His  father,  Da- 
vid 'Ahlberg,  was  born  in  Sweden  and  be- 
longed to  a  family  celebrated  for  intelli- 
gence, industry  and  reliability  in  all  the 
walks  of  life.  In  his  native  country  the  fa- 
ther was  reared,  accjuiring  a  good  education 
in  the  Swedish  tongue.  On  crossing  the  At- 
lantic to  the  new  world  he  spent  a  few 
months  in  the  east  and  then  proceeded  west- 
ward to  Geneseo,  Henry  county,  Illinois. 
In  that  locality  he  took  up  his  abode  on  a 
farm,  and  as  a  companion  and  helpmate  on 
life's  jotu-ney  he  chose  Miss  INIarie  Enstrom, 
the  wedding  being  celebrated  in  Illinois. 
The  lady  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in 
.Sweden.  They  began  their  domestic  life  in 
Henry  county,  where  they  remained  until 
1 87 1,  when  they  came  to  Rice  coimty,  Kan- 
sas, the  father  securing  a  homestead  near 
Lyons.  He  transformed  the  land  intO'  a 
valuable  tract  and  is  to-day  regarded  as 
one  of  the  leading  and  representative  agri- 
■culturists  O'f  his  community.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ahlberg  were  born  four  children, 
namely :  Mrs.  Reed,  now  a  widow ;  Mrs. 
Hoffman,  who  is  residing  in  Los  Angeles, 
California ;  Mrs.  Shay,  also  in  Los  Angeles; 
and  G.  F.,  of  this  review'. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of 
G.  F.  Ahlberg  we  present  to  our  readers  the 
life  record  of  one  who  has  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance in  Rice  county.  He  spent  his  youth 
upon  the  old  homestead  farm,  and  as  age 
and  strength  permitted  assisted  in  the  work 
of  field  and  meadow,  thus  developing  a 
strong  constitution.  He  attended  the  public 
school  of  the  neighborhood  duririg  his  youth 
and  afterward  matriculated  in  the  Nebraska 
State  University,  where  he  was  graduated 
with  the  class  of  1894,  having  pursued  the 
law  course,  which  fitted  him  for  admission 
to  the  bar.  His  knowledge  of  the  science  of 
jurisprudence  is  comprehensive,  for  he  is  a 
close  and  discriminating  student  and  is  con- 
tinually broadening  his  mind  by  reading  and 


study.  He  prepares  each  case  which  is  en- 
trusted to  him  with  marked  care  and  pre- 
cision and  is  well  equipped  toi  meet  the  op- 
posing arguments.  In  his  political  views  he 
is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  being  regarded  as 
one  of  the  leaders  oi  the  party,  wherein  his 
counsel  carries  weight.  He  was  considered 
a  popular  candidate  for  the  position  of  coim- 
ty attorney  on  the  fusion  ticket  in  1900,  but 
lost  in  the  great  landslide  of  Kansas  in  that 
year,  the  Republicans  carrying  the  entire 
state.  Socially  he  is  identified  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  That  the 
friends  who  have  known  him  from  boyhood 
are  numbered  among  his  warmest  admirers 
is  an  indication  that  his  career  has  been  an 
honoraljle  and  upright  one,  worthy  of  high 
regard.  He  has  always  resided  in  Rice 
county,  and  his  success  sets  at  naught  the 
old  adage  that  a  prophet  is  never  without 
honor  save  in  his  own  country.  Fie  has  al- 
ready won  distinction  by  his  legal  skill  and 
ability,  and  is  nOAV  enjo^dng  a  good  business 
as  one  of  the  capable  young  lawyers  of  the 
communitv. 


JOHN  STEPHENSON. 

John  Stephenson  is  the  OAvner  of  a  A-alu- 
able  tract  of  land  in  Evans  township,  King- 
man county.  Many  years  of  his  life  have 
been  passed  in  this  locality,  and  he  is  there- 
fore widely  and  favorably  known  to  its  set- 
tlers. He  was  bom  in  Greene  county,  Ohio, 
in  1839.  His  father,  John  Stephenson,  Sr. 
was  also  a  native  of  that  county,  to  which 
place  his  father  had  removed  in  a  very  early 
day.  The  latter  was  a  captain  in  the  war 
of  1812,  and  became  an  influential  and  val- 
ued resident  of  the  locality  in  which  he  made 
his  home.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestr}-. 
John  Stephenson,  Sr.,  grew  to  years  of  ma- 
turity in  the  county  of  his  nativity,  and  was 
noted  for  his  great  physical  strength,  he 
having  been  one  of  the  strongest  men  in 
Greene  county  and  was  also  an  excellent 
wrestler.  He  followed  the  tilling  of  the  soil 
as  a  life  occupation.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  A^ears  he  AVas  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  Batdorf,  a  native  of  Pennsvlvania. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


6/9 


and  of  Dutcli  descent.  They  became  the 
parents  of  eight  chihhen,  five  of  whom  are 
J,  now  hving,  namely:  Ciciirge,  who  was  a 
'  soldier  in  the  Eighty-ninth  Indiana  In- 
fantry during-  tlie  Civil  war  and  now  resides 
at  Wabash,  Indian.a ;  John,  the  subject  of 
this  review;  Mary  Reynolds,  of  Urbana, 
Illinois;  Rebecca  Dawson,  of  RantO'uI,  Illi- 
nois; and  Almira,  who  makes  her  home  at 
the  same  place.  Those  deceased  are :  Sarah 
Jane  Tyner.  w'ho  died  in  Wabash  county, 
Indiana ;  Amanda  Dawson,  who  died  in 
Rantoiil,  llliiini-^:  ;iii(l  William,  who^  passed 
away  at  iho  ;i-c  (  f  ihirt;  -rine  years.  In  1870 
Mr.  and  2\Irs.  Stephcnsr.n  removed  from  In- 

(diana  to  Champaign  damty,  Illinois,  lo- 
cating in  Rantoul,  where  the  father  still  re- 
sides, aged  ninety  years.  The  mother  is  still 
li\ing,  now  aged  eighty-two  }cars.  In  po- 
litical matters  he  ga\-e  his  pnliUcal  support 
I  to  the  Democracy  until  18511.  -''"'"'•'  which 
time  he  has  upheld  the  principles  di  ilic  Ive- 
publican  party.  He  is  a  prominent  and  wor- 
thy member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  in  wdiich  denomination  his  wife  also 
held  membership  relations,  although  she  was 
reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith. 

John  Stephenson,  the  immediate  subject 
lit  this  re\"icw,  w-as  reared  in  lioth  Greene 
c^uiily,  (  )lii'i,  and  \\'abash  cainty,  Indiana, 
and  was  early  inured  to  the  labors  of  field 
and  meadoaV.  In  1865  he  removed  from 
Indiana  to  Champaign  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  made  his  heime  until  he  came  to 
Kansas,  that  event  taking  place  in  1886. 
Shortly  after  his  arrival  here  he  piuxhased 
a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and 
his  son  now  owns  an  adjoining  oaie  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  so  together  they  now 
have  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  tw'enty 
acres.  As  time  has  passed  by  the  land  has 
been  placed  under  a  fine  state  of  cultivation, 
the  necessary  buildings  erected,  .and  this  is 
now  one  of  the  finest  homesteads  of  the  lo- 
cality. 

When  twenty-four  years  of  age  Mr. 
Stephenson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ellen 
Stoker,  who'  w*as  born  in  Madison  county, 
Indiana,  a  daughter  of  ^^^illiam  Stoker,  now 
deceased.  Her  mother  died  when  she  was 
but  a  babe,  and  she  was  reared  in  the  home 


of  Squire  John  IMcGuire  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Wabash  ci  uniy,  Indiana.  Fi\e  chil- 
dren ha\e  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ste})liensiin.  two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters :  Cora  Belle,  wife  of  H.  H.  Saunders, 
of  Kingman;  Grant  W.,  who,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-one  years,  is  still  at  home,  and  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows  fraternity;  Bertha  Pin- 
son,  who  resides  in  Harper  City,  Kansas: 
Grace  Piiikin.  (  f  ( larden  Plain;  and  Earl, 
wdio  is  on!}'  sc\entcen  years  of  ag'e  and 
w^eighs  three  hundred  and  twenty  pounds. 
The  average  weight  of  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs. 
Stephenson  and  their  five  children  is  two 
hundred  and  fifteen  pounds  each.  Mr. 
Stephenson  exercises  his  right  of  franchise 
in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of  the 
Republican  party.  .Vlthdugh  a  puljlic-spir- 
ited  and  loyal  citizen  at  all  times,  he  has 
never  sought  or  desired  the  honors  or  emolu- 
ments of  public  office,  preferring  rather  to 
gi\-e  his  undi\-ided  time  to  his  business  inter- 
ests. 


LEONARD  WALTERS. 

Among  the  prominent  citizens  of  Kan- 
sas contributed  to  this  state  by  Indiana  is 
Leonard  Walters,  who:  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Richland  township,  Kingman 
connty,  coming  here  in  1878.  He  has  been 
one  of  the  successful  and  progressive  farm- 
ers of  this  li-cality  and  is  one  of  the  most 
widely  known. 

The  birth  of  Leonard  ^Valters  was  in 
1857,  ii^  Bartholcme^v  county,  Indiana,  his 
ancestry  reaching  back  tO'  a  great-grand- 
father who  was  born  in  German}-.  His 
grandfather,  who'  also'  was  Leonard  Walt- 
ers by  name,  was  born  in  Ohio,  the  famil}- 
having  moved  to  that  state  from  Pennsyl- 
vania. Thomas  Walters,  the  father  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Ohio  but  now  re- 
sides in  Jasper  county,  Indiana,  wdiere  he 
carries  on  farming.  Thomas  Walters 
married  Miss  Lucinda  Quinn,  a  most  esti- 
mable woman,  who  was  beloved  by  all  wlio  - 
knew  her.  She  was  a  daughter  of  William 
Ouinn,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  was 


680 


BI0GRAPHIC4L  HISTORY. 


of  Scotch  ancestry.  Mrs.  Walters  died  in 
early  life,  her  years  numbering  only  thirty 
and  some  months,  and  she  left  three  chil- 
dren, namely :  Martha  J.,  of  Greenwood 
county,  Ivansas;  Leonard,  oi  this  record; 
and  Charles,  of  Indiana.  By  a  second  mar- 
riage Thomas  Walters  reared  eight  chil- 
dren. 

The  early  life  of  Leonard  AA'alters  was 
passed  on  a  farm,  where  he  became  thor- 
oughly acc]uainted  with  the  practical  necessi- 
ties of  an  agricultural  career,  selecting  farm- 
ing as  his  vocation.  He  secured  a  good 
common-school  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  Indiana,  became  a  practical 
farmer  and  took  his  place  among  the  prom- 
ising young  householders  of  his  nati\'e  coun- 
ty. In  1878  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
]\Iiss  Jessie  Day,  who  was  born  in  Jasper 
cainty,  Indiana,  and  whO'  was  a  daughter 
iif  Wilbur  and  Margaret  Day  and  also  a 
sister  to  Hon.  John  Day,  of  this  county. 
After  marriage  Air.  Walters  came  with  his 
bride  to  Kansas,  and  he  took  tip  a  claim  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  Osage 
tract,  in  Richland  county,  and  here  he  has 
continued  to  follow  farming  ever  smce. 
:\Irs.  Walters  died  April  18,  1894,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-four  years,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren, viz. :  Clyde  W.  who  is  twenty-one 
years  old :  Orth,  who  is  eighteen  years  old : 
and  Ralph,  who  was  born  October  22,  1S92. 
The  second  marriage  of  our  subject  oc- 
curred in  ]\Iarch,  1901,  when  he  wedded 
]\Irs.  I.  A.  Dehcrity,  who  was  the  widow  of 
George  W.  Dehority  and  the  daughter  of 
William  and  Elizabeth  J.  (Cline)  Cook, 
both  of  whom'  were  born  in  Ohio  and  be- 
came residents  of  Belmont  township,  King- 
man county,  Kansas,  in  November,  1884. 
Thev  had  eleven  children,  named:  Jeffer- 
son,' :\Iary,  Elizabeth,  Sarah,  I.  A.,  Hattie, 
Oscar  W'illiam,  Phebe,  Susan,  Dora  and 
Tina.  Mrs.  Walters  was  reared  in  Illinois, 
and  was  educated  in  Will  and  Livingston 
c  unties  111  iliat  slate.  After  her  marriage 
ti-  (.eirge  W.  1  )eht  rity  they  came  to  King- 
man ciuntv,  in  1882.  and  here  he  died,  in 
1S92,  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years.  Fra- 
ternallv  he  was  connected  with  the  order  of 
Woodmen.       Two    children    survive    him. 


namely :  Mrs.  Maud  Lees,  of  Kingman 
county,  Kansas ;  and  Eliza,  who'  was  born 
the  2 1st  day  of  October,  1891. 

Success  has  attended  the  agricultural 
efforts  of  Mr.  Walters  and  he  is  now  the 
owner  of  one  of  the  best  farms  of  the  town- 
ship, consisting  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  while  Mrs.  Walters  owns  a  tract  of 
one  liundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Belmont 
township.  A  comfortable  residence  and  all 
the  first-class  improvements  which  testify  to 
the  efficienc}^  of  a  farmer  may  be  noted  here, 
the  attractiveness  and  evident  prosperity 
showing  conclusively  that  a  thorough 
farmer  has  the  management  of  this  estate. 

In  politics  Mr.  W'alters  is  a  Populist, 
and  he  is  a  man  of  influence  in  his  locality, 
well  read  and  posted  on  all  current  topics  of 
interest.  He  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in 
the  educational  tidvancement  of  this  section 
and  has  done  no  small  part  in  aiding  meas- 
ures in  that  direction.  Mrs.  Walters  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  she 
ably  aids  her  husband  in  offering  a  gene'^- 
ous  hospitality  to  friends  and  neighbors,  this 
beautiful  virtue  being  found  nowhere  more 
flourishing  and  general  than  among  the  old 
settlers  of  Kansas.  Many  changes  have 
taken  place  in  this  state  since  Mr.  Walters 
first  made  his  home  here,  and  he  has  been 
a  factor  in  much  of  the  agricultural  develop- 
ment. 


J.  A.  McCONNELL. 

J.  A.  r^lcConnell  is  the  proprietor  of  the 
Little  Ri\er  vt^ck  farm  and  is  one  of  the 
most  pruiniiiLiit  representatives  of  stock 
raising  interests  in  central  Kansas.  He  is 
engaged  in  the  breediii;;  mI  shorthorn  cat- 
tle and  has  done  much  t..  innnive  the  grade 
of  cattle  raised  in  this  portion  of  the  state, 
so  that  his  efforts  have  been  of  wide-spread 
benefit,  for  through  the  imorovement  of  the 
stock  its  market  \-alue  has  been  increased  and 
added  prosperity  has  therefore  come  to  the 
community.  Mr.  McConnell  caipe  to  Rice 
county  in  1881,  and  has  since  been  num- 
bered'among  its  prominent,  intelligent  and 
prosperous  citizens. 


I 


MR.   AND  MRS.  J.   A.   McCONNELL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


68 1 


Almost  half  the  width  of  the  continent 
separates  him  from  his  birthplace,  for  he 
was  born  in  Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania, 
June  25,  1S4J,  a  son  of  William  McConnell, 
wlKjse  Ijirth  occurred  in  the  same  county 
in  1804.  and  he  represented  one  of  the  old 
and  highly  respected  families  of  the  com- 
munity. The  McConnells,  however,  were 
of  Scotch  descent,  the  grandfather,  Thomas 
McConnell,  having  been  born  in  the  land 
of  hills  and  heather.  After  arriving  at  years 
of  maturity  .William  McConnell  married 
Catherine  IMorthland,  who  was  born  in 
York  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1812,  and 
was  a  woman  of  many  estimable  qualities. 
The}-  became  the  parents  of  nine  children; 
of  whom  seven  are  yet  living,  namely :  El- 
len, James  A.,  Mary,  N'ancy,  William,  Mar- 
garet and  Marshal.  In  the  }-ear  1857  the 
family  removed  to  Henry  county,  Illinois, 
locating  near  Woodhull.  They  were  earlv 
settlers  cf  that  locality,  taking  up  their 
abode  there  when  the  country  was  wild  and 
the  work  of  progress  and  improvement 
seemed  scarcely  begun.  The  father  opened 
up  a  good  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  and 
vigorously  prosecuted  his  agricultural  pur- 
suits until  he  had  developed  an  excellent 
home  and  surrounded  his  familv  with  all 
the  necessities  and  many  of  the  luxuries 
of  life.  In  his  farming  operations  he  was 
quite  successful  and  as  the  years  passed 
gained  a  liandsome  competence.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Democrat  and  in  religious  be- 
lief was  a  Presbyterian.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-seven  years,  but  his  widow  is 
still  living  and  now  resides  in  Henry  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  Her 
many  excellent  characteristics  have  won  for 
her  the  love  and  friendship  i.f  all  with  whom 
slie  has  been  liri  iiglit   in  c^  ntact. 

J.  A.  AlcCiiiinell.  whose  name  forms  the 
caption  c>f  this  review,  spent  the  first  fif- 
teen years  of  his  life  upon  the  old  familv 
homestead  in  the  Keystone  state  and  then 
accompanied  his  jiarents  on  their  removal 
to  Henry  county.  Illinois.  Lessons  of  in- 
dustr\-,  eciinomy  and  integritv  were  early 
instilled  intn  his  mind  ;inil  bis  literary  train- 
ing was  recei\-ed  in  the  ])u])lic  schools  of 
his  native  state  and  of  Illinois.  He  is  a  man 
of  excellent  memorv  and  has  a  good  practi- 


cal education.  Reading  and  observation 
have  largely  added  to  "the  knowledge  ac- 
quired in  school,  and  he  is  particularly  well 
informed  on  general  historv  and  on  all  mat- 
ters of  interest  at  the  present  time.  He  as- 
sisted in  the  work  of  tiie  home  farm  uQtil 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he  started 
out  in  life  on  his  own  account,  and  in  the 
usual  manner  of  most  young  men  entering 
on  a  business  career  he  sought  a  companion 
and  helpmate  on  the  journey  of  life,  be- 
ing married  in  1864,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Stitt,  who  was  bom  in  Franklin  countv, 
Pennsylvania,  and  spent  her  girlhood  days 
in  that  state  and  in  Illinois,  her  parents, 
William  and  Margaret  Stitt,  both  passing 
a\\ay  in  Heiir}^  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McConnell  began  their 
domestic  life  in  IlIiiK.is.  and  unto  them  six 
children  were  born,  nainch- :  Frank,  a  stock 
dealer  of  Little  Rivei-.  Ivansas;  Mrs.  Lotta 
A.  Duvall,  whose  lmsl),!n,l  is  the  editor  of 
the  Inman  Review,  nf  Kansas  ;  Uussell  M.,  a 
successful  attorney  in  Oklahoma;  Minnie, 
wife  of  George  Annabel,  editor  of  the  Cen- 
tral Democrat,  a  weekly  paper  issued  at 
Lyons,  Rice  county.  Kansas;  David,  editor 
of  the  Rice  County  Eagle,  published  in  Lv- 
ons;  Lillie  Dale,  who  died  aged  one  year; 
and  William,  who  is  li\-inp-  in  McPherson 
county,  Kansas.  The  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily was  called  to  her  final  rest  in  1873.  She 
was  a  devoted  wife  and  mother  and  a  kind 
neighbor  and  enjoyed  the  unqualified  re- 
gard of  all  with  whom  she  came  in  contact. 
In  1876  Mr.  McConnell  was  again  married, 
his  second  union  being  witli  Mary  Connor, 
a  daughter  of  R.  F.  and  Jane  (Roach)  Con- 
nor, both  of  whom  died  in  Clarinda,  Page 
connty,  Iowa.  Their  daughter.  Mary,  was 
born  near  Sa;vannah,  Missouri,  but  when 
only  one  year  old  she  was  taken  bv  her  par- 
ents to'  Clarinda,  Iowa,  where  she  recei\ed 
her  education  in  the  high  schoid  of  that  city. 
After  graduating  therein  she  taught  in  the 
same  school  for  about  eight  years,  after 
which  she  accepted  a  position  in  Amity 
College,  a  Presbyterian  institution  at  Col- 
lege Springs,  Page  countv.  Tlic  marriage 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McConnell  was  celcbr.ated 
in  Clarinda,  Iowa. 

From  the  time  of  his  first  marriage  un- 


68'2 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


til  1881.  ^Nlr.  :\IcConnell  resided  in  Illinois 
and  was  identified  with  the  agricultural  in- 
terests of  that  state.  He  then  came  to  Kan- 
sas, taking  up  his  ahode  in  Rice  county, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  The  pe- 
riod has  been  one  of  success  to  him.  for  in 
his  fanning  operations  he  has  prospered  and 
is  now  the  owner  of  five  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  valuable  land,  on  which  is  a  good 
residence,  barns  and  other  improvements. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful stock  dealers  and  breeders  in  this 
portion  of  the  state  and  keeps  on  hand  two 
hundred  head  of  cattle,  together  with  a  large 
number  of  horses  and  hogs.  For  a  num- 
ber of  vears  he  has  been  prominently  known 
as  a  breeder  uf  sliDrthnrn  cattle,  and  liis  herd 
is  a  very  fine  one,  including  some  \-ery  fine 
high  grade  animals.  His  business  ability 
is  indicated  in  his  diligence,  his  prominence 
and  trustworthiness,  qualities  which  have 
won  him  continued  advancement  and  which 
insure  him  success.  In  his  political  views 
he  is  a  Democrat  and  religiously  is  con- 
nected with  the  Presbvterian  church.  His 
life  has  been  an  active,  busy  and  useful 
one,  and  Rice  county  numbers  him  among 
its  most  valued  and  worthv  citizens. 


^I.  T.  HEDGES. 


Prominent  among  the  loyal,  public- 
spirited  and  esteemed  citizens  of  Newton, 
Kansas,  is  M.  T.  Hedges,  who  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  state  since  1885,  was  for- 
merly engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but 
is  now  justice  of  the  peace  and  is  located 
in  the  city.  The  birth  of  Mr.  Hedges  was 
in  Brooke  county.  West  Virginia,  on  June 
6,  1842,  and  he  was  a  son  of  Aloses  and 
Nancy  A.  (Jones)  Hedges,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Virginia  and  the  latter 
on  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland. 

Moses  Hedges  was  born  on  May  19, 
1795,  and  was  eighteen  years  old  when  he 
became  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  18 12.  Our 
subject  has  his  commission  in  which  he  was 
made  an  ensign  in  that  war.  Mr.  Hedges 
was  a  fanner  all  his  life  and  was  one  of 


the  leading  members  of  the  Alethodist 
church  in  his  neighborhood,  for  forty  years 
being  steward  and  class-leader.  The  words 
that  told  'A  his  death,  which  occurred  on 
August  13,  1871,  resound  with  loving  praise 
and  affectionate  tribute  to  a  worthy  Chris- 
tian who  had  lived  for  years  as  an  example 
of  the  highest  type  of  manhood. 

The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  July 
12,  1804,  and  her  death  occurred  in  Octo- 
ber, 1864.  From  girlhood  she  had  been  a 
member  of  the  ilethodist  church,  and  she 
was  the  embodiment  of  all  that  was  good, 
lovely  and"womanly,  and  was  the  personifi- 
cation of  a  truly  Christian  character. 

M.  T.«  Hedges,  who  is  our  subject,  was 
the  youngest  of  se\en  children,  and  four  of 
the  family  still  survive,  these  being,  aside 
from  our  subject:  ilary  A.,  who  is  Mrs. 
L.  B.  Gould;  Aaron;  S.  E.,  who  is  the  wife 
of  William  Ward, — and  all  of  them  reside 
in  Nebraska. 

Our  subject  was  pursuing  his  studies  at 
Bethany  College,  in  West  \'irginia.  when 
the  Civil  war  interrupted  them,  and  in  Feb- 
ruary. 1861,  he  removed  to  Illinois,  and  ori 
December  30  of  the  same  year  he  enlisted  in 
Company  K,  Twenty-sixth  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Corinth,  on  May  28,  1862.  Then  followed 
that  long  list  of  battles  which  brought  sor- 
row into  so  many  homes,  both  m  the  north 
and  in  the  south, — the  long  struggle  at 
Vicksburg,  then  Jackson,  Mississippi,  and 
then  Missionary  Ridge.  After  this  battle 
the  regiment  went  to  the  relief  of  General 
Burnside  at  Kno-xville,  in  1863.  After  this 
came  the  seventy-two  days  and  nights  when  ' 
they  were  under  fire  in  a  part  of  the  siege 
O'f  Atlanta,  and  then  the  regiment  followed 
Hood  back  to  Gadson,  Alabama,- continu- 
tlly  engaged  in  skirmishing.  With  General 
Sherman  on  his  never-to^be-forgotten  march 
to  the  sea,  thence  to  Goldsboro,  North  Caro- 
lina, and  with  his  regiment  at  the  time  of  the 
surrender  of  General  Johnston,  Mr.  Hedges 
was  a  witness  of  some  of  the  most  memor- 
able events  of  that  time.  The  regiment 
went  then  to  Washington,  by  way  of  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  and  there  took  part  in  the 
grand  review  of  the  ^•ictorious  troops.     The 


BIUGKAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


6S3 


night  prior  to  this  Mr.  Hedges  slept  soundly 
on  the  stone  steps  of  the  capital  in  the  capi- 
tal of  the  ciiinitry  he  had  gallantly  served, 
and  -was  honorably  discharged  on  July  20, 
1865,  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  after  a  serv- 
ice of  three  years,  seven  months  and  twenty- 
two  days.  He  had  re-enlisted  on  January 
I,  1864,  and  during  the  whole  time  was 
neither  wounded  or  taken  prisoner,  and 
served  a  large  part  of  the  time  as  commis- 
sary sergeant.  From  1877  to  1880  Mr. 
Hedges  was  the  captain  of  Company  E,  Sev- 
enth Illinois  National  Guards. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Hedges 
returned  to  Illinois  and  engaged  in  farming 
there  until  1880,  when  he  came  tO'  Nebraska, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  took  part 
in  public  affairs  and  was  appointed  justice 
of  the  peace  there.  In  1885  he  removed  to 
Kansas  and  in  this  state  followed  clerking 
and  farming,  and  for  the  past  six  years  has 
been  holding  his  present  responsible  posi- 
tion, that  of  justice  of  the  peace,  which  in 
this  state  in\-olves  much  administration  of 
the  law. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Hedges  was 
on  December  5,  1865,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Panghorn,  who  was  born  December  8, 
1845,  'i"d  passed  out  of  life  on  July  8,  1883. 
She  was  born  in  Ohio  and  was  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Sarah  Panghorn,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  soldier  of  the  war  of  181 2  and 
a  witness  of  the  fight  between  Commodore 
Perry  and  the  British  fleet.  Hi'^  deatli  was 
on  July  2^,  18S3,  at  the  age  ot'  eii;Iiiy--<'\cn 
years.  The  second  marriage  of  ,Mr.  1  ledges 
was  on  October  i,  1890.  to  [Mrs.  F.  E. 
Shaver,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  a  daughter 
of  G.  Raymond. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hedges  are  consist- 
ent members  of  the  Methodist  church,  in 
which  he  is  superintendent  of  collections 
and  a  trustee,  and  both,  are  socially  con- 
nected with  the  Kni.o-hts  and  Ladies  of  Se- 
curity, while  lie  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,_ 
and  she  is  c> 'i!necti.Ml  with  the  Relief  Corps. 
In  politics  Mr.  Hedges  has  been  a  life-long 
Republican.  He  is  one  of  tjie  citizens  of 
Newton  who  has  found  friends  on  every 
side,  his  own  pleasant,  genial  personality 
]>eing  the  cause.     In  every  relation  of  life 


Mr.  Hedges  has  shown  himself -a  true,  loyal, 
honest  man,  and  as  such  he  possesses  the  es- 
teem of  all  who  know  him. 


JOSEPH  F.  McKEXRY. 

Joseph  F.  McKenry,  a  farmer  of  no 
little  prominence  in  Burrton  township,  was 
born  December  12,  1854,  in  Greenbrier 
county.  West  Virginia.  He  was  one  of 
nine  children,  his  father  being  Madison  Mc- 
Kenry, who  also  was  a  native  of  Green- 
brier county,  West  Virginia,  born  in  181.^. 
He  passed  away  on  his  sixty-fifth  birthday, 
May  4,  1877,  in  Jefferson  county,  Illinois. 
His  wife,  Margaret  Dihel,  was  also  born  in 
the  same,  county  as  her  husband,  in  1813. 
The  parents  were  married  February  19, 
1835,  and  shortly  afterward  removed  to 
Ohio,  near  Spring-field,  and  subsequently  re- 
turned tO'  Virginia,  thence  going  to  Indiana 
in  1856.  They  remained  there  until  the 
spring  of  1866,  when  they  went  to  Madison 
county,  Illinois.  Here  they  rented  a  farm, 
upon  which  they  remained  thirteen  years. 
At  this  home  the  father  passed  away,  leav- 
ing his  wife  and  seven  children,  they  having 
lost  two  children  previous  to  the  father's 
death.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  our 
subject  was  born  March  10,  1768,  and  for 
his  first  wife  wedded  Deborah  Reynolds, 
who  was  born  February  4,  1769.  This  fam- 
ily was  a  splendid  type  o-f  a  simple  colonial 
household,  and  were  much  devoted  to  each 
other.  The  motlicr  .]ia>sed  away,  linwe\-er, 
and  in  time  the  father  t^^k  iniln  himself  a 
second  wife.  He  died  ]^larch  18,  1826,  and 
his  widow  survi\'ed  him  se\-enteen  years,  her 
death  occurring  on  the  fourteenth  day  of 
Januar\-,  1843.  O^i'  subject  has  now  but 
two  living  brothers,  George  William,  born 
December  29,  1844,  residing  in  Owen  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  with  his  wife  and  two  children; 
and  Samuel  A.,  a  resident  of  Jefferson 
countv,  Illinris.  wlio.  has  nine  children. 

Mr.  y  .e];h  1-.  M.:Kenry  received  his 
early  ediH-atuai  in  tlic  cnmmon  schools  of 
Illinois,  after  which  he  remained  at  home 
until  his  mother's  death,  making  a  pleasant 


684 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


home  for  her  during  her  Hfe.  On  }ilarch  28, 
1879,  the  mother,  with  her  suns  James 
Madisi  n  and  j.-seph  F.,  started  for  Kan- 
sas frian  lUin. .is.  They  journeyed  in  a 
"prairie  schuoner'"  and  en  route  the  eldest 
son  was  stricken  with  pneumonia,  which 
pro\-ed  fatal,  and  he  passed  away  at  Stock- 
ton, Cedar  county,  Missouri,  at  the  age  of 
fca-ty-fcur  years,  leaving  noi  family.  Tlie 
l^ere'aved  mother  and  brother  resumed  their 
I'c  urnev,  arriving  at  Halstead,  Kansas, 
April  30,  1879.  Here  they  rented  a  farm, 
and  after  nine  years  of  labor  thereon  Joseph 
F.  left  home  for  Washington  territory, 
where  he  worked  out  by  the  month,  but  after 
two  years  returned  to  his  home.  During  his 
stay  in  Washington  he  voted  for  its  admis- 
sion as  a  state,  and  was  deeply  gratified 
when  this  act  w'as  accomplished.  On  the 
i3tli  day  of  October,  1885,  his  mother  was 
rendered  partially  helpless  by  paralysis,  and 
until  the  time  of  her  death  was  tenderly 
cared  for  hv  her  son  and  his  \vife. 

On  the' 4th  day  nf  October,  1884,  Mr. 
IMcKenry  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Susie  Franklin,  wlnf  has  been  to  him  a  help- 
ful and  sympathetic  companion.  Her  fa- 
ther, John  H.  Franklin,  is  a  resident  ot 
Burrton  township,  having  settled  in  Kansas 
early  in  the  history  of  the  state,  and  is  num- 
bered among  the  pioneers  of  the  community. 
Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mar- 
garet J.  Hollen,  has  reached  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-five years,  yet  is  able  to  perform  her 
household  duties  without  assistance.  The 
li.ving  children  of  this  venerable  couple  are : 
Susan,  wife  of  cur. subject:  Benjamin,  a 
traveling  man :  Erastus,  who  lives  at  home 
unmarried :  Samuel,  a  resident  of  eastern 
Kansas;  Charles  Edward,  living  at  home; 
and  L.  I.,  a  stone-mason  and  plasterer. 
They  have  lost  four  other  children,  three  of 
them  in  early  childhood.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  ^IcKenry  have  been  born  tw'O  chil- 
dren: John  M.,  born  March  19,  1887:  and 
Frances  Leona,  born  October  16,  189T. 
Both  of  the  children  are  attending  school. 

In  the  spring  of  1889.  wliile  in  ^^'ash- 
ington  territory.  Mr.  McKenr\-  purchased 
from  Frank  Long,  who  was  in  W'ashingtnn 
at  that  time,  eightv  acres  of  land,  which  hc- 


still  owns,  and  for  which  he  paid  fifteen  hun^ 
dred  dollars.  Upon  a  portion  of  this  land 
he  erected  a  comfortable  dwelling,  and  in 
1900  made  alterations  and  additions,  and 
now  his  residence  is  one  of  the  most  pleas- 
ant of  the  country  homes  which  are  now 
characteristic  of  this  part  of  the  country. 
The  land  proved  to  be  of  great  fertility,  and 
from  fifty  acres  sown  with  wheat  he  receives 
froim  twenty  tO'  twenty-five  bushels  per 
acre,  which  plainly  indicates  how  thor- 
oughly he  understands  the  cultivation  of 
tfie  soil  and  shows  the  extent  of  his  labor, 
A  fine  large  orchard  is  another  evidence  of 
his  well  guided  labor,  and  his  well  filled 
barns  and  sheds  prove  that  his  life  is  one  of 
industry. 

Socially  he  is  connected  with  the  Occi- 
dental Mutual  Benefit  Association  and  in  his 
political  views  he  is  a  Populist.  He  keeps 
well  informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day.  but 
never  seeks  pulilic  office,  preferring  to  de- 
vote his  attentinn  to  his  liusiness  affairs,  in 
which  he  is  meeting  with  creditaljle  suc- 
cess. 


T.   W.   RICKARD. 


One  of  the  prominent  citizens  and  well 
knowai  stockmen  of  Kingman  county,  Kan- 
sas, is  J.  W.  Rickard,  one  of  the  self-made 
men  of  this  section  ui  the  state.  As  one  of 
the  largest  land-owners  and  nn  -I  successful 
stock-raisers,  he  is  wideh'  kmiwu  through 
Kingman  county,  while  in  a  smaller  circle 
his  domestic  virtues  and  pleasant  and  genial 
hospitality  make  him  the  center  ot  a  large 
circle  of  appreciative  friends. 

The  birth  of  J.  W.  Rickard  was  in  Ham- 
ilton county.  Indiana,  in  1861.  and  he  was 
a  son  of  John  H.  and  Allie  Jane  Pickrell, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Ohio  but 
was  reared  in  Indiana.  During  the  Civil 
war  he  was  a  gallant  soldier  and  was 
wounded  in  the  service  of  his  country.  John 
H.  Rickard  married  Allie  Jane  Pickrell,- 
who  was  l>orn  and  reared  in  Indiana,  anc 
after  marriap^e  they  moved  to  \"ermilion 
county.  Illinois,  and  in  .1890  they  came  tc 
Kansas,  and  Mr.  Richard  is  one  of  the  lead- 
ing citizens  of  this  county. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


685 


The  children  born  tO'  John  H.  RickarJ 
and  wife  were  as  follows:  John  \\"..  nf  tliis 
sketch;  Edward,  of  this  township;  Alhcrt, 
of  Chikaskia  township;  Arthur,  of  Bchnout 
township;  Charles,  of  Chikaskia  township; 
Verty  Nichols,  of  Woods  county,  Okla- 
homa ;  and  two  whoi  died  in  infancy. 

John  W.  Rickard,  of  this  sketch,  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Indiana  and 
early  displayed  a  taste  for  stock-raising,  re- 
sulting in  his  employment  by  some  of  the 
leading  stockmen  of  that  state.  Thus  early 
in  life  he  became  acquainted  with  a  business 
which  has  been  one  of  the  greatest  sources 
of  wealth  to  the  state  of  Kansas.  His  edu- 
cation was  ])ursue(l  in  the  schools  of  his  dis- 
trict, but  w  hile  still  a  vouth  in  his  "teens  he 
was  learning  lessons  of  experience  in  busi- 
ness associations  which  served  to  make  him 
the  keen,  reliable  man  of  affairs  that  we  find 
him  to-day.  Few  men  were  better  judges  of 
stock  in  that  section  than  was  this  lad,  and 
his  services  were  in  demand  by  the  leading 
dealers  in  this  commodit}-. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  years  'Mr.  Rickard 
was  united  in  miarriage  to  Miss  Cassie 
Shatell,  who  was  born,  reared  and  educated 
in  Indiana  and  who  was  a  daughter  of  Solo- 
mon and  Kate  Shatell,  the  former  of  whom 
died  in  Indiana,  and  the  latter  of  whom  is 
still  a  resident  of  that  state.  The  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rickard  were  four 
sons  and  four  daughters,  namely:  Nora 
May,  Flora  Belle,  Pearl,  John,'  Da\'id, 
Frank,  Reece  and  Hazel. 

In  1886  our  subject  came  to  Kansas 
with  the  intention  of  engaging  in  the  stock 
business.  With  this  in  view  he  first  settled 
near  Garden  City  in  Finney  county,  remov- 
ing then  to  Haskell  c'junty  and  for  years 
was  actively  engaged  in  the  short-grass 
country,  finally  coming  farther  east  and  find- 
ing in  Kingman  county  the  conditions  and 
advantages  which  he  desired  for  an  exten- 
sive stock  business.  In  1890  he  located  upon 
his  present  farm  of  fourteen  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  fine  land,  all  of  which  is  well 
adaptetl  for  stock  and  will  produce  an 
abundant  }icld  of  grass,  hay  and  grain.  Mr. 
Rickard  keeps  large  herds  of  cattle  and  a 
great  deal  of  stock  and  has  become  one  of 


the- substantial  citizens  of  Belmont  township. 
Few  men  in  Kingman  county  are  better 
posted  on  stock  conditions  or  know'  more 
thoroughly  the  workings  O'f  a  great  stock 
farm.  Mr.  Rickard  is  an  authority  on  this 
subject,  and  articles  from  his  pen  or  ad- 
dresses at  the  various  meetings'  of  stock- 
men are  highly  valued.  It  has  required 
much  hard  work  and  the  exercise  of  much 
economy  and  care  in  the  past  to  attain  this 
present  prominence,  for  Mr.  Rickard  is  a 
self-made  man,  having  woii  his  success  by 
his  own  endeavor.  His  home  is  one  of  the 
pleasant,  hospitable  ones  of  this  prosperous 
locality,  while  its  lust  is  an  esteemed  mem- 
ber of  the  best  circles  of  -^i  cicly  and  a  val- 
ued conn-ade  in  the  fraternal  order  of  Wood- 
men. 


ROBERT  R.  BEAN. 

Agriculture  is  the  principal  pursuit  of 
the  residents  of  Kansas,  for  the  fertile 
prairies  of  the  state  afiford  excellent  oppor- 
tunities to  those  whodesire  to  engage  in  the 
tilling  of  the  soil  and  the  raising  of  stock. 
Mr.  Bean  is  a  successful  farmer  of  Sterling 
township  and  as  he  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  this  locality  his  life  record  can-' 
not  fail  to'  prove  of  interest  to  many  of  our 
readers.  He  was  born  in  Pike  county,  Illi- 
nois, October  11,  1844.  His  father,  John 
L.  Bean,  w^as  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born 
near  Marys\ille,  in  1814.  The  grandfather, 
Richard  Bean,  also  resided  in  the  Blue  Grass 
state  for  many  years  but  eventually  removed 
to'  Illinois  in  its  pioneer  days  and  extensively 
carried  on  farming  pursuits  there.  His 
wife  was  of  German  birth.  They  reared 
two  sons  and  two  daughters,  but  Robert 
Bean  left  home  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  and 
was  ne\-er  heard  from  again.  The  other  son 
is  John  L.  Bean,  the  father  of  our  subject. 
The  sisters  both  married  and  had  families, 
making  their  homes  in  Pike  coimty,  Illi- 
nois. One  of  them,  ]Mrs.  Mary  Allen,  is 
still  living.  Orpha  and  Lewis  Barber  li\-e 
in  ^Martinez,  California. 

In  the  state  of  his  nativity  John  L.  Bean 
was  reared  and  at  an  earlv  d'av  went  to  Illi- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


nois.  He  married  Aliss  Amy  Bobbitt,  who 
was  born  in  Xorth  Carolina  in  1816,  their 
wedding  being  celebrated  in  Pike  county, 
Illinois.  The  father  became  a  well-to-do 
farmer  there  and  his  success  in  his  chosen 
vocation  enabled  him  to  provide  his  family 
with  all  the  necessities  and  comforts  of 
life.  They  became  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  five  reached  mature  years, 
namely :  ■  Robert  R.,  of  this  review  ;  J  ames 
F.,  \\lho  for  the  past  twelve  years  has  been 
an  agent  for  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  at 
Martinez,  an  important  station  on  the  Cali- 
fornia coast ;  Harriet,  wife  of  J.  S.  Conk- 
rite  who  is  living  on  the  old  family  home- 
stead' in  Pike  county,  IWiw  is,  which  was 
purchased  by  the  gran. 1  lather  in  1832;  Lu- 
cretia,  the  wife  of  dei  rge  \'an  Syckle,  of 
Crawford  county,  Kansas,  who  came  from 
Pike  county,  Illinois,  twenty-one  years  ago ; 
and  John  H.,  who  died  in  Pike  county,  Illi- 
nois, August  2,  1876,  and  on  the  same  day 
and  at  the  same  hour  the  marriage  of  our 
subject  was  celebrated  in  Cherry  vale,  Mont- 
gomery county,  Kansas.  The  mother  passed 
away  in  Cherokee  county,  Kansas,  in  the 
same  year.  The  father  had  passed  away 
some  years  previous,  having  died  in  Pike 
county,  Illinois,  June  2,  1862.  The  first  of 
the  family  to  come  to  Kansas  was  John  H. 
Bean  and  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Van 
Syckle,  who  arrived  in  1880. 

Robert  R.  Bean  was  reared  to  farm  life 
in  Illinois,  and  there  acquired  a  good  com- 
mon-school education.  At  the  age  Oif  nine- 
teen years  he  volunteered  for  service  in  the 
Union  army,  enlisting  in  Pike  county.  May 
25.  1862,  and  just  three  years  afterward  he 
was  mustered  out  at  Mobile,  Alabama.  He 
served  in  Company  K,  Second  Illinois  CaA'- 
alry,  and  he  now  draws  a  pension  of  twelve 
dollars  per  month. 

Xc-t  long  after  his  return  from  the  war 
JMr.  Bean  was  married,  on  the  28th  of  De- 
cember, 1865.  in  Pike  county,  Illinois,  to 
Miss  Kate  Hughes.  Their  two  children 
died  in  infancv.  For  his  second  wife  he 
chose  'Sla.ry  'SI.  Anderson,  the  wedding- 
being  celebrated  August  2,  1876,  in  Cherry 
\'ale,  [Nlontgcmery  county,  Kansas,  and  she 
was  a  daughter    of    Alpheus    Paisle}-  and 


Nancy.  ( Spencer)  Anderson,  of  Indiana. 
Tier  father  was  one  of  the  men  who  fled 
from  the  "jayhawkers"  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  Franklin  count}-,  Kansas.  He  died 
in  Allen  county,  this  state,  leaving  his  widow, 
and  five  children.  Mrs.  Anderson  still  re- 
sides in  Allen  county  and  is  now  sevent}- 
one  3ears  of  age.  In  1870  Mr.  Bean  came  to 
Kansas  from  his  native  county  in  Illinois 
and  located  in  Cherokee  county.  Through- 
out his  entire  life  he  has  engaged  in  farm- 
ing with  the  exception  of  five  years  spent  in 
the  lumber  business  in  Allen  county.  He 
now  conducts  a  farm  of  five  hundred  and 
forty  acres  owiied  by  A.  R.  Clark,  judge  of 
the  courts.  He  raises  corn,  wheat  and  cat- 
tle, keeping  on  hand  about  fifteen  head  of 
cattle  and  about 'thirteen  horses  and  mules. 
The  land  which  he  operates  is  in  excellent 
condition  and  the  well  tilled  fields  yield  to 
him  golden  harvests.  In  politics  he  is  a  Re- 
publican and  socially  he  is  connected  witli 
the  Ancient  Order  of  Pvramids. 


DAVID  ^^■.  LOGAX. 


Among  the  well  known  and  highly  re- 
spected citizens  of  Rice  county,  Kansas, 
w^ho  have  borne  an  important  part  in  the 
develojjment  of  the  state  is  D.  W.  Logan, 
whose  name  is  enrolled  among  the  pioneers 
of  this  section  cf  the  country.  He  was  born 
in  Allen  county.  Ohio,  near  Lima,  Decem- 
ber 4,  1834,  and  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
His  father,  David  Logan,  w-as  born  in  Ten- 
nessee and  w-as  a  son  of  David  Logan,  Sr., 
of  Scotch  parentage.  David  Logan,  the  fa- 
ther cf  our  subject,  spent  his  boyhood  days 
in  Tennessee,  and  when  a  young  man  re- 
moved to  Ohio.  As  a  companion  and  help- 
mate for  the  joiu-ney  of  life  he  chose  Eliza- 
beth McPherron.  who  was  born  in  Tennes- 
see, a  daughter  of  William  ^McPherrou. 
This  union  was  blessed  with  seven  children, 
namely :  Priscilla  Jane,  deceased :  David 
\\'. :  Martha,  who  w-as  a  successful  and 
popular  teacher  for  forty-five  years  in  Terre 
Haute,  Indiana,  and  for  two  years  taught  in 
the  public  schools    in    Des  Moines,  Iowa; 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


687 


James,  deceased;  Eli,  a  resident  oi  Trilla, 
Illincis;  Jarrett  W.,  a  mechanic  oi  the 
Rose  Polytechnic  Institute,  of  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana;  and  Eliza,  also  of  that  city.  The 
father  of  this  family  died  at  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  He  fol- 
lowed farming  as  a  life  ocupation  and  gave 
his  aid  to  the  support  of  the  Republican 
party.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
fi\e  years,  and  both  were  members  of  the 
Baptist  church. 

D.  W.  Logan  was  taken  by  his  parent.s 
to  Clark,  Illinois,  when  a  boy,  where  he 
was  reared  to  farm  life,  there  remaining  un- 
til seventeen  years  of  age.  He  then  went  to 
Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and  in  that  city  com- 
pleted his  education.  While  there,  in  1861, 
he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  be- 
cc;ming  a  member  of  the  Fourteenth  Indi- 
ana Infantry,  Company  F.  He  afterward 
became  a  member  of  the  Twenty-second  In- 
diana Infantry,  and  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Winchester,  against  Stonewall  Jackson's 
troops,  and  Antietam.  At  the  last  men- 
tioned engagement  Mr.  Logan  received  a 
gunshot  wound  in  the  right  arm  and  he 
was  confined  in  the  field  hospital  at  Fred- 
erick City,  Alaryland,  also  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  and  in  the  general  hospital  sixteen 
miles  from  Fort  Schuyler,  New  York.  Af- 
ter regaining  his  health  he  again  went  to 
the  front  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Chancellorsville,  Culpeper  Court  House, 
Cold  Harbor,  the  Wilderness  and  Gettys- 
burg. He  became  a  member  of  the  226.  In- 
diana Infantry  011  the  22d  of  September, 
1864,  in  Jeff  C.  Davis'  old  regiment,  with 
which  he  remained  until  his  discharge.  He 
was  in  the  battle  of  Xashville.  Tennessee,  un- 
der General  Thomas,  and  took  part  in  many 
other  engagements  of  less  importance.  He 
also  took  part  in  the  grand  review  at  \\"ash- 
ington,  D.  C.  the  most  magnificent  pageant 
ever  seen  on  the  western  hemisphere.  After 
three  years  and  eight  and  a  half  months  of 
service  he  received  an  honorable  discharge 
and  returned  to  his  home  with  a  gallant  mili- 
tary record. 

In  1874  ^f''-  Logan  tr>ok  up  his  abode  in 
Rice  count}-.  Kansas,  where  he  now  owns  a 
well  improved   farm  one  and  a  half  miles 


from  Raymond,  Rice  county,  and  is  engaged 
in  general  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1869, 
in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Eliza  Martin,  a  daughter 
of  William  and  Sarah  (Evans)  Martin,  na- 
tives of  Kentucky.  The  mother  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-seven  years,  and  the  father  sur- 
vived until  1886,  passing  away  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years,  in  Sullivan  county,  Indi- 
ana. He  was  also  engaged  in  the  tilling  of 
the  soil,  and  in  his  political  views  was  first 
a  Whig  and  afterward  a  Democrat.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  Their  union  was 
blessed  with  eight  children,  namely:  Ben, 
William,  Mary,  Martha,  Eliza,  John  F., 
Alexander  and  Ezra.  \Villiam  died"-  July 
15,  1900.  John  F.  was  a  valiant  soldier 
during  the  Civil  war  and  resided  in  Chase, 
Kansas,  where  he  died  August  4,  1901. 
There  is  also  a  half-brother.  Rev..  Abraham 
Martin,  a  minister  of  the  Christian  church 
at  Miuncie,  Indiana.  The  union  of  our  sub- 
ject and  wife  is  graced  with  three  children : 
Olive  A.,  wife  of  John  A.  Shuft",  and  living 
near  Sylvia  in  Reno  county;  Ada  R.,  a  sue- 
cessful  and  popular  teacher  in  the  city 
schools  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and  a 
graduate  of  the  Terre  Haute  Normal 
School; -and  Louise  Martin,  wife  of  Frank 
Kelly,  who  follows  farming  on  the  old 
homestead,  and  they  have  one  son,  Austin 
Logan.  Mrs.  Logan,  the  wife  of  our  sub- 
ject, has  been  twice  married,  her  first  union 
being  with  Thomas  Elliott,  and  at  his  death 
he  left  one  son,  George  E.,  who'  has  been  an 
employe  of  the  Terre  Haute  Street  Railway 
Company  for  eight  years,  and  during  that 
time  has  never  been  late  a  single  day.  He 
died  July  12,   1901. 

Mr.  Logan  is  now  retired  from  the  act- 
ive duties  of  life,  and  his  rest  has  come  to 
him  as  the  result  of  unflagging-  industr\-. 
perseverance  and  indomitable  energy.  He 
has  carved  his  way  to  affluence  alone  and 
unaided,  by  constant  application  and  hard 
work.  He  is  serving  as  a  deacon  in  the 
Baptist  church,  and  his  Christian  belief  is 
exemplified  in  his  every  day  life.  Socially 
he  was  connected  with  Raymond  Post,  G, 
A.  R.,  and  has  passed  all  of  the  chairs  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  frank  and  genial  in  manner,  and  has  the 
l.jve  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  has 
crime  in  contact  from  day  to  day.  In  gen- 
eral politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republi- 
can. Hehas  never  held  office,  but  has  beer, 
a  township  committeeman  for  several  vears. 


CHARLES  X.  SENTNEY. 

Among  the  most  prominent  and  pros- 
perous merchants  of  Central  Kansas  is 
Charles  N.  Sentney,  the  vice-president, 
treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Sentney 
^^"hnlesale  Grocery  Gmipany  at  Hutchin- 
son, and  his  record  is  one  of  which  he  has 
e\-ery  reason  to  be  proud.  He  entered  upon 
his  business  career  without  capital  and  has 
steadily  ad\-anced  through  his  own  efiforts, 
working  his  way  continually  upward  until 
the  position  which  he  now  nccu]>ies  classes 
him  among  the  most  enterprising  and  influ- 
ential men  in  the  trade  circles  of  the  state. 

A  native  of  Indiana,  he  was  born  De- 
cember lo,  1864.  His  father,  John  Sent- 
ney, also  a  native  of  that  state,  "learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade  in  earlv  life  Init  later 
engaged  in  farming,  which  pursuit  he  fol- 
liiwcd'  during  the  .greater  part  of  his  active 
business  career.  He  is  now  living  retired 
and  with  his  wife  is  spending  his  declining 
days  in  his  native  state.  He  participated  in 
the  Civil  war.  liecoming  a  member  of  the 
Thirty-first  Indiana  Volunteei"  Infantr\^  and 
acting  a  part  of-the  time  as  regimental  black- 
smith. At  Fort  Donelsnn  he  sustained  a 
wound  which  rendered  him  unfit  for  fur- 
ther dutv  and  necessitated  fi.i-  discharge. 
In  his  political  views  he  has  been  a  stalwart 
Republican  since  the  nrganizatinn  df  the 
party  and  in  religious  faith  is  a  Methodist. 
He  married  Charlotte  Sullivan.  He  was  the 
last  surviving  member  of  his  father's  fam- 
ily and  had  he  died  without  heirs  the  fam- 
ily would  have  become  extinct,  l)Ut  unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sentney  were  born  thirteen 
children,  six  of  whom  are  vet  li\ing.  Charles 
N.  and  his  brother,  K.  E.'  Sentne\ .  who  is 
secretary  of  the  company,  are  the  nnly  i.ncs 
living  in  Hutchinson. 


In  his  earlv  youth  Charles  X.  Sentney 
had  but  limited  educational  privileges,  fo'r 
the  public  schools  were  in  session  for  onl\- 
about  three  or  four  months  in  the  year. 
However,  he  made  the  best  of  his  oppor- 
tunities and  decidino-  to  prepare  for  the 
teacher's  profession  he  entered  the  Southern 
Indiana  Xorma!  School,  in  which  he  pur- 
sued both  the  scientific  and  teachers'  courses 
and  was  then  graduated.  He  also  took  a 
commercial  course  in  llie  X^rina!  School  at 
Valparaiso.  Indiana,  after  which  he  secured 
a  position  as  teacher  and  for  four  vears  de- 
voted his  energies  to  that  work.  He  had 
also  been  chosen  to  act  as  teacher  in  the 
same  place  for  the  sncceednig  \ear.  but  de- 
ciding that  he  wished  t^  en-age  in  mercan- 
tile life  he  resigned  fruni  the  school  and  re- 
moved to  Missouri,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Xave  &  McCord  Mercantile 
Company,  of  St.  Joseph,  ;Missouri.  Gradu- 
ally he  worked  his  way  upward  through  the 
various  departments,  prumejti.in  coming  to 
him  as  the  result  of  his  clnse  application, 
energy,  fidelity  and  desire  t<i  idease.  After 
two  years  spenti  in  the  house  he  was  re- 
quested to  take  a  position  on  the  road  as 
tra\-eling  salesman  and  was  assigned  to 
territory  where  three  other  men  had  made  a 
failure.  This  fact  was  known  to  him,  so 
he  hesitated  somewhat  in  accepting  the 
ofifer,  buti  finally  decided  to  make  the  at- 
temijt  and  soon  he  proved  that  he  had  par- 
ticularly high  ability  as  a  salesman,  ^\'ith 
a  determination  to  do  the  best  he  could  he 
covered  the  main  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
road and  the  Chicago.  Rock  Island  &  Pa- 
cific line  to  Liberal,  stopping  at  the  various 
stations  along  those  routes  and  making  sales 
where  others  had  failed.  The  first  vear 
his  sales  amounted  to  forty-eight  thousand 
dollars,  and  by  steady  hard  work  he  Ixiilt 
up  a  large  and  steadily  increasing  business._ 
and  in  the  last  vear  it  amounted  to  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-seven  thousand  dollars.  He 
had  the  satisfaction  of  making  a  record  that 
has  never  been  equaled,  for  he  not  onlv 
headed  the  list  of  twenty-five  salesmen  in 
the  amount  of  groceries  sold,  but  also  in 
the  sales  of  teas  and  cigars.  When  he  be- 
gan to  work  this  territory  he  established  his 


CHARLES  N.   SENTNEY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


689 


home  in  Hutchinson  and  had  been  here  three 
or  four  years  when  the  house  which  he  rep- 
resented opened  a  stock  here  for  the  purpose 
of  more  quickly  filling  the  orders. 

In  1899  Mr.  Sentnev  and  his  brother, 
K.  E.  Sentney,  decided  to  engage  in  busi- 
ness on  their  own  account.  He  laid_the 
matter  before  his  old  firm  and  they  became 
part  owners  in  the  new  enterprise,  which 
was  established  under  the  name  of  the  Sent- 
ney Wholesale  Grocery  Company.  Start- 
ing in  under  favorable  conditions  they  were 
not  compelled  to  build  up  an  entirely  new 
business,  as  the  wide  accjuaintance  and  pop- 
ularity of  our  subject  contributed  to  the 
success  which  tihev  have  enjoyed  from  the 
beginning.  Theirs  is  a  record  seldom 
equaled  by  a  new  concern — that  of  having 
all  the  business  w^hich  they  can  handle. 
Preparations  were  under  way  to  erect  a 
Inrilding  O'f  their  ow^^|  when' the  Hutchinson 
&  Southern  Railroad  plant  was  absorbed 
by  the  Santa  Fe  Company ;  but  they  are 
now  ci  ntemplating  the  erection  of  anotliei' 
l)uilding.  which  will  consist  of  three  stories 
and  a  basement,  fifty  ]>}•  one  hundred  anid 
fifty  feet. 

Though  a  comparati\-ely  new  enterprise, 
its  growth  has  been  steady  and  remarkably 
gratifying,  far  exceediup^  the  prophecies  of 
experienced  men  and  of  the  proprietors. 
Each  month  of  1901  has  shown  an  increase 
of  from  twenty-six  and  a  half  to  forty-five 
per  cent,  over  the  corresponding  month  of 
1900.  and  in  the  first  }-ear  their  sales  were 
more  than  doulile  what  was  anticipated  at 
the  time  of  the  founding  of  the  enterprise. 
They  have  six  men  on  the  road  now,  cover- 
ing all  tributary  territory  extending  intO' 
eastern  Ccloradb  and  part  of  the  TerritO'17. 
The  business  now  gives  employment  tto 
twenty-five  men. 

On  the  8th  of  September,  1891,  Mr. 
SentneA'  returned  to  Invliaria,  and  was  there 
married  to  Nora,  daughter  of  John  and 
Louisa  Beaty.  Her  father  is  one  of  the 
prominent  men  of  his  locality,  largely  inter- 
ested in  farming  and  stock  raising  as  well 
as  merchandising.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sentney 
now  have  two  children.  Bernice  and  Ralph. 
Mrs.  Sentnev  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 


church  and'  is  a  most  estimable  lady.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Sentney  is  a  stal- 
wart Republican,  but  the  demands  of  his 
business  leave  him  no  time  for  active  po- 
litical work.  Socially  he  is  connected  with 
Hutchinson  Council,  No.  34,  United  Com- 
mercial Travelers  of  America.  There  is 
much  in  his  life,  although  he  is  }-et  a  young 
man,  that  is  worthv  of  emulation.  His  bus- 
iness career  is  one  which  is  creditable  and 
his  reputation  for  rclialjilit}-,  as  well  as  un- 
faltering enterprise  and  determination,  is 
such  as  any  man  might  be  proud  to  possess. 
Hutchinsdu  numbers  him  among  her  lead- 
ing citizens  and  well  does  he  deser\'e  men- 
tion among  the  representative  men  of  central 
Kansas. 


\\TLLIAM  C.  BLODGETT. 

Among  the  old  settlers,  public  officials 
and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Kingman 
comity,  Kansas,  none  deserve  mention  more 
fully  than  William  C.  Blodgett,  the  efficient 
postmaster  and  prosperous  merchant  of 
Basil.  Kansas.  Mr.  Blodgett  also  com- 
mands respect  as  a  surviving  soldier  nf  the 
Civil  war.  lli^  Iccati.in  m  ilii-^  ^lale  was 
made  in  iNN_^,  >incc  winch  linic  lie  li.i-  lieen 
one  (->f  her  most  useful  and  puljlic-spn-ited 
citizens. 

The  birth  of  William  C.  Blodgett  was 
in  Eaton  county,  ^lichigan,  in  i84(>.  and 
he  was  a  son  of  Eber  and  Julia  (Hastings) 
Blodgett.  the  former  of  wlu  ni  was  ln.rn  in 
A'eriiiMiit.  i:f  ;i  mixture  of  Scotch  and  Ger- 
man aiicc-tr\".  He  learned  ilie  carpenter's 
trade  in  his  native  state  and  there  married 
Julia  Hastings,  who  was  a  native  of  the 
same  place.  After  marriage  they  moved  to 
Ohin,  remaining  there  sum'  \a\ir<,  and  later 
went  to  Eaton  cnnnlw  .\l:cln-an,  and  there 
engaged  in  farming  unnl  hi>  (leath,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three.  Mr.  Blodgett  was  a 
man  of  reliabilitx  and  pnuninence  and  left 
a  most  exeniiilary  life  record  behind  him. 
Atter  his  death  his  widow  moved  to  Kan- 
sas, w  here  she  lived  imtil  the  age  of  seventy- 
one,  tlying  regretted  by  a  large  circle  of 
friends. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


The  early  life  of  \\"illiam  C.  Blodgett 
was  passed  on  a  farm  in  ^Michigan,  where 
he  learned  the  practical  details  of  agricul- 
tural work,  and  had  circumstances  been  dif- 
ferent he  might  have  no>\v  been  a  citizen  of 
that  state.  His  education  was  as  liberal  as 
time  and  locality  afforded,  but  before  he 
had  passed  his  seventeenth  year  the  war 
alarm  had  sounded,  and  although  but  a  lad 
he  hastened  to  the  succor  of  his  country, 
entering  Company  H,  Twenty-seventh 
^lichigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  serving 
through  eighteen  months.  During  this  time 
with  his  regiment  he  participated  in  some 
of  the  hardest-fought  battles  O'f  the  whole 
war. — those  of  the  Wilderness,  CoJd  Har- 
bur  and  Sprittsylvania, — and  was  present  at 
the  great  mine  explosion  in  front  of  Peters- 
burg, Virginia.  Here  his  brother-in-law, 
^\'arren  Ashley,  was  taken  prisoner  and  sent 
to  Andersonville,  Georgia,  where  he  died. 
Although  our  subject  did  not  suffer  such 
a  fate,  he  did  not  entirely  escape  the  for- 
tunes of  war,  being  taken  sick  and  sent  to 
Mount  Pleasant  hospital,  and  was  later  sent 
to  Chestnut  Hill  hospital  near  Philadelphia. 
In  June,  1865,  he  received  his  honorable 
discharge,  bearing  with  him  a  record  for 
soldierly  courage  and  achievement. 

Air.  Blodgett  was  married  in  1870,  to 
Rachel  j.  Ashley,  a  very  intelligent  lady  of 
Clinton  county,  Michigan,  who  had  been 
born  in  Eaton  county,  that  state,  and  who 
was  a  daughter  of  George  and  Charlotte 
(Gavett)  Ashley,  both  of  whom  died  in 
Eaton  county.  In  1879  Mr.  Blodgett  came 
to  Kansas  ^nd  settled  in  the  northwest  part, 
in  Graham  county,  where  he  proved  a  home- 
stead claim.  In  1884  he  came  to  this  coun- 
ty, locating  in  Valley  township,  on  section 
4,  and  here  he  remained  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  his  removal  to  the  town  of  Rago 
and  ran  a  boarding  house  and  livery  barn 
for  eight  years;  then,  in  1898,  he  removed 
to  Basil,  to  embark  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness. This  has  grown  into  a  very  large  and 
important  enterprise  and  commands  a  stead- 
ily increasing  trade.  Mr.  Blodgett  carries 
a  large  and  well  assorted  stock  of  dry 
gocds,  hardware,  farm  machinery,  thresh- 
ing machines  and  groceries,  and  has  built 


up  a  reputation  for  honest  and  fair  dealing 
that  has  enabled  himi  to'  gain  the  confidence 
of  the  public  to  a  gratifying  degree. 

Mr.  and  Airs.  Blodgett  have  three  chil- 
dren surviving,  viz. :  Lewis,  who  married 
L.  Young,  has  one  child  and  resides  in 
Rago,  Kansas;  Frank,  who  in  1899  married 
Flora  Jane  Wren,  lives  in  Basil  and  is  a 
prominent  man  in  .the  township;  and  Earl, 
who  lives  at  home.  Three  children  died  in 
infancy,  one  babe  at  the  age  of  six  months, 
Robert  M.,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  and 
Elmer.  Mrs.  Blodgett  had  foiir  brothers  in 
the  Civil  war,  namely:  Nathan,  who  re- 
sides in  Michigan;  Theodore,  who  died  in 
Michigan  in  1900;  A\'arrcn,  who  died  in 
prison  at  Anderson\illo  :  and  lulward,  who 
was  killed  at  the  battle  .if  Bull  Run. 

In  politics  Mr.  Blodgett  is  an  active  Re- 
publican and  was  made  postmaster  of  this 
village  ill  1900,  an.  appointment  which  gave 
very  general  satisfaction.  His  membership 
is  valued  in  the  G.  A.  R.  post,  and  both  he 
and  wife  are  connected  with  the  Methodist 
church,  to  which  he  is  a  liberal  contributor. 
Mr.  Blodgett  is  the  type  of  man  pleasing 
to  know, — hearty,  genial  and  hospitable, — ■ 
a  man  who  extends  his  hand  in  friendship 
to  all  who  are  worthy. 

Our  subject  had  three  sisters:  Prudence, 
who  always  remained  single;  Martha,  who 
married  Theodore  Ashley:  and  Mary,  who 
married  Warren  Ashley.  He  died  in  a  rebel 
prison,  and  she  afterward  married  John 
Fowler  and  lived  with  him  until  she  died, 
about  four  years  ago.  The  three  brothers- 
of  our  subject  were :  Gladwin,  a  farmer,  who 
died  of  consumption  caused  by  exposure; 
Joseph,  whose  service  in  the  army  caused 
iiis  death ;  and  Eber.  who  still  lives  in  Mich- 
igan, a  successful  farmer. 


F.  A.  PROUTY. 


A  prominent,  substantial  and  estimable 
citizen  of  Xewton.  Kansas,  is  F.  A.  Prouty, 
who  was  born  in  fiercer  coimty.  Illinois, 
on  February  i,  1846.  'He  is  the  son  of 
Ciilmel     Amos     and     Alary     L.     (Stone) 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


691 


Prouty,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts. Colonel  Proiity  was  a  distin- 
guished" officer  of  the  Civil  war.  His  early 
life  was  spent  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  but 

rwhen  the  call  came  fo'r  troops  to  presei've 
the  Union  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  respond, 
enlisting  in  Company  G,  Twenty-seventh 
mini  lis  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
twenty-eight  months  as  a  private.  Re-en- 
listing, he  was  rapidly  promoted  for  gal- 
lantry, becoming  the  colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment. As  a  member  of  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  he  took  part  in  the  siege  of  At- 
lanta, and  later  went  on  the  memorable 
"march  to  the  sea." 

After  the  close  of  the  war  Colonel 
Proiity  settled  in  Illinois  and  began  farm- 
ing remaining  in  that  state  until  1871, 
when  he  came  to  Harvey  county,  Kansas, 
and  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers.  He 
still  owns  three  farms  of  eighty  acres  each, 
and  resides  four  miles  West  of  Newton. 
One  most  valuable  portion  of  his  property 
is  a  forty-acre  urchard,  which  produces  all 
varieties  uf  fruit,  which  grow  to'  great  ex- 
cellence in  this  climate.  Fifteen  acres  con- 
sist of  a  beautiful  maple  grove  which  Col- 
onel Prcuty  permits  to-  be  made  use  of  for 
t  picnic  parties  and  other  congregations  of  an 
orderly  nature. 

Upon  December  21,  1901,  Colonel 
Prouty  celebrated  his  eighty-sixth  birth- 
day, surrounded  by  friends  and  affectionate 
relatives  who  delight  in  lii>  \  ig'-r  if  mind 
and  body.  With  his  c-^i  lin.-ihlc  wilV,  whuse 
}-ears  almost  reach  his  nwn,  her  Imlh  hav- 
ing been  on  February  7,  181 7,  he  represents 
the  best  type  of  Ivansas  pioneer.  Both  of 
them  were  subjected  to-  the  trials  and  de- 
privations of  the  early  life  in  this  locality 
and  have  been  permitted  to  see  the  rewards 
of  their  former  labors.  Colonel  Prouty,  is 
i  an  ardent  Republican,   and  is   fond  of  re- 

,  marking  tliat  he  "votes  as  he  shot;"  but 
now  he  is  a  man  of  peace,  an  uncompromis- 
ing advocate  of  temperance,  and  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  kindest  and  best  of 
neighbors  and  true  friends.  Both  he  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Universalist 
church,  in  which  belief  the  whole  family  has 
been  reared.     Ccliinel  Pnjutv  and  wife  be- 


came the  parents  of  six  sons  and  three 
daughters  who  survive,  the  family  being 
originally  twelve  in  number.  The  eldest  of 
the  family  was  born  in  Illinois,  a  son  named 
Amos,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  and  the  others  who  are  deceased  died 
in  infanc5''.  The  surviving  children  are  all 
settled  near  the  old  homestead  and  are  very 
generally  prosperous  farmers. 

F.  A.  Prouty,  who  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  sent  to  school  in  Illinois  prior 
to  the  family  removal.  His  father  owned 
two  scholarships  in  Knox  College,  at  Gales- 
burg,  Illinois,  and  he  and  his  brothers 
William  and  Henry  took  advantage  of  them 
and  enjoyed  the  opportunities  there  given 
them.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the  farm 
and  fc.ir  si  nie  \ears  he  owned  it  and  became 
a  siiccc--ful  a-ricnhnrist.  About  1880  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  since  then 
has  built  many  of  the  residences  and  busi- 
ness houses  in  Newton,  and  among  other 
pretentious  buildings  which  testify  to  his 
skill  may  be  mentioned  the  Presbyterian 
parsonage  and  the  China  Emporium  on 
Main  street. 

While  still  living  on  the  farm  ]\Ir. 
Prouty  became  somewhat  prominently  iden- 
tified wiith  politics,  and  for  twelve  years 
served  as  township  trustee,  during  whicii 
time  he  was  a  most  efficient  officer.  For 
two  years  Mr.  Prouty  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace  and  has  been  frequently  made  ad- 
ministrator and  guardian.  His  devotion  to 
the  Republican  party  is  outspoken.  For 
several  years  he  was  county  commissioner 
and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 
county,  and  in  public  as  well  as  private  life 
his  acts  have  ever  been  those  of  an  upright 
and  unselfish  citizen. 

Mr.  Prouty  was  married  in  September. 
1866,  to  Miss  Ida  Clark,  who  was  a  native 
of  Illinois  and  was  a  daughter  of  James 
Clark.  Her  death  occurred  on  December 
16,  1888,  having  been  born  on  January  i, 
1847.  The  children  who  survived  to  mourn 
her  loss  are:  Opal  L.,  who  is  the  wife  of 
J.  A.  Cummings  and  resides  in  Newton, 
w'ith  two  children. — Thaddeus  and  Gladys : 
Rena,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Kendall 
and  resides   in  Xewton,   with  one  child, — 


692 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Ruby;  Burt,  who  married  Effie  Cooper,  re- 
sides in  Newton,  and  lias  two  children, — 
Opal  and  Frank;  and  Bessie,  a  young  lady 
who  has  developed  a  wonderful  musical 
talent  and  is  a  teacher  of  the  same. 

Mr.  Prouty  is  one  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens of  this  locality.  As  a  farmei-  and 
stock-raiser  he  has  been  very  successful, 
while  his  business  in  building  and  contract- 
ing has  been  one  of  the  most  prosperous 
in  that  line  in  Harvey  comity.  No  man 
stands  higher  in  the  estimation  of  his  fel- 
low citizens,  and  he  is  known  to  be  kind, 
charitable  and  just,  and  none  would  contest 
the  claim  of  his  friends  that  he  is  one  of  the 
best  representative  men  that  resides  in  this 
city  of  worthy  people. 


C.  D.  LEONARD. 


^lany  theories  have  been  advanced  as 
to  the  causes  of  success,  but  an  investiga- 
tion of  the  life  record  of  most  successful 
men  will  show  that  their  prosperity  is  due 
to  untiring  effort,  unflagging  diligence  and 
good  business  management.  This  statement 
proves  true  in  the  history  of  Air.  Leonard, 
who  came  to  Rice  county  in  March,  1878, 
and  has  since  gained  a  place  among  the  most 
prosperous  farmers  of  \A"ilson  township, 
Avliere  he  now  resides,  his  home  being  on 
section  17.  Mr.  Leonard  wias  born  in  Gal- 
loway, Knox  county,  Ohio,  near  Mount 
Vernon,  and  is  a  son  of  John  W.  Leonard, 
a  well  known  citizen  of  Rice  county,  now 
residing  in  Lyons.  The  father  was  born  in 
New  Jersey  and  began  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  state,  after  which  he 
continued  his  studies  in  Tuscarawas  coun- 
ty, OhioL  Subsequently  he  became  a  resi- 
dent of  KnO'K  county,  Ohio.  He  is'  a  har- 
ness maker  by  trade  and  has  also  followed 
farming  for  several  years.  In  1879  he  cast 
in  his  lot  with  the  residents  of  Rice  county, 
KansaSj  and  now  owns  a  fann  on  section  21, 
Wilson  township.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage in  Tuscarawas  county,  Ohio,  to  Miss 
]\Iary  Van  Lew  Sudam,  of  Knox  county, 
Ohio,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  the  Buck- 


eye state.  They  became  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  namely:  Columbus  Delano; 
Mrs.  Altha  AI.  Hobbs,  of  Lyons;  Florence 
L.,  w-ife  of  F.  E.  Hoyt,  also  a  resident  of 
Lyons;  Eldridge  S.,  wllio  makes  his  home 
on  section  22,  Wilson  township;  Elizabeth 
Ann,  wlioi  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  ; 
Mary  Alice,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty ; 
and  two  who  died  in  early  childhood. 

Columbus  Delano  Leonard  spent  his 
boyhood  days  upon  the  home  farm  working 
in  the  fields  through  the  summer  months, 
while  in  the  winter  season  he  attended  the 
public  schools  and  there  acquired  his  educa- 
tion. He  was.  afterward  employed  as  a 
farm  hand  by  the  month  and  thus  got  his 
start  in  life.  After  coming  to  Kansas  he 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  and  with 
this  as  a  nucleus  for  his  present  possessions 
he- has  added  continually  toi  his  property 
interests  until  he  now  has  eight  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  rich  prairie  land  in 
Kansas,  and  his  farm  property  is  one  which 
is  attractive  in  appearance,  owing  to  its  ex- 
cellent improvements.  A  good  residence 
stands  in  the  midst  of  the  fertile  fields ; 
there  is  a  substantial  barn,  sheds  and  corn 
cribs ;  feed  lots  and  pastures  provided  for 
the  stock  and  everj^thing  about  the  place  is 
in  a  thrifty  condition.  Mr.  Leonard  en- 
gages in  the  raising  of  both  grain  and  stock 
and  is  now  one  of  the  most  prosperous  ag- 
riculturists of  his  community. 

On  the  15th  of  October,  1892,  occurred 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Leonard  and  Miss 
Mary  Salmons,  who  was  born  in  Mills  coun- 
ty. Iowa,  and  spent  her  girlhood  days  in  that 
state,  her  parents  being  James  and  Sarah 
(Silkett)  Salmons,  the  former  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  the  latter  of  Virginia,  and 
their  marriage  was  celebrated  in  Indiana. 
This  union  was  blessed  with  ten  children, 
as  follows :  Mrs.  Catherine  Rockefeller ; 
Jolm;  Mrs.  Susan  Wills,  of  Wilson  town- 
ship. Rice  county ;  Randolph ;  William, 
who  is  living  in  Nebraska:  Rebecca;  Irene; 
Mary  L. ;  Mrs.  Leonard  and  Henry.  LTnto 
our  subject  and  his  wife  have  been  born  four 
sons,  two  pairs  of  twins,  namely :  Ralph 
Hobart  and  Ray  McKinley,  born  on  the  5th 
of  May,  1896:  and  Theodore  Roosevelt  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


693 


Randulph  Sherman,  whose  birth  occurred 
August  10.  1900.  They  also  lost  one  son, 
John  W.,  the  first  liorn,  at  the  age  of  five 
years. 

Air.  Leonard  exercises  his  right  of  fran- 
chise in  support  of  the  men  and  measures 
of  the  Republican  party  and  is  unswerving 
in  his  adherence  to  its  principles.  He  keeps 
well  informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day,  yet 
has  ne\-er  sought  or  desired  office.  His  wife 
is  a  member  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal 
church  and  both  are  highly  esteemed  peo- 
ple, having  many  kind  friends  in  the  com- 
munity where  they  make  their  home.  In 
business  affairs  Ad!r.  Leonard  has  met  with 
a  high  degree  of  success.  Starting  out  in 
life  in  humble  capacity  as  a  farm  hand  he 
has  worked  his  way  continually  upward, 
overcoming  all  obstacles  and  difficulties  in 
his  path  by  determined  purpose  and  reso- 
lute will,  and  new  he  is  numljered  among 
the  men  of  affairs  identified  with  the  farm- 
ing interests  of  Rice  count}-,  and  his  business 
methods  have  ever  been  such  as  to  entitle 
him  to  prosperity. 


ALOXZO  BEAAIAN. 

Throughout  an  active  business  career 
Alonzo  Beanian  has  followed  farming,  but 
is  now  practically  living  retired  in  Sterling, 
enjoying  a  well  earned  rest.  He  was  born 
in  Antwerp.  Jeft'ersi  -n  c  >unty.  Xew  York, 
August  22.  1841.  His  lather.  David  Bea- 
man.  was  a  native  of  Woostcr,  Massachu- 
setts, born  in  October,  1797.  The  grand- 
father, Joseph  Beaman,  v.-as  a  blacksmith 
by  trade  and  saw  considerable  military  ser- 
vice as  captain  of  a  militia  com|:iany  in 
\\V>oster.  Massachusetts.  He  wedded  An- 
nis  Bemis.  and  they  reared  five  sons  and 
three  daughters,  but  all  are  now  deceased. 
The  grandfather  died  in  the  prime  of  life, 
but  his  widow  lived  to  be  an  octo-genarian. 
Her  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  Antwerp, 
New  York.  Li  the  year  1820  David  Bea- 
man took  up  his  ahode  upon  a  farm  near 
Antwerp.  Xew  York,  and  there  he  resided 
for  sixtv-four  vears.  his  death  occurring'  on 


the  old  homestead  on  the  i6th  of  April 
1884.  He  married  Sally  Ann  Mosher.  who 
was  born  in  Jefferson  county.  New  York, 
March  4.  1815.  Her  death  occurred  July  12, 
1901,  v,dien  she  had'  attained  the  age  of  eigh- 
ty-seven years  and  four  months.  She  had 
cliree  children, — Alonzo,  and  Alice  and  An- 
nas, twins.  They  are  still  residing  in  the 
Empire  state  at  Antwerp.  The  father  was 
twice  married,  his  first  union  having  been 
with  Lucy  Porter,  who  died  leaving  three  of 
her  four  children,  and  two  are  yet  living, 
namely:  Jane,  the  wife  of  Anson  Miller 
of  Rodanan,  Jefferson  county.  New  York. 
She  has  six  children  by  two  husbands.  The 
third  surviving  member  of  the  family  is 
George  P.  Beaman,  of  Gouverneur,  Xew 
York. 

.  Mr.  Beaman  of  this  review  was  reared  to 
farm  life,  and  the  old  family  homestead  upon 
which  his  father  settled  in  1820  is  still  owned 
by  his  daughters.  He  acquired  a  good  dis- 
trict school  edtication.  also  spending  two 
terms  in  a  seminary  and  pursued  a  course  in 
Eastman's  Business  College,  of  Poughkeep- 
sie.  New  York.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he 
began  teaching  and  followed  that  profession 
for  two  years  in  the  Empire  state,  for  two 
years  in  Illinois  and  for  three  years  in  Kan- 
sas. On  the  4th  I  if  Alarch.  1868.  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Aliss  Imogene  A.  Fos- 
ter, who  was  born  in  Theresa,  Jefferson 
county,  X'ew  York,  July  24,  1844,  lier  par- 
ents being  David  and  Amanda  (Mann) 
Foster,  the  former  a  native  of  Swanzey. 
New  Hampshire,  and  the  latter  of  ^Vater- 
town,  New  York>  Tliev  were  farming  peo- 
ple and'  had  two  children.  ;\Irs.  Beaman  and 
and  elder  sister.  Mrs.  Emmoretta  Pliillips, 
who  is  living  on  the  old  hnmey.tead  in  the 
east.  Mrs.  Beaman  was  onK-  twc  years  of 
age  at  the  time  of  her  mother's  death.  The 
father  afterward  married  again  and  had  two 
sons  and  a  daughter  l)y  his  second  wife.  One 
son  died  at  the  age  nf  nineteen  years  and  the 
other,  Wallace  S.  Foster,  a  Methodist  min- 
ister, was  called  to  his  final  rest  while  resid- 
ing in  Michigan.  The  father  departed  thi-^ 
life  in  i860.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  sup- 
porter of  Abraham  Lincoln,  for  whom  he 
gave  his  ballot  in  the  vear  of  his  death. 


694 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


For  six  years  after  their  marriage  Mr. 
and'  ]Mrs.  Beaman  resided  upon  the  old  fam- 
ily horhestead  in  the  Empire  state  and  then 
removed  to  Du  Page  county,  Illinois,  \vhere 
both  engaged  in  teacliing  in  the  rural  dis- 
tricts, following  the  profession  for  three 
terms.  Mr.  Beaman  also  acted  as  police 
magistrate  for  one  year.  On  leaving  Illi- 
nois they  came  to  Rice  county,  Kansas, 
where  they  have  resided  for  twenty-four 
years.  They  settled  one  hundred  and'  sixty 
acres  of  railroad  land  and  two  years  later 
^Ir.  Beaman  purchased  forty  acres  of  school 
land.  In  1886  he  bought  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  school  land  and  and  for 
many  years  he  continued  the  cultivation  of 
his  fields,  iuc!uchng  three  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres.  In  the  fall  of  1901  he  sold  a  quar- 
ter section  and  removed  to  Sterling,  where 
they  have  an  acre  village  lot.  He  has  also 
made  some  judicious  investments  in  town 
property  on  both  sides  of  his  home.  Frir 
ten  years  prior  to  leaving  the  farm  lie  was 
engaged  in  the  stock  business  and  during  the 
past  few  years  wheat  has  been  the  leading 
crop,  averaging  twenty-two  and  a  half  bush- 
els per  acre.  He  has  raised  nine  thousand 
bushels  in  one  year.  He  has  also  grown 
forty-five  hundred  bushels  of  corn  in  one 
year.  His  farming  operations  have  been 
carried  on  successfully,  for  he  has  fallowed 
progressi\-e  method's  and  honorable  deal- 
ing. He  thoroughly  understands  the  busi- 
ness in  every  department,  and,  although  he 
is  now  somewhat  retired  from  practical  busi- 
ness life,  he  yet  superintends  the  operation 
of  his  one  hundired  and  sixty  acres. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beaman  has 
been  blessed  with  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, but  four  of  the  sons  died  in  infancy.  Jay 
Foster,  the  living  son,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Cooper  Memorial  College,  of  the  class  of 
1893,  and  is  now  a  student  in  the  Kansas 
State  University.  He  wedded  Clara  B. 
Koonts,  and  they  have  three  children,  two 
sons  and  a  daughter.  He  is  a  splendid  ath- 
lete, being  one  of  the  finest  in  this  line  in 
Kansas.  From  a  newspaper  account  we 
learn  that  as  an  athlete  Mr.  Jav  F.  Beaman 
is  almost  the  equal  of  the  noted  Sandow  and 
is  a  "record  smasher."       Besides  Sandow, 


Arthur  Tyng,  of  Harvard  University,  is 
the  only  man  reported  ahead  of  him,  but 
that  report  is  not  official.  His  little  son, 
five  years  of  age,  is  now  with  his  grandpar- 
ents, and,  like  his  father,  is  a  splendid  type 
of  physical  perfection.  Annis  Imogene,  the 
second  of  the  family,  is  a  young  ladv  of  six- 
teen years,  now  in  school.  Alice  Emaret 
completes  the  family  and  is  a  student  in  the 
high  school  of  Sterling.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Beaman  is  a  Republican  and  has 
served  as  township  trustee,  as  clerk  and  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  and  his 
wife  have  been  prosperous  in  their  affairs, 
and  his  life  record  illustrates  the  potency  of 
energy,  determination  and  indefatigable  la- 
bor in  winning  success. 


WILLIAM  T.  SODEX. 

William  T.  Soden,  a  retired  miller  and 
capitalist  of  Emporia,  is  one  of  the  wealthy 
and  influential  residents  of  central  Kansas. 
He  was  born  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  on  the 
22nd  of  November,  1835,  a  son  of  William 
and  Angeline  (Smith)  Soden.  The  father, 
also  a  native  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  came 
to  the  United  States  when  our  subject  was  a 
babe,  locating  in  Clinton  county,  New  York, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  lumbering  and 
farming  until  his  life's  labors  were  ended  in 
death,  in  1878.  His  wife  was  called  to  the 
home  beyond  prior  to  that  date,  also  dying 
in  Clinton  county. 

When  twenty-one  years  of  age  William 
T.  Soden,  of  this  review,  left  his  parental 
home  and'  in  1857  came  to  Lyon  county, 
Kansas,  crossing  the  present  site  of  Emporia 
on  the  22d  of  March  of  that  year.  After 
his  arrival  in  this  state  he  immediately  en- 
gaged in  the  sawmill  business,  ou  the  Cot- 
tonwood river  seven  miles  west  of  Emporia, 
and  the  same  summer,  in  company  with  G.  D. 
Humphrey,  he  sawed  the  lumber  for  the  first 
buildings  erected  in  this  city.  In  1858  he 
embarked  in  the  flour-milling  business,  erect- 
ing the  first  mill  in  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try, and  from  that  time  until  July,  1900, 
he  was   activelv  engaged  in  that  industrv. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


695 


but  in  the  latter  date  he  retired  from  the  ac- 
tive duties  of  hfe  and  entrusted  his  business 
to  his  son,  J.  R.  Soden.  This  mill  is  the 
leading  manufacturing  industry  of  Emporia, 
and  is  a  large  brick,  frame  and  stone  struc- 
ture on  the  Cottonwood'  river,  located  south 
of  the  city  limits,  and  is  run  by  water  power. 
The  residence  whicli  Mr.  Soden  now  occu- 
pies is  a  beautiful  brick  structure,  located 
near  the  mill,  and  surrounded  by  fifty  acres 
I  of  rich  and  fertile  land  and  one  of  the  neat- 

est houses  in  Kansas.  He  also  owns  about 
six  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine  farming 
land,  ha\ing  been  engaged  extensively  in  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  throughout  his  residence 
tin  this  state.  In  1867  Mr.  Soden  was  one 
^  of  the  organizers  of  the  Emporia  National 

Bank,  of  which  he  is  still  one  of  the  officers 
and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Emporia 
Electric  Light  and  Gas  Comipany.  He 
was  also  one  of  the  first  three  county 
cnmmissinners  of  Lyon  county,  and  his  name 
stands  conspicuously  forth  on  the  pages  of 
Lyon  county's  political  history. 

Mr.  Soden  has  been  three  times  married. 
His  second  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Jennie  \\'ea\'er,  and  their  marriage  was  cele- 
brated in  Emporia,  in  1866.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  John  Weaver.  This  union  was 
bifssed  with  three  children,  two  of  whom 
are  living:  Mrs.  Hoss  Laws  and 
Justin  R.  Soden.  This  loving  wife  and 
mother  closed  her  eyes  in  death  in  1878,  dy- 
ing as  she  had  li-ved.  a  sincere,  trusting 
Christian.  Mr.  Soden  has  carved  his  way  to 
fame  and  fortune  by  his  own  unaided  efforts, 
and  during  his  entire  career  he  has  so  lived 
that  as  a  citizen,  as  a  man  of  business,  as  an 
honorable  Christian  gentleman  no  man  has 
a  cleaner  record  or  is  more  highly  respected 
than  he. 


H.  J.  GOLDSBOROUGH. 

One  of  the  "boys  in  blue"  of  the  Civil 
war  and  at  all  times  a  loyal  citizen,  true  to 
the  interests  of  county,  state  and  nation,  H. 
J.  Goldsborough  is  numbered  among  the 
representative  farmers  of  King^man  county. 
His  descendants  have  long  lieen  noted  for 


their  patriotic  zeal,  and  members  of  the 
family  have  been  represented  in  various  wars 
in  which  the  country  has  participated.  The 
father  of  our  subject,  John  F.  Goldsborough, 
was  a  native  of  Garot  county,  ~  Kentucky, 
and  was  an  ex-soldier  of  the  Civil  war.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  Goldsborough,  Sr.,  who 
was  born  in'  Virginia,  and  his  father  was  a 
soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  of 
Scotch  descent.  The  family  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  Jeffei'son  countv,  Lidi- 
ana.  John  Goldsborough,  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  wedded  Mary  Ritchey,  and 
she,  too,  was  a  member  of  a  prominent  and 
patriotic  family  of  the  Hoosier  state.  Both 
passed  away  in  that  Commonwealth.  Their 
son  John  grew  to  years  of  maturity  in  that 
state,  and  was  there  married  to  Rebecca 
Bryan,  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  of 
Irish  descent.  She  also  became  one  of  the 
early  pioneers  of  Indiana.  Unto  the  union 
of  John  and  Rebecca  H.  Goldsborough  were 
born  five  sons  and  one  daughter:  John  J., 
who  served  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty-fourth  Indiana  Infantry  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  he  now  re- 
sides in  Arkansas;  William  J.,  who  was  em- 
ployed as  a  railroad  engineer  and  was  ac- 
cidentally killed  in  1857;  James  H..  who  also 
served  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth 
Indiana  Infantry  during'the  Civil  war;  H.  }., 
the  subject  of  this  review;  Norman  B.,  who 
served  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth 
Indiana  Regiment  and  is  nnw  enipl-ived  as 
a  machinist  in  Monett.  Miss<  nn  ;  an. I  Marv 
J.,  the  wife  of  S.  A.  Mott,  wli--  ua-  a  sol- 
dier in  a  New  York  regiment  during  the 
war,  and  now  resides  at  Monett,  Missouri. 
The  father  of  these  children  also  took  part 
in  the  memorable  struggle  between  the  north 
and  the  south,  serving  in  Company  H,  Sec- 
ond Indiana  Cavalry.  After  the  war  he  re- 
moved to  Missouri,  and  his  death  occurred 
at  Monett,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  3-ears. 
He  was  a  gunsmith  by  trade,  and  for  many 
years  was  also  engaged  in  railroad  work, 
having  served  as  both  freight  and  passenger 
conductor  on  the  first  road  into-  Indiana. 
His  political  support  was  given  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  his  sons  have  also  become 
identified  with  that  grand  old  partv.      His 


695 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


widow  survived  him  until  lier  nine- 
tieth year,  and  both  passed  away  in 
the  faith  of  the  Baptist  church,  of  which 
th.e}-  were  worthy  and  exemplary  members. 

H.  J.  Goldsborough,  whose. name  intro- 
duces this  review,  was  born  in  Jefferson 
county,  Indiana,  on  the  3d  of  March.  1838. 
In  early  life  he  became  identified  with  rail- 
road work,  as  an  employe  of  the  M.  &  I. 
Railroad,  but  at  the  breakng  out  of  the  Civil 
war  he  put  aside  ^all  personal  considerations 
and  nobly  offered  his  services  to  the  Union 
cause,  enlisting  in  the  Second  Indiana 
Ca\-ah-v.  During  his  army  experience  he 
took  part  in  many  of  the  hard-fought 
engagements  of  the  war,  including  those 
of  Chickamauga.  Stone  River,  Gallatin, 
Hartsville.  Shiloh  and  many  others.  He 
also  assisted  in  the  relief  of  General 
Burnside's  troops,  and  later  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
fourth  Indiana  Infantry,  of  which  he  was 
made  first  lieutenant  of  Company  B,  remain- 
ing in  that  capacity  until  the  terrible  strug- 
gle was  past  and  he  was  permitted  to  re- 
turn to  his  home  and  again  take  up  the  active 
duties  of  civil  life.  In  1877  Mr.  Golds- 
borough  secured  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  Osage  Indian  land,  and  this 
has  been  his  home  for  twenty-four  years. 
-\s  the  years  have  passed  by  he  has  been  en- 
abled to  place  his  fields  under  a  fine  state  of 
cultivation,  has  erected  commodious  and  sub- 
stantial luuldings,  planted  a  beautiful  grove 
and  orchard,  and  his  is  now  one  of  the 
most  valuable  places  of  its  size  in  the  county. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  the  war,  in 
April,  1865,  Mr.  Goldsborough  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Caroline  E.  Green,  a  native 
of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  (Roush)  Green,  both  of  whom  passed 
awav  in  Indiana.  They  were  members 
of  tile  Christian  church,  and  were  people  of 
the  highest  respectabilit}'.  honored  and  es- 
teemed fcr  tlieir  many  nnhle  characteristics. 
Unto  this  union  were  born  seven  children, 
namely:  Ed.  J.,  of  Newton,  Indian  Terri- 
tcrv,  kora  ^l.  Guthrie,  of  Oklahoma;  Eva 
M.  Foster,  of  Kingman  county;  John  W.,  af 
home;  Mary  J.,  who  was  a  successful  teach- 
er, but  her  career  was  ended  in  death  at  the 


early  age  of  eighteen  years;  and  two  who 
died  in  childhood.  The  wife  and  mother 
has  also  been  called  to  her  final  rest,  passing 
away  in  1899,  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years,* 
and  thus  ended  the  life  of  a  noble.  Christian 
woman.  On  the  seventh  of  May,  1900,  Mr. 
Goldsborough  wedded  Harriet  Hubler,  a  na- 
tive of  Miami  county,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter 
of  George  and  Fannie  (Warner)  Hubler, 
of  the  Hoosier  state.  Mr.  Goldsborough  is 
one  of  the  leading  and  valued  members  of 
the  Republican  party  in  Kingman  county, 
and  he  has  many  times  served  as  a  delegate 
to  county  con\-entions,  while  for  six  years  he 
was  justice  of  the  peace.  His  social  rela- 
tions connect  him  with  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  being  a  charter  member  of 
Kingman  I'dSt  and  aiso'  a  member  of  Rankin 
Post,  of  Chenev.  and  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  identified  with  the  Christian  church 
He  has  earned  for  himself  an  enviable  repu- 
tation as  a  careful  man  of  business,  always 
known  for  his  prompt  and  honorable  meth- 
ods of  dealing,  which  have  won  him  the  de- 
served and  unbounded  confidence  of  his  fel- 
low men. 


L.  WESLEY  KABLER. 

L.  W.  Kabler  is  the  former  proprietor  of 
the  Hill  Dale  stock  farm  in  White  town- 
ship, Kingman  county.  .  He  has  resided  in 
this  portion  of  the  state  since  October,  1883, 
and  is  therefore  numbered  among  the  pi- 
oneers who  have  witnessed  the  greater  part 
of  the  development  and  progress  of  the 
country,  bearing  their  part  in  its  upluiild- 
ing  and  advancement.  He  was  born  in 
Campbell  countv.  A'irginia,  in  1862,  and  is 
a  son  of  Lillburn  and  Octavia  (  Shands) 
Kabler.  The  paternal  grandfather  was  Har- 
\-ey  Kabler,  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  At 
the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  Lillburn  Kabler 
joined  the  Confederate  army  and  served 
with  the  command  of  General  Stonewall 
Jackson,  as  a  loyal  defender  of  the  cause 
in  which  he  believed.  He  married  ^Miss 
Shands,  who  was  born  in  \'irginia,  a  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  old  families  of  the 


\ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


697 


state.  Her  fatliei",  William  Shands,  was 
also  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  as  were 
her  grandparents,  but  she  was  of  German, 
Scotch  and  French  descent.  The. father  of 
our  subject)  was  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  in  re- 
ligious faith  he  was  a  Methodist.  His  death 
occurred  in  Texas  county,  Missouri,  when 
he  was  sixty-one  years  of  aige,  and  his  wife 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  forty-one.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
se\en  are  now  living,  namely :  William, 
of  Missouri:  Bascom.  who  is  living  in 
the  same  state;  L.  Wesley,  of  this  re- 
view :  ]\Irs.  Lelia  Taylor  and  Airs.  Nanc}- 
Turner,  who  are  also  residents  of  Mis- 
souri ;  Mrs.  Hattie  Geirtz,  who  is  living 
in  Kingman,  and  Thomas  T.,  of  Kingman 
county.  One  son,  Joseph,  died  at  the  age 
of  three  years. 

L.  \\'esley  Kabler  was  reared  in  Virginia 
until  tweh'c  years  of  age  and  then  accom- 
panied his  parents  on  their  removal  to 
Chariton  county,  Alissouri.  He  early  be- 
came familiar  with  all  the  duties  and  la- 
bors that!  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agrirulturist. 
and  early  learned  lessons  of  industry?  and 
integrity  which  have  been  potent  elements 
in  shaping  his  career.  His  educarioi,  ^vas 
acquired  in  the  schools  of  Virginia  and  3.1is- 
souri,  and  his  knowledge  has  beei:  largeK- 
supplemented  through  business  experience, 
reading  and  observation.  He  came  to  Kan- 
sas in  October.  Tf^8,v  possessed  of  no  capi- 
tal, but  with  sir.  nig  determination  to  win 
success.  His  re>.  lUninn  and  enterprise  stood 
him  instead  of  fortune  and  he  has  gradu- 
ally worked  his  way  upward.  He  first  lo- 
cated twelve  miles  southwest  of  Kingman, 
where  he  took  a  claim,  pre-empting  the 
land.  On  the  Dickinson  ranch,  he  held  the 
responsible  position  of  manager  for  four- 
teen years,  serving  in  a  most  acceptable  man- 
ner. In  T900  be  purchased  the  Hill  Dale 
ranch,  which  is  one  of  the  best  located 
farms  in  the  township.  It  is  supplied  with 
all  modern  improvements,  including  the 
fine  residence  which  stands  on  a  natural 
building  site.  There  are  good  barns  and 
outbuildings,  rich  meadow  lands  and  pas- 
tures and  well  tilled  fields,  giving  promise 


of  rich  wheat  and  other  harvests.  An  or- 
chard and  gro\e  are  also  among  the  features 
of  {\\\>  ])lacc',  rendering  it  one  of  the  most 
valualile  and  attractive  farms  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. In  Januar}',  1902,  however,  he 
sold  his  farm  and  is  now  engaged  in  the 
hardware  and  implementi  business  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Kabler  &  Donaldson. 

In  1887  ]^Ir.  Kabler  was  married  to 
]\Iary  M.  Salmons,  who  has  been  an  able  a-';- 
sistant  to  her  husband  in  his  work.  She 
was  born  in  Ohio,  but  was  reared  and  ed- 
ucated in  Illinois.  Her  lather,  Levi  Sal- 
mons, also  a  native  of  the  l!r,ckc\  e  state,  was 
a  farmer  and  stockman  and  at  the  time  of 
the  Civil  war  served  with  the  Union  army. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Rosa  Brown,  is  now  deceased.  In  their 
family  were  ten  children.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kabler  have  been  born  five  children, 
as  follows:  Levi  L. :  Lydia  O. :  Vina,  R. ; 
Jessie  D.   and  Gladys. 

Politically  Mr.  Kabler  is  a  stanch  Dem- 
ocrat, active  and  earnest  in  the  work  of  his 
party,  and  on  its  ticket  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  county  treasurer  in  1895,  serv- 
ing for  the  two  succeeding  years  in  a  man- 
ner which  rendered  him  a  most  popular  and 
acceptable  public  officer.  He  has  attended 
the  conventions  of  his  partv  as  a  delegate 
and  his  opinions  carry  weight  in  its  coun- 
cils. Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  \\'orkmen,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  His  life  has  been  wejl 
spent  and  has  been  an  industrious,  useful 
and  honorable  career.  With  those  elements 
as  a  foundation  he  has  builded  thereon  the 
superstructure  of  success,  and  is  now  one  of 
the  leading  and  substantial  agriculturists  of 
his  communitv. 


HENRY  TITUS. 


The  list  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Rice 
county  contains  the  name  of  Henry  Titus, 
whose  record  as  a  soldier  and  as  a  business 
man  has  won  for  him  the  confidence  and 
good  will   of  all   with   whom   he  has   been 


69S 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


brought  in  contact.  He  was  born  at  Cole- 
brock.  New  Hamu^lvre.  on  tlie  25th  of  June. 
1842.  Hi-  ]i;itcrn::l  eranilfrahcr.  David 
Titus,  was  Ml'  |-:n-ii>li  dc-CLUt.  and  his  wife, 
who  was  of  Scotch  descent,  was  a 
member  of  the  Cleveland  lami!}-  and 
was  a  distant  relative  of  ex-President 
Cleveland.  The  father  of  our  subject,  Ele- 
asor  Titus,  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  his  entire  life  was  there  spent,  his  death' 
occurring  at  Colebrook  in  1870.  He  was  a 
carpenter  and  millwright  by  trade,  following 
those  occupations  through  his  active  business 
career.  He  married  ]Miss  Susan  Selling- 
ham,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they 
had  seven  children,  namely :  Elvira,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  George  \V.  Spencer;  An- 
son, a  resident  of  California  :  Samantha,  who 
became  Mrs.  Noyes ;  Alfred,  a  resident  of 
New  Hampshire:  Henry,  our  subject;  and 
Ann.  the  wife  of  J.  J.  Johnson.  The  second 
child.  Anson,  entered  the  army  as  a  private 
during  the  Civil  war,  but  was  afterward 
promoted  to  the  position  cf  sergeant.  Pie 
was  subsequentl}"  wounded,  on  account  of 
which  he  received  an  honorable  discharge, 
but  after  sufificiently  recovering  his  health  he 
veteranized  and  as  a  lieutenant  served  until 
the  close  of  hostilities. 

Henry  Titus,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  state,  and  his 
early  life  was  spent  on  a  farm.  When 'quite 
young  he  became  an  employe  in  the  iron 
mines,  in  which  he  remained  until  1861, 
leaving  there  to  battle  for  his  loved  country. 
He  became  a  member  of  Company  G.  Second 
New  Hampshire  A'olunteer  Infantry,  under 
Colonel  Gilman  IMartin.  which  became  a 
menber  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  with 
General  Hooker  in  command.  ]\Ir.  Titus 
saw  much  hard  service'during  his  army  ex- 
perience, having  first  done  guard  duty  in  the 
city  of  Washington,:  D..  C,  and  his  first  bat- 
tle was  that  of  Williamsburg.  Virginia, 
where  he  was.  severely  wounded  by  a  minie 
ball  in  the  left  band.  The  ball  shattered  the 
left  arm.  and; about  the  same  dime  he  was 
wounded  in  the  left  side. -His  command  re- 
1;reated  to  Yorkt(_nvn.  and  ]\Ir.  Titus  was  put 
in  a  hospital  there,  being  later  sent  to  a  New 


York  hospital.  He  subsequently  received  a 
thirty  da}-s"  furlough  and  returned  to  his 
hr.me.  on  the  expiratiiai  rif  which  period  he 
rejijined  his  ccimmand,  Imt  was  iie\-er  again 
able  t(i  l)ear  arms,  being  detailed  for  light 
service,  assisting  about  the  camp  ancl  help- 
ing the  ijfficers  and  sutlers.  He  made  him- 
self generally  useful  to  his  command  until 
it  was  ordered  to  Richmond,  in  the  fall  of 
1863,  when  all  not  able  to  liear  arms  were 
ordered  discharged  and  he  was  am-  ng  the 
number,  recei^■ing  an  honoralile  discharge  at 
Alexandria,  Virginia.  ^Ir.  Titus  then 
joined  a  wounded  brother  at  Washington, 
remaining  with  him  and  caring  for  him  until 
February.  1864.  when  they  went  to  ^^'is- 
consin,  but  for  many  months  both  were  un- 
able to  perform  bard  labor,  and  our  subject 
has  never  regained  his  former  health,  his 
labors  being  often  executed  in  pain. 

In  the  fall  of  1865  Mr.  Titus  removed  to 
Minnesota,  where  he  secured  a  soldier's 
homestead  and  improved  a  good  farm,  re- 
maining there  until  1878.  In  that  year  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  the  Sunflower  state, 
first  locating  in  Sumner  county,  but  soon 
afterward  came  to  Rice  county,  where  he 
secured  a  timber  claim:  He  immediately 
began  the  work  of  clearing  and  improving 
his  land,  and  his  first  place  of  abode  was  a 
stone  cellar,  in  which  the  family  lived  until 
1889.  when  their  present  commodious  and 
attractive  farm  residence  was  erected.  He 
has  also  built  substantial  barns  and  other  out- 
buildings, has  planted  a  fine  orchard,  and  he 
also  owns  plenty  of  good  timber  land  nine 
miles  northeast  of  Little  River  and  lour 
miles  south  of  Langley.  His  entire  atten- 
tion is  devoted  to  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising,  and  his  farm  is  now  under  a.  fine 
state  of  cultivation,  everything  -about  the 
place  indicating  the  supervision  of  a  neat 
and  progressive  owner.  Since  returning 
from  the  war.  however,  the  most  of  his  life 
has  been  passed  as  an  invalid;  and  in  com- 
pensation for  his  services  he  now  receives  a 
small  pension  from  the  government. 

Air.  Titus  was  m.arriedvin  1867,  in  Min- 
nesota, to  Miss  Alnia  A.  .Ai-nold.  who  was 
born  in  Michigan.'  Ottober  22.  1847.  ^ 
daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Louisa   (  Huett) 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


G99 


Arnold,  natives,  respectively,  of  Vermont 
and  New  York.  The  father  was  a  carpenter 
by  trade,  and  in  addition  to  contracting-  and 
building  he  always  owned  and  operated  a 
farm.  After  their  ni:irrici,^o,  which  oc- 
curred in  New  Y.vrk.  they  rcni..\-eil  to  Michi- 
gan and  later  to  AA'isconsin.  where  the  father 
died  on  the  28th  of  November,  1863.  While 
a  resident  of  Michigan  he  served  as  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  was  a  v6ry  popular  man  in 
the  localities  in  which  he  lived.  .  He  was 
twice  married,  and  by  his  first  union  he  had 
one  daughter.  Mar)-,  now  the  wife  of  D. 
Swift.  The  mother  nf  :\Irs.  Titus  was  a 
daughter  of  James  Huctt.  a  nati\-e  ot.  the 
state:  of  New  York.  He  served  as  a.sbl'- 
dier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  as  a  life  OcGii- 
pation  he  followed  farming.  His  death  oc- 
curred at  his  old  homestead  in  New  York. 
The  Huett  children  were  Russell,  Eliza, 
Amanda,  Lavica.  Samuel,  Nane\-.  Silencer, 
George  and  Evaline.  Mrs.  AriiMl.l,  the  mo- 
ther of  ]Mrs.  Titus,  survived  her  lul^]land  for 
twenty  years,  and  after  his  death  she  re- 
moved with  her  family  to  Minnesota,  where 
she  secured  government  land  ami  improved 
a  farm.  In  1876  she  came  to  Kansas  with 
a  son,  and  her  death  occurred  in  this  county 
on  the  4th  .,f  August,  1882.  Botii-  she 
andher  hushand  were  sincere  and  earliest 
memhers  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist  church. 
They  became  the  parents  of  four  children, 
namely:  Newman,  a  resid'ent  of' Allen  cbtiri- 
•ty,  Kansas:  Alma,  the  wife  of  mir  subject'; 
'JohnV'ctf  :Minnesot;i:  an.l  Makiii,  who  fol- 
lows farming  in  Rice  county.  The  origi- 
■nal  Arnold  ancestor  in  the  United  States 
came  from  New  Brunswick  to  \'ermont.  He 
was  a  valiant  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Rev- 
olution, and  his-  death  occurred  in  Vermont 
'after  rearing: a  large  family.  He  was  a 
■farmer  liy  occupation.  The  eliildren  brirn 
to  the  uni^m  of  out  sulijd'ct  ami  wife  are  a-, 
'follow.:  A.lell,  now  Mrs.'  W.  I'ord;  E!^ 
■vira,  the  wife  >  tf  K.  N'oini'^  ;  Dora,  the  wife 
of  S.  Smith:  Aiim  11  <  ...  w'ni  is  engaged  in 
farming:  and  Chester  and  Susie  L.,  at  hoine. 
Mr.  Titus  holds  meinbership  with  the  G.  A. 
'R.  Post  at  Little  River.  He  is  a  man  of 
'Strong-  mentality,  of  broad  humanitarian 
'principles   and   kindly    motive's.     No    trust 


reposed  in  him  has  e\'er  been  betrayed,  and 
whether  on  the  field  of  battle,  protecting  the 
stars  and  stripes,  or  in  private  life,  he  is  true 
to  his  country  and  its.  licst  interests. 


ELI  C.  W  ILSON. 


Eli  C.  \\'ilson,  a  highly  respected  and 
■sttccessful  farmer  of  Evan  township.  King- 
man county  was  born  March  26,  1844.  in 
Richland  county,  Ohio;  He  is  of  Scotch 
and  Irish  ancestry,  the  family  being  ncted 
for  .their  courag'e,  patriotism  and  h(>nest\-. 
•His  father,  William,  Wilson,  was  a  native 
iof  Pennsylvania. '  but  ■  wla's  .reared  aiid .  edu- 
■cated:  in  Riqliland  cmmty,  Ohio.  For  his 
'wife  he  chose  Sarah  Gotshall,  a  lady  of  a 
Pennsyhania  Dutch  family,  her  birth  oc- 
curring iir  Lancaster  county,  Penns}-lvania. 
.They  were  the  parents  of: two  children,  Eli 
I'G.,  and  George  E.',  who  now  resides  in  Van 
, Wert, county,- Ohio.  Williarn'  Wilson  was 
a.  cafpenter  by  occupation,  and  a:  Stanch  ad- 
herent of  the  Democratic  part^:  He  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  forty-one '  years.  His 
widow  married  a  second  time,  her  second 
husband  being  Robert  Shaffer,  by  whom  she 
had' one  son,  'William  Shaffer,  now  living  in 
jRenO' county,  Kansas.  Robert  Shaffer  was 
.called  to  his:  final  rest  at  the  age  of  seventy. 
jBoth  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
•Presbyterian  chri.rch,  and  were  honored  and 
respected  bv  all  who  knew  them. 

'  The  subject  of  this  sketch.  EH  C.  Wil- 
son, spent  ills  boyhood  on  his  father's 
•farm,.' where  he  was  taught  the  duties  that 
fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist.  The 
•schools'  of  Richland  county,  furnished  hint 
his  education  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  decided  to  embark  on  life's  jotirney  for 
himself.  He  was  married  in  1872!  to.]\Ii.ss 
Manila  Hague,  a  native  of  Napoleon,  Ohio. 
She  lived  but  thirteen  months,  and-  he  then 
chose  for  his  second  wife  Mrs.  Ida  (W^ells) 
Bouton,  a  lady  qf  intelligence  a'nd  refine- 
ment, who'  has  been  -to  him  a' good 'and 
faithful  companion.  She  was' liorn  at  De- 
fiante;  Ohio,  a  daughter'  of  Samuel  and 
■Jane  AA'^ells,  also  natives  of  the  Buckeye 
state.     •' 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


In  early  manhood  ^Ir.  Wilson  took 
up  arms  in  defense  of  his  country,  enlist- 
ing as  a  member  of  the  Sixty-fourth  Ohio 
\'olunteer  Infantry.  In  October,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  Colonel  -Forsyth's  regiment, 
serving  under  Captain  Finbrock.  For 
twenty  months  he  ser\'ed,  winning  a  good 
military  record.  He  was  a  member  of  Gen- 
eral Sherman's  Twentieth  Brigade,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Shiloh  and  Stone 
river.  In  the  latter  engagement  he  received 
a  wound  in  his  left  hand.  He  was  also  shot 
in  the  right  ami;  the  ball  came  near  sever- 
ing the  main  artery.  Three  months  of  his 
service  was  spent  in  the  hospitals  of  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and 
Quincy,  Illinois,  recovering  from  the 
wounds  which  he  had  so  valiantly  received 
w'hen  fighting  in  defense  of  the  stars  and 
stripes.  ]\Ir.  Wilson  made  his  home  in  Ohio 
until  1884.  when  he  removed  to  Sedgwick 
county,  Kansas.  Here  he  remained  until 
1896,  when  he  removed  to  Evan  township, 
Kingman  county,  where  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  rich  farming 
property,  which  through  his  improvement 
and  cultivation  is  now  one  of  the  most  val- 
uable tracts  of  land  in  that  locality.  Five 
acres  of  this  land  is  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  large  trees,  and  the  substantial' 
buildings,  including  the  modern  residence, 
the  well  tilled  fields  and  the  high  grade  of 
stock,  are  the  visible  evidence  of  the  care- 
ful supervision  of  the  owner. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Wilson  has 
been  blessed  with  four  children,  namely: 
Gilah  Grace,  who  is  the  wife  of  Walter 
Long,  the  county  clerk  of  Kingman  coun- 
ty; Stanley  B.,  a  student  of  Kingman  coun- 
ty high  school ;  Zenia,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
two  years ;  and  Virgie,  the  pet  of  the  house- 
hold. The  father  has  always  taken  an  act- 
ive interest  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  ad- 
vancenijent  of  his  community  along  educa- 
tional, temperance,  religious  and  moral 
lines,  and  is  a  liberal  supporter  of  political 
and  social  societies.  He  is  a  loyal  Repub- 
lican, and  holds  membership  in  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic:  also  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  o  Odd  Fellows,  Lodge  No. 
252,   at   Cheney.      Although   reared   in   the 


faith  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  he  is  now 
a  member  of  the  ^lethodist  Episcopal 
church,  as  are  also  his  wife  and  daughters, 
and  they  have  ever  lived  in  consistency  witli 
its  teachings.  The  family  is  noted  for  its 
hospitality  and  have  many  friends  in  King- 
man count  V. 


ELI  J.  RIGGS. 


Eli  J.  Riggs  is  one  of  the  intelligent  and 
enterprising  farmers  of  Evan  township,  and 
is  numbered  among  the  native  sons  of  Kan- 
sas, his  birth  having  occurred  in  Prairie 
City,  Douglas  county,  in  1868.  His  fa- 
ther, Nathan  S.  Riggs,  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  Reno  county,  locating  there  in 
1871,  his  home  being  sixty  miles  from  the 
nearest  railroad  point.  He  came  to  Kan- 
sas in  the  ■50s.  He  was  born  in  Albany, 
New  York,  in  1828,  and  was  of  French  de- 
scent. In  the  Empire  state  he  spent  his 
childhood  and  youth  and  was  married  there 
to  Minerva  Stevens,  also  a  native  of  that 
state.  After  their  marriage  they  started 
westward  and  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  early 
settlers  of  Kansas  before  the  admission  of 
that  state  into  the  union.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber O'f  the  state  troops  that  went  to  Law- 
rence, Kansas,  in  order  to  afford  protection 
against  the  forces  under  Quantrell.  He 
took  part  in  many  of  the  events  which  form 
the  early  history  of  the  Sunflower  state, 
and  continued  his  residence  in  Douglas 
county  until  1871,  when  he  went  to  Reno 
county,  taking  up  his  abode  upon  the  farm 
w'here  he  yet  resides.  By  his  first  marriage 
he  had  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  name- 
ly:  Nathan  A.,  deceased;  Frances  ]\I.,  who 
is  living  in  [Milton,  Oregon;  'Sla.ry  E.,  of 
Evan  township,  Kingman  county :  Emma  J., 
of  Missouri ;  and  Eli  J.,  of  this  review. 
After  the  death  of  the  mother,  the  father 
was  again  married  and  by  the  second  union 
had  one  son,  Charles.  Nathan  Riggs  has 
ever  been  a  valued  citizen  of  the  communi- 
ties with  which  he  has  been  connected,  and 
is  honored  and  respected  by  all  with  whom- 
he  has  come  in  contact.  He  has  ever  been 
fc  und  on  the  side  of  reform  in  politics,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


has  snccessfiilly  supported  the  Greenhack, 
Alliance  and  Populist  parties.  In  his  re- 
ligious faith  he  is  identified  with  the  Chris- 
tain  Science  church.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  a  lady  of  many  excellencies  of  char- 
acter and  her  kindness  made  her  loved  by 
her  many   friends. 

Eli  J.  Riggs,  a  native  of  Douglas  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  was  a  small  boy  when  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Reno  county,  where  he  was 
reared  upon  a  farm  amid  the  experiences 
cf  frontier  life.  He  attended  the  public 
schools,  but  business,  reading  and  observa- 
tion have  added  largely  to  his  knowledge. 
He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  and  in  early 
manliood  learned  the  trades  of  plastering" 
and  masonry  work,  and  in  following  those 
pursuits  was  employed  at  different  points 
in  central  Kansas.  He  was  a  good  mechanic 
.and  was  always  able  to  secure  a  situation. 
In  1 89 1  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  well 
improved  land  on  which  he  has  a  good  resi- 
dence, barn  and  all  the  modern  accessories, 
and  in  addition  to  his  valuable  farm  in 
Evan  township,  he  owns  eighty  acres  of 
land  in  Reno  count)-,  which  is  also  under 
cultivation.  He  is  successfully  engaged  in 
general  farming,  stock  raising,  and  his  un- 
flagging industry  and  capable  management 
are  the  factors  which  class  him  among  the 
substantial  agriculturists  of  the  commruiity. 

In  1890  Air.  Riggs  was  joined  in  wed- 
lock to  Mary  E.  Warren,  an  estimable  lady 
who'  was  born  in  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph Warren,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and  a 
local  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Two  sons  and  a  daughter  grace 
the  marriage  of  our  subject  and  his  wife, 
namely:  Earl,  born  June  21,  1891 ;  Glenn, 
June  15,  1S95:  and  May,  August  12,  1899; 
wlrle  Xathan  Oran,  who  was  born 
February  13,  1893,  passed  away  April  25, 
1894.  Besides,  there  was  an  infant  son 
who  survived  his  birth  only  four  days.  The 
parents  hold  memljersliip  in  the  IMethodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  socially  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  Lodge  No.  254,  Cheney,  Sedg- 
wick county.  Kansas.  In  political  faith  he 
is  a  Populist.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  his 


community  and  in  his  life  exemplifies  the 
progressive  spirit  which  has  led  to  the  won- 
derful development  of  the  west. 


EUGEXE  COXXOR. 

The  agricultural  and  stock-growing  in- 
dustries of  Kingman  county  have  a  worthy 
representative  in  the  subject  of  this  review, 
who  is  known  as  one  of  the  extensive  and 
successful  operators  in  these  lines  and  is  one 
of  the  representative  citizens  of  the  county, 
his  landed  estate  comprising  eight  hundred 
acres,  situated  in  Rural  and  Kingman  town- 
ships, while  his  post-office  address  is  Cun- 
ningham. He  is  a  self-made  man,  in  the 
true  sense  of  the  term,  and  on  this  account 
his  career  offers  both  lesson  and  incentive, 
dominated,  as  it  has  ever  been,  by  absolute 
integrity  of  purpose,  energy  and  good  busi- 
ness judgment.  Such  men  are  peculiarly 
worthy  of  a  place  on  the  pages  of  a  work  of 
this  nature,  and  we  here  present  a  brief  re- 
view of  the  life  history  of  Eugene  Connor. 

Though  he  has  passed  practically  his 
entire  life  in  the  United  States.  ]\Ir.  Connor 
claims  the  fair  Emerald  Isle  as  the  land  of 
his  nativity,  having  been  born  in  County 
Cork,  Ireland,  on  the  12th  of  October.  1846, 
the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Ronan)  Connor, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  the  same  countv, 
of  sterling  old  Irish  lineage.  In  his  native 
land  the  father  of  our  subject  devoted  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  until  1852, 
when  he  anigrated  to  America  with  his  fam- 
ily, locating  in  Binghamton,  Ktw  York, 
where  he  passed  the  residue  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  in  1896.  His  wife  passed 
away  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a 
mere  child,  and  after  her  death  the  family 
was  kept  together  b}-  the  elder  sisters,  who 
spared  no  pains  to  supply  to  the  younger 
children  the  devoted  care  which  their  mother 
would  have  accorded.  In  the  family  were 
four  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  we 
make  brief  mention  as  follows :  Hannah  is 
the  wife  of  John  Connor,  of  Binghamton. 
New  York;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  John  Grace. 
of   the   same  city;   jMichael.    a  "resident   of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Binghamton,  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac during  the  war  of  the  Rehehion ;  Cath- 
erine is  the  wife  of  Nicholas  Ouerk,  of  Bing- 
hamton ;  in  that  city  also  resides  Nellie,  who 
is  unmarried;  and  also  Lizzie,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Otis  Brink;  Timothy  is  a  railroad  engi- 
neer, residing  in  Great  Bend,  Pennsylvania; 
Eugene,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth,  and  the  fifth  was 
John,  who  died  in  childhood. 

Eugene  Connor  passed  his  boyhood 
davs  in  the  city  of  Binghamton,  where  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  until  he  had  at- 
tained the  age  of  fifteen  years,  when  he  as- 
sumed indix'idual  responsibilities  of  a  some- 
what unusual  order,  enlisting  in  the  United 
States  mihtary  construction  corps  which  was 
assigned  to  the  work  of  constructing  tele- 
graph lines  in  Tennessee,  Georgia  and  Ala- 
bama, during  the  progress  of  the  Civil  war. 
He  was  with  General  Thomas'  command  at 
Nashville  and  thereafter  continued'  in  the 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  receiving 
his  honorable  discharge,  at  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, in  February,  1865.  After  the  v/ar  Mr. 
Ciinnor  'made  his  way  to  Bloomington,  In- 
diana, where  his  uncle,  John  Roan,  was 
located  and  engaged  in  blacksmithing  work 
in  the  employ  of  a  railri.ad  cnniiiiiny.  Our 
subject  secured  em])li.\niciit  as  a  -cctidii  hand 
0,1  the  railnind,  liein-  thu^  en-a-cd  aliuut 
three  in-mlis,  after  which  he  hecanx-  a.  l.r;ike- 
man  1  !i  a  d  iii-uaiclii  ai  tram,  (  n  the  Alnnon 
route,  continuing'  to  follow  this  ^-ocation 
about  four  years.  His  fidelity  and  ability 
gained  him  recoginitioii  and  preferment, 
since  he  was  then  assigned  to  a  position  as 
conductor  on  a  local  freight,  between  La- 
fayette and  Michigan  City.  At  the  expira- 
tion ©if  two  years  Mr.  Connor  was  made 
foreman  of  a  construction  corps  of  the  West- 
ern Union  Telegra]-h  r,;iva'\\.  having 
charge  of  the  conslna  ;in\  >  ,'  l^r.  ;V<  m  La-' 
fayette.  Lidiana,  in  \an.  i'-  .;rre. -li,  ;i^.  Later 
he  installed  the  e(|uipment  and  cp-ened  the 
first  tflcphone  exchange  in  the  city  of  La- 
fayette, and  thereafter  was  foreman  and  in- 
spector fur  the  operating  company  for  sev- 
eral years. 

In  18S4,  in  company  with  his  wife  and 
three  chikken,  'Sir.  Conner  came  to  King- 


man county,  Kansas,  and  located  a  claim  of 
land  on  section  2,  Kingman  township.  His 
first  residence  was  a  sod  house,  twelve  by 
fourteen  feet  in  dimensions,  and  equipped 
with  a  board  roof.  After  one  year  had  ex- 
pired he  removed  to  his  present  home,  which 
is  one  of  the  attractive  and  coitifortable 
farm  dwellings  that  indicate  the  prosper- 
ity of.  this  section  of  the  county.  To  his 
original  quarter,  section  Mr.  Connor  has 
since  added'  until  he  now  has  a  full  section 
of  the  choicest  land  in  the  county,  about 
four  hundred  acres  of  the  tract  l>eing  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Connor  has 
devoted  no  secondary  attention  to  the  rais- 
ing of  live  stock,  and  this  department  of  his 
enterprise  has  given  most  satisfactiiry  re- 
turns. He  keeps  an  average  of  about  sev- 
enty-five head  of  cattle'  and  about  one  hun- 
dred'hOgs,  and  spares'  no  pains  in  bringing 
his  stock  up  to  high  grade,  thus  commanding 
the  best  prices  in  the  markets.  In  1895  he 
remodeled  his  residence,  which  is  now  com- 
modious and  convenient,  being  one  of  the 
pleasant  homes  of  the  county,  while  in  1891 
he  erected  his  fine  barn,  one  of  the  best  in 
the  county.  In  every  particular  the  farm- 
stead shows  the  care  and  attention  bestowed 
by  its  progressive  and  up-tu-date  owner, 
thrift  lieing  in  evidence  on  every  hand. 

In  his  political  allegiance  Mr.  Connor 
is  found  arrayed  with  the  Demncratic  party, 
and  he  has  served  three  c 'n>ecutive  terms 
as  treasurer  of  Rural  township,  while  for 
twelve  years  he  has  been  incumbent  of  the 
position  of  director  of  the  school  board  of 
his  district,  taking  a  lively  interest  in  all  that' 
concerns  the  progress  and  general  welfare' 
of  the  community,  while  to  him  is  accorded 
unqualified  confidence  and  esteem  in  the 
county  and  state  of  his  adoption. 

-  At  Lafayette,  Indiana,  en  the  12th  of 
October,  1887,  was  solemnized  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Connor  to  Miss  Emma  F.  \\'ilson,; 
who  was  born  in  White  county,  Indiana, 
the  daughter  of  James  B.  and  Rebecca 
(Shortridge)  Wilson,  natives  resjiectively 
of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  and  nu;nl:ered  among 
the  pioneers  cf  White  c  uiiiy.  Indiana.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Connor  twcl\-e  children  were 
born,  of  whcm  all  are  living  sa\-e  one,  their 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


names,  in  order  of  birth,  being  as  foUows : 
James,  who  is  an  engineer  on  the  Jilonon 
Railroad,  resides  in  Lafayette,  Indiana; 
Clara  is  the  wife  of  John  Freeman,  of  Crip- 
ple Creek,  Colorado ;  John  died  in  Lafayette, 
Lidiana,  at  the  age  of  two  years;  and  the 
others-  are  I\Iary,  Florence,  Paul,  Catherine, 
Emniett,  Grace,  Bessie,  Rav  and  Alarie. 


JOHN  G.  E\'AXS. 

In  commercial  circles  of  Sicrliii,i^"  John 
G.  Evans  occupies  an  en\-iaiilc  in.sitirm, 
standing  at  the  head  of  the  tirni  <i{  j.^hn  G. 
E\'ans  &  Son,  dealers  in  farm  im;ilcments, 
coal  and  oil.  His  business  methods  will  bear 
the  closest  scrutin}^  and  his  enterprise  and 
diligence  form  the  keynote  of  his  success. 
His  life  record  began  in  Wayne  county, 
Ohio,  on  the  7th  of  January,  1837.  The  an- 
cestral history  states  that  the  family  is  of 
Welsh  lineage.  The  great-grandfather, 
John  Evans,  was  born  in  "\\'ales,  April  21, 
1724,  and  there  spent  his  entire  life.  The 
grantlfather,  James  Evans,  was  born  in 
A\'ales,  on  Xo^•ember  20,  1777,  and  became 
the  fi  lunder  cf  the  familv  in  -\merica. 

Cro-sing  the  Atlantic  he  took  up  his 
abode  in  Ilea\"er  county.  Pennsylvania,  and 
subsequently  became  a  farmer  nf  Wayne 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1855,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-eight  years.  He  was  the  sec- 
ond settler  of  the  county  and  took  a  very 
active  part  in  laying  the  foundation  for  its 
future  prosperity  and  improvement.  In 
Beaver  county.  Peimsylvania,  he  had  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Marv  Shafer,  a  widow  who'  jiad 
two  sons  bv  her  fir-t  marriage.  She  was 
born  January  11,  i';('>i'<.  and  was  alsn  a  na- 
ti\'e  lit  Walc-.  Her  death  occurred  in  AA'a}-ne 
countw  (")rti'licr  4,  1844.  This  worthy  cou- 
lile  wrrc  tlic  parents  of  t\\-o  S'tns  and  two 
daughters,  namely:  James,  the  father  of 
our  subject:  Xathan,  who  was  married  and 
had  twn  ?nn?  and  two  daughters:  ]Mrs.  Sa- 
rah Camn.  whi  1  had  nine  children  :  and  Mrs. 
Delila  J(dniS(in.  who  had  six  children.  The 
members  of  the  Evans  family  \\ere  all  mar- 
ried and  reared  from  four  to  nine  children. 


James  Evans,  Sr.,  the  grandfather,  started 
in  life  empty-handed  in  DluVi,  but  as  the 
years  passed  and  hi--  farming  (>i)i-r;itiuns 
prospered  he  was  cnahled  U:  surn  uml  his 
family  with  the  comforts  and  many  of  the 
luxuries  of  life.  He  was  a  man  of  splendid 
physique,  six  feet,  six  inches  in  height  and 


weighed  twc  Innnlrcd  ]••  n 

1,]..     lie  \v;i<  .also 

strong  and  athluiic.  a   i\, 
well   fitted    to   tiidure    ll:c 
neer  life.      He    also    enii 

;i\-il    I'o  ■ritiei-Mnan, 
h.nMi,,,.   .  1    pio- 
\  L'd    liuiuiiig    and 

found    ample    opportumtx 

iM     iihlul-i:     his 

taste  in  that  direclinn,   1.  1 

m  die  carK-  days 

wild  game  and  wild  aiiiiii 
alxnmded  in  the  fore-l.-  ■  \ 
the  entire  distance  to  Ohi(_ 

iN  Ml   niaii\    kinds 
(  ihiii.  lie  walked 
ivi  mi  hi^  iMiiie  in 

Beaver    damty.    Pennsyh 

aiiia.    1.  c:ilol    his 

claim    and    returned    in    t 
cam] ling  out  at  night  liy 
hunte<l  l)c;u--  in  the  mnun 

le    -ainc    manner, 
the  w:iysiile.      He 
i:iins  (if  tlie  Key- 

stone    state   and   in   his    p' 

mcer  experiences 

found  frequent  use  fi  r  hi 
James  Evans,  Jr.,  tlic 

s  gun. 

father  nf  nur  sub- 

ject,    wa-   \  ^  ".-n    in    Bcaxii-   c  mil)-,    Pennsyl- 
vanin;i,    r)eccin!i-,a-  o,    iSnS,  ;i;ii|   wa^  reared 

Ig    Wl 


•n    -\i. 
lardne 

-d     19. 
r.    Air. 

t  when 

ty-ti  lur  }-ears 
ere  the  latter 

-inner 

passed 

in  his  parents'  home,  si 
ily  the  hardships  ijf  frontici-  life.  Me  mar 
ried  Catherine  Gardner,  a  native  nf  Lancas 
ter  Cduiitv,  Pennsvlvania,  Imi 
iSo;.  Her  father  was  David  ( 
and  Mrs.  Evans  resided  up-n  f 
homestead  in  Ohio  frir  m;un-  \l 
their  son  John  was  almut  tweii 
of  age  removed  to  Oilville.  wh 
died  IMay  6.  1872,  and  the  fi 
away  February  24.  1887,  ^^  the  age  nf  sixty- 
eight  vear-.  They  had  four  sons  and  two 
dan-liter-,  a-  fnllows  :  David  G.,  who  was 
bnrii  April  4,  1833.  at  the  .d,l  home  in  Oil- 
ville, Wayne  cr-unty,  r)hi-i.  and  is  now  a 
widriw^er:  Lnthenia.  wIim  w:is  burn  Decem- 
ber 15,  783.1.  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
luie  \  e;irs :  Jnhn  G..  of  this  review:  James, 
whn  was  burn  April  22,  1841,  and  is  living 
in  Sterling:  Mary,  who  was  born  January 
(<.  1847,  and  died  at  the  age  "f  twentv-one 
years;  and  AA'illiam  S.,  whose  birth  occurred 
December  21,  1843.  and  whn  i>  iktw  a  tele- 
graph operator  in  Oil\'ille.  Ohin. 

The   educational    privile.ges    which   John 
G.  Evans  enjoyed  in  his  youth  were  meager 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


in  quantity  and  rather  poor  in  quality,  for 
he  pursued  his  studies  in  a  primitive  round- 
log  schoolhouse,  with  claplx>ard  roof,  'built 
without  nails,  and  puncheon  floor,  desks  and 
seats.  He  could  attend  only  about  three 
months  in  the  year,  for  during  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  his  aid  was  needed  in  the 
work  of  the  home  farrn.  His  school  life 
ended  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age, 
after  which  he  gave  his  entire  attention  to 
the  labors  of  the  fields  and  to  the  work  of  a 
sawmill.  He  also  operated  a  horse-power 
threshing  machine  and  was  the  owner  of  the 
first  steam  thresher  and  the  first  separator 
in  his  part  of  the  state.  At  the  age.  of 
twenty-four  he  was  married  and  through 
the  four  succeeding  years  continued  to  carry 
on  the  old  homestead.  He  removed  from 
Oilville  to  Kansas  twenty-four  years  ago, 
arriving  in  Sterling  on  the  31st  of  March, 
1877.  This  portion  of  the  state  was  then  a 
wilderness,  but  with  characteristic  energy 
he  began  the  improvement  of  a  farm.  He 
first  settled  on  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  two  miles  north  of  the 
town,  paying  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Com- 
pany five  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  the 
tract  of  raw  prairie.  He  built  a  house  and 
at  once  began  the  work  of  transforming  the 
wild  land  into  richly  cultivated  fields, — a 
labor  which  he  continued  for  twelve  years, 
after  which  he  sold  eighty  acres  of  this  land 
and  removed  to  the  town.  Nine  years  ago 
he  erected  his  present  comfortable  residence 
and  established  the  coal  business.  In  igoo 
he  extended  the  field  of  his  labors  by  becom- 
ing a  dealer  in  agricultural  implements  and 
wagons.  He  admjtted  his  son  to  a  partner- 
ship, and  the  firm  is  now  doing  a  prosperous 
business,  enjoying  a  large  and  constantly 
growing-  patronage. 

Ere  his  removal  from  Ohio  Mr.  Evans 
was  united  in  marriage  on  the  i6th  of  No- 
vember, 1863,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being 
Lovina  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Wayne 
county,  Ohio,  in  1841,  a  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham and  Sarah  (Gindlesburger)  Miller, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Beaver  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania.  The  marrage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Evans  has  bee'n  blessed  with  five  chil- 
dren :     ^linnie.  the  wife  of  Tames  Haslen, 


by  whom  she  has  one  son  and  one  daugh- 
ter; Clara  Belle,  who  died  when  twenty-one 
years  of  age;  Mahlon,  who  is  his  father's 
partner  in  business;  James,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  one  and  a  half  years ;  and  I\Iary,  who 
passed  away  when  only  a  year  old.  Mr. 
Evans  is  a  Populist  and  has  served  as  road- 
master  for  two  terms,  building  the  road  to 
Lyons.  He  aided  in  the  survey  of  Sterling 
township  and  in  many  ways  he  has  promoted 
public  progress  and  improvement,  manifest- 
ing a  deep  interest  in  the  upbuilding  and 
general  welfare  of  the  community.  He  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church  and  their  lives  are  in  harmony  with 
their  religious  belief,  for  upright' principle", 
find  exemplification  therein. 


TOHN  gor:\iax. 


John  Gorman,  who  carries  on  general 
farming  in  \\'hite  township,  Kingman  coun- 
ty, is  one  of  the  well  known  and  progressive 
citizens  here  and  was  a  loyal  soldier  of  the 
Union  in  the  Civil  war.  He  was  born  April 
16,  1842,  in  Tennessee,  and  is  a  son  of  Da- 
vid H.  Gorman,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
Virginia,  whence  he  removed  with  his  par- 
ents to  Tennessee  during  the  period  of  early 
development  in  that  state,  settling  in  Cocke 
count}''.  The  familv  is  of  Irish  origin  but 
was  established  in  Virginia  in  colonial  days. 
Reared  to  manhood  in  Tennessee,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject  married  Ruth  Long',  a 
native  of  that  state,  and  a  representative  of 
one  of  its  old  families.  David  H.  Gorman 
was  three  times  married  and  had  thirteen 
children,  seven  sons  and  six  daughters. 
Four  of  the  sons  were  soldiers  in  the  Civil 
war,  namely:  T.-  J.,  George  ^^'..  whc^ 
served  with  the  rank  of  captain,  John  and 
James.  With  the  exception  of  our  subject 
these  are  all  now  deceased.  The  father  was 
a  farmer  bv  occupation,  following  that  pur- 
suit in  order  to  provide  for  his  family.  In 
politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican  and  a 
strong  Union  man,  abhorring  the  attitude 
of  the  south  in  its  attempt  at  secession.  He 
died  in  Greene  county.  Missouri,  at  the  age 
of  seventv-four  years,  and  his  wife  passed 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


705 


a\va_v  at  the  age  of  fifty-four.  They  held 
membership  in  the  Baptist  cinirch  and  were 
people  of  the  hio-hcst  respectability. 

John  Gorman,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  was  rearerd  upon  his  father's 
farm  in  Tennessee  and  accompanied  the 
faniiily  on  their  removal  toi  Missouri.  Af- 
ter the  inauguration  of  the  Civil  war,  the 
Confederate  forces  attempted  to  make  him. 
enter  the  sijuthern  army,  but  he  escaped  and 
after  six  days  wandering,  during-  which 
time  he  experienced  many  hardships  and 
difficulties,  he  reached  the  Union  forces  and 
made  his  way  to  governmental  headquarters. 
There  he  joined  the  boys  in  blue  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  I,  Second  Tennessee  Cav- 
alry, and  was,  made  first  sergeant.  He  had 
to  cross  the  Cumberland  Mountains  in  or- 
der to  reach  the  Union  lines  and  it  was  nec- 
essary to  ha\-e  a  guide.  Going  to  Lexing- 
ton. Kentucky,  and  thence  to  Gallipolis, 
Ohio,  he  joined  the  Second  Tennessee  under 
command  of  Ca])tain  George  W.  Gorman 
and  Colonel  D.  M.  Ray:  the  former  a  broth- 
er of  our  subject.  The  regiment  was  as- 
signed to  the  Fourteenth  Armv  Corps_  and 
was  in  active  duty  much  of  the  time,  pro- 
ceeding southward  to  Murfreesboro,  Ten- 
nessee. With  his  command,  Mr.  Gorman 
participated  in  a  number  of  engagements  in 
Tennessee,  Alabama  and  Georgia,  including 
the  battle  of  Huntsville,  and  in  the  move- 
ments against  the  rebel  forces  under  Gen- 
eral Hocfd.  Altogether,  he  was  in  nine- 
teen engagements.  When  on  General  Gor- 
don's plantation,  a  Inillet  pierced  an  oak 
plank  and  struck  him  in  the  breast.  Other- 
wise he  was  not  wounded,  although  he  was 
often  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  and  never 
shirked  his  dutv,  whether  on  the  field  of 
battle  or  on  the  picket  line.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  was  honorably  discharged  as 
a  non-commissioned  officer  and  returned  to 
his  home  in  Tennessee. 

In  1870  ]\Ir.  Gorman  removed  tj  Greene 
county.  IMissnuri,  where  for  twelve  years 
he  made  his  home,  and  in  1881  he  came  to 
Kingman  county,  where  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  began 
the  cultivation  of  his  farm.  He  erected  a 
good  dwelling  at  a  cost  of  eight  hundred 


dollars,  and  a  barn  at  a  cost  of  two  hundred. 
The  latter  is  twenty-four  by  t\\enl\-fijur 
feet,  and  he  has  substantial  sheds  sixieun  l)v 
twenty-four  feet.  The  fields  arc  richK-  cul- 
tivated. There  is  a  good  bearing  orchard 
and  everything  about  the  place  is  neat  and 
thrifty  in  appearance,  indicating  the  pro- 
gressive spirit  (if  the  uwner. 

In  18(15  Air.  Cinrnian  was  united  in  mar- 
riage in  Tennessee,  to  Polly  Ball,  who  has 
been  to  him  a  faithful  companion  and  help- 
mate on  the  journey  of  life.  Her  parents. 
Alfred  and  Mahala  Ball,  are  both  now  de- 
ceased. The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gor- 
man has  been  blessed  with  eight  children : 
Lillie  Burl,  a  successful  music  teacher,  and 
whose  husband  is  a  minister  of  the  United 
Brethren  church,  locating  in  Kio\^•a  countv, 
this  state;  Mrs.  Delia  Cunningham,  whose 
husband  is  also  a  minister  in  the  United 
Brethren  church  and  is  located  in  Sedg- 
wick county;  David,  in  W^ichita :  Daisy,  at 
home;  Mrs.  Lulu  Noble,'  who  li\-es  in 
Kingman;  and  Ethel.  Aha  and  John,  at 
home.  They  also  Inst  twn  children,  who 
died  in  Tennessee.  The  parents  are  mem- 
'  bers  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  and 
their  upright  lives  have  won  for  them  many 
friends.  Socially  Mr.  Gorman  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge,  Xo.  265, 
of  Kingman.  He  gives  his  political  supijort 
to  the  Repulilican  party  and  is  as  firm  and 
unfaltering  in  his  advocacy  of  political  prin- 
ciples, as  he  was  earnest  in  behalf  of  the 
Union  cause  when  he  wnre  a  soldier's  uni- 
form. He  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  Post  at  Kingman,  and  is  widely 
recognized  as  an  intelligent  and  enterpris- 
ing citizen  who  gives  Ins  support  in  all 
movements  to  promote  intellectuality,  mor- 
ality and  temperance  iirinciples.  and  to  ad- 
\-ance  law  and  order. 


WILLIAM  W^EST. 


William  West,  who  carries  on  agricul- 
tural pursuits  in  Rice  county,  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  history  of  this  locality  since 
its  early  pioneer  days,  has  been  a  witness  of 


job 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


its  growth  and  upbuilding  and  has  done 
much  for  its  advancement.  He  was  born  in  j 
Branch  county,  Michigan,  February  4,  1853, 
His  father,  James  B.  West,  was  born  in  the 
state  of  New  York,  and  in  Buffalo,  that 
state,  was  married  to  Olive  L.  Roberts,  who 
proved  a  faithful  companion  and  helpmate 
on  the  journey  of  life.  She  was  born, 
reared  and  educated  in  the  Empire  state. 
After  their  marriage  James  and  Olive  ^Vest 
remo^-ed  to  Ohio^.  where  tliey  remained  for 
a  time  and  then  located  in  'Branch  comity, 
]\Iichigan.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children, — Isadore,  Albert  J.,  Charles,  Will- 
iam W.,  Esther  and  Eva  and  Clua,  twins. 
The  father  of  this  family  followed  farming 
as  a  life  occupation,  was  a  worthy  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  gave 
his  political  support  to  the  Republican  party. 
He  v.-as  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him,  and  his  life  was  ever  in  harmony 
with  his  Christian  belief.  His  widow  is  still 
a  resident  of^Michigan,  and  has  reached  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-one  j-ears. 

William  \V.  West,  whose  name  intro- 
duces this  review,  was  early  inured  to  the 
labors  of  field  and  meadow,  and  his  educa- 
tion was  received  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  state.  For  seven  years  he  worked 
in  the  pineries  of  IMichigan.  lumbering  in 
the  woods  and  on  the  river,  and  he  became 
an  expert  in  that  line.  In  1874  he  located 
in  the'  neighborhood  nf  where  he  now  re- 
sides, first  securing  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  prairie  land,  and  as  time  has  ];assed 
he  has  placed  his  land  under  a  fine  state  of 
cultivation.  The  place  is  located  four  miles 
from  r^Iitchell.  and  is  one  of  the  finest  farm- 
ing properties  in  this  locality.  All  the  equip- 
ments and  improvements  of  a  model  farm 
are  there  found,  and  lie  annually  garners 
rich  harvests. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years  Mr. 
West  was  united  in  marriage,  in  Rice  coun- 
ty, Kansas,  to  Myra  R.  Cummings,  a  lady 
i-i  intelligence  and  culture  and  a  daughter 
of  Caleb  F.  Cummings,  who  was  born  in 
\'ermont.  \Mien  a  young  man  he  came  west 
with  his  parents,  and  in  Wisconsin  he  was 
united  in  marriage  .with  Alyra  Johnson. 
Thev  became  the  parents  of  two  children. 


and  the  son,  Henry  R.  Cummings,  is  now  a 
resident  of  Portland,  Oregon.  The  father 
was  a  gallant  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  rebel- 
lion, serving  in  a  Wisconsin  regiment,  and 
his  death  occurred  in  Rice  county,  Kansas. 
The  union  of  our  subject  and  his  wife  has 
been  blessed  with  the  foUowing  children: 
Pearl  M-,  the  wife  of  Charles  Wycoff,  of 
Gait  township.  Rice  county;  Myrtle,  Clay- 
ton, Esther,  William  and  Lester.  Mr.  West 
casts  his  ballot  in  favor  of  Republican  prin- 
ciples, and  in  his  social  relations .  he  is  a 
member  of  the  ^\'oodmen  of  America  and 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Personally  he  is  a  man  of  sterling  qualities, 
prominent  among  which  are  his  strict  integ- 
rity, his  industry  and  his  frank  and  genial 
manner.  Those  who  know  him  best  esteem 
him  most. 


HEXRY  L.  ^IcILHEXXY. 

Dr.  Henry  L.  ^Mcllhenny,  of  Norwich, 
one  of  the  leading  medical  practitioners 
of  Kingman  county,  was  born  at  Gettys- 
burg, Pennsylvania,  near  the  scene  of  one 
of  the  great  and  decisive  battles  of  our  Civil 
war,  December  31,  1856,  a  son  of  Jacob  G. 
and  Sarah  (Lott)  Mcllhenny.  His  father, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  extraction,  and  lys  miother  was  de- 
scended from  an  old  Holland  family.  Ja- 
cob was  a  son  of  Hugh  and  Ann  Mcllhenny, 
who  were  very  old  residents  of  the  same  lo- 
cality in  which  Jacob  was  boni.  Hugh  Mc- 
llhenny was  a  miller  by. occupation,  and 
was  very  successful  in  his  business  dealings. 
His  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  ninety-two 
years,  and  his  wife  died  at  about  the  age  of 
eighty  years. 

Jacob  G.-lNIcIlhenny.  a  farmer  and  mill- 
w-right,  was  a  man  of  prominAice  in  his 
community  and  held  several  important 
township  and  county  ofiices.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican,  and  be  and  his  wife  were 
active  meni'bers  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church.  His  death  occurred  in  Gettysburg, 
Pennsvlvania.  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years. 
His  children  were:  William!  B..  the  present 
postmaster  of  Gettysburg  and  a  prominent 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


politician  of  that  city:  Jacob  H.,  secretary 
of  the  Cosmo  Soap  Company,  of  Chicago*; 
Robert  A.,  a  practicing  physician  at  Con-- 
■way  Springs,  Sumner  coranty,  Kansas; 
John  K..  who  is  employed  in  a  steel  works 
\n  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  soldier  during 
the  Spanish  war;  James  G.,  who  also  served 
his  country  as  a  .soldier  during  our  recent 
\\-ar  with  Sjpain  and  is  now  deputy  post- 
master at  Gettysburg;  and  Mai-y  R.,  who 
(lied  at  the  age  of  foiu-teen  j^ears. 

Dr.  Henry  L.  JNIcIlhenny  was  reared  on 
his  father's  farm,  within  sight  and  hearing 
of  the  battlefield  of  Gettysburg,  and  re-^ 
ceived  his  literary  education  in  the  Gettys- 
Inirg  high  school  and  in  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Xormal  School,  of:  that  city,  after 
which  he  taught  in  his  native  state  for  two' 
years.  In  1879  '^^  came  to  Kansas  and 
taught  school  at  Belle  Plaine,  and  also  took 
up  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  precep- 
torship  of  Dr.  Justice.  He  was  graduated 
at  the  iSIissouri  Medical  College  in  1884  and 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Belle 
Plaine,  where  he  remained  about  a  year.  In 
the  summer  of  1885  he  located  in  the  then 
new  town  of  Norwich.,  where  he  was  im- 
mediately successful,  soon  having  a  prac- 
tice that  extended  over  four  counties.  He  is 
progressixe,  keeping  himself  up-to-date  in 
all  things,  especially  in  those  things  which 
pertain  to  his  profession  or  insure  his  ex- 
cellence and  progress  as  a  medical  practi- 
tioner. In  1898  he  took  a  post-graduate 
coiu'se  at  the  Pohxlinic  Medical  College  of 
Chicago-,  Illinois.  Not  only  is  he  read  up 
to  the  latest  moment  in  all  medical  and  sur- 
gical advancement,  but  he  is  also  a  valued 
contributor  to  several  medicil  jiiurnals  of 
high  standing.  While  piirsiiini;  a  ycneral 
practice,  he  pays  special  attenti-iu  in  ( .Ij^tet- 
rics,  in  which  he  is  achieving  a  reputation  as 
an  unusually  well  informed  and  skillful 
practitioner. 

Since  he  1(  cated  at  Xorwich,  Dr.  ]Mc- 
Ilhenny  has  served  continuously  as  a  mem- 
ber (-f  the  board  of  pension  examiners  oi 
Kingman  comity,  and  he  is  rilling  appoint- 
ments as  permanent  medical  examiner  for 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  W'orkmen,  the 


Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the  Xew 
York  Life  Insurance  Company,  the  Mutual 
Life  Insurance  Company  of  New  York,  the 
Northwestern  Life  Insurance  Company  and 
other  fraternal  insurance  organizations  and 
life-insirrance  companies.  He  is  a  membei 
of  the  Southern  Kansas  Medical  Associa- 
tion, and  his  medical  library  is  as  extensive 
and  as  well  selected  as  any  librarv  c)f  its 
diaracter  in  the  county.  Since  ca-tino-  his 
lot  with  the  people  of  Norwich  lie  iia-  [iris- 
pered  satisfactorily,  and  those  whu  know 
him  besl  -ay  iliai  he  richly  deserves  his 
prosperity.  l;c-iil(.';  owning  a  comfortable 
residence  and  ctiKr  Imwh  property,  he  owns 
two  well  inipriM-.l  laiiiis  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  each,  miic  nf  them  being  lo- 
cal !■(  I  ill  _\ne!i.  the  oilier  in  Iknnett  town- 
ship. 

Dr.  Mcllh.enny  found  Norwich  in  its  in- 
fancy and  has  been  identified  with  its 
growth  and  prosperity.  His  former  resi- 
dence, which  he  sold  witli  the  idea  of  re- 
moving from  the  town — a  purpi.ise  which 
he  abandoned, — was  built  under  his  personal 
supervision  and  is  one  of  the  best  in  the 
city.  As  a  Republican  he  has  been  active  in 
local  political  work  and  has  ser\-ed  his  fel- 
low townsmen  as  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil, and,  during  nearly  the  entire  period  of 
his  residence  in  Norwich,  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board.  He  is  a  charter  member 
of  the  local  branches  of  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen  and  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America;  was  received  as  an  En- 
tered Appreniice,  passed  the  Fellow  Craft 
degree  and  was  raised  to  the  sulilinie  degree 
of  Master  INIason  in  Norwich  Lodge,  No. 
319,  Ancient  Free  am!  Accepted  INIasoiis ; 
is  justly  preaid  of  ihe  di-tinction  of  mem- 
bership in  Kingman  Chapier,  No.  yi.  Royal 
Arch  ^Masons,  in  which  he  to. -k  ihe  three 
Master's  degrees  in  capitrhir  .Mas.  nry  and 
was  exalted  to  the  august  degree  of  Royal 
Arch  Mason.  He  is  also  a  member  and  a 
past  noble  grand  of  Norwich  Lodge,  No. 
316,  eif  the  Independent  Order  o-f  Odd  Fel- 
lows, which  he  has  represented  in  the  grand 
lodge ;  and  is  past  chief  patriarch  and  dep- 
uty chief  patriarch    of    Norwich    Encamp- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HI  ST  OR] 


ment,  Nol  90,  of  the  Uniformed  Rank  of 
Odd  Fellows,  which  he  has  represented  in 
the  grand  encampment. 

October  11,  1886,  at  Taylorville,  Illi- 
nois, Dr.  Mcllhenny  married  Aliss  Lynn 
Harner,  daughter  of  Jacob  Harner.  Mrs. 
IMcIlhenny,  who  w&s  early  orphaned,  was 
the  youngest  but  one  in  her  parents'  fam- 
ily of  seven  children.  Her  sister  Belle  mar- 
ried a  ]\Ir.  Hill  and  lives  in  Morrow  county, 
Ohio.  Her  brother  S.  Ml  is  a  merchant  at 
Petoskey,  Michigan..  Her  brother  M.  B.  is 
a  musician  and  a  dealer  in  musical  instru- 
ments at  Petoskey,  Michigan.  Her  brother 
B.  i\I.  is  a  contractor  and  builder  at  De- 
catur, Illinois.  Her  sister  Jennie  is  the 
wife  of  S.  S.  Mounts,  a  teacher  at  Decatur, 
Illinois.  Her  brother  Curtis  is  a  merchant 
tailor  at  Lansing,  Michigan.  Mrs.  Mcll- 
henny has  borne  her  husband  three  chil- 
dren.— Grace  A.,  who  was  born  June  17, 
1888:  \Mlliam  Bruce,  who  was  born  No- 
vember 22,  1893;  and  Florence  B.,  born 
Xovember  6,  1896.  The  Doctor  and  ]\Irs. 
]\lcllhenny  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
official  board  of  the  local  organization. 


DAVID  M.  NEGLEY. 

David  M.  Negley  is  one  of  the  successful 
farmers  of  Lincoln  township,  Reno  county. 
He  has  a  valuable  tract  of  land  of  four 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  which  is  mostlv  de- 
voted to  the  cultivation  of  grain.  Mr.  Neg- 
ley was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Julv  15,  1845,  a  son  of  David  and 
Sarah  C  Miller)  Negley,  who  were  also  na- 
tives of  the  same  county.  The  Negley  fam- 
ily is  of  German  origin  and  was  founded  in 
Pennsylvania  about  two-  hundred  years  ago. 
Since  that  time  its  members  and  representa- 
tives have  been  prominent  in  business,  and  in 
matters  of  church  and  state,  being  ever 
ranked  among  the  substantial  and  worthy 
citizens  of  the  locality  with  which  thev' have 
been  connected.  They  have  mostly  followed 
agricultural  pursuits.  Joseph  Negley.  the 
grandfather   of   our    subject,    was   born    in 


Franklin  count}',  Pennsylvania,  and  spent 
his  entire  life  there.  The  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject also  lived  in  that  county.  Three  of 
their  children  are  yet  living:  David  M. ; 
Sarah,  the  wife  of  Frank  Middlecauff,  of 
Waynesboro,  Franklin  county;  and  Sam- 
uel, who  resides  on  the  old  family  homestead 
near  Welsh  Run  in  the  Keystone  state. 

David  Negley,  the  father  of  D.  j\I.  Neg- 
ley, died  in  1899,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years,  and  the  mother,  Sarah  Miller  Negley, 
is  living  yet  with  her  daughter,  Sarah  Mid- 
dlecaufif,  at  Waynesboro,  Franklin  county, 
Pennsylvania.  David  Negley  had  two 
brothers  and  one  sister, — Jacob,  Joseph  and 
Mary, — who  died  previous  to  him.  All  were 
married  and  with  their  families  have  mostly 
followed  the  quiet  pursuit  of  farm  life  in  the 
original  state  and  homes  of  their  birth.  With 
a  few  exceptions  some  of  the  )-ounger  have 
emigrated  to  the  western  states. 

Upon  that  farm  David  M.  Negley  was 
reared  and  in  the  district  school  pursued 
his  education,  attending  and  teaching- 
through  the  winter  seasons  and  whenever 
his  services  could  be  spared  from  the  farm 
work.  He  remained  under  the  parental  roof 
until  his  marriage,  which  occurred  December 
17,  1868,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Sarah 
C.  Reed,  a  daughter  of  \\'illiam  and  Sarah 
(Nicewander)  Reed,  who  were  natives  of 
Franklin  county,  Penns3dvania,  as  was  their 
,  daughter.  After  their  marriage  Mr.  Negley 
took  charge  of  the  home  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-seven  acres  and  operated  it 
successfully  for  sixteen  years.  Then  with 
the  capital  he  had  acquired  through  his  in- 
dustry and  economy  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  eighteen  acres  within  four 
miles  of  the  old  home  place,  and-  there  re- 
sided for  three  years.  In  August.  1886.  he 
sold  his  property  in  Pennsylvania  and  with 
his  family  and  household  effects  started  for 
Kansas.  On  arriving  in  Reno  county,  Sep- 
tember 23,  1886.  he  purchased  a  quarter 
section  of  land  on  section  28.  Lincoln  town- 
ship, an  improved  farm  for  which  he  paid 
forty-five  hundred  dollars.  Since  then  he 
has  added  improvements  to  the  value  of  not 
less  than  twenty-five  hundred  dollars.  In 
1895   he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  on 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


section  2j,  and  in  1899  another  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  on  section  22,  and 
in  1901  eighty  acres  more  adjoining  him  on 
section  28,  owning  altogether  now  a  very 
valuable  and  desirable  tract  of  four  hundred 
and  forty  acres.  His  land  is  rich  and  fertile 
and  under  his  careful  management  his  farm 
has  become  one  of  the  best  in  the  county.  His 
methods  of  operation  are  practical  and  pro- 
gressive and  a  glance  will  indicate  to  the 
passer  by  the  careful  supervision  of  the 
owner.  He  has  eivgaged  chiefly  in  the  rais- 
ing of  grain  and  has  harvested  many  valua- 
ble crops. 

The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Negley  has 
been  blessed  with  five  children,  of  whom 
four  are  yet  living :  Minnie,  the  wife  of  L. 
P.  Smith;  Elmer,  who  was  educated  in  the 
high  school  of  Hutchinson  and  the  Normal 
School  of  Nickerson,  and  is  now  a  successful 
teacher  of  Reno  county;  William  Ira  and 
Kansas  H.,  who  are  still  with  their  parents. 
David  Albert  died  May  22.  1901,  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  years,  being  a  promising 
scholar.  The  parents  are  charter  members 
of  the  German  Baptist  church  of  Lincoln 
township  and  take  an  active  part  in  its  work, 
rendering  signal  service  in  promoting  its 
spiritual  and  temporal  interests  by  their  ex- 
emplary li\-es,  official  service  and  sulistantial 
financial  aid.  ]Mr.  Xegley  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  .official  church  board  most  of  the 
time  since  its  organization,  acting  as  trustee 
and  secretary,  his  incumbency  in  the  latter 
position  covering  eight  years.  He  has  also 
.taken  an  active  part  in  Sunday-school  work 
and  is  the  musical  leader  in  both  Sunday- 
school  and  church.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican until  the  free  silver  issue  was  in- 
troduced when  he  became  one  of  its  cham- 
pions. Without  his  solicitation  he  was  nom- 
inated township  trustee,  and  though  he  made 
no  effort  to  secure  the  election  he  unly  failed 
by  a  few  votes,  and  most  proltalily  causing 
his  own  failure  by  saying  that  he  did  not 
want  the  office.  He  has  served  for  three 
different  terms  of  three  years  each  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board,  has  done  much  to 
promote  educational  standards  in  this  local- 
itv  and  was  a  member  of  the  board  when  the 
new  two-room  school  building  was  erected 


in  Lincoln  township.  No.  2.8.  He  aided  in 
its  organization  and  since  that  time  a  grad- 
ed school  system  has  been  maintained,  sim- 
ilar to  that  of  town  schools.  Mr.  Negley  de- 
serves great  credit  for  his  success,  all  of 
which  has  been  acquired  through  his  own 
efforts,  his  unfaltering  diligence  and 
straightforward  dealing. 


JOHN  C.  DOZE. 

On  section  ^t,.  Allen  township,  is  located 
the  fine  farmstead  of  Mr.  Doze,  who  here 
has  a  tract  of  four  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  exceptionally  arable  land  and  who  is 
known  as  one  of  the  progressive  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  Kingman  county,  where 
he  has  made  his  home  since  the  year  1880 
and  where  he  retains  the  unqualified  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Doze  is  a  native  of  the  old  Buckeye 
state,  having  been  bom  in  Darke  county. 
Ohio,  in  1837,  being  the  son  of  Victor  and 
Mary  (Bailey)  Doze,  His  father  was  born 
in  France,  being  the  son  of  John  Doze,  who 
was  a  valiant  soldier  in  the  armies  of  Na- 
poleon Bonaparte,  and  who  finally  emigrated 
to  America,  settling  first  in  Kentucky, 
whence  he  later  removed  to  Ohio,  from 
which  state  he  finally  removed  to  Decatur 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  passed  the  residue 
of  his  life,  passing  away  at  the  patriarchal 
age  of  ninety-six  3-ears,  his  wife  also  living 
to  a  venerable  age,  Victor  Doze  was  reared 
to  the  life  of  the  farm,  in  Kentucky  and 
Ohio,  receiving  a  common-school  education, 
and  in  Darke  county,  of  thejatter  state,  was 
solemnized  his  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  Bail- 
ey, who  was  born  in  New  York,  being  the 
daughter  of  Job  Bailey,  the  former  of  whom 
died  in  Lee  county,  Iowa,  at  an  ad\ance([ 
age,  and  the  latter  in  Wisconsin.  After 
their  marriage  Victor  and  Mary  Doze  re- 
moved to  Lee  county,  Iowa,  where  they 
maintained  their  home  until  1856,  when  they 
located  in  Decatur  county,  of  the  same  state, 
and  later  removed  thence  to  Sullivan  county, 
Missouri,  where  the  father  of  our  subject 
died  at  the  age  of  sixtv-eight   vears.     He 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HIS  TORY.. 


was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Iowa,  devoted 
his  life  to  agricultural  pursuits,  in  politics 
was  a  Democrat,  and  his  life  was  one  of 
spotless  integrity  and  honor.  He  served  as 
captain  of  a  company  in  the  Missoiiri  state 
militia  in  which  connection  he  rendered 
active  service  at  the  time  of  the  civil  war. 
His  religious  faith  originally  was  that  of 
the  Baptist  church,  but  later  he  became  a 
member  of  the  Uriive'rsalist  denomination. 
His  wife,  who  likewise  died  at  the  age  of 
sixty-eight,  was' also  a- mtoiber  of  the  Bap- 
tist church.  They  became  the  parents  of 
5ix  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  living,  their  names,  in  order  of  birth,  be- 
ing as  follows:  John  C,  Job,  Julia  A., 
]\Iary.  George,  Jefferson,  Margaret,  Frank, 
-Peter  and  Phoebe. 

'John  C.  Doze,  the  subject  of  tliis  re- 
view, Avas  i'eared  under  the  invigorating 
discipline  of  the  farm,  accompanying  his 
parents  on  their  removal  from  Ohio  to  Iowa 
and'  finally  to  Missouri,  and  attending  the 
public  schools  as  opportunity  presented,  and 
after  he  attained  maturity  he  continued  to 
follow  farming,  in  Adair  county,  '^lissouifi. 
In  1S62.  in  Sullivan  county,  that  state,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  ]\Iary  Os- 
borne, who  was  born  in  Tazewell  county, 
Illinois,  being  the  daughtet  of  Douglass  Os- 
borne, who  died'  in  California.  Mrs.  Doze 
proved'  a  trtie  companion  and  helpmeet  to 
her  husband,  aiding  him  in  his  efiforts  to  at- 
tain a  position  of  independence,  but  she  was 
summoned  into  eternal  rest  at  the  age  of 
fifty  years,  leaving  four  child'ren,  namely: 
William,  Ellen.  George  and  Henrietta!  In 
SulHvah  cbuntv',  Missouri,  ]\Ir.  Doze  con- 
summateda  second  marriage,  being  then  iihi- 
fed  to  his  present  wife,  who  was  born  in  In- 
diana, and 'whose  father was  a  farrher  by 
vocation  and.  died  in  Missouri.  Mr',  an'd 
;Mrs:  Doze 'have  two  children, — Alartin  and 
Estdla.     ■  ,     ■  . 

In  the  year  1880  Mr.  Doze  came  with 
his  family  to  Kingman  county.  'Kansas,  and 
located  on  a  tract  of  land  in  Allen  towiiship, 
the  same  comprising  a  portion  of  his  present 
fine  farm  property.  In  the  passing'  years, 
as  •  ijrosperity  attended  '  his  -(veil  directed 
efforts,  he  not  only  added  to  the  area  of  his 


estate  until  it  now  comprises  four  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  but  he  has  made  excellent 
improvements  of  a  permanent  nature,  having 
a  commodious  and  attractive  residence,  large 
barn  and  other  well  equipped  outbuildings 
for  the  accommodation  of .  stock,  produce, 
implements,  etc.  He  has  a  place  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  his  farm  under  effec- 
tive cultivation,  the  balance  being  utilized  for 
grazing  purposes,  since  he  has  been  success- 
ful in  the  raising  of  live  stock,  to  which 
branch  of  enterprise  he  devotes  considerable 
attention.  He  is  essentially  progressive  and 
public-spirited  in  his  attitude,  and  is  one  of 
the  representative  men  of  this  section  of  the 
county.  In  politics  he  accords  allegiance  to 
the  Democratic  party,  and  he  has  served  in 
offices  of  public  trust  and  responsibility,  in- 
cluding those  of  justice  of  the  peace  and 
treasurer  and  member  of  the  school  board  of 
his  district.  Fraternally  he  is  identified 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Frank  and  genial  in  his  intercourse  with  his 
fellow  men,  Mr.  Doze  has  won  warm  and 
lasting  friendships,  and  he  has  the  good  will 
of  the  people  of  the  communitv  in  v^■l^ich  he 
has  made  his  home  for  more  than  a  >core  «.  f 
years. 


H.  A.  mustoe; 

One  of  the  most  straightforward,  ener- 
getic and  successful' business  men  of  King- 
man county  is-  H.  A.  Mustoe.  Few  men  have 
been  more  prominent'  or  widely  known  ii> 
this  enterprising  city  than  he.  In  business 
circle-;  lie  i^  an  important  factor  and  his 
popnlarit\-  i.-  welb  deser\^ed,  for  in  him  are 
embraced  the  characteristics  of  an  unbend- 
ing integrity,  uhabating  energy  and  industry 
that  has  never  fiagged.  He  is  public-spir- 
ited and'  thoroughly  interested  in  whatever 
tends  to  promote  the  moral,  intellectual  and 
material  welfare  of  Kingman  county,  and 
for  many  years  he  has  been  numbered  among 
its  valued  and  honored  citizens. 

A  native  of  ^Missouri,  Mr.  Mustoe  was 
born  near  Memphis,  in  Scotland  coiinty,  in 
1857.  He  trace?  his  ancestrv  back  to  Eng- 
land, where  his  great-grandfather  was  born 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


and  reared.  Leaving  the  land  of  his  birth, 
he  crossed  the  broad  Atlantic  to  the  new 

;  world,  and  in  Virginia  his  son  iVnthony,  the 
grandfather  of  onr  subject,  was  born.  The 
latter's  son,  H.  G.  Mr.stoe.  was  born  in  Bar- 

'  boiir  county,  that  state,  and  he  liecanie  the 
father  of  him  whose  name  heads  this  re- 
\icw.  He  was  reared  and'  educated  in  the 
state  of  his  nativity,  and  was  there  married 
to  Margaret  Wilson,  a  daughter  of  John 
Wilson,  who  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
After   his   marriage   Mr.    ^Tnstnc    removed 

deuce   in    lli:it    >talc   •  ':e   made 

his  way  (m  Sontland  (a  -_:::.  _  a  iin.  Ii^cat- 
ing  near  ^Nlemiihis.  where  he  followed  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  1877.  In  that  year 
he  came  to  Galesburg  township.  Kingman 
i  county,  Kansas,  securing  a  farm  of  Osage 
'  Indian  trust  land  on  section  28,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil  for 
many  years,  his  life's  lalv  rs  being  ended  in 
death  on  the  6th  of  September,  18S0,  when 
I  he  fiad  attained  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 
I  Athi-s  death  he  left  a-  widow  and  seven  sons, 
'  namely:  J.  D.,  of  Cheney,  Kansas:  William 
K.,  a  resident" of  Duhlap,  Harrison  county, 
Iowa:  G.  H.,  who  is  engaged  in  business  at 
New  jMurdock:  Thomas  A.,  who  was  for 
man}-  years  the  well  hu-ijwn  express  agent  at 
Murdock.  and  his  death  ("iccurred  at  Gi'eens- 
burg,  Kingman  ci^unty:  H.  A.,  the  subject 
of  this  review ;  Lewis  H..  who  is  engaged  iii 
business  at  Cheney.  Kansas ;  and  U.  .G.,  who 
is  now  representing  his  district  in  the  state 
legislature.  The  father  of  these  children  was 
•a  macliinist  by  trade,  was  an  ardent  Repuli- 
lican;  and '  was  a  worthy  member  of  the 
'Christian  church. 

■  "■•'H'.''A.'^Musitoe  was  reared  to  'farfi^  lifeah 
'bdth -Missouri  and  Kansas,-  and  \{^a.i  early 
talig'ht  the  value  of  industrv  as  a  prepar&tinh 
'for  the  active  duties  of  life,  while  the'educa- 
;ti'6nial  privil'eges  which  he  enjoyed  in  his 
youth  were*  those  afforded  liy  the-  district 
schi*iols  of  the  two  states.  'For  -a  time  he 
assisted  his  brother,  Thomas  A.,  in  the  poSt- 
office  at  New  ]\fiuai(-ick.  and  later'  he  erttered 
upon  an  independent  business  cai-eer  as  the 
profjrietor  of  a  large  general  store  in  this 
city.     He  carries  a  coinplete  line  of  staple 


and  fancy  groceries,  dry  goods,  boots  and 
shoes  and  hardware,  and  the  cjuality  of  his 
goods,  his  evident  desire  to  please  his  pat- 
rons and  his  straightforward  dealings  have 
won  him  a  \'ery  marked  success. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Mustoe  took  ])lace 
in  1884,  when  he  chose  for  his  wife  Miss 
Lillie  M.  Manning,  a  daughter  of  W.  Z. 
Manning,  deceased.  He  was  a  native  of  the 
Empire  state,  but  afterward  removed  to  In- 
diana, and  next  took  up  his  abode  in  Kan- 
sas. At-  his  death  he  left  a  widow  and  chil- 
dren. The  unioij  of  our  subject  and  wife 
has  been  blessed  whh  eight  children. — Ray, 
Roy,  Kyle,  Ross,  Jesse,  CJyde,  Joyce  and 
Francis. 

The  Republican  party  recei\-es  ]\Ir.  ;Mus- 
has  ever  been  an  active  worker  in  its  cause, 
toe's  hearty  support  and  co-operation  and  be 
doing  all  in  his  i>ower  for  its  growth  and  up- 
-ba:iilding.  The  cause  of  ediication  has  also 
■  found  in  him  a  warm  friend,  and  for  ten 
years  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
'board.  His  social  relations  connect  him  with 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
-Court  of  Honor. 


ED\W\RD   SAMPLE. 

In  'HO  profession  is  there  a  career  more 
•open  to  talent  than  in  that  of  the  law;  and  in 
'no  field  of  endeavor  is  there  demanded  a 
.more  careful  preparation,  a  iliore  thorough 
appreciation  of  the  absolute  ethics  of  life,  or 
of  the  underlying  principles  which  form 
the  basis  of  all  human  rights  and  privileges. 
Unflagging  application  and  intuitive  wis- 
idom  and  a  determinatio-n  to  fully  utilize  the 
Imeans  at  hand  are  the  concomitants  which 
•insure  persotial  success^  and  prestige  in  this 
great  profession,  which. stands  as  the  stern 
conservator  bf  justice;  and  it  is  one  into 
which  none  should  enter  without  a  recogni- 
tion of 'the  obstacles  to  be  overcome  and  the 
battles  to  be  won,  for  success  does  not  perch 
on  thfe!  falchion  of  every  person  who  enters 
the  competitive  fray,;  but  come  only  as  the 
diametrical  result  of  capacity  and  '■  unmis- 
takai>le  ability.     Possessing  all  the  requisite 


712 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


qualities  c-f  the  able  lawyer,  Edward  Sample 
is  now  numbered  among  the  successful  at- 
torneys of  Barber  county,  where  he  located 
in  1880,  having"  for  twenty-one  years  been 
a  resident  of  Medicine  Lodge.  Air.  Sample 
is  a  native  of  Scott  county,  Indiana,  his  birth 
having  occurred  on  the  ist  of  January, 
1859.  He  represents  one  of  the  old  and  well 
known  families  of  that  state,  noted  for  in- 
tegrity, ability  and  de\-otion  to  duty.  His 
father,  Alexander  Sample,  was  born  in 
\'irginia  and  was  a  son  of  Richard  Sample, 
also  a  native  of  that  state,  the  latter  having 
emigrated  to  Indiana  at  an  early  period  in 
its  history,  an4  died  there  after  devoting 
many  years  tO'  agricultural  pursuits.  Al- 
exander Sample  was  reared  in  Virginia, 
where  he  remained  until  twenty  years  of 
age,  spending  his  childhood  and  youth  upon 
the  home  farm.  He  obtained  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  wdien  two-  decades 
of  his  life  had  been  passed  went  to  the 
Hoosier  state.  After  a  number  of  years  he 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  meeting 
with  success  in  that  undertaking.  In  Scott 
county,  Indiana,  he  married  Sarah.  C.  Whit- 
son,  a  daughter  of  the  Honorable  L.  D. 
\\'hitson,  one  of  the  promiflent  old  settlers 
of  Indiana  and  a  leading  and  influential 
resident  of  Scott  county.  Unto  Alexander 
Sample  and  his  wife  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren, five  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom 
six  are  now  living.  Two  of  the  sons  were 
soldiers  of  the  Civil  war, — John,  wlio  died 
in  Greenwood  county,  Kansas,  and  Robert, 
who  now  lives  in  that  county.  Another 
member  of  the  family,  Nellie,  is  a  resident 
of  Aledicine  Lodge.  The  father,  who  was 
bom  in  1819,  reached  an  advanced  age,  his 
death  occurring  in  Jeffersonville,  Indiana,  in 
ic^oi,  when  he  had  passed  the  eighty-second 
milestone  un  life's  journey.  His  wife  also 
(lied  in  that  county. 

Mr.  Sample  supplemented  his  early  edu- 
cation by  a  course  in  De  Pauw  University 
in  Indiana,  and  w^hen  he  had  gained  a  good 
knowledge  of  the  principles  of  jurisprudence 
be  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1879.  For 
some  years  he  was  in  the  law  office  of  Ches- 
ter I.  Long  and  for  some  time  he  was  inti- 
mately associated  with  Hon.  Jerry  Simpson 


and  had  charge  of  his  legal  business  in  a 
general  way.  In  the  year  1880  he  came  to 
Barber  county,  and  has  since  been  prac- 
ticing in  Medicine  Lodge,  having  been  con- 
nected with  the  imuortant  litigation  tried  in 
I  the  courts  of  his  district.  He  has  a  very  fine 
i  law  library  and  the  best  private  library  of 
general  works  in  southern  Kansas.  He  has 
always  been  a  student,  reading  extensively 
and  thinking  deeply,  and  he  is  not  only  well 
versed  in  his  profession  but  in  many  depart- 
ments of  literature  as  well. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Sample  is  a 
;  KiMiulilican,  and  was  once  the  candidate  of 
j  his   part}-    fur  the  legislature,   but  was   de- 
feated owing  to  the  Populistic  wave  which 
I  swept  over  the  state.    A  gentleman  oi  schol- 
j  arly   attainments  and  broad  general  infor- 
!  mation,  he  is  an  interesting  and  entertain- 
ing companion  and  enjoj's  in  high  degree 
the   respect    and   confidence   of   those   with 
whom  he  is  associated.     He    is    a    man  of 
strong  character,  of  upright  principles  and 
sterling  worth,  and  Barber  county  numbers 
him  among  its  valued  and  honored  repre- 
sentatives. 


A.  H.  COXXETT,  M.  D. 

Perhaps  no  man  is  more  subject  to  pub- 
lic criticism  than  the  physician,  and  to  win 
the  favorable  criticism  of  his  fellow  towns- 
men is  an  indication  of  superior  ability  and 
personal  worth.  The  verv  nature  of  his 
business  brings  him  into  public  view  and  in 
a  way  that  few  other  men  have  to  meet.  Dr. 
Connett  has  for  sixteen  years  been  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  medical  profession  of 
Great  Bend  and  Barton  county,  and  his  pro- 
fessional skill  and  prominence  are  indicated 
by  the  fact  that  the  patronage  now  ac- 
corded him  is  universallv  large.  Careful 
preparation  well  prepared  him  for  his  life 
work,  and  to-day  he  occupies  a  position  of 
distinction  that  is  indeed  creditable  and  en- 
viable. 

The  Doctor  is  numbered  among  the  resi- 
dents that  Ohio  has  furnished  to  Kansas, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  Milford,  in 
the   former  state,  December  30,   1848.  His 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


father,  William  Connett,  was  a  native  of 
New  Jersey  and  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner 
by  occtipation.  After-  residing  in  Ohio  for 
some  years  he  removed  to  Indiana,  where 
he  died  at  thie  age  of  forty-four.  His  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Ruth  Cole- 
man, long  survived  him,  passing  away  at 
the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-nine.  Their  mar- 
riage was  blessed  with  ten  children,  seven 
of  whom  reached  years  of  maturity,  while 
three  of  the  sons  became  physicians,  but  the 
brothers  of  cur  subject  have  now  passed 
away. 

Dr.  Connett,  of  this  review,  was  only 
tin-ee  years  of  age  when  his  parents  remo\-ed 
to  Indiana,  and  when  a  young  man  of  nine-' 
teen  he  accompanied  his  mother  to  Bedford, 
Iowa.  Determining  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
alleviation  of  human  suffering,  he  took  up 
the  study  of  medicine  with  his  brother, 
Mahlo'U  C.  In  the  winter  of  1875  and  6  he 
attended  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chi- 
cago, and  graduated  in  the  College  of  Phy- 
sicians and  Surgeons,  of  Keokuk,  Iowa,  in 
February,  1878.  Returning  to  Bedford, 
Iowa,  he  there  began  ijractice,  carrying  on 
business  until  1884,  the  year  of  his  arrival 
in  Great  Bend,  Kansas.  CiJiitinued  study 
and  investigation  keeps  him  in  touch  witli 
the  most  advanced  thought  and  progress  of 
the  day.  He  possesses  marked  judgment 
and  discernment  in  the  diagnosis  of  disease 
and  is  successful  in  anticipating  the  issue 
of  complications.  He  is  a  physician  of  great 
fraternal  delicacy,  and  no  man  ever  .ob- 
served more  closely  the  ethics  of  the  un- 
written professional  code  than  Dr.  Connett. 

In  1878  the  Doctor  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Belle  Fordyce,  a  daughter 
of  Benson  Fordyce,  of  Bedford,  Iowa.  She 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years,  leaving 
three  children :  Bessie,  now  the  wife  of 
R.  G.  Russell.  Ijy  whom  she  has  one  daugh- 
ter, JMary ;  Mavme  G. ;  and  Helen  G.  For 
his  second  wife  the  Doctor  chose  Elizabeth 
Fordyce,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife.  She  died 
at  the  age  of  forty-five  vears.  In  his  so- 
cial relations  Dr.  Connett  is  a  representa- 
tive of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  in  which 
he  has  taken  the  degrees  of  the  council  and 
commanderv,  and  has  served  in  all  the  offices 
45 


of  both.  He  is  a  past  grand  master  of  the 
grand  council  of  the  Royal  and  Select  Mas- 
ters of  Kansas.  He  is  also  past  grand  high 
priest  of  the  grand  chapter  of  Royal  Arch 
Masons  of  Kansas.  He  also  belongs  to 
Wichita  Consistory,  No.  35,  S.  P.  R.  S., 
having  thus  attained  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree of  the  Scottish  Rite.  He  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  Isis  Temple,  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine  of  Salina  and  is  a  member  of  the 
High  Priesthood  of  the  state.  His  father 
and  all  of  his  brothers  were  also  identified 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity.  The  Doctor 
is  now  examining  surgeon  and  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  the 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  the  Fra- 
ternal Aid  Association,  and  belongs  to  the 
Barton  Co'Unty  Medical  Society.  He  is  also 
president  of  the  board  of  pension  examiners 
of  Barton  county.  In  political  matters  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  enjoys  the  high  regard 
O'f  his  fellow  meir,  both  as.  a  practitioner  and 
as  a  citizen,  and  the  splendid  success  which 
has  crowned  his  efforts  is  well  merited. 


HOUSTON  WHITESIDE. 

The  inevitable  law  of  destiny  accords  ti"-) 
tireless  energy  and  industry  a  successful 
career,  and  in  no'  field  of  endeavor  is  there 
greater  opportimity  for  advancement  than  in 
that  of  the  law — a  profession  in  which 
votaries  must,  if  successful,  be  endowed 
with  native  talent,  sterling  rectitude  of  char- 
acter and  singleness  of  purpose,  while 
equally  important  concomitants  are  close 
study,  careful  appreciation  and  broad  gen- 
eral knowledge,  in  addition  to  that  of  a 
more  purely  technical  order.  Of  the  legal 
profession  Houston  Whiteside  is  a  worthy 
representative  and  enjoys  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive clientage  in  Reno-  county. 

Mr.  Whiteside  was  born  in  Bedford 
count}-,  Tennessee,  in  October,  1848,  and  on 
both  the  jiaternal  and  maternal  side  is  of 
Scotcli-Irish  descent.  His  paternal  great- 
grandfather ser\-ed  in  the  British  army  for 
twenty  years,  and  was  under  \\'ellington  in 
the  Peninsular  campaign  and  at  \\'aterI(:io. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


After  the  close  of  tlie  Revolutionary  war  he 
came  to  America,  locating  in  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania.  The  father  of  our 
subject,  Russell  Whiteside,  was  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  and  there  spent  his  entire  life. 
He  was  a  Whig  in  his  political  views,  and 
his  religious  tendencies  connected  him  with 
the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  he  long 
held  the  office  of  an  elder.  He,  too,  fol- 
lowed the  legal  profession,  and  in  the  lo- 
cality in  which  he  made  his  home  enjoyed  a 
large  and  distinctly  representative  clientele. 
As  a  companion  for  the  journey  of  life  he 
chose  Mary  Houston,  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
William  Houston,  who  was  formerly  a  resi- 
dent oi  North  Carolina,  but  afterward  re- 
moved to  middle  Tennessee,  where  he  in- 
herited Irfrge  tracts  of  land  that  had  been 
given  to  his  ancestors  in' recognition  of  their 
services  as  officers  in  the  American  army 
during  the  Revolutionary  war. 

Houston  Whiteside,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  was  reared  in  the  state 
of  his  nativity,  and  there  also  received  his 
early  meiUal  training,  pursuing  his  studies 
with  the  intention  of  later  making  the  legal 
profession  his  life  occupation.  He  subse- 
quently attended  Shelbyville  College,  at 
Shelbyville,  Tennessee,  and  after  completing 
the  classical  course  in  that  institutimi  read 
law  in  the  office  of  his  uncle,  Thomas 
Whiteside,  at  .Shelbyville.  Admitted  to  the 
liar  in  1872,  he  came  to  Kansas  in  that  year 
and  located  in  Hutchinson,  immediately  en- 
tering upon  the  practice  of  his  chosen  pro- 
fession. For  a  time  he  first  practiced  alone, 
but  he  has  since  formed  several  partnerships 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  calling.  He  prac- 
tices in  all  the  courts  of  the  state  and  in 
the  federal  court,  and  his  al:)ilit_\-  in  his  line 
has  won  him  prominent  reci  ignition.  He  has 
given  special  attentiini  tn  corporation  law, 
and  has  served  as  district  ;!tt'  rmy  for  the 
Santa  Fe  system.  In  adWiti^  1;  \"  \\\-  lafge 
law  practice,  Mr.  Whiteside  has  als(j  been 
interested  to  a  large  extent  in  real  estate  in 
this  city  and  in  country  property.  He  still 
owns  the  claim  v>'hich  he  pre-empted  on  first 
locating  in  Reno  county,  joining  the  city  of 
Hutchinson  on  the  west,  and  on  this  prop- 
erty he  has  a  large  orchard.     He  is  presi- 


dent of  the  \\'ater.  Light  &  Power  Company,  | 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  First  Na-  ■; 
tional  Bank,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Hutchinson  Dail_\  Xews,  and  was  also  one 
of  the  organizers  uf  the  Kansas  Salt  Com- 
pany, but  sold  his  interest  in  that  corpora- 
tion a  number  of  years  ago. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Whiteside  was 
celebrated  in  1880,  when  Julia  Latimer  be- 
came his  wife.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Charles 
Latimer,  who  was  the  chief  engineer  for  the 
New  York,  Pennsylvania  &  Ohio  Railroad 
Company.  This  union  has  been  brightened 
and  blessed  with  two  children, — Houston, 
Jr.,  and  Ada.  In  political  matters  Mr. 
Whiteside  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  Repub- 
lican principles,  but  has  never  been  an  aspir- 
ant for  political  preference,  as  his  time  and 
attention  are  too  closely  occupied  with  his 
many  business  duties.  Shortly  after  com- 
ing to  this  state,  however,  he  was  elected 
prosecuting  attorney,  which  position  he  held 
for  twoi  terms.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of 
Reno  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  the 
Knights  of  P}'thias  fraternity.  His  relig- 
ious preference  is  indicated  by  his  member- 
ship with  the  Episcopal  church,  in  which  he 
has  long  held  the  office  of  senior  warden, 
and  he  has  aided  materially  in  the  construc- 
tion of  many  of  the  church  edifices  in  this 
city.  He  occupies  a  leading  place  in  the 
public  regard,  and  he  and  his  estimable  wife 
enjoy  the  hospitality  of  the  best  homes  in 
Kansas   and   in   surrounding  states. 


GEORGE  F.  McClelland. 

One  of  the  honored  pioneers  and  dis- 
tinguished citizens  of  Rice  county  is  the 
popular  and  efficient  postmaster  of  Frederic, 
George  F.  McClelland.  For  many  years  he 
has  been  an  important  factor  in  the  develop- 
ment and  upbuilding  oi  this  jjO'ition  of  the 
Sunflower  state,  and  his  efforts  have  been 
of  material  benefit  in  advancing  the  general 
welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  city  in  which 
he  now  makes  his  home.  He  is  a  nati\'e  soai 
of  the  Empire  state,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Rochester,  New  York,  on  the  15th 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


of  May,  1853.  His  fatlier,  William  Mc- 
Clelland, was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  his 
parents  having  been  born  near  Belfast,  Ire- 
land. He  was  a  clothier  by  occupation.  His 
wife,  who  was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss 
]\Iary  Lindsley,  was  also  born  near  Belfast. 
They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  four 
sons  and  one  daughter,  namely :  Thomas 
and  Willianii,  who  are  residents  of  Balti- 
more. Maryland ;  Findley,  who  occupies  the 
posui'.in  Mf  pc-tmaster  in  Michigan;  George 
¥..  (iiir  subject:  and  Mrs.  Jennie  Walker, 
will!  resides  in  Greenock.  Scotland.  The  fa- 
ther uf  this  family  departed  this  life  in  Ro- 
chester, Xew  York,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years, 
and  the  mother  afterward  returned  to  Bel- 
fast, Ireland,  where  she  died  at  the  age  of 
si.\ty-eig"ht  years. 

George  F.  McClelland,  the  only  one  of 
the  family  residing  in  Kansas,  was  nine 
years  of  age  when  he  removed  from  Roch- 
ester to  Caledonia,  Livingston  county, 
New  York,  where  he  completed  his  educa- 
tion. The  year  1877  witnessed  his  arrival 
in  Rice  county,  Kansas,  where  he  secured  a 
homestead  claim  and  erected  a  sod  house 
thereon,  keeping  bachelor's  hall  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Everything  was  then  new 
and  wild,  and  Mr.  McClelland  has  not  o>nly 
seen  this  portion  of  the  state  grow  from  an 
unclaimed  waste,  with  only  a  few  inhabi- 
tants, to  a  rich  agricultural  country,  con- 
taining thousands  of  good  homes  and  acres 
of  growing  towns,  inhabited  by  an  indus- 
trious, prosperous,  enlightened  and  pro- 
gressi\-e  people,  but  has  participated  in  and 
assisted  in  the  slow,  persistent  work  of  de- 
velopment which  was  necessary  to  produce 
such  a  complete  change.  In  1882  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Anna  Dickson,  a 
native  of  Indiana  and  a  daughter  of  Mrs. 
Margaret  Dickson,  a  widow  lady.  Four 
children  have  been  born  of  this  union, — 
Edna,  George  Lindsley,  Ruby  and  Edith. 
Mr.  McClelland  has  ever  been  an  active  and 
efficient  worker  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  and  in  his  present  position  of 
postmaster  of  Frederic  he  is  serving  with 
credit  and  ability.  He  is  well  fitted  for  the 
office,  having  for  several  years  served  as 
deputy  postnxaster.     In  his  social  relations 


he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
fraternity.  He  is  a  man  of  marked  intelli- 
gence, broad  and  progressive  in  his  views, 
firm  in  liis  convictions  and  honorable  in  all 
business  transactions. 


TAMES  F.  BAKER 


James  F.  Baker  is  the  genial  and  popu- 
lar proprietor  of  the  Baker  Hotel  at  Ells- 
worth rind  has  won  many  friends  among  the 
iravcliii-  |iuhlic  ami  the  guests  d  his  house. 
He  was  1),  ;rn  April  5,  iiS50,  in  Elmira,  Xew 
York,  and  his  parents,  James  M.  and 
Frances  C.  (Beckwith)  Baker,  were  also 
natives  of  the  Empire  state,  the  father  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Ithaca,  the  niMthcr  in  El- 
mira. In  the  east  the  father  earned  i>n  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  1883,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Kansas,  locating  on  a  ranch  of 
nineteen  hundred  acres  five  miles  south  of 
Ellsworth,  in  Lincoln  township,  Ellsworth 
county.  Here  he  engaged  in  the  general 
stock  business,  raising  cattle,  hogs  and 
horses.  He  follovv-ed  that  vocation  until 
1889,  when  he  disposed  of  his  ranch,  for 
in  1888  he  had  located  in  Kanopolis,  where 
he  embarked  in  the  real-estate  and  insurance 
business.  He  still  devotes  his  energies  to 
handling  real  estate  and  is  interested  in 
much  city  property  in  Kanopolis.  In  this 
enterprise  he  is  associated  with  his  son, 
James  F.,  and  the  firm  is  a  very  reliable  one, 
enjoying  a  liberal  patronage,  which  has 
comie  to  them  by  reason  of  their  well  kno'wn 
business  ability  and  integrity.  James  F. 
Baker  is  one  of  four  children,  of  whom 
three  are  living,  namely :  Ella,  the  wife  of 
Charles  C.  Densmore,  who  makes  his  home 
in  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  is  employed  in 
the  distribution  of  time  tables  for  all  of  the 
railroad  companies  of  the  east;  Hollis  C, 
who  is  foreman  of  the  Delaware,  Lacka- 
wanna &  Western  Railroad  Company  and 
makes  his  home  at  Elmira,  New  York ;  and 
James  F.,  of  this  review. 

Our  subject  was  reared  upon  his  father's 
farm,  where  he  early  became  familiar  with 
the  work  of  field  and  meadow.    He  attended 


7i6 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


a  ward  scliool  of  Elmira,  cij.mpleting  his 
education  with  an  academic  coiu'se.  He  en- 
tered upi  n  an  independent  Ijusiness  career  in 
connectiin  with  tlie  manufacture  of  tohacco 
and  cigars,  carrying  on  operations  along 
that  line  for  several  years.  He  then  turned 
his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits,  which 
he  followed  until  1883,  when  he  came  to 
Kansas  and  worked  upon  his  father's  ranch 
until  1S89.  In  that  year  he  established  a 
creamery  in  Ellsworth  and  later  he  filled  the 
ofiicc  of  assessor  of  the  county  for  two 
years.  Resigning"  that  position,  he  came  to 
Kanopolis,  in  December,  1889,  and  has  since 
engaged  in  the  hotel,  real-estate  and  insur- 
ance business.  This  line  of  enterprise  still 
claims  his  attention  and  in  all  branches  he  is 
meeting  with  creditable  and  well  merited 
success.  He  is  a  man  of  splendid  business 
ability,  resolute,  energetic  and  of  sound 
judgment.  He  carries  forward  to  success- 
ful completion  whatever  he  undertakes  and 
his  connection  with  any  enterprise  is  a  guar- 
antee of  its  prosperous  continuance.  He 
\\^as  one  of  the  organizers  and  directors  of 
th{j  Ellsworth  Telephone  Company  and  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Ellsworth  Creamery 
Company,  of  which  he  served  as  secretary 
for  two  and  a  half  years. 

On  the  28th  of  May,  1879,  Mr.  Baker 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Harriet  L. 
Barber,  of  Elmira,  New  York,  a  daughter 
of  James  M.  and  Calfenna  (Burgess)  Bar- 
ber, natives  also*  oi  the  Empire  state.  The 
marriage  ceremony  was  performed  by  Dr. 
Thomas  K.  Beecher.  For  eight  years  they 
traveled  life's  journey  together  and  were 
then  separated  by  the  death  o-f  the  wife,  on 
the  1 6th  of  May,  1887.  She  left  two  chil- 
dren :  Eannie  F.,  now  the  wife  of  Harry 
Rice,  a  resident  farmer  of  Ellsworth  town- 
ship, Ellsworth  county;  and  Harry  B.  On 
the  4th  of  November,  1890,  5ilr.  Baker  was 
again  miarried,  his  second  union  being  with 
Lottie  V.  Jur}',  and  they  now  have  an  inter- 
esting little  son,  Bruce  H.  In  his  political 
views  Mr.  Baker  is  an  adherent  of  Democ- 
racy and  takes  quite  an  active  part  in  public 
affairs.  In  the  fall  of  1890  he  represented 
his  county  in  the  congressional  convention 
at  Colbv,  Kansas.     He  served  out  an  unex- 


pired term  as  clerk  of  the  county  and  has 
ever  given  his  support  to  advance  the  meth- 
ods which  he  believes  will  pro\'e  of  general 
good.  Fraternally  he  holds  membership 
with  Ellsworth  Lodge,  No.  309,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen 
and  \\-ith  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica. He  has  held  offices  in  these  organiza- 
tions, and  in  the  last  named  has  ser\-ed  as 
representative  to  the  grand  lodge.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  National  Aid  Association  and 
to  Arbutus  Lodge,  No.  13 19,  of  the  Royal 
Neighbors.  Mr.  Baker  possesses  the  true 
enterprising  spirit  of  the  west-^a  spirit 
which  has  wrought  the  wonderful  de\-elop- 
ment  of  this  section  of  the  country,  placing 
it  upon  a  par  with  the  older  east.  In  busi- 
ness he  is  prompt,  energetic  and  notably  re- 
liable, and  his  public  career  is  one  which  in 
many  respects  is  well  worth}-  of  emulation. 


PETER  TELLIN. 


One  of  the  most  trusted  engineers  on  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  introduces  this  sketch.  Although  not 
an  old  mem,  he  is  a  veteran  employe  of  that 
system,  and  has  the  entire  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  company  with  which  he  has 
now  been  connected  for  almost  a  third  of  a 
century. 

My.  Tellin  was  born  in  Sweden  on  the 
20th  of  August,  1845,  ^"d  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  land,  receiving  a  good 
common-school  education.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  began  learning  the  machinist's 
trade  in  a  foundry,  and  later  was  employed 
m  wire  and  nail  factories  of  his  native  land. 
During  his  last  year  there  he  was  foreman 
of  a  factory  and  made  samples  of  twenty 
dift'erent  sizes  and  varieties  of  nails  for  the 
Paris  Exposition  in  1867. 

Not  long  after  this  Mr.  Tellin  came  to 
the  new  world  and  first  located  in  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  in  a  lum- 
ber yard  for  three  months  and  for  the  same 
length  of  time  was  engaged  in  railroad  con- 
struction. In  February,  1868,  he  started  for 
California,  but  on  reaching  Omaha.  Ne- 
braska, he  remained  there  nine  months,  and 


BIOGRAFHICAL   HISTORY. 


then  came  to  Topeka,  Kansas,  where  he  soon 
fonnd  eniplovnrent  in  grading  the  Santa  Fe 
road  bed.  In  his  railroad  career  he  began 
at  the  \er\-  Ijdttom,  handling  a  shovel  until 
the  wMrk  \\as  cunipleted  to  Emporia.  On 
his  emigration  to  America  Mt.  Tellin  was 
neither  rich  nor  empty-handed,  like  many  of 
his  countrymen,  but  had  a  few  hundred  dol- 
lars, aii'd  fortunately  he  has  never  since  been 
with) nit  snme  money  in  his  pocket.  He 
was.  however,  entirely  unfamiliar  with  the 
English  language,  and  never  can  forget  the 
triah>  and  discouragements  of  those  first 
years  in  America.  His  purpose  was  to  get 
work  in  the  railroad  shops,  but  being  unsuc- 
cessful in  this  he  worked  on  construction 
until  a  lietter  position  was  offered  him.  In 
June,  1870,  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Com- 
pany gave  him  his  choice  of  taking  charge 
of  a  section  or  going  to  Topeka  as  fireman, 
and  he  chose  the  latter.  He  fired  and 
worked  in  the  shops  until  August,  1872, 
when  he  was  gi\-en  his  first  engine,  and  has 
now  served  the  company  in  the  capacity  of 
engineer  for  nearly  thirty  years.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1873,  he  was  on  a  special  train  running 
out  of  To'peka  with  a  hunting  party  to  the 
frontier  on  the  western  boundary  of  the 
state.  His  next  orders  were  to  run  a  train 
from  Dodge  City  west  to  Sargent,  now  Cool- 
idge,  and  that  spring  he  had  the  0( -nstructiim 
train  running  t(j  Granada,  L'' '1' ir;ul '.  (  )n 
the  4th  of  July,  1S73,  he  tnnk  the  first  en- 
gine across  the  Arkansas  river,  this  being 
engine  No.  32,  named  Kansas.  It  was  a 
memorable  occasion,  as  nearly  all  the  citi- 
zens went  on  a  wild  spree.  Mr.  Tellin's 
next  train  was  a  mixed  one  running  from 
Dodge  City  to  Granada,  and  a  year  later  he 
was  given  a  passeiiL^cr  uain  on  tlie  same 
route.  He  was  in  the  passenger  service  on  the 
different  divisions  east  and  west  of  Dodge 
City  until  1889.  Being  in  poor  health  he 
asked  for  a  transfer  to  the  Earned  branch 
in  1889.  and  his  request  was  granted.  His 
run  was  afterward  extended  from  Earned 
to  Xickerson  and  from  the  latter  place  to 
Newidu,  where  he  n<»w  makes  his  home,  his 
run  at  the  present  time  being  on  a  mixed 
train  Ijetween  Xewton  and  Jetmore,  a  dis- 
tance of  one  hundred  and  fiftv-three  miles. 


At  Maridahl,  on  the  Big  Blue  river,  Mr. 
Tellin  was  married,  April  12,  1882,  to  Miss 
Emma  Swanson,  also  a  native  of  Sweden, 
\yho  came  to  this  country  in  1868.  They 
have  mjade  their  home  at  various  places 
along  the  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  first 
locating  at  Dodge  City,  and  later  living  in 
Xickerson  at  three  different  times.  In  18O9 
Mr.  Tellin  bought  a  farmi  in  Greenwood 
co^u^ty,  Kansas,  and  on  selling  that  place 
purchased  another,  which  he  still  owns,  and 
on  which  the  family  resided  for  four  years. 
He  has  three  children,  namely:  Anna  M., 
born  June  29,  1883;  William  G.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1885;  and  Eena  I.,  born  April  23, 
1888. 

Although  afflicted  with  malaria  for  many 
years,  Mr.  Tellin  is  still  a  well  preserved 
man  and  is  always  found  at  his  post  of  duty, 
giving  strict  attention  to  the  company's  in- 
terests. He  is  one  of  the  pioneer  railroad 
men  of  this  section,  running  an  engine 
through  this  state  when  it  was  on  the  west- 
ern frontier.  He  has  seen  probably  as  many 
buffaloes  as  any  other  man  in  existence, 
and  also  large  droves  of  antelopes.  The 
winter  of  1875-6  was  very  hard  on  the  lat- 
ter, the  ground  being  covered  with  snow  for 
over  six  weeks.  It  is  a  sad  thing  to  him 
that  these  creatures  have  been  so  ruthlessly 
killed.  The  same  winter  the  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
road west  of  Dodge  City  was  blockaded  by 
snow  for  twenty-four  days,  and  for  sixteen 
days  east  between  Dodge  City  and  Kinsley. 
Food  supplies  and  coal  were  almost  ex- 
hausted at  Dodge  City  and  neighboring 
tovv-ns.  The  railroad  company  brought  their 
entire  force  from  Topeka  and  also  hired  all 
the  men  they  could  along  the  line  to  help 
open  the  road,  the  cuts  being  filled  with  sand 
and  snow  \\hicli  fornied  intO'  ice.  Thou- 
sands of  head  of  cattle  perished  that  same 
winter. 

Mr.  Tellin  has  seen  the  rough  side  of 
railroad  life  in  the  west,  yet  has  always  been 
treated  well  by  all  classes,  and  although  he 
has  had  some  thrilling  experiences  and 
many  narrow  escapes  he  has  never  met  with 
a  serious  accident.  Pleasant  and  genial  in 
manner,  lie  makes  many  friends  and  is  held 
in  high  regard  bv  all  wIki  km^w  him. 


7i8 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


J.  E.  JOHNSTON. 

Among  the  enterprising  business  men  of 
Frederic  is  the  subject  of  this  review,  who  is 
now  at  the  head  of  an  extensive  mercantile 
establishment.  His  marked  ability  has  done 
much  to  promote  the  commercial  activity 
upon  which  the  welfare  of  every  community 
dei>ends,  and  in  trade  circles  he  enjoys  an 
unassailable  reputation. 

Alany  years  of  his  life  have  been  passed 
in  the  Sunflower  state,  and  he  is  numbered 
among  the  native  sons  of  Ohio,  his  birth 
ha\ing  occurred  in  Pickaway  county,  near 
Circleville,  February  25,  1854.  His  father, 
the  Rev.  John  K.  Johnston,  was  a  well 
known  and  prominent  minister  in  the  United 
Brethren  church  in  Ohio  for  a  few  years. 
He  was  a  man  of  excellent  education  and 
was  an  active  and  zealous  worker  in  the 
cause  of  the  Master.  In  later  life  he  re- 
mo\-ed  to  Steuben  county,  Indiana,  where 
he  was  in  the  ministry  for  about  fifteen 
years,  and  later  he  purchased  and  improved 
a  farm,  remaining  there  until  1878.  In  that 
year  he  went  to  Rich  Hill,  Bates  county, 
Missouri,  but  is  now!  a  resident  of  Augusta, 
Oklahoma,  having  reached  the  seventieth 
milestone  on  the  journey  of  life.  His  wife 
was  in  her  maidenhood  Miss  Jane  Doudt, 
and  was  a  native  of  Seneca  county,  Ohio. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
three  sons  and  four  daughters,  namely: 
J.  E.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  May 
Klotz,  who  died  in  Rich  Hill,  Missouri'; 
Royal,  a  resident  of  Kansas;  Mrs.  Lottie 
Gravely,  of  Salina,  Kansas;  Alma,  the  wife 
of  Rev.  P.  W.  Brown,  a  minister  of  the 
Congregational  church  at  Joplin.  Missouri ; 
Azalia,  the  wife  of  W.  A.  Swisher,  of 
Eureka  township.  Rice  county ;  and  one  who 
died  in  childhood. 

J.  E.  Johnston  was  reared  to  farm  life 
in  Indiana,  and  was  early  taught  lessons 
of  industry,  honesty  and  economy.  He  re- 
ceived an  excellent  education  in  Otterbein 
University,  at  Westerville.  Ohio,  and  when 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, following  that  pro'fession  in  Indiana, 
I\Iissouri  and  Kansas.  He  proved  a  capable 
instructor,  being  able  to  impart  clearly  and 


concisely  to  the  others  tlie  knowledge  which 
he  had  acquired.  In  1879  ^^^  came  to  Rice 
cotmty,  Kansas,  securing  a  tract  of  wild 
land,  but  by  industry  and  close  attention  to 
business  he  placed  his  land  under  a  line  state 
of  cultivation.  His  farm,  which  consisted 
of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  was  lo- 
cated four  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Fred- 
eric and  was  one  of  the  finest  farms  to  be- 
found  in  central  Kansas.  In  1888  he  took 
up  his  abode  in  Frederic,  and  for  the  past 
thirteen  years  he  has  been  one  of  the  lead- 
ing merchants  of  the  city.  His  large  and 
well  appointed  store,  with  its  extensive  and 
carefully  selected  stock,  is  a  credit  to  the 
prq>rietor  as  well  as  to  the  city,  and  in  its- 
management  Mr.  Johnston  displays  that 
executive  force  and  able  management  that 
ranks  him  am'ong  the  leading  business  men 
of  the  community.  His  stock,  which  is  val- 
ued at  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars, 
consists  of  dry  goods,  clothing,  boots,  shoes, 
furniture,  lumber,  hardware,  threshing  ma- 
chines and  all  kinds  of  tools.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  enterprising  and  successful  mer- 
chants in  Rice  county  and  his  reliable  busi- 
ness methods  and  honorable  dealing  have 
gained  him  the  confidence  and  good  will  of 
all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  con- 
tact. His  first  store  building  was  a  small 
structure,  twelve  by  sixteen  feet,  but  his 
present  building  covers  an  entire  block,  his 
implement  department  alone  covering  an 
area  of  thirty-six  by  one  hundred  and  forty 
feet.  He  now  owns  eight  hundred  and- 
fifty  acres  oi  land,  all  in  Rice  and  Lane 
counties. 

On  the  4th  of  November,  1876.  at  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana,  Mr.  Johnston  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Emma  Klotz,  who  was  born,, 
reared  and  educated  in  the  Hoosier  state,  a 
daughter  of  Andrew  and  Catherine  ( Car- 
omy)  Klotz,  both  now  deceased.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  with  four  children, 
namiely :  Daisy,  the  wife  of  R.  C.  ^IcCaw- 
ley,  a  merchant  of  Frederic,  and  they  have 
two  children;  Getrude,  who  is  attending  the 
high  school  at  Salina,  Kansas ;  Homer  K. ; 
and  Marjorie  J.,  who  died  July  7,  1901. 
Mr.  Johnston  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  Re- 
publican   principles,    and    for    three    years 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


719 


served  as  county  commissioner  of  Rice 
county,  also  serving  as  a  delegate  to  county 
and  congressional  conventions.  Socially  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fra- 
ternity, and  both  he  and  his  wife  hold  mem- 
bership in  the  JMethodist  Episcopal  church. 
Hs  mercantile  career  is  above  reproach,  and 
during  his  residence  in  Rice  county  he  has 
worked  his  way  upward  until  he  now  occu- 
pies a  leading  position  among  its  repre- 
sentative citizens. 


JOHN  H.  FRANKLIN. 

One  of  the  pioneers  of  Burrton  town- 
ship, and  probably  the  oldest  farmer  who 
has  won  for  himself  a  place  among  the  pros- 
perous agriculturists  in  this  portion  of  the 
country',  is  John  H.  Franklin,  who  first 
opened  his  eyes  to  the  light  oi  dav  in  Penn- 
sylvania on  the  5th  of  February,  1833.  He 
is  of  Irish  lineage,  but  his  parents  are  na- 
tives of  this  countrj'.  His  father  was  born 
in  1796,  in  Long  Meadow,  near  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  who  during  the  war  of  181 2 
en,gaged  in  teaming,  and  in  1813.  when  a 
lad  of  seventeen  years  of  age,  left  home 
to  become  a  sailor,  the  ship  on  which  he 
served  running  to  and  from  the  West  Indies 
and  other  islands  aloiig  the  coast.  For  seven 
and  one-half  years  he  pursued  this  life,  but 
hnally  left  the  water  and  engaged  in  work- 
ing at  iron  smelting  and  forging  at  Middle 
Sligo,  Pennsjdvania,  where  he  remiained  for 
eighteen  years.  While  there  he  met  and 
won  for  his  wife  Miss  Susanna  Womer, 
who  lived  at  Bald  Eagle  Furnace.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
four  are  now  living.  They  lost  an  infant 
son  and  a  daughter  of  about  three  years  of 
age,  and  three  sons  were  killed  in  the  Civil 
war  namely:  Joseph;  Erastus,  who  died 
from  wounds  sustained  in  the  war;  and 
William,  who  contracted  a  disease  while  in 
camp,  from  which  lie  did  not  recover.  The 
children  now  living  are:  John  H.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review;  Jerry  Irving,  who  is 
now  living  in  Oklahoma  w^ith  his  family; 
and  George,  a  carpenter    living    in    Iowa. 


The  two  latter  sons  served  in  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion,  Jerry  remaining  in  the  service 
during  the  entire  period  of  the  struggle  be- 
tween the  north  and  south.  Eliza  Jane,  the 
only  surviving  daughter,  married  Joseph 
Holland  and  is  livmg  on  the  old  homestead 
in  Pennsylvania.  The  parents  both  passed 
away  in  Van  Buren  countv,  Iowa  ;  the  father 
in  iSj^.  his  wife  surviving  him  but  a  short 
time. 

John  Vi.  Franklin  received  a  most  lim- 
ited schooling  and  was  early  taught  the  la- 
bors and  duties  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
agriculturist.  Until  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage he  remained  at  home,  working  at  lum- 
liering  at  tlie  old  water-power  sawmill  in 
Camlirid-e  county,  Pennsylvania.  October 
18.  i85_',  when  twenty  years  of  age,  he  was 
joined  in  marriage  to  Margaret  J.  Hollen, 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  was  born  July 
-3'  1827.  She  is  now  in  her  seventy-lifth 
year,  yet  is  able  to  attend  to  the  duties  of 
her  own  home.  She  was  the  mother  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  six  are  now  living, 
namely  :  Erastus,  who  is  at  home  operating 
the  farm  with  the  assistance  of  his  brother 
Charles  E. ;  Samuel,  a  resident  of  eastern 
Kansas,  who  has  one  son;  Charles  Edward, 
born  in  Decatur  county,  Iowa,  March  30. 
i860,  living  on  the  home  farm;  L.  I.,  a 
stone-mason  and  plasterer;  Susan,  wife  of 
Joseph  McKenry,  of  Burrton  township,  and 
the  mother  of  two  children;  and  Benjamin, 
a  traveling  man,  who  has  two  sons.  The 
children  who  are  deceased  are:  Lucy,  the 
second  child  in  order  of  birth,  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania September  31,  1854,  and  died  in 
Iowa  in  1855:  Elizabeth,  who  died  in  1877, 
having  lost  her  infant  child ;  John,  who  suc- 
cumbed to  an  attack  of  diphtheria  when  live 
years  of  age;  and  Robert,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty  months,  within  eight  days 
after  the  family  arrived  at  Burrton. 

John  H.  Franklin  arrived  in  Kansas  on 
the  8th  of  April,  1S71,  with  his  family  and 
all  his  worl'llv  im-^essions,  which  consisted 
of  a  pair  r,t  ovuid  horses,  one  cow  and  one 
dollar  in  cash.  On  a  barren  tract  of  eighty 
acres  of  open  prairie  land  he  erected  an 
abode  for  his  family, — a  little  log  cabin 
twelve  by  sixteen  feet.     Their  onlv  neigh- 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Ijurs  Nvere  the  family  of  John  Blades,  who 
had  also  settled  in  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try, and  these  two  men  began  the  test  of 
cultivating  this  unimproved  land.  The 
vegetation  was  scant :  no  trees  or  shrubs 
were  to  be  seen  nearer  than  thnse  in  the 
sand  hills  or  along  tlie  little  Arkansas  river, 
but  in  spite  of  the  discouraging  outlouk  they 
Jaljored  unceasingly.  In  time  trees  were 
planted,  fields  and  pastures  were  laid  out, 
and  the  land  was  transformed  into  a 
flourisliing  and  productive  farm.  Mr. 
Franklin  now  has  a  large  grove  of  cotton- 
wood,  walnut,  honey  locust  and  hackberry 
trees,  as  well  as  an  orchard  O'f  three  acres. 
Everything  about  the  homestead,  from  the 
comfortable  residence  and  substantial  barns 
and  outbuildings  to  the  well  tilled  fields 
rich  with  golden  harvests,  indicates  the  care 
ful  supervision  and  indefatigable  labor  of 
the  owner.  ]\lr.  Franklin  also-  purchased 
eigiity  acres  of  land  adjoining  his  farm,  but 
afterward  .sold  it. 

Politically  Mr.  Franklin  is  a  Populist 
from  the  Republican  ranks,  'having  voted  for 
Fremont  in  Iowa,  and  twice  for  Abraham 
Lincoln.  He  prefers  not  to  hold  ofike,  but 
for  nine  years.  liMwever.  served  oil  the 
school  board  in  Kansas,  and  was  also  elected 
rnad  snper\-isor,  performing  his  duties  with 
such  intelligence  and  industry  that  he  is 
cinisiilered  the  most  competent  man  that 
has  held  the  office.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Franklin  are  cousistent  members  of  the 
Christian  church,  and  are  greatly  beloved  by 
all  wh-o  know  them.  The  family  were  for 
three  years  residents  of  Washington  terri- 
tory and  while  there  voted  for  the  admis- 
sion of  it  as  a  state. 


PETER  DECK. 


Peter  Deck,  a  prominent  farmer  of 
Westminster  township,  Reno'  county,  .Kan- 
sas, was  born  in  Noble  county,  Indiana, 
August  6,  1850,  a  son  of  Isaac  Deck,  a  na- 
tive of  Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania, 
his  birth  having  occurred  on  the  4th  of 
March,    1820,  while  his  death  occurred  in 


^\'estminster  township.  Reno  county,  Oc- 
tober 6,"  1898.  His  father,  Peter  Deck, 
was  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state,  born 
in  1790,  and  he  reached  the  seventy- 
third  milestone  on  the  journey  of  life, 
passing  away  in  1863,  in  Williams  coun- 
ty, Ohio,  where  he  was  one  of  the  pio- 
neer farmers  and  blacksmiths.  He  fol- 
lowed that  trade  until  reaching  advanced 
years,  and  during  his  earlier  years  he  was 
engaged  in  work  as  a  journeyman.  He 
wedded  ]\Iiss  Ann  Oaks,  w.ho  was  of  Eng- 
lish parentage,  and  their  family  consisted  of 
eleven  children,  nine  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  grew  to  manhood  and 
womanhood.  Most  of  the  children  re- 
mained in  the  east,  but  Isaac  Deck,  the  fa- 
ther of  our  subject,  joined  the  tide  of  emi- 
gration moving  westward,  and  first  located 
in  Ohio,  but  in  1844  continued  the  journey 
i  to  Indiana.  In  October,  1844,  he  was  united 
I  in  marriage  with  Julia  JohnsoiT,  who  was 
I  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1827,  and  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage  was  only  seventeen 
years  of  age.  Her  father,  William  Johnson, 
was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and  also  owne 
a  farm,  but  after  his  nine  children  had 
reached  mature  years  he  gave  his  farm  to 
them  and  devoted  his  attention  exclusively 
to  his  agricultural  pursuits.  In  the  spring  of 
1858  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deck  removed  to  Mis- 
souri, but  his  political  sentiments  were  not 
popular  in  that  state  and  he  was  obliged  to 
remove  to  Iowa,  locating  in  Decatur  county, 
that  state,  in  the  spring  of  1861,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1876  he  joined  his  son  in.  Reno 
county,  Kansas.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Deck  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  four  sons  and 
four  daughters,  namely  :  Hannah,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  H.  Hatfield,  and  died  when 
about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  leaving  three 
children ;  Lucinda,  the  wife  of  Hiram  Stan- 
ley, of  Reno  county,  Kansas;  William,  a 
resident  ai  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  and  the 
father  of  seven  children;  Peter,  the  subject 
of  this  review ;  Gideon,  who  resides  at  Gar- 
den City,  Kansas,  and  has  six  children; 
Laura,  the  wife  of  J.  M.  Taylor,  of  Medford 
township,  and  they  have  six  children;  Lin- 
coln, a  prominent  farmer  of  Reno  county; 
and  Florence,  the  wife  of  T-  F.  Norris,  of 


d-^  dy^d^  f.  J^< 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


Westminster  township.  The  mother  of 
these  children  now  makes  her  home  in  Ab- 
beyville. 

Peter  Deck,  whose  name  intrcdnces  this 
review,  recei\-ed  but  meager  school  privi- 
leges during  his  youth,  and  was  early  in- 
ured toi  the  duties  of  the  farm,  having-  fol- 
lowed the  plow  as  soon  as  he  was  large 
enough  to  reach  the  handles.  He  remained 
under  the  parental  roof  until  after  his  mar- 
riage, and  in  the  spring  of  1874  he  left  his 
Iowa  Imme  for  the  Sunflower  state,  lo- 
cating on  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  this  township.  His  landed 
possessions  now  aggregate  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  in  Westinlinster  town- 
shij)  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
in  enterprise  township,  but  he  rents  all 
of  his  land  with  the  exception  of  the 
original  homestead  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  where  he  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock  raising.  He 
Keeps  on  hand  about  forty-five  head  of 
shorthorn  and  black  polled  cattle,  has  a: 
number  of  good  horses  and  mules,  and  also 
raises  a  good  grade  of  hogs.  From  eighty 
to  one  hundred  and  sixtv  acres  of  his  land  is 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  wheat,  and  he  also 
raises  some  corn. 

The  13th  of  February,  1870,  witnessed 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Deck  and  ]\Iiss  S.  L. 
Anderson,  a  daughter  of  W.  D.  and  Sarah 
(Lowder)  Anderson,  both  now  deceased. 
They  removed  from  North  Carolina  to 
Indiana  in  185 1,  and  in  the  fall  of  1859  re- 
moved to  Decatur  count}',  Iowa,  where  the 
father  died  in  1887,  at  the  age  <<\  seventy-six 
years,  and  nnc  week'  later  the  niiillicr  ji  lined 
him  in  the  s|iii-it  w  >  irld.  They  were  prom- 
inent f.irniiiig  ]n"iile  and  were  the  parents 
of  eight  childicii  who  grew  to  years  of  ma- 
turity. L'ntn  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Deck  have  been 
born  five  children.  The  family  is  a  promi- 
nent and  highly  resnected  one  of  their  lo- 
cality, and  the  daughters  are  excellent  musi- 
cians. In  political  matters  our  subject  is  a 
Republican,  ever  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
growth  and  success  of  his  part}-.  He  has 
attended  many  of  the  state  and  county  cijn- 
ventions,  and'  in  1900  was  a  mem- 
ber   (.f    the    senatorial    conventioin,     while 


in  local  political  affairs  he  has  been  equally 
prominent,  having  served  his  township  as 
treasurer  and  as  trustee.  In  his  social  rela- 
tions he  is  a  Master  Mason,  and  both  he  and 
his  wife  are  active  and  zealous  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which 
he  is  now  filling  the  position  of  trustee. 
Mr.  Deck  is  a  public-spirited  and  progres- 
sive citizen,  manifesting  a  commendable  in- 
terest in  everything  pertaining  to  the  pub- 
lic welfare,  and  his  honorable  record  in  bus- 
iness circles  has  won  him  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  entire  community. 


JOHN  W.  WYER. 


For  nearlv  a  score  of  years  has  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  been  identified  with  the 
industrial  life  of  Barber  county,  Kansas, 
and  this  fact  imiplies  that  he  w'as  numbered 
among  the  early  settlers,  upon  whom  de- 
volved the  arduous  labors  of  opening  the 
wild  land  and  inaugurating  that  work  of 
development  whose  results  have  been  so  ad- 
miralile.  He  is  one  of  the  representative 
citizens  of  the  county,  and  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-growing  on  a 
finely  impro-ved  farm  of  five  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  on  section  4.  Nipawalla  town- 
ship, his  post  office  address  being  Medicine 
Lodge,  the  connty-seat,  from  which  his 
home  is  eight  miles  distant. 

Mr.  Wyer  is  a  native  of  the  south,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Davidson  county.  North 
Carolina,  on  the  7th  of  December,  1852, 
being  the  son  of  Philip  and  Catherine  (Kill- 
ion)  Wyer,  both  native  of  North  Carolina 
and  members  of  worthy  families  long  estab- 
lished in  that  section  of  the  Union.  Philip 
\Vyer  was  a  son  of  Barney  Wyer,  who-  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  whence  he  removed 
to  North  Carolina,  where  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  devoting  his  attention 
to  agricultural  pursuits,  to  which  he  had 
been  reared.  His  wife  was  a  daughter  of 
^Michael  and  Elizabeth  (Hines)  Killion, 
wJhiO  were  of  English  lineage.  The  father 
of  our  suljject  was  a  man  of  the  highest  in- 
tegrity, and  liis  life  was  one  of  signal  use- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


fulness  and  honor,  his  death  occurring-  when 
he  was  thirty-seven  years  of  age.  In  poH- 
tics  h.e  gave  his  support  to  the  Whig  party, 
and  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Baptist 
churcli. 

When  our  subject  was  thirteen  years  of 
age  his  mother  remloved  with  her  famlily  to 
Hendricks  county,  Indiana,  where  they  re- 
mained five  years  and  then  continued  their 
journey  westward,  locating  in  Saline  coun- 
ty, Missouri.  In  the  family  are  four  chil- 
dren, our  subject  being  the  only  son  and  the 
second  in  order  of  birth.  His  three  sisters 
are  Rosa  Elizabeth,  Joicey  and  Mary  Jane. 
John  \V.  Wyer  was  reared  under  the  invig- 
orating discipline  of  the  home  farms  in 
North  Carolina  and  Indiana,  and  by  per- 
sonal application  and  by  active  association 
with  the  practical  affairs  of  life  has  effect- 
ively supplemented  the  somewhat  meager 
educational  training  which  as  a  boy  he  re- 
ceived in  the  common  schools.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Missouri  until  1884, 
when  he  came  to  Barber  county,  Kansas, 
and  entered  a  pre-emption  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  on  the  Cherokee  Indian 
strip,  which  had  been  opened  to  settlement 
only  a  few  years  previously.  His  first 
abiding  place  was  one  of  the  primitive 
"dug-outs"  which  were  common  to  the  sec- 
tion at  that  time  and  which  were  more 
comfortable  and  attractive  than  the  name 
implies,  though  they  were  far  different  in 
character  from  the  homes  which  the  ma- 
jority of  settlers  had  left  in  other  sections  of 
the  Union.  To  his  original  claim  ]\Ir. 
^Vyer  has  added  until  he  now  has  a  fine 
landed  estate  of  five  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  a  consMerable  portion  being  under 
the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  while  the 
remainder  is  devoted  to  the  extensive  rais- 
ing of  high  grade  stock,  of  which  our  sub- 
ject makes  a  specialty.  Upon  his  farm  he 
has  erected  a  substantial  and  commodious 
residence  of  two  stories,  with  good  stone 
basement,  while  all  other  farm  buildings  are 
of  the  best  order. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wyer  is  a  zealous  and 
enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  Populist  party 
and  its  principles,  and  aS'  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive and  capable  men  of  the  county,  he 


has  been  called  to  positions  of  public  trust 
and  responsibility,  having  rendered  signally 
valuable  serx'ice  as  representative  of  his 
township  on  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners, having  been  elected  to  this  office  in 
1894  and  having  served  three  years,  while 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
of  district  Xo.  70  for  the  past  thirteen  years, 
ever  standing  ready  to  do  his  part  in  the 
support  of  all  that  is  intended  to  foster  the 
material,  moral  and  civic  prosperity  of  his 
community.  Fraternally  he  is  identfied 
with  the  Independent  drder  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  his  unfailing  kindl'iness  and  ster- 
ling character  have  gained  to  him  the  good 
will  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 
In  1875  Mr.  Wyer  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Belle  Delap,  the  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Phoebe  Delap,  of  Saline  coun- 
ty, Missouri,  and  she  entered  into  eternal 
rest  in  December,  1883,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, Zora,  who  is  the  wife  of  Wesley 
Urton,  of  Barber  county;  and  Minnie,  the 
wife  of  George  E.  Crouse,  of  Pratt  county. 
In  1888  Mr.  Wyer  consummated  a  second 
marriage,  being  then  united  to  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Trelow,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  but 
who  was  reared  and  educated  in  Saline 
county,  Missouri,  to  which  section  her  par- 
ents, John  and  Elizabeth  Trelow,  removed 
while  she  was  an  infant.  Her  mother  is 
deceased,  but  her  father  still  maintains  his 
home  in  Saline  county,  Missouri.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wyer  have  six  children,  namely: 
Kate,  Philip,  Pearl,  Harrv,  Myrtle  and 
Osie. 


GEORGE  TIBBUTT. 

Among  the  prominent  and  representa- 
tive citizens  of  Kingman  county,  Kansas, 
is  George  Tibbutt,  who  is  a  township  treas- 
urer and  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and 
substantial  citizens.  Mr.  Tibbutt  owns  a 
fine  farmi  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  on  section  27,  in  Richland  township, 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  Kansas  since 
1883. 

The  birth  O'f  Mr.  Tib])utt  was  near 
Davton,     jMontgomerv    countv,     Ohio,     in 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


723 


1853,  and  he  was  a  son  of  John  and  Ehza- 
beth  (Hawthorn)  Tibbutt,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Lancastershire,  England. 
They  came  to  the  United  States  after  their 
marriage,  and  located  in  Montgomery  coun- 
ty. Ohio,  where  Mr.  Tibbutt  engaged  in 
farming,  but  later  removed  to  Illinois, 
where  he  died,  in  Centralia,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three.  He  was  a  good  man,  a  con- 
sistent memiber  of  the  Methodist  church, 
and  was  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  fam- 
il\-.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one,  in  Desoto-,  Missouri, 
having  been  a  devoted  wife  and  mother, 
who  was  beloved  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 
Three  children  survive  these  parents,  name- 
ly: Mrs.  Martha  Loggins,  of  Centralia. 
Illinois;  George,  O'f  this  sketch;  and  Mrs. 
Anna  Jones,  of  Denver,  Colorado-.  One 
child  died  on  shipboard,  and  one  daughter, 
Eliza,  passed  away  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years. 

George  Tibbutt,  of  this  biography,  was 
reared  until  fifteen  years  old  in  the  state  of 
Ohio  and  attended  school  there;  then,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years,  he  came  to  Illinois 
and  married  there  and  v^'as  a  renter  of  a 
farm  until  his  removal  to-  Kansas.  In  Bond 
county,  Illinois,  in  1877,  Mr.  Tibbutt  was 
married  to  Miss  Mildred  Wagener,  who 
was  born  in  Miami  county,  Ohio,  in  1855. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Perry  D.  and 
[Margaret  Jane  (Jones)  Wagener,  the 
former  of  whomi  died  at  his  daughter's 
home,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one,  and  the 
latter  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three,  in  Bond  county,  Illinois.  Both  par- 
ents were  worthy  members  of  the  German 
Baptist  church.  They  had  eleven  children, 
the  six  survivors  being  as  follows : 
Adnlphus,  of  Ohio;  ^Irs.  Derinda  Reed,  of 
this  towuViiip:  ^Irs.  Elmira  Revis,  of  Illi- 
nois:  Cvru^,  .1'  l",ast  St.  Louis,  Missouri; 
^lildred ;  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Dyer,  of  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois.  Four  children  were 
iDorn  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tibbutt,  namely : 
[Margaret  Elizabeth,  who  is  the  wife  of  U. 
Campbell,  of  this  township;  Corda  Anna, 
who  is  a  young  lady  of  seventeen  years : 
Ji.hn   Perry,   who  is  a  promising  youth  of 


sixteen  years ;  and  Lawrence,  the  second 
child,  died  aged  eighteen  months. 

In  August,  1883,  Mr.  Tibbutt  came  to 
Kansas  and  located  in  Valley  township,  in 
Kingman  county,  which  he  later  exchanged 
for  one  previously  occupied  by  D.  L  Strat- 
ton,  at  his  present  location  in  section  27, 
Richland  county.  In  1901  Mr.  Tibbutt 
bought  an  additioaial  one  himdred  and  sixty 
acres  ami  is  no-w  the  owner  and  cultivator 
of  tJn-ee  Inindred  and  twenty  acres  oi  fine 
farm  land,  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of 
grains.  Here  Mr.  Tibbutt  has  every  appli- 
ance for  the  successful  cultivation  of  his 
land  and  the  raising  of  cattle  and  stock. 
His  house  is  well  built  and  finely  appointed, 
one  of  the  best  and  most  comfortable  in  this 
locality,  while  iiis  barns,  granaries,  feed 
sheds  ;ind  sheUers  are  c.  mim.  kIi,  ,us  and 
con\-enient,  and  a  large  windnnll  assures 
him  sufficient  water.  Every  part  of  Mr. 
Tibbntt"s  domain  is,  made  producti\e.  and 
this  has  been  one  secret  of  his  success. 

In  politics  Mr.  Tibbutt  has  inclined  to- 
ward the  Populist  party,  and  has  been  quite 
prominent  in  public  life  in  this  localitv.  For 
three  terms  he  has  served  with  great  credit 
as  township  treasurer,  and  has  been  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  one  term.  His  interest  in 
school  matters  has  been  shown  by  willing- 
service  on  the  school  board,  and  he  has  been 
foremost  in  all  enterprises  looking  toward 
the  betterment  of  his  section  on  all  lines. 
The  religious  connection  of  the  family  is 
with  the  German  Baptist  church.  Few  cit- 
izens oi  this  township  are  more  highly  re- 
garded in  everv  walk  of  life  than  is  George 
Tibbutt.  '      ■ 


EDWARD  D.   SCHERMERHORN. 

An  eventfid  life  has  been  that  of  Edward 
Dow  .Schermerhorn,  and  no  man  in  Wilson 
can  relate  from  practical  experience  a  more 
accurate  account  of  life  upon  the  plains  in 
an  early  day  befoi'e  railroads  had  carried  the 
evidence  of  civilization  into  the  western  dis- 
tricts. He  has  been  an  active  factor  in  the 
work  of  progress  and  improvement,  aiding. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


in  laying  broad  and  deep  the  foundation  for 
tlie  preserit  prosperity  and  advanced  condi- 
tion of  Ellsworth  county.  Among  the  resi- 
dents of  Wilson  he  is  the  oldest  settler  of 
this  portion  of  the  state,  having  come  to 
northern  Kansas  in  the  spring  of  1867. 

Air.  Schermerhorn  was  born  in  Rensse- 
laer, New  York,  September  4,  1848,  and  is 
a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  Knicker- 
bocker Dutch  families  that  was  founded  on 
the  Atlantic  coast.  David  Schermerhorn, 
the  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  New 
York  and  was  a  son  of  James  Schermer- 
horn, but  of  whom  there  is  no  definite  rec- 
ord. He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and 
participated  in  the  war  of  181 2.  David 
Schermerhorn  learned  the  blacksmith's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  many  years. 
He  was  married  in  the  Empire  state  to  Em- 
ily Ponieroy,  and  unto  them  were  born  four 
children  v.ho  attained  years  of  maturity, 
of  whonii  Edward  D.  was  the  youngest. 
One  brother,  Frank  A.,  is  now  living  in 
Riley  county,  Kansas.  The  mother  died 
when  our  subject  was  only  six  months  old, 
and  the  father  afterward  married  Lois 
Hunt,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  one 
daughter  still  living.  His  death  occurred 
when  he  was  sixty-eight  years  of  age.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
church  and  his  life  was  in  harmony  with  his 
professions. 

Edward  D.  Schermerhorn  received  but 
limited  educational  privileges,  attending 
school  for  only  forty-two  days  after  he  had 
attained  his  twelfth  year.  However,  in  the 
practical  afifairs  of  life  by  experience,  read- 
ing and  observation  and  through  the  pos- 
session of  a  retentive  memory  he  has  become 
a  well  informed  man.  He  started  out  on  his 
own  account  in  1863,  when  only  fifteen  years 
of  age,  working  as  a  farm  hand.  In  the 
succeeding  winter  he  entered  a  blacksmith 
shop  and  learned  the  trade  and  followed 
that  pursuit  until  he  came  to  Kansas,  lo- 
cating at  Fort  Harker  in  the  spring  of  1867. 
For  a  short  time  after  he  came  to  the  west 
he  was  associated  with  Mr.  Parks,  a  rail- 
road contractor,  but  he  later  was  killed  by 
the  Indians  when  they  were  doing  work  on 
the  grade  west  of  where  the  town  of  Ellis 


now  stands.  The  Indians  made  an  attack 
and  the  white  men  threw  up  some  breast- 
works for  rifle  pits,  and  for  some  time  re- 
pulsed the  attack  of  the  savages.  Air. 
Schermerhorn  was  shot  through  the  left 
hand  and  others  of  the  party  \vere  injured. 
Allr.  Parks  and  some  of  his  men,  however, 
were  killed  while  out  on  a  buffalo  hunt. 
After  the  death  of  his  employer  Mr.  Scher- 
merhorn returned  to  Fort  Harker  and  was 
in  the  sutler's  department  there.  In  1870 
he  was  appointed  sutler  of  G  Troop,  Sev- 
enth Cavalry,  and  B  Troop,  of  the  Fourth 
Artillery,  and  spent  the  spring  oif  that  year 
on  Solomon  river,  but  in  the  fall  returned 
to  New  York,  intending  to  remain  in  the 
state  of  his  nativity. 

After  six  weeks,  howe\-er,  his  love  for 
western  life  o\-ercame  him  and  he  returned 
to>  Kansas.  He  hunted  buffaloes  that  winter 
and  in  the  following  year  purchased  five 
hundred  head  of  cattle  and  engaged  in  the 
stock-raising  business,  but  the  winter  of 
1871-2  was  so  severe  that  the  cattle  were 
frozen  and  he  lost  all  that  he  had  invested. 
He  then  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  store  of 
Arthur  Latkin,  in  Ellsworth,  with  whom 
he  remained  until  February,  1879,  when  he 
came  toi  Wilson  and  began  business  on  his 
ow'n  account,  opening  a  stock  of  dry  goods 
and  clothing  at  the  corner  where  his  pres- 
ent large  store  is  now  located.  He  first  oc- 
cupied a  fr.ime  building,  one  story  in  height, 
twenty-fonr  b\"  sixty  feet,  but  his  business 
soon  outgrew  its  accommodations  and  in 
1893  he  erected  the  present  fine  block  which 
now  adorns  the  corner.  The  building  is  a 
steel  frame,  built  of  stone  and  pressed  brick, 
two  stories  in  height,  with  basement,  and  its 
dimensions  are  fifty  by  eighty  feet.  From 
the  beginning  Mr.  Schermerhorn  has  en- 
joyed success  in  this  undertaking,  and  he 
now  has  a  large  and  well  selected  stock  of 
dry  goods,  clothing  and  boots  and  shoes. 
He  has  strict  regard  for  the  ethics  of  com- 
mercial life,  and  his  honorable  dealing,  com- 
bined with  his  earnest  desire  to  please  his 
customers  and  his  moderate  prices,  have  se- 
cured him  a  very  large  patronage.  He  con- 
tinued alone  in  business  until  February  i, 
1S99,  when  he  admitted  his  son,  Frank  L., 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


72s 


to  a  partnership.  He  is  regarded  as  one  ot 
the  most  prominent  merchants  of  the  city, 
and,  while  his  labors  have  been  of  individ- 
uel  Ijcnefit,  they  have  also  promoted  the 
prosperity  of  the  comtmimity,  for  ever}- 
town  and  city  owes  its  existence,  its  growth 
and  improvement,  to  its  commercial  inter- 
ests and  industrial  enterprises.  Mr.  Scher- 
merhorn  is  also'  vice-president  of  the  Cen- 
tral National  Bank,  of  Ellsworth,  and  is  a 
director  in  the  Sylvian  State  Bank,  of  Lin- 
coln coTinty.  His  judgment  in  business 
affairs  is  so  accurate  that  his  opinions  and 
counsel  are  always  valued  in  trade  circles. 
He  is  likewise  interested  in  farming,  and  is 
the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  valuable 
land,  of  which  nine  hundred  acres  is  planted 
to  wheat,  the  entire  amount  being  operated 
on  the  shares. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1875,  ^^i'- 
Schermerhiirn  was  joined  in  wedlock  to 
^liss  Christene  Calene,  daughter  of 
Lewis  Calene,  of  Dickinson  county,  Kansas, 
and  they  have  three  children,  of  whom  two 
are  living,  Frank  and  William  E.,  both  of 
whomi  are  associated  with  their  father  in 
the  store,  the  former  as  a  partner.  He  at- 
tended the  high  school  of  Wilson  and  re- 
ceived his  business  training  in  the  commer- 
cial college  at  Salena.  He  is  the  voungest 
man  who  ever  took  the  thirty-second  degree 
in  Masonry,  having  only  passed  his  twenty- 
first  birthday  by  fifty-two  days  at  the  time 
when  he  attained  the  degree  of  the  Sublime 
Prince  of  the  Royal  Secret. 

Mr.  Schermerhorn,  of  this  review,  is  a 
prominent  Mason,  belonging  to  Samaria 
Lodge,  No.  298,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  W^ilson.  in 
which  he  has  filled  all  of  the  chairs.  He 
likewise  holds  membership  in  Ellsworth 
Chapter,  No.  54,  R.  A.  M. :  Ellsworth 
Council.  No.  9,  R.  &  S.  M. :  St.  Aldemar 
Commandery.  No.  32,  K.  T.,  and  is  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  Ancient  and  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite,  belonging  to  Wichita  Con- 
sistory. No.  2,  S.  P.  R.  S.  Li  Isis  Temple, 
of  Salina.  he  was  made  a  noble  of  the  An- 
cient Arabic  Order  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 
His  name  is  on  the  membership  rolls  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security,  tlie  Ancient 


Order  of  United  \\':orkmen  and  the  Select 
Knights,  and  of  these  organizations  he  is  a 
valued  representative.  He  votes  with  the 
Democracy,  but  the  honors  and  emoluments 
of  office  have  had  no^  attraction  for  him, 
although  he  has  served  on  a  few  occasions 
in  local  office.  He  has  been  a  mennber  of 
the  city  council  of  Ellsworth,  has  served  on 
the  school  board  and  has  been  its  chief  ex- 
ecutive, proving  a  most  capable  mayor.  His 
business  career  is  one  of  which  he  has  every 
reason  tO'  be  proud.  Starting  out  in  life  on 
his  own  account  at  the  early  age  of  fifteen 
years,  he  has  worked  his  way  steadily  up- 
ward, having  met  many  hardships  and  diffi- 
culties, but  has  overcome  these  by  deter- 
mined purpose,  and  to-day  he  ranks  among 
the  most  successful  representatives  of  com- 
mercial interests  in  his  adopted  county,  and 
throughout  all  he  has  maintained  a  reputa- 
tion for  reliability  and  trustworthiness  that 
is  indeed  eniviable. 


G.  B.  JOHNSON. 

G.  B.  Johnson,  a  prominent  represen- 
tative of  the  agricultural  interests  of  King- 
man county,  was  born  at  Penn"s  Grove, 
Salem  county,  New  Jersey,  in  1850.  His 
father,  Jacob  Johnson,  claimed  New  Jersey 
as  the  state  of  his  nativity  and  he  was  there 
reared  tO'  years  of  maturit}-.  In  that  state 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Amtmda  Bid- 
die,  a  native  daughter  of  New  Jersey  and  a 
woman  of  a  high  degree  of  intelligence  and 
refinement.  He  was  drowned  at  the  com- 
paratively early  age  of  fifty-six  years,  and 
his  wife  reached  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
They  became  the  parents  of  five  children,  as 
follows  :  G.  B. ;  Emma,  deceased ;  [Martha ; 
and  Elmer  and  Frank,  twins. 

G.  B.  Johnson,  whose  name  intr(3duces 
this  review,  was  reared  to  farmi  life  in  the 
Empire  state,  and  on  attaining  to  years  of 
maturity  he  began  work  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  from  1875  until  1877  he  was  en- 
gaged in  work  on  public  buildings  in  Phila- 
delphia. In  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Kan- 
sas, securing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 


726 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Osage  Indian  land  in  A'inita  township, 
Kingman  county,  to  wliich  he  has  since 
added  another  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  thus  making  him  the  possessor 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  His 
farm  is  one  of  the  valuable  ones  of  the 
county,  and  there  he  is  successfully  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  his 
efforts  in  the  line  of  his  chosen  vocation 
being  attended  with  a  high  and  well  mer- 
ited degree  of  success. 

When  twenty-three  years  of  age,  in  New 
Jersey,  ]Mr.  Johnson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Susanna  Cobb,  a  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  LI'ary  Cobb,  residents  of  Ness  county, 
Kansas.  The  union  of  Mr.  a.nd  Mrs.  John- 
son has  been  blessed  with  the  following- 
children:  Thomas,  of  Ness  county,  Kan- 
sas ;  Amanda,  George,  William,  Elmer, 
]\Iaricn  and  Susie,  at  home.  They  have  also 
Inst  two  children,  Mary,  the  first  born,  dy- 
ing at  the  age  of  four  years,  and  one  de- 
ceased in  infancy. 

jMr.  Johnson  votes  independently  of 
party  ties,  and  his  first  presidential  vote  was 
cast  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  has  served 
a  short  tiniQ  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  his  social  relations  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellowfe  fraternity,  and 
at  present  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  o-f  the  Christian  church, 
and  ha\-e  always  been  interested  in  the  pro- 
motion of  education  and  religion  and  the 
welfare  of  the  cominunity  at  large. 


FRANK  H.  HUNTINGTON. 

Frank  H.  Huntington,  a  representative 
railroad  man  residing  in  Newton,  Kansas, 
was  born  August  i8,  1852,  in  Indianapolis, 
Indiana.  His  father,  James  Nelson  Hunt- 
ington, was  a  native  o-f  New  York,  and  it 
^\1as  during  his  youth  that  he  went  to  the 
Hoosier  state  about  1812.  He  was  reared 
to  farm  life  and  received  but  a  limited  edu- 
cation. In  early  manhood  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Almira  Banks,  a  native 
of  Vermont,  and  they  began  their  domestic 


life  in  a  rude  log  cabin  in  the  midst  of  the 
forest.  First  a  clearing  was  made  on  which 
to  erect  the  house  and  protect  it  from  fall- 
ing trees  in  case  of  a  storm.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Huntington  began  married  life  with  a  capi- 
tal of  one  hundred  dollars,  but  always  man- 
aged to  live  within  their  means  and  reared 
a  large  family  to  habits  of  industry  and 
economy.  Their  first  land  was  a  forty-acre 
tract  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  oak, 
walnut  and  hickory  trees,  and  for  some  time 
they  lived  in  primitive  pioneer  style,  but  at 
length  success  crowned  their  combined 
efforts  and  they  became  quite  well-to-do ;  in 
fact,  Mr.  Huntington  was  considered  quite 
\\1ealthy  at  the  time  of  his  wife's  death, 
which  occurred   in   1865. 

Unto  them  were  born  ten  children,  of 
whom  se\'en  reached  years  of  maturity, 
namely:  Sarah  is  now  the  wife  of  P.  H. 
Fatout,  a  farmer  of  Indiana;  William  was 
for  thirty  years  a  railroad  engineer,  and 
was  killed  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
between  Wetague  and  Dongola  in  a  wreck 
in  1897.  James  Noble,  who  served  through 
the  Civil  war  in  President  Harrison's  com- 
mand, was  a  carpenter  and  builder  and  died 
in  Indiana  when  past  middle  life.  Charles 
D.  died  while  in  the  service  of  his  country 
during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  and  sleeps 
at  Cumberland  Gap.  Frank  H.,  of  this  re- 
view, is  the  next  oi  the  family.  Edward 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  foot  in  the 
railroad  service,  and  is  now  station  agent  at 
Tamaroa,  Illinois.  Melinda  died  in  youth. 
The  father  was  a  second  timie  married  and 
had  four  sons  and  two  daughters  by  that 
union.  He  died  in  1885,  ^t  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-six years,  honored  and  respected  by  all_ 
who  knew  him.  He  was  strictly  temperate 
and  was  a  strong  Union  man  during  the 
dark  days  O'f  the  Civil  war.  His  morals 
were  above  question,  and  'he  always  stood 
firmly  for  the  right,  truth  and  justice. 

The  subject  oi  this  sketch  passed  his 
boyhood  and  youth  on  the  home  fann  and 
attended  school  in  the  neighboring  village, 
and  was  later  a  student  at  the  Northwestern 
Christian  University.  On  attaining  his  ma- 
jority he  left  home  and  began  his  railroad 
career  as  firemian    on    the    Illinois  Central 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


727 


Railroad  between  Chicago  and  Cairo,  Illi- 
nois, and  later  to  Bloomington.  He  re- 
mained in  the  service  of  that  company  for 
o\-er  six  years  and  was  promoted  to  the  po- 
sition of  engineer. 

In  the  meantime  Air.  Huntington  was 
married,  November  12,  1879,  to  Aliss  Sarah 
Wright,  a  native  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Delia  (Butler) 
W'rig^ht,  both  oi  whomi  were  also  born  in 
that  state.  Her  mother,  however,  is  of 
Scotch  and  Pennsylvania  German  extrac- 
tion, while  her  father  is  of  English  descent. 
They  are  now  living  in  Centralia,,  Illinois. 
In  their  family  were  six  children :  Sarah, 
the  wife  oi  our  subject;  John,  whO'  died  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years;  Elizabeth,  also  de- 
ceased; Thomas  and  George,  both  residents 
of  Centralia,  Illinois;  and  Delia,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  one  year.  Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Huntington  were  born  three  children,  as 
follows  :  Thomas  Nelson,  who  was  born  in 
Centralia  twenty-one  years  ago,  and  is  now 
a  trainman;  Delia  May,  who  is  now  fifteen 
}-ears  of  age  and  is  attending  school  and 
pursuing  her  musical  studies ;  and  Almira 
June,  wlio  is  eleven  years  of  age  and  is  also 
in  school. 

In  the  s[)ring  of  1S82  Mr.  Huntington 
can:iie  to  Kansas  and  took  up  his  residence  in 
Nickerson  when  that  place  was  a  mere  ham- 
let. There  he  purchased  the  house  in  which 
his  daughter  Delia  May  was  born,  and  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  there  until  coming 
to  Newton  in  1888.  His  present  elegant 
home  was  erected  by  him  in  1893.  I*  is  lo- 
cated at  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Plum 
streets  and  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  pleas- 
ant residences  in  the  city,  being  a  large  two- 
story  structure  with  an  attic,  beautiful  plate- 
glass  windoAvs,  well  lighted  and  supplied 
■with  all  modern  improvements  and  conven- 
iences. It  is  also  well  furnished  and  supplied 
with  e\ery  e\-i(lence  of  culture  and  comfort. 
This  delightful  home  is  presided  over  by  a 
most  pleasing  lady,  whose  dignity  and  com- 
posure puts  her  guests  at  ease,  and  makes  it 
so  attractive  to  her  husband  and  children. 
The  family  hold  membership  in  the  Metho- 
dist church  and  occupy  an  enviable  position 
in  social  circles.      For    twelve    vears    Mr. 


Huntington  has  been  a  Royal  Arch  Mason, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  t'.ie  Ancient  Order 
of  L'nited  Workmen  and  the  Brotherhood 
of  Locomotive  Engineers.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  Newton  Commiandery,  No.  9, 
K.  T.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 


JOHN  T.  LACKEY. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Evan  town- 
ship, Kingman  county,  there  is  no  one  who 
is  held  in  greater  esteem  than  John  T. 
Lackey,  who  has  made  his  residence  in  cen- 
tral Kansas  since  1876.  His  birth  occurred 
in  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  on  the  12th  of 
Noven:ilber,  1840.  He  is  a  descendant  of  a 
Protestant  Irish  family,  tracing  back  four 
generations,  who  were  known  for  their  in- 
dustry, honesty  and  morality.  His  parents, 
Thomas  and  Sophia  (Hayes)  Lackey,  were 
both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  whence  they 
moved  to  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  and  sub- 
sequently tO'  Knox  county,  in  the  same  state. 
Later  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Fulton 
county,  Ohio,  and  throughout  his  life  was 
engaged  in  the  mianufacture  of  carriages,  at 
which  he  was  eminently  successful.  They 
were  the  parents  of  h\e  children,  three  sons 
and  two  daughters,  namel_\- :  Alargaret,  of 
Ottawa,  Ohio;  John  T.,  the  subject  of  this 
review;  Albert,  who  served  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Forty-third  Ohio  Infantry,  and  is  now 
a  resident  of  Marshall,  Michigan:  Edward, 
who  died  in  Ohio;  and  Henry,  killed  by  an 
outlaw  in  Texas.  Mr.  Lackey  was  a  Jack- 
son Democrat  and  after  the  war  was  a  Lin- 
coln Republican.  Both  parents  are  now  de- 
ceased, the  father  passing  away  at  Ottawa, 
Ohio,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five,  and  the 
mother  when  seventy  years  of  age.  They 
were  both  highly  respected  throughout  the 
county  in  which  they  resided  and  were 
dee]>ly  moinmed  by  all  who-  knew  them. 

Ji;hn  T.  Lackey  in  his  early  youth  was 
taught  by  his  parents  lessons  of  honesty  and 
industry.  His  education  was  received  in 
the  ci:mni'in  schools  of  Ohio,  his  residence 
being  in  Cham,paign,  Fulton  and  Knox 
counties  during  his  vouth.     He  learned  the 


728 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


shoemaker's  trade  and  spent  the  early  part 
of  his  manhood  engaged  in  this  occupation, 
with  which  he  was  thoroughly  familiar  and 
which  brought  him  a  fair  degree  of  success. 
^\'hen  twenty-three  years  of  age  he  was 
.married,  in  Fulton  county,  Ohio,  to  Miss 
Agnes  Van  Nortwick,  a  lady  of  intelligence 
and  one  •\\'h0'  has  been  to  him  a  faithful  and 
loving  companion  o-n  life's  journey.  She 
was  born  and  reared  in  Fulton  county,  Ohio, 
being  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Van 
Xortwick,  a  family  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch 
lineage.  Two  of  her  brothers  were  soldiers 
in  the  war,  loyally  defending  the  stars  and 
stripes :  Abraham,  who  was  born  in  Wau- 
seon.  Fulton  county,  Ohio,  and  is  now  a 
resident  of  Chicago,  Illinois ;  and  John,  who 
nnkes  his  home  in  Michigan.  The  parents 
both  passed  away  in  Fulton  county,  Ohio,  in 
the  faith  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  and 
^Irs.  Lackey  are  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, as  follows  :  George  E.,  who  resides  in 
E\-an  township,  Kingman  county;  Fred  B., 
a  well  known  painter  and  sign-writer  of 
Kingman  county;  Charles  E.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business  at  Colwich, 
Sedgwick  county;  Floyd  B.,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  lives  on  the  home  farm;  and  Dora 
Hunter,  of  Wichita,  Kansas. 

Mr.  Lackey  made  his  homte  in  Ohio  un- 
til 1876,  when  he  came  to  Sedgwick  county, 
Kansas.  Here  he  remained  for  four  years, 
and  in  1S80  came  to  Evan  township  and 
took  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  Osage  Indian  land.  This  he  has  placed 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation  until  it  is 
now  one  of  the  richest  farming  properties  in 
this  porton  of  the  state.  Three  acres  of  this 
land  is  devoted  to  an  orchard  of  thrifty 
iruit  trees,  while  the  remainder  of  the  land 
cor.iprises  the  productive  fields  and  rich 
pasture  lands.  He  has  erected  a  substantial 
residence  on  this  land  for  himself  and  fam- 
ily, while  a  second  house  prox'ides  a  In  mie 
for  his  son,  Floyd  B.  Lackey.  Everything 
about  the  place  is  in  splendid  condition,  in- 
dicating the  careful  supervision  of  the 
owner. 

In  politics  Mr.  Lackey  supl^orts  the  men 
and  measures  of  the  Democratic  party,  but 


is  independent,  and  has  been  a  leading  factor 
in  public  affairs  since  he  first  became  a  citi- 
zen of  Evan  township.  He  has  served  as 
township  trustee,  and  also  justice  of  the 
peace  for  two  terms,  and  held  the  office  of 
treasurer  of  school  district  No.  31.  In  all 
his  duties  he  has  served  with  -  honor  and 
credit  to  himself.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are 
consistent  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  in. 
which  he  holds  the  office  of  clerk.  Along 
the  lines  of  educational,  religious  and  tem- 
perance work  he  has  been  actively  engaged, 
and  lends  his  liberal  support  to  all  move- 
ments pertaining  to  the  advancement  and 
welfare  of  his  county.  His  financial  and 
social  successes  which  he  now  enjoys  are  the 
result  of  a  life  of  honesty  and  strict  ad- 
herence to  those  principles  which  he  learned 
in,  early  life  and  which  grew  stronger  within 
him  as  the  years  passed. 


C.  C.  STEVEXSON. 

C.  C.  Stevenson  is  a  successful  farmer 
of  Galesburg  township.  Kingman  county, 
who  has  gained  prominence  in  the  agricul- 
tural line  through  his  thrift  and  enterprise. 
Since  1878  he  has  resided  in  this  county, 
becoming  an  important  factor  along  all 
lines  tending  toward  the  general  good  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resides.  His  birth 
occurred  in  Hopkins  county,  Kentucky,  No- 
vember 18,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  James  R. 
Stevenson,  also  a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass 
state.  The  great-gi-andfather  of  our  sub- 
ject was  a  native  of  Ireland  but  he  came  to 
America  early  in  the  history  of  the  country, 
locating  in  Pennsylvania,  where  his  son, 
John,  was  born.  The  family  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  lineage  and  were  noted  for  their  in- 
dustry, honesty,  courage  and  patriotism.  A 
brother  of  John  Stevenson,  the  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  under  General  Washington.  John  Ste- 
venson was  married  to  Mary  Robertson, 
whose  death  occurred  in  Missouri.  He 
moved  from  Kentucky  to  Missouri  in  1832, 
and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  state. 


C.   C.  STEVENSON. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


729 


He  passed  away  in  Chariton  county,  Mis- 
souri, at  tlie  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 

James  R.  Stevenson  was  born  in  Mercer 
county,  Kentucky,  in  1802,  and  in  1829  he 
was  joined  in  marriage  to  Sarah  R.  Givens, 
who  was  born  in  December  1810,  and  diea 
October  8,  1901,  in  Kingman  county,  Kan- 
sas. She  was  a  daughter  of  Eleazer  and 
Jenny  (Robinson)  Givens,  both  natives  of 
Virginia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson  became 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  namely:  John, 
now  deceased ;  Eleazer  G.,  of  Grant  county^ 
Oklahoma;  C.  C.,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view; W.  T.,  a  resident  of  Missouri;  Mary 
J.  Riley,  of  Galesburg  township ;  Margaret 
I.  Loimg  and  Martha  L.  Davis,  also  of  Gales- 
burg township;  and  Eusiebia,,  who  died  in 
childhood.  The  descendants  of  this  worthy 
couple  numbered  sixty-one,  eight  children, 
thirty-five  grandchildren  and  eighteen  great- 
grandchildren. Mrs.  Stevenson  became  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  in  1838,  but 
en  moving  to  Missouri  united  with  the  Cum- 
berland Presbyterian  church,  of  which  she 
remained  a  member  until  her  death,  a  de- 
voted and  consistent  Christian  woman. 
James  R.  Stevenson  remained  in  Kentucky 
until  1853,  when  he  removed  to  Missouri, 
and  there  he  passed  away  in  death  on  the 
27th  of  December,  1837,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
five  years.  During  his  active  business  ca- 
reer he  was  principally  engaged  in  farming, 
but  was  also  a  carpenter  and  erected  many 
homes.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat, 
and  was  honored  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.  He  was  brought  up  under 
the  teachings  of  the  old  Presbyterian 
church. 

C.  C.  Stevenson,  whose  name  introduces 
this  review,  began  life  on  his  father's  farm, 
assisting  in  the  labors  of  the  field  and  there 
learning  the  lessons  of  perseverance  and  in- 
dustry. The  ccimmon  schools  of  Kentucky 
furnished  him  his  literary  education,  which 
has  been  supplemented  by  reading,  observa- 
tion and  experience.  When  twenty  years 
of  age  he  left  the  old  homestead  and  went 
to  Chariton  county,  Missouri,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  Here,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-four,  he  was  joined  in  marriage  to 


Mary  C.  Taylor,  whose  biirth  occurred  in 
Mason  county,  Kentucky,  where  she  was 
reared  and  educated.  Her  parents  were 
John  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Knight)  Taylor, 
in  whose  family  were  five  children.  The  fa- 
ther passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years,  in  the  faith  of  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  church,  of  which  he  had  served 
as  elder  for  many  years.  Unto  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stevenson  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren, namely :  Mrs.  Sarah  Elizabeth  Rilev, 
of  Galesburg  township;  and  Laura  R.  and 
Lucy  T.,   at   h^inc  \vith   her  parents. 

In  187N  Mr.  st-,-\eiis.  ,n  left  Missouri 
and  came  tn  Kansas,  where  he  took  up  a 
claim  of  the  Osage  Indian  land.  To  this  he 
has  added  from  time  to  time  until  he  now 
possesses  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  under  a  high  state  of  cuUivation.- 
The  many  improvements  which  he  has  made 
to  this  property,  together  with  the  substan- 
tial residence  and  barn,  has  increased  the 
value  of  the  farm  and  it  now  ranks  with 
the  principal  homesteads  in  the  coimty. 
Its  neat  and  thrifty  appearance,  its  well 
tilled  fields  and  high  grade  plainly  indicate 
the  owner  to  be  a  person  of  energy  and  abil- 
ity, and  the  success  which  is  his  is  well  mer- 
ited, after  the  careful  supervision  and  hard 
labor  which  he  has  bestowed  upon  his  farm. 
Mr.  Stevenson  gives  his  political  support  to 
the  men  and  measures  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  is  active  in  local  movements 
which  promote  the  welfare  and  general 
good  of  the  community  in  which  he  re- 
sides. His  outdoor  life  has  given  him  a 
robust  constitution  and  good  phvsique.  he 
being  about  six  feet  and  one  inch  in  height 
and  his  weight  is  one  hundred  and  eightv 
pounds.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has 
served  as  an  elder  in  the  Cumberland  Pres- 
byterian church,  of  which  he  and  his  fam- 
ily are  members.  He  has  also '  held  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace,  discharging  his 
duties  with  promptness  and  fidelity,  which 
have  won  for  him  the  confidence  of  his  fel- 
low men.  His  life  has  l)een  one  of  honor 
and  upright  living,  and  his  success  is  due 
to  his  strong  adherence  to  the  principles  in 
which  he  believes. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


SAMUEL  W.  STEWART. 

Samuel  W.  Stewart  is  engaged  in  the 
raising  of  stock  and  wheat  in  Valley  town- 
ship. Rice  county,  oAvning  a  tract  of  land  on 
section  2.  The  Old  Dtimininn  i-,  t1ie  place 
of  his  nativity,  his  birth  liavini;  nccurred  in 
Montgomery  county,  that  state,  (Ui  ihe  14th 
of  July,  1856.  He  represents  one  of  the  old 
and  honored  families  of  the  south  and  traces 
his  ancestry  back  to  Scotland.  His  paternal 
grandfather,  James  Stewart,  was  a  jNlethod- 
ist  minister,  and  was  born  in  Spartanburg 
co;mty.  South  Carolina,  in  1797,  but  his 
death  occurred  in  Alden,  Kansas,  in  1887, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years.  He 
wedded  Betsey  Bush,  a  native  of  Roanoke 
county,  Virginia,  whoi  died  in  Montgomery 
county,  that  state,  in  1858,  leaving  five  sons 
and  three  daughters,  of  whom  five  are  yet 
living,  namely:  Robert  B.,  the  father  of 
our  subject;  Alice,  the  wife  of  Woods 
Eakin,  of  Athens,  Tennessee;  Lizzie  G.,  the 
wife  of  Robert  Bush,  of  Sumner  county, 
Kansas;  James  R.,  of  Alden;  and  Sallie, 
the  wife  of  George  Kiester,  of  Wichita. 
Three  sons  of  the  family  were  soldiers  in 
the  Confederate  army  during  the  Civil  war. 
Jack  Stewart  was  a  captain  and  served 
throughout  the  period  of  hostilities,  while 
J.  R.  Stewart  served  in  the  ranks  for  four 
years,  and  Charles  died  from  disease  in  the 
hospital. 

Robert  B.  Stewart  is  a  native  of  Roan- 
oke county,  Virginia,  born  in  1829.  He 
wedded  Miss  Angeline  Arrington,  of  Frank- 
lin county,  that  state,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Eveline  (  Phelps)  Arrington,  the  wed- 
ding taking  place  in  the  Old  Dominion  in 
1855.  They  began  their  domiestic  life  upon 
a  farm,  but  in  1881  Mr.  Stewart  sold  his 
property  and  emigrated  westward  with  his 
family,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Rice  county, 
Kansas.  By  his  marriage  he  had  seven  chil- 
(h-en.  nameh- :  Samuel  W. ;  J.  E.  and  R.  O., 
twin  sons,  the  former  now,  a  practicing  phy- 
sician in  Hutcliinsiin,  Kansas,  while  the  lat- 
ter is  engao'ed  in  the  raising  of  wheat  and 
stock  in  \'alley  township.  Rice  county;  Eva. 
who  died  in  this  county,  at  the  age  of 
twentv-four  rears ;  Alice,  who  died  in  Rice 


county  at  the  same  age;  Riciiard  A.,  a 
practicing  physician  of  Hutchison ;  and 
Olive,  the  w'ife  of  Samuel  Steinmetz,  of  Val- 
ley township.  The  father  is  still  li\ing.  at 
the  age  of  seventy-two  years  and  is  well 
preserved  in  health  and  strength.  He  began 
life  in  limited  financial  circumstances,  Ijut 
by  unfaltering  labor  and  keen  business  dis- 
cernment he  prospered,  acquiring  a  comfort- 
able   competenpe. 

Samuel  W.  Stewart  of  this  review  was 
the  first  of  the  family  to  seek  a  home  in  the 
Sunflower  state.  He  came  in  1881,  and  for 
two  years  resided  in  Sterling,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  trade  of  carpentering.  He  pur- 
chased his  first  farm  in  1883,  becoming  own- 
er of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  unim- 
proved' land,  for  which  he  paid  sixteen  hun- 
dred dollars.  He  now  owns  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  and  in  connection  with  his 
brother,  R.  O.  Stewart,  keeps  thereon  from 
seventy-five  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  head 
of  cattle  for  the  market.  They  are  alsO' 
breeding  shorthorn  cattle.  They  have 
raised  over  twenty-two  thousand  bushels  of 
wheat  in  a  single  year  and  the  farm  is  pro- 
ductive and  profitable  in  its  various  depart- 
ments. In  1892  ^Ir.  Stewart  of  this  review 
erected  a  large  and  pleasant  cottage  and  in 
1898  Iniilt  his  extensive  barn.  He  has  a 
fine  orchard  of  two  acres,  in  which  are  many 
fruit  trees  of  various  kinds,  wdiich  he  plant- 
ed eighteen  years  ago.  He  raises  peaches, 
cherries,  plums  and  quinces,  and  the  orchard 
is  well  irrigated,  being  graded  and  fixed  for 
this  purpose.  He  al'-o  lirceds  horses  and 
mules  and  works  aljoui  ^c-\  en  head. 

The  home  life  of  ]\Ir.  Stewart  is  very 
pleasant.  He  was  married  in  Botetourt 
county,.  Virginia,  in  1880,  to  Miss  Bessie 
Gish.  a  daughter  of  David  Gish.  Her  par- 
ents came  to  Kansas  in  1883  and  both  are 
now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  lost 
a  son  and  daughter  in  infancy.  Init  they  have 
five  ciiiidren  h\-ing:  Clara,  who  was  borui  in 
the  spring  of  1881  ;  Blanciie,  who  was  born 
in  1883;  William  Other,  born  in  1885;  Ola, 
who  was  born  in  1892;  and  Gladys,  who 
completes  the  family,  and  who  was  born  in 
1901.  In,  his  political  views  Mr.  Stewart  is 
a  Prohiljitionist,  but  has  never  been  an  as- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


731 


pi  rant  for  public  office.  He  belongs  to  the 
Meth(j<list  church,  and  is  interested  in  every- 
thing pertaining  to  the  welfare  and  progress 
of  his  cuuntry  along  substantial  lines  of  im- 
provement. Coming  to  Kansas  twenty 
years  ago.,  he  has  throughout  the  intervening 
period  done  all  in  his  power  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  community  and  at  the  same  time 
he  has  found  in  his  business  afifairs  the  suc- 
cess which  he  covetetl  and  which  led  him  to 
trv  his  fortune  in  the  Sunflower  state. 


H.  C.  MARKLE. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  H.  C.  Markle 
has  resided  in  Rice  county  and  now  makes 
his  home  on  section  11,  Center  township. 
He  is  a  native  of  the  middle  west,  and  the 
enterprising  spirit  which  dominates  that  sec- 
tion of  the  country  has  been  manifest  in 
his  career.  He  was  born  in  Madison  coun- 
ty, Indiana,  December  2'/,  1865,  and  is  of 
Gennan  lineage,  the  family  havii^g  been 
founded  in  the  new  world  at  an  early  day. 
George  W.  Markle,  the  father  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  born  in  Henry  county,  Indiana,  and 
spent  his  youth  upon  a  farm,  early  aiding  in 
the  task  of  developing  and  im]5r(i\ing  his 
fields.  In  the  public  schools  he  acquired 
his  education  and  after  arriving  at  man's 
estate  he  was  joined  in  wedlock  to 
Miss  Mary  Brown,who  was  also  born,  reared 
and  educated  in  Henry  county  and  represen- 
ted a  good  pioneer  family  oif  that  section  of 
the  country.  With  his  wife  and  children 
George  W.  Markle  ranoved  to  Madison 
county.  Indiana,  where  for  several  years 
he  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  conducting 
the  enterprise  at  Anderson.  Subsequently 
lie  made  his  way  westward,  taking  up  his 
abode  in  Center  township,  Rice  county,  Kan- 
sas, where  he  resided  until  1887,  when  he 
removed  to  Reno  county.  He  is  now  en- 
gaged in  farming  near  Sylvia,  in  that  coun- 
ty, and  is  accounted  one  of  the  leading  and 
influential  agriculturists  of  his  community. 
His  political  support  upholds  the  men  and 
measures  of  Democracy,  and  while  residing 
in    Rice  county  he  was   the  candidate  for 


sheriff,  but  met  defeat  owing  to  the  strong 
Republican  majority.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
hold  membership  in  the  Christian  church, 
and  their  religinus  belief  permeates  their 
lives  and  is  manifest  in  their  honorable  re- 
lations with  their  fellnw  men.  This  worthy 
couple  were  the  parents  nf  sc\en  children, 
namely:  Milton,  wIim  is  li\ing  in  Alvah, 
Oklahoma;  Rolla,  a  resident  nf  Seward, 
Reno  county,  Kansas;  H.  C. :  William,  who 
is  also  living  in  Reno  county;  Mrs.  Ida 
Witt,  who  resides  in  the  same  localitv :  and 
Peter  and  Joseph,  wIkj  are  }-et  uniler  the 
parental  roof. 

H.  C.  Markle  v  as  only  ten  years  of  age 
when  he  became  a  roii'.ent  of  Kansas,  and 
throughout  the  interxening  ijcriod  he  has 
watched  with  interest  the  progress  and  de- 
velopment of  the  state  as  it  emerged  from  a 
frontier  settlanent  to  take  rank  with  the 
leading  commonwealths  ijf  the  Union.  He 
began  'his  education  in  the  schools  of  Indi- 
ana, and  in  Kansas  continued  his  studies  un- 
til sixteen,  years  of  age,  when  he  began 
working  by  the  month.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  operated  a  threshing  machine, 
and  for  eighteen  years  has  been  the  most 
popular  and  best  thresher  in  the  county.  He 
has  now  a  complete  Avery  steam  threshing 
outfit — the  best  machine  of  the  kind  in  the 
United  States.  Each  season  his  services 
are  in  great  demand  as  a  thresher  and  his 
business  in  this  line  is  extensive  and  profit- 
able. He  is  very  industrious  and  energetic 
and  is  notably  (reliable,  for  when  his  word  is 
once  given   any  one   can    depend   upon    it. 

Mr.  Markle  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Jennie  Spech,  a  woman  of  intelligence 
and  ciflture.  who  was  reared  and  cilucated  in 
Rice  county.  Her  father.  A.  1).  S]>ech,  is  a 
prominent  and  honored  citizen  of  this  com- 
munity. The  young  couple  began  their  do- 
mestic life  in  Lane  county,  Kansas,  where 
they  resided  for  two  years,  and  then  re- 
tuirned  to  Rice  county.  A  year  later,  how- 
ever, they  removed  to  Oregon,  spending 
one  season  near  Portland,  and  in  1891  they 
took  up  their  abode  on  the  old  homestead 
farm  in  Center  township.  Rice  county, 
which  his  father  had  entered  on  coming  to 
Kansas.  Here  he  has  one  hundred  and  sixty 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


acres  of  rich  land,  which  yields  a  good  re- 
turn for  the  labor  bestowed  upon  it.  Alto- 
gether he  has  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres. 
His  home  is  an  extensive  residence,  com- 
manding a  good  view  of  the  surrounding' 
country.  All  the  other  buildings  upon  the 
place  are  modern  and  kept  in  good  repair. 
Cribs  and  granaries,  well  filled  with  grain, 
indicate  the  success  which  has  crowned  his 
labors.  There  is  a  grove  of  six  acres  and  a 
good  bearing  orcliard.  Altogether  his  farm 
is  considered  one  of  the  best  in  the  commun- 
ity and  is  a  monument  to  the  efforts  and  en- 
terprise of  the  occupants. 

The  marriage  of  jNIr.  and  ]Mrs.  IMarkle 
has  been  blessed  with  five  children :  George 
A.,  Gwendolyn,  Jesse  E.,  Ruth  and  Mildred, 
The  parents  are  earnest  Christian  people, 
]\Ir,  Markle  holding  membership  in  the  Ger- 
man Baptist  church.  He  is  a  supporter  of 
Democratic  and  Prohibition  principles,  be- 
lieving in  both  parties,  and  gives  his  ballot 
to  support  the  candidates  whom  he  regards 
as  best  qualified  for  office.  He  is  a  self- 
made  man,  his  life  having  been  one  of  un- 
usual activity,  his  labors  being  guided  by 
keen  diiscriniination  and  sound  judgment. 
In  manner  he  is  genial,  friendly  and  cour- 
teous and  his  personal  qualities  are  such  as 
win  him  friendship  and  regard  wherever  he 
is  known. 


HENRY  R.  HOXEY. 

The  writer  is  ever  animated  by  a  fra- 
ternal feeling  when  it  becomes  his  privilege 
to  write  concerning  one  who  has,  like  him- 
self, been  identified  with  the  "art  preserva- 
tive of  all  arts,"  for  he  is  fully  cognizant 
how  great  an  extent  may  even  a  univer- 
sity education  be  supplemented  and  effec- 
tiveh-  rounded  out  through  the  discipline  of 
the  newspaper  office, — a  discipline  which  is 
in  itself  equal  to  a  liberal  education.  The 
state  of  Kansas  has  enlisted  in  the  conduct- 
ing of  its  newspaper  press  many  men  of 
ability,  originality,  excellent  business  dis- 
cernment and  sterling  character,  and  under 
each  heading  of  this  category  we  may  most 
consistently  classify  Mr.  Honey,  the  editor 


and  publisher  of  the  \\'estern  Advocate,  at 
^Nlankato,  Jewell  county. 

Mr.  Honey  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Jef- 
felrson  county,  \\'isconsin,  on  the  21st  of 
March,  1859,  being  the  son  of  Randall  and 
Polly  A.  Honey,  natives  of  Vermont.  In 
1864  the  family  removed  to  Kansas  and  set- 
tled in  that  section  which  was  afterward 
known  as  Shirley  county  and  later  as  Cloud 
county,  the  location  made  being  near  the 
site  of  the  present  town  of  Ames.  That  the 
country  was  indeed  new  at  that  time  is  evi- 
dent when  we  revert  to  the  fact  that  when 
Mr.  Honey  established  his  home  here  there 
were  only  eight  other  families  residing  with- 
'  in  the  confines  of  the  present  county  of 
I  Cloud.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  has 
thus  practically  spent  his  entire  life 
in  Kansas,  and  his  memory  links  the 
early  pioneer  epoch  with  that  of  lat- 
ter-day progress  and  prosperity.  He  was 
a  pupil  in  the  first  school  taught  in  the  coun- 
ty, the  teacher  being  his  sister,  IMrs.  W.  M. 
Wilcox,  who  is  still  a  resident  of  Cloud 
county.  At  this  juncture  we  quote  from  a 
sketch  previously  published  concerning  our 
subject:  "In  a  new  country  educational 
advantages  are  not  usually  very  great,  but 
the  boy  made  the  most  of  the  opportunities 
offered,  and  in  a  log  schoolhouse,  equipped 
with  benches  instead  of  desks,  he  laid  the 
foundation  for  a  good  practical  education. 
Indians  were  numerous  and  troublesome 
and  it  was  necessary  for  everyone  among 
the  hardy  pioneers  to  be  able  to  handle  a 
gun.  Brought  up  under  these  conditions, 
Mr.  Honey  became  an  expert  marksman  and 
he  is  counted  among  the  best  rifle  shots  in 
Jewell  county.  His  paternal  ancestors 
came  from  Ireland,  and  up  to  about  the 
time  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution  the  name 
was  Mahoney.  His  great-grandfather 
served  through  that  conflict,  and  his  grand- 
father served  in  the  war  of  1812,  His  ma- 
ternal ancestors  were  of  Welsh  extraction. 
A  dash  of  Indian  blood  coming  in  through 
his  paternal  grandmother  probably  ac- 
counts for  his  love  of  gun  and  sports.  He 
has  always  been  a  great  reader  and  has  an 
j  excellent  memory.  He  early  showed  that 
he  was  not  designated  bv  nature  for  service 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


-33 


as  a  farmer,  and  when  sixteen  )-ears  of  age 
he  entered  a  printing  office  and  learned  the 
trade  in  every  detail.  In  1880  he  bought 
and  assumed  control  of  the  Concordia  Em- 
pire, tlie  oldest  and  most  influential  Repub- 
lican paper  in  Cloud  county.  About  two 
years  later  he  disposed  of  his  paper  and  was 
elected  cashier  of  the  Concordia  National 
Bank,  and  he  spent  the  next  eight  years  in 
tlie  banking  business,'  which  gave  him  the 
practical  business  education  necessary  in 
conducting  a  successful  newspaper  enter- 
prise. While  engaged  in  (jthcr  \Mc;iliMii>  lie 
never  entirely  -withdrew  fi'  m  new -paiicr 
work,  but  continued  as  corrcs[iMnilcin  m-  as 
special  writer  when  anything  of  importance 
demanded.  Mr.  Honey  has  traveled  exten- 
sively and  'notices  things."  He  has  an  orig- 
inal vein  of  humor,  which  bubbles  up  on  all 
occasions  and  overflows  at  the  slightest 
provocation.  He  is  a  man  of  strong  con- 
victions, strict  integrity  and  high  ideals, 
and  is  always  found  on  the  right  side  of  all 
moral  cjuestions,  while  he  is  a  stafnch  advo- 
cate of  everything  that  he  believes  will  bene- 
fit his  town  and  county." 

In  the  year  1897  Mr.  Honey  effected  the 
purchase  of  the  Western  Advocate,  at  Man- 
kato,  and  he  has  made  of  the  same  one  of 
the  best  weekly  papers  known  to  Kansas 
journalism,  the  paper  being  issued  each  Fri- 
da}-  as  a  seven-column  quarto  and  being  not 
only  an  able  exponent  of  Populist  principles, 
thus  wielding  marked  influence  in  political 
affai'rs,  but  also  representing  local  interests 
in  a  most  effective  way.  Mr.  Honey  is  a 
vigorous  writer,  original  in  expression  and 
having  marked  clarity  of  style,  and  under 
his  regime  the  Advocate  has  been  brought 
to  the  highest  standard  of  excellence,  while 
the  plant  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  in  cen- 
tral Kansas  and  all  departments  of  the  -en- 
terprise are  conducted  with  signal  ability 
and  discrimination. 

In  his  political  allegiance  Mr.  Honey 
was  a  supporter  of  the  Republican  p5(rty 
until  1894,  when  he  espoused  the  cause  of 
the  Populist  party,  having  made  a  careful 
study  of  political  questions  and  becoming 
convinced  that  the  latter  party  maintained 
principles  and  policies  best  designed  to  pro- 


mote general  prosperity  and  most  in  har- 
mony with  the  basic  idea  on  which  our  re- 
public was  founded.  He  is  thoroughly  well 
fortified  in  his  views  and  has  done  much  to 
further  the  cause  of  his  party  in  this  section 
of  the  state,  while  he  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  both  the  county  and  the  state  central 
committees  of  his  party.  ^Ir.  Honey  has 
had  no  personal  ambition  in  a  political  way, 
never  having  been  an  aspirant  for  public 
office  of  any  character.  Fraternally  he  is 
identified  with  the  Masonic  order  and  its 
auxiliary,  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star; 
and  aUn  wiih  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
I'elldws,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  W^orkmen  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a 
man  of  the  most  cordial  and  kindly  nature 
and  enjoys  a  high  degree  of  popularity 
wherever  he  is  known,  while  his  integrity 
of  character  is  beyond  cavil. 

On  the  14th  of  :\Iay,  1884,  Mr.  Honey 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Dr.  Sarah  Logan 
Kenned}-,  who  was  born  in  Laporte  county,  » 
Indiana,  the  daughter  of  A.  and  Huldah  M. 
Logan.  She  is  a  lady  of  gracious  pfresence 
and  intrinsic  refinement,  and  is  an  able 
member  of  the  medical  fraternity,  having 
been  graduated  at  the  Chicago  Homeo- 
pathic College,  at  Chicago,  as  a  member  of 
the  class  of  1878.  Mr.  Honey  is  a  lover  of 
home,  is  essentially  domestic  in  his  tastes, 
and  is  fortunate  and  happy  in  his  social  life, 
while  he  has  been  successful  as  a  business 
man  and  holds  high  relative  prestige  in  the 
realm  of  Kansas  journalism. 

The  writer  of  this  sketch  has  seen  a 
number  of  press  notices  evincing  the  high 
standing  Mr.  Honey  enjoys  in  the  editorial 
fraternity  generallv.  and  also  demonstrating 
the  editorial  ability  of  his  wife.  Dr.  Sarah 
K.  Honey.  We  take  the  liberty  of  quoting 
two  of  these  testimonials.  The  Minneapolis 
Messenger  said:  "Henry  Honey,  of  the 
Mankato  Advocate,  was  recently  stricken 
with  brain  fag  and  was  ordered,  by  his  phy- 
sician, to  adjourn  himself  to  some  vast  wil- 
derness far  away  from  the  maddening 
crowd.  He  left  his  wife  in  charge  of  the 
Advocate,  and  now  the  readers  earnestly 
hope  that  Honey's  infirmities  may  keep  him 


734 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


indefinitely.  The  jjaper  under  Mrs.  Honey 
is  the  best  e\-er."  The  Concordia  Kansan 
has  the  following:  "Dr.  Honey  will  have 
to  quit  doing-  so  good  a  job  of  editing  the 
JNIankato  Advocate  or  the  editor-in-chief,  her 
husband,  never  will  come  back.  She  is  mak- 
ing such  a  good  paper  out  of  it,  and  Henry, 
being  a  thoroughly  good  newspaper  man. 
will  make  almost  any  sacrifice  for  the  im- 
provement of  his  paper,  and  will  mJt  want 
to  return  to  disturb  her." 


WILUAM  ^I.  WARD. 

^^'illiam  M.  ^Vard.  who  has  valuable 
landed  possessions  in  Barber  county,  and 
■  who  for  ten  years  has  ser\-ed  as  deputy 
sherifY  and  constable,  has  made  for  himself 
a  creditable  record  as  an  agriculturist  and  as 
an  official.  He  was  born  in  Henry  county, 
Ohio,  January  3,  1856,  and  is  a  son  of  Will- 
iam Ward,  who  was  born  in  the  same  state 
in  1816.  Upon  a  farm  in  Henry  county  he 
was  reared  and  later  he  was  married  in 
Hancock  county  to  Elizabeth  Austin,  also  a 
native  of  the  Buckeye  state.  He  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Henry  county  until 
1867,  when  he  removed  with  his  family  to 
St.  Joseph  county,  Indiana,  where  he  pu,r- 
chased  and  improved  a  farm,  making  it  his 
home  until  1870.  He  then  sold  that  property 
and,  accompanied  by  his  family,  including 
nine  children,  of  whom  Albert  and  George 
were  married,  he  made  the  overland  trip  to 
Kansas,  bringing  with  him  three  teams  and 
two  wagons,  the  latter  loaded  with  house- 
hold goods.  He  located  in  what  was  then 
Howard  county,  and  secured  a  homestead 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  while 
his  married  sons  entered  adjoining  claims 
The  county  was  wild  and  new  and  the  set- 
tlers were  widely  scattered.  There  was  an 
abundance  of  game,  including  deer,  ante- 
lope and  turkeys.  While  residing  upon  his 
farm  ]\Ir.  ^^'ard  was  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  his  wife  who  died  in  1874  in  the 
faith  of  the  Christian  church  in  which  she 
held  membership.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  but  their  daughter  ]\Iarv  re- 


mained in  Indiana  where  she  had  married 
prior,  to  the  removal  of  the  parents  to  Kan- 
sas. In  1876  the  father  again  married,  his 
second  union  being  with  Anna  Phelps,  a 
native  of  Illinois  and  a  daughter  of  Luke 
Phelps,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war.  Her 
death  occurred  in  1880,  and  later  Mr.  \\'ard 
wedded  Elsie  Smith,  who  is  still  li\-ing.  In 
1883  he  sold  his  Kansas  property  and  re- 
moved to  Newton  county,  Missouri,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  which  was  his  home 
for  three  years.  He  then  returned  to  St. 
Joseph  county,  Indiana,  locating  in  the  city 
of  South  Bend,  where  he  is  now  living  re- 
tired at  the  age  of  eighty-six.  For  ten 
years,  while  in  Henry  county,  Ohio,  he 
seirved  as  constable  and  his  life  has  ever  been 
an  active  and  useful  one.  In  politics  he  has 
been  a  Republican  since  the  organization  of 
the  party  and  is  a  zealous  worker  in  its  be- 
half. He  is  also  an,  active  and  consistent 
member  of  the  Christian  church.  The  chil- 
dren by  his  first  marriage  were :  Lewis,  a 
farmer  and  stockman  of  Sun  City,  Barber 
county;  Mary  J.,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Rickey, 
who  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  and  now 
operates  a  hotel  in  Garrett,  Indiana ;  George, 
in  the  railroad  service  and  located  at  Crom- 
well, Indiana;  Albert,  who  for  the  past 
eleven  years  has  been  employed  in  the 
Studebaker  Wagon  W^orks  at  South  Bend, 
Indiana ;  Sarah,  who  married  Is^'oah  Host- 
ler, of  South  Bend,  Indiana,  who  was  form- 
erly a  fanner;  Milton,  who  is  employed  on 
the  Hostetter  ranch  in  Barber  county,  Kan- 
sas; William  ]\I..  the  subject  of  this  review; 
Martha,  the  wife  of  John  Yoimg,  who  is 
very  extensively  engaged  in  stock  raising, 
owning  a  large  ranch  in  Turkey  Creek 
township,  Barber  county;  Ira,  a  farmer  of 
Logan  count)-,  Oklahoma ;  and  Syh-ester,  a 
farmer  and  stockman  of  Chautauaua  coun- 
ty, Kansas.  The  children  by  the  second 
marriage  w-ere  three  in  number:  James, 
who  died  in  childhood ;  Noah,  who  is  living 
with  his  father  in  South  Bend,  Indiana,  and 
followrs  the  trade  of  a  stone  and  brick  ma- 
son; and  Emma,  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Cole,  of 
Cowley  county,  Kansas.  To  the  third  mar- 
riage was  born  but  one  son,  Eugene,  who  is 
still  at  home. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


William  Ward  was  a  lad  of  eleven  years 
when  his  parents  removed  from  Ohio  to  In- 
diana, and  with  them  he  came  to  Kansas, 
remaining-  under  the  parental  roof  until  sev- 
enteen years  of  age,  when  he  began  work- 
ing by  the  month  as  a  farm  hand.  He  was 
tlmis  employed  for  five  years,  being  the  ser- 
vice of  Dave  Fay  and  later  of  Jobn  Dos- 
baugh.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  went 
to  what  was  called  Xo  [Man's  Land — the 
southwestern  part  nf  Clark  county,  Kan- 
sas, adjoining  Indian  territory.  For  two 
years  he  followed  the  arduous  life  of  a  cow- 
boy on  the  ranch  of  L.  A.  Chote  and  then 
returned  to  Chautauc|ua  county,  where  he 
began  fanning  on  his  own  account. 

While  there  Mr.  Ward  was  married, 
March  12,  1882,  to  Clara  Blankenship,  who 
was  born  in  Macon  county.  Tennessee,  a 
daugliter  of  Hiram  and  Melbina  (  Hender- 
son) JJlankenship,  the  former  a  native  of 
Tennessee  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky.  They 
were  married  in  Kentucky  and  lived  there 
upon  a  farm  until  1876.  when  they  came  by 
team  to  Chautauqua  count}-,  Kansas,  locat- 
ing in  Harrison  township.  The  father  is 
now  a  well-to-do  and  leading  citizen  who  is 
living  retired.  He  is  filling  many  of  the 
local  offices,  and  fraternallv  he  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  while  both  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church  in  which  he  is  an 
earnest  worker.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Virginia  and  was  of  German  descent. 
Removing  to  Tennessee,  he  there  spent  his 
remaining  days.  Tbe  maternal  grandfather 
of  Mrs.  Ward  was  Ira  Henderson,  wbo  was 
t>f  German  and  Irish  lineage  and  was  prob- 
ably a  native  of  Kentucky.  He  served  in 
the  Civil  war  and  was  wounded  in  battle. 
For  forty  years  b-e  served  as  a  minister  of 
the  Baptist"  church,  both  on  the  circuit  and 
as  a  local  preacher.  Removing  to  Kansas, 
he  'died  in  Chautauqua,  in  1891.  In  the 
family  were  eleven  children:  Denton,  who 
passed  away  in  Chautauqua  county,  Kansas, 
in  1888;  Mrs.  Ward;  Sadie,  the  wife  of  C. 
C.  Hockett,  the  prn])rietor  of  a  hotel  and 
station  on  a  stage  route  in  Xew  Mexico; 
W'illiam,  who  is  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  in  the  state  of  ^^'ashington,  being 
located  on  the  Oregon  line ;  Susie,  who  mar- 


ried Sylvester  Ward,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Chautauqua  county,  Kansas ;  Ru- 
ben, engaged  in  the  stone  quarry  business  in 
Butler  county,  Kansas;  Samantha,  the  wife 
of  James  Wilkinson,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Chautauciua  county,  Kansas;  Thom- 
as, a  farmer  and  stockman  of  the  same  coun- 
ty; Jo.seph,  who  was  killed  by  accident  in 
1901  ;  Rosa  V.,  the  wife  of  Samuel  W'ilkin- 
son,  wliM  is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock- 
raisiiiL;  in  I  liautautpia  ci  unty,  Kansas;  and 
Arthur,  at  Ik  nie. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  W'ard  remained 
in  Chautauqua  county  until  1884,  when  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  Kiowa  county,  where 
he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  upon  which  a  few  imj.|;'ovements  had 
been  in;ide.  There  he  engaged  chiefly  in 
stockMai'iiig,  having  brought  fifty  head  of 
cattle  tii  Ills  new  home.  His  first  residence 
in  Kiowa  county  was  a  stockade  house,  the 
logs  being  set  in  the  ground  and  covered 
with  dirt.  A  few  years  after  his  ■arrival 
there  he  erected  a  good  house  and  greatly 
improved  his  surroundings,  although  for 
some  time  his  life  was  one  of  strenuous  toil. 
He  also  increased  his  herd  of  cattle  to  one 
hundred  head.  In  1892  he  sold  his  home 
farm  reninxed  to  Barber  county,  where 
he  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land  in  Sun  City  township,  adjoining  the 
village  of  that  name.  This  was  partially 
impro\-ed  and  was  under  fence.  Two  resi- 
dences had  been  built  thereon  and  one  of 
these  Mv.  Ward  moved'  until  it  stood  next 
to  the  other,  making  a  very  comfortable  and 
commodious  /residence.  He  has  given  his 
attention  to  farming  and  stock-raising  and 
for  five  years  was  also  engaged  in  the  breed- 
ing of  thoroughbred  Poland  China  hogs. 
He  now  cultivates  one  hundred  acres  of  his 
farm  for  forage  crops  in  order  to  feed  his 
stock,  keeping  from  sixty  to  oaie  hundred 
head  of  excellent  domestic  cattle  which  are 
a  good  grad'e  of  short  horns.  Each  year  he 
sells  a  large  inimber  as  feeders.  Jn  addition 
to  his  own  farm  he  utilizes  eleven  hundred 
acres  for  grazing  purposes. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward  ha\-e  lieen 
born  six  children  :  [Minnie  L.,  the  wife  of 
R.  O.  Ward,  who  is  emploved  on  a  cattle 


'35 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


rancli  iu  Elm  Alills  township,  Barber  coun- 
ty. Kansas ;  Golclie,  who  'resides  at  home 
and  is  attending  school ;  a  soil  who  died  in 
infancy:  Mcntie,  at  home;  Sylvia  E.,  who 
died  in  infancy;  and  Merl,  at  home.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Barber  county,  Mr. 
"\\'ard  has  served  for  two  years  as  deputy 
sheriff  and  for  eight  months  as  constable, 
being  re-elected  again  and  again — a  fact 
which  indicates  his  faithful  performance  of 
duty.  In  politics  he  was  original!}'  a  Re- 
publican, but  of  late  years  he  has  supported 
the  People's  party.  He  is  a  past  grand  of 
Sun  City  Lodge,  No.  262.  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
his  wife  belongs  to  the  order  of  Rebekah. 
Both  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church  and 
INIr.  Ward  is  identified  with  Lake  City 
Camp,  No.  4673,  M.  W.  A.  He  is  a  man  of 
sanguine  temperament,  but  just  and  gener- 
ous, is  a  kind  and  devoted  husband  and  fa- 
ther and  is  strong  in  friendship.  He  has 
done  his  full  share  for  the  development  of 
the  community  and  he  richly  merits  the 
splendid  success  which  has  crowned  his  ef- 
forts. He  is  to-day  the  owner  of  some  of 
the  best  land  in  this  portion  of  the  state  and 
has  a  pleasant  home  surrounded  by  a  beauti- 
ful grove  \of  evergreens.  There  is  also'  a 
vineyard  and  orchard  upon  his  place  and  all 
modern  equipments. 


ALBERT  BAXFIELD. 

Albert  Banfield  long  devoted  his  time 
and  attention  to  the  business  of  farming, 
stock  raising  and  threshing  and  made  his 
home  on  section  14,  Black  Wolf  township, 
Ellsworth  county,  until  September,  1901, 
■when  he  removed  to  the  town  of  Ellsworth, 
where  he  is  now  living  retired  from  active 
business,  though  he  still  retains  his  landed 
estates.  His  life  demonstrates  the  power 
of  industry  and  unremitting  diligence  in 
the  active  affairs  of  life.  He  was  born  in 
Bradford  county.  Pennsvlvania,  September 
4,  1844.  His  father,  Benjamin  Banfield, 
was  a  native  of  Chemung  county,  New 
York,  whence  he  removed  to  the  Keystone 
~::ue  and  afterward  came  west  to  Illinois, 


whence  he  came  to  Kansas,  after  his  son, 
Albert,  took  up  his  abode  here.  The  father 
did  not  remain  long,  however,  but  removed 
to  Iowa,  where  he  resided  until  he  was  called 
to  the  home  beyond,  having  passed  the  sev- 
entieth milestone  on  life's  journey.  He  was 
united  in  marriage,  in  New  York,  to  Miss 
Phoebe  Robinson,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents of  eleven  children.  The  paternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject  was  born  in  New 
York,  where  he  lived  and  died,  and  he  had 
attained  the  age  of  ninety-nine  \-ears  at  the 
time  of  his  death. 

Albert  Banfield,  the  ninth  in  order  of 
birth  of  his  father's  family,  was  reared  on 
the  home  farm  and  was  about  eight  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to  De- 
kalb county,  Illinois,  then  a  frontier  region. 
There  was  no  school  within  nine  miles  and 
the  first  school  in  the  district  was  conducted 
in  his  father's  home.  The  father  and  elder 
brothers  of  our  subject  were  active  in  the 
work  of  development  and  progress  there  and 
assisted  in  the  building  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railroad  as  far  as  Dixon. 
Four  of  his  brothers  went  to  ChicagOi  and 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war.  When 
the  draft  was  made  Albert  B'anfield  had 
just  attained  his  majority  and'  was  the  only 
one  in  his  township  who  went  to  the  war 
on  a  draft  out  of  six  who  were  chosen.  The 
township  paid  one  thousand  dollars  for 
each  of  two  substitutes  and  when  our  sub- 
ject returned  he  had  to  help  pay  that  amount 
in  taxes.  He  was  a  member  of  Company  B, 
Thirty-second  Illinois  Infantry,  which  pro- 
ceeded through  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  to 

i  Baltimore  and  was  in  the  severe  engagement 
at  Five  Forks,  North  Carolina.  The  family 
was  fortunate  in  that  the  five  sons  who  were 
upon  the  field  of  battle  were  never  injured. 
Four  of  the  number  served  throughout  the 
severe  engagements  at  Bull  Run,  Antietam 
and  Shiloh.  Mr.  Banfield  of  this  sketch  par- 
ticipated in  the  grand  review  at  Washing- 
ton, where  wave  after  wave  of  bayonet- 
crested  blue  passed  by  the  stand  upon  which 
the  president  watched  the  return  of  the  vic- 

,  torious  army.    \\'hen  the  war  was  over,  Mr. 

:  Banfield  made  his  wav  westward,  being  em- 

'  ployed    near    Columbia,    Nebraska,    on    the 


i»          ^^bIKE^SI  J 

/^^^^^^^^  ^ 


J 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


737 


construction  of  a  pontoon  bridge  over  the 
Platte  river.  With  troops  he  then  returned 
to  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge. 

^Ir.  Banfield  afterward  purchased  a 
farm  in  Ilhnois,  wliere  lie  remained  until 
1878,  when  he  came  to  Ellsworth  county 
and,  after  looking  over  the  country,  pur- 
chased a  claim  on  section  14  Black  Wolf 
township,  upon  which  he  continued  to  make 
his  home  until  his  removal  to  the  county- 
seat.  His  original  claim  was  a  tract  of  tim- 
ber land  upon  which  no  building  had  then 
beeia  erected.  He  brought  the  windows,  sills 
and  frame  ior  his  house  with  him  from  Illi- 
nois and  at  once  erected  .his  residence  and 
l:^egan  the  improvement  of  his  property.  He 
broke  most  of  the  fields  with  oxen  and  cul- 
tivated some  of  his  corn  by  the  use  of  ox 
teams.  After  he  had  placed  his  first  quarter 
section  under  cultivation  he  purchased  an- 
other c^uarter,  of  pasture  land,  and  began 
raising  some  stock.  He  to-day  owns  four 
hundred  acres  of  land  and  also  some  prop- 
erty in  Ellsworth,  and  has  aided  his  son 
in  making  a  start  in  life  by  providing  him 
with  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  His  en- 
tire place  is  under  the  plow  with  the  excep- 
tion of  about  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres. 
He  keeps  on  hand  quite  a  large  number  of 
cows,  horses  and  hogs,  and  in  addition  to 
the  cultivation  of  his  farm  and  the  raising 
of  stock  he  operates  a  thresher,  having  in 
the  period  that  he  has  carried  along  this 
line  in  Kansas  purchased  seven  new  thresh- 
ers. He  has  engaged  in  threshing  for  forty 
years  and  threshed  from  fifty  to  sixty  thou- 
sand bushels  of  grain  annually  and  some 
times  as  high  as  seventy-five  thousand  bush- 
els. The  hogs  which  he  raises  are  of  the 
Poland-China  breed  and  all  of  his  stock  is 
of  good  grade.  His  barn  is  very  commodi- 
ous, being  forty  by  eighty  feet  and  having 
a  stoue  basement  under  the  entire  struc- 
ture. His  farm  is  found  on  both  sides  of 
the  river  and  thus  includes  rich  bottom  land 
and  affords  an  excellent  water  supply  for 
the  stock.  His  life  has  been  characterized 
by  diligence  and  his  efforts  have  been  dis- 
cerningly directed  along  well  defined  lines 
of  labor  so  that  he  is  nnw  regarded  as  one 


of  the  most  successful  agriculturists  of  the 
community. 

On  the  8th  of  March,  1869,  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Banfield  and  Miss  Ellen 
Veale,  who  was  born  in  England,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Olive  and  Mary  Anna  (Bailey)  Veale. 
Our  subject  and  his  wife  have  had  six  chil- 
dren: Fred,  who  is  farming  south  o^f  liis 
father's  land;  Frank.  wIk.  was  killed  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  jears  b}'  being  thrown 
from  a  horse;  Olive,  who  died  in  infancy; 
and  Warwood,  Mary  and  .Albert,  who  are 
still  with  their  parents.  Mr.  Banfield  ex- 
ercises his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of 
the  men  and  measures  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  is  not  an  office-seeker.  He  is  a 
member  of  Ellsworth  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and 
is  to-day  as  true  to  the  duties  of  citizen- 
ship as  when  he  followed  the  stars  and 
stripes  upon  the  battle-fields  of  the  south. 


LAUREXCE  BURKE. 

The  Laurence  Burke  stock  farm  is  one 
of  the  attractive  features  of  the  landscape 
in  Rockville  township.  Rice  county,  and  the 
owner  occupies  an  enxiable  ])ii>itiun  in  busi- 
ness circles  by  reason  of  hi^  linuMrable  meth- 
ods and  unflagging  industiy  and  his  close 
application  to  the  duties  which  devolve 
upon  him.  More  than  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury has  passed  since  he  came  to  Kansas, 
and  throughout  this  period  he  has  made 
Rice  county  his  home. 

A  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  ^Hi'.  Burke 
was  born  in  County  Tipperary,  in  January, 
1849.  His  father,  Henry  Burke,  wa^  an  lion- 
orable  and  representative  citizen  of  that 
community  and  married  Anna  Ryan.  Both 
were  natives  of  Ireland  and  have  now  passed 
away,  the  father  having  departed  this  life  at 
the  age  of  fifty-eight  years,  while  the  mother 
was  called  to  her  final  rest  at  the  age  of 
sixtj^-three.  They  had  six  children :  Julia, 
of  N'ew  York;  Mrs.  Ellen  Ritmar,  of  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky;  Mrs.  Mary  De  Laney,  of 
Kansas  City,  Missouri;  Lawrence,  of  this 
review ;  Anna  and  Bridget,  who  are  now  de- 
ceased. 


738 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


In  the  green  isle  of  Erin  Laurence 
Burke  spent  the  first  nineteen  years  of  his 
life,  during  which  period  he  attended  school 
and  assisted  in  farm  work.  He  then  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  the  new  world,  making  his 
way  to  Louisville,  Kentuck}',  where  he  had 
a  sister  living.  He  there  learned  the  trade 
of  marble  cutting"  and  became  an  expert  in 
that  line,  but  he  found  that  the  pursuit  did 
not  agree  with  his  health  and  was  thus 
forced  to  turn  his  attention  to  other  busi- 
ness interests.  Makine  his  way  westward  to 
Kansas,  he  secured  a  tree  claim  and  built  a 
sod  house,  in  which  he  kept  bachelor's  hall 
for  some  time.  The  period  of  his  residence 
in  the  Sunflower  state  has  been  an  era  of 
prosperity,  and  to-day  he  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  farmers  of  centH'al  Kansas.  The 
Laurence  Burke  stock  farm,  of  which  he  is 
the  proprietor,  comprises  eleven  hundred 
acres  of  valuable  land  and  is  equipped  with 
splendid  buildings  and  everything  necessary 
for  the  successful  conduct  of  his  business. 

Li  1877  JMr.  Burke  returned  to  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  to  secure  a  helpmate  for  the 
journey  of  life,  and  was  thdre  married  to 
Miss  Kate  Faliey,  a  lady  of  intelligence  and 
good  family,  who  was  born  in  Sandusky, 
Ohio.  Her  parents  were  Michael  and  Ellen 
(Egan)  Fahey,  the  former  a  native  of  Coun- 
ty Galway,  Ireland,  the  latter  of  Dublin. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  one 
son  and  eight  daughters,  namely :  Mary, 
Michael,  Kate,  Elizabeth,  Ellen,  Maggie 
and  three  who  died  in  infancy.  For  many 
years  the  father  has  been  in  the  employ  of 
a  gas  company  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and 
is  a  most  reliable  business  man,  honored  and 
respected  by  all  who  know  him.  Mrs.  Burke 
]Hn-sued  her  education  in  the  schools  of 
Lciuisxille.  and  by  her  marriage  she  has  be- 
ciime  the  mother  of  six  children,  namely : 
\\'illiam  H.,  twentv-two  years  oi  age;  Ed 
^I.,  who  is  now  nineteen  years  of  age;  Lau- 
rence, aged  seventeen:  George,  Mary  and 
Thranas,  aged  respectively  fourteen,  eleven 
and  nine  years.  There  is  a  fine  grove  and  a 
large  orchard  upon  the  home  place,  and  am- 
ple provision  has  been  made  fox  the  shelter 
of  stock  by  the  erection  upon  a  rock  founda- 
tion of  a  large  barn,  forty  by  sixty-four  feet, 


with  twenty-foot  posts,  and  also  he  is  build- 
ing an  addition  to  his  house  with  all  modern 
improvements,  which  will  be  one  of  the 
largest  and,  most  commodious  farm  resi- 
dences in  the  county.  Air.  Burke  prosecutes 
his  business  afifairs  with  vigor  and  energy, 
and  his  labors  have  returned  to  him  a  hand- 
some competence.  In  his  political  views  he 
was  a  stalwart  Republican  for  many  years 
and  earnestly  labored  for  the  growth  and 
success  of  his  party.  In  1890  he  was  the 
nominee  on  that  ticket  for  the  position  of 
county  commissioner  and  was  elected  by  a 
large  majority,  serving  for  three  years  with 
credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  con- 
stituents. He  was  then  renominated,  but 
was  defeated  by  the  combination  of  the 
Populist  and  Fusion  forces.  He  later  be- 
came a  Free  Silver  Republican  and  in  1896 
and  1900  supported  Bryan.  Mr.  Burke  is 
recognized  as  an  active  force  in  the  party, 
being  a  good  speaker,  a  logical  reasoner  ami 
a  forceful  advocate  of  the  principles  in  which 
he  believes.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find 
many  residents  of  this  portion  of  Kansas 
who  are  more  popular  or  more  highly  es- 
teemed than  Laurence  Burke.  He  ix)ssesses 
the  versatility  and  the  enterprise  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  Irish  race,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  is  a  loyal  son  of  his  adopted  coun- 
try, local  advancement  and  public  progress 
both  being  causes  dear  to  his  heart. 


AAROX  KUXKLE. 


Among  the  replresentative  farmers  and 
extensive  land  owners  of  Ellsworth  county, 
Kansas,  none  is  better  known  than  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  who,  living  within  the 
limits  of  the  city  of  Ellsworth,  is  the  owner 
O'f  about  two  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Ells- 
worth county  and  four  hundred  acres 
more  across  the  line  in  Rice  county. 

Aaron  Kunkle  was  born  in  Cumberland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  February  2,  1848.  a 
son  of  Daniel  and  Catherine  (Myers)  Kun- 
kle, both  of  whom  are  natives  o<f  the  Key- 
stone state.  His  father,  who  was  a  farmer 
and  carpenter,  was  a  well-to-do  man  who 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


739 


■was  highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow  citizens. 
Young  Kunkle  grew  to  manhood-  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm  and  was  given  a  good  education 
for  the  time  and  locality,  in  the  conmion 
scliools  and  at  Dempsey  Academy  at  Lan- 
dislnirg,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  member 
()f  his  father's  household  until  he  was  twen- 
ty-three years  old.  September  26,  1871,  li# 
married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Catherine  (Sprusa)  Seirer,  a  native  of 
Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  be- 
gan life  for  himself  by  'renting  a  farm  of 
his  father  on  which  he  remained  for  one 
year.  During  the  succeeding  ti\'e  vears  he 
li\-ed  on  another  rented  farm,  and  March  25, 
1879,  in  company  with  his  wife's  parents,  he 
came  to  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  bringing 
their  goods  in  a  chartere'd  car  and  arriving 
March  28,  in  Wilson,  Kansas.  Mr.  Kunkle 
at  once  bought  a  timber  claim  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  located  in  section  28,  in 
Columbia  township,  for  which  he  paid  eight 
hundred  dollars.  Twentv-five  acres  of  this 
land  had  been  broken,  but  it  was  not  im- 
proved otherwise.  As  there  was  no  resi- 
dence upon  the  property,  the  family  re- 
mained at  Wilson,  until  provision  could  be 
made  for  its  accommodation.  On  Tuesday, 
May  10,  '1879,  tbe  men  of  the  family  took 
to  the  faruT  a  load  of  lumber  and  a  load  of 
household  good's.  They  were  joined  by  the 
"women  folks:"  and  children,  and  all  par- 
took of  a  picnic  dinner  and  during  the 
afternoon  they  built  a  shed  in  which  they 
slept  that  night.  Afterward  Mr.  Kunkle 
Iniilt  a  house  and  used  this  shed  for  a  stable. 
In  1899  he  removed  to  section  10,  in  Ells- 
worth township,  wliere  he  remained  until 
August  7,  1900,  when  he  removed  to  his 
present  residence  within  the  city  limits  of 
the  city  of  Ellsworth,  which  was  erected  in 
the  summer  of  1900  and  is  one  of  the  neat- 
est and  most  comfortable  homes  in  that  part 
of  tb.e  city.  The  place  is  provided  with  a 
bairn  covering  a  ground'  space  of  fifty-six 
bv  forty-six  feet,  a  granary  covering  a 
ground  space  of  fifty  by  thirty-two  feet, 
commodious  corn  cribs  and  other  necessary 
outbuildings. 

Mr.  Kunkle  has  given  his  attention  to 
general   farming,  luit  has  made  a  specialty 


of  wheat.  He  is  fond  of  stock  and  usually 
keeps  about  fifty  head  of  cattle.  His  model 
city  home,  nicely  adapted  to  the  uses  of  prac- 
tical farming,  contains  ten  acres  of  land 
which  was  platted  as  Casper's  addition  to 
Ellsworth.  A  careful,  thorough  farmer,  by 
nature  industrious  and  frugal  and  possessed 
of  trained  business  judgment,  his  success 
has  been  won  in  such  a  manner  that  it 
should  be  an  encouragement  to  honest  and 
intelligent  j-oung  men  to  persevere  in  well- 
doing. Mr.  Kunkle  has  one  son,  Harry  Kun- 
kle, who  makes  his  home  with  his  parents 
and  assists  his  father  in  looking  after  his 
extensis'e  landed  interests. 

In  politics  Mr.  Kunkle  is  an  independent 
Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  Ellsworth 
Lodge,  No.  109,  Independait  Oirder  of  Odd 
Fellows.  His  son  Harry  is  also  a  member 
of  that  lodge  and  holds  membership  in  Gold- 
en Belt  Encampment,  No.  47,  and  is  an 
otlficer  in  both  bodies  and  is  a  member  also 
of  the  auxiliary  order  of  Daughters  of  Re- 
bekah. 


M.  W.  FORWARD,  M.  D. 

Dr.  M.  W.  Forward,  who  for  thirty- 
four  years  has  been  a  resident  in  Kansas 
and  since  1894  has  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  in  Frederic,  was  born  in  Jef- 
ferson county.  New  York,  in  September, 
1844.  His  father,  W,  G.  Forward,  was  a 
well  known  and  successful  physician  of  Jef- 
ferson county,  New  Y^ork,  where  he  prac- 
ticed for  many  years.  Subsequently  he  came 
to  the  west.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  died  in  Paola,  Kansas,  but  Dr.  For- 
ward, Sr.,  is  now  living  in  Chicago,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine  years.  They  we're  the 
parents  of  five  children,  three  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Of  this  number  Masteen  For- 
ward served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war 
with  the  Second  Michigan  Cavalry  and  is 
now  living  in  Kansas  City,  Kansas. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  Dr. 
M.  W.  Forward  we  present  to  our  readers 
the  life  record  of  one  who  has  a  wide  ac- 
quaintance and  niany  friends  in  various  sec- 
tions of  the  Sunflower  state.     In  his  vixuh 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


he  enjoyed  good  educational  advantages  and 
the  pleasant  surroundings  of  a  cultured 
home.  When  the  country  became  involved 
in  Civil  war  over  the  attempt  at  secession 
of  the  one  side  and  the  preservation  of  the 
Union  on  the  other,  he  stood  by  the  govern- 
ment and  manifested  his  loyalty  by  service 
in  Troop  I,  Eleventh  New  York  Cavalry. 
He  enlisted  in  1862  for  three  years,  and 
served  fdr  two  years  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  while  for  one  year  he  was  with  the 
Department  of  the  Gulf  and  participated  in 
the  Red  River  expedition.  He  took  part  in 
several  important  engagements  and  skir- 
mishes and  was  true  and  loyal  to  the  old 
flag. 

After  the  war  the  Doctor  went  to 
Springfield,  Illinois,  his  father  in  the  mean- 
timie  having  removed  to  Madison,  Wiscon- 
sin. In  1867  the  former  located  in  Law- 
rence, Kansas,  where  he  remained  for  eight 
years,  and  then  went  to  Detroit  county, 
Wisconsin,  was  there  three  years ;  then  went 
to  Ottertail  county,  Minnesota,  but  later  he 
returned  to  this  state,  settling  at  Ouenemo, 
Osage  county,  where  he  remained  for  nine 
months.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he 
became  a  resident  of  Douglas  county,  Mis- 
souri, which  was  his  home  for  two  3^ears, 
when  in  1894,  on  account  of  ill  health,  he 
came  to  Frederic,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home,  finding  that  the  climate  was  bene- 
ficial. 

In  his  political  views  the  Doctor  is  a 
Republican,  and  while  residing  in  Quenemo 
filled  the  position  of  mayor.  He  is  now 
serving  as  justice  of  the  peace  of  Frederic 
and  in  all  public  positions  discharges  his  du- 
ties in  a  most  prompt  and  able  manner.  So- 
cially he  is  a  Mason  and  he  also  belongs  to 
the  knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  and  to  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

The  Doctor  was  first  married  in  Sanga- 
mon county,  Illinois,  to  Martha  Pooire,  and 
unto  them  were  born  three  children,  of 
whom  two  are  living, — Minnie  and  Flor- 
ence. In  1882  the  Doctor  was  again  mar- 
ried', his  second  union  being  with  Mary 
Draper,  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  John  D.  Rocke- 
feller. The  Doctor  married  his  last  wife 
in  1802.     Her  maiden  name  was  Edith  Ba- 


ker, and  she  was  a  lady  of  intelligence  and 
g^ood  family,  presiding  with  gracious  hos- 
pitality over  their  pleasant  home.  She  died 
January  g,  1902,  and  the  following  obituary 
appeared  in  the  local  paper : 

"Edith  Baker  was  born  at  Ouenemo, 
Kansas,  May  23,  1876.  At  the  age  of 
t\'*elve  years  she  united  with  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  began  to  work  for  her 
God.  In  December,  1891,  she  moved  with 
her  parents  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where 
she  was  malrried  on  the  following  January, 
1892,  to  Dr.  M.  W.  Fon\iard.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Forward  moved  to  Thornfield,  Mis- 
souri, where  she  taught  music  in  the  college 
during  the  year  of  1894,  while  the  Doctor 
came  west  to  find  a  place  in  which  he  might 
build  up  a  practice.  In  June,  1895,  Dr.  and. 
Mrs.  Forward  settled  in  Frederic.  Mrs. 
Forward  placed  her  church  letter  into  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  as  she  al- 
ways had  done  began  to  work.  She  was 
ver}"-  active  in  all  reforms,  organizing  a 
Good  Templar  lodge  in  Frederic,  herself 
holding  a  seat  in  the  grand  lodge. 

"On  the  morning  of  January  9,  1902, 
Mrs.  Forward  left  the  church  militant  to 
unite  with  the  church  triumphant,  after  a 
three  ytzts'  fight  against  that  dread'  disease, 
consumption.  During  her  illness  many  phy- 
sicians were  consulted,  but  none  could  aid. 
She  died  with  perfect  confidence  and  trust 
in  her  Saviour.  Her  life  went  out  as  the 
sun  goes  down,- — noiseless,  but  glowing. 
She  leaves  behind  to  mourn  her  loss  a 
mother,  a  husband,  a  brother,  a  church,  a 
community.  The  services  were  held  in  the 
Methodist  church.  Rev.  George  P.  Sturges 
othciating." 


FRANK  S.  FOSTER. 

The  value  of  local  newspapers  in  tlie  up- 
building of  the  best  interests  of  any  com- 
munity is  universally  conceded.  The  rule 
is  that  good  papers  are  found  in  good  towns, 
inferior  joulrnals  in  towns  of  stunted  growth 
and  uncertain  future.  It  is  not  so  much  a 
matter  of  size  as  of  excellence  and  of  adap- 
tabilitv  to  the  needs  of  its  localitv.     These 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


conditions  gi\-en,  in  an  appreciative  and  pro- 
gressive communit)-,  the  size  of  the  paper 
wiU  take  care  of  itself  in  a  way  mutually 
satisfactory  to  publishers  and  patrons.  This 
li:i>  been  ]inj\en  in  Ellsworth,  for  Mr.  Fos- 
ti;  h;l^  fciiii.l  that  the  Ellsworth  Messenger 
!~  a  pnitiiable  ^^  ;urce  of  income  and  the  peo- 
ple have  enjoyed  a  wide-awake  and  enter- 
prising journal. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was  born  No- 
vember 12,  1863,  in  Birmingham,  Van  Bu- 
ren  county,  Iowa,  his  parents  being  Judah 
Henry  and  Harriet  Elizabeth  (Sharon) 
Foster.  The  Foster  family  is  of  English 
and  German  e.xtraction,  while  the  mother  of 
our  subject  was  of  Scotch  descent.  The  pa- 
ternal grandparents  were  Joseph  and  Eliza- 
beth (Griffith)  Foster,  and  the  maternal 
grandparents  were  the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  James 
Sharon.  The  father  was  born  July  14, 
1834,  and  died  in  Oklahoma  City,  x-\pril  27, 
1896,  while  his  wife,  whose  birth  occurred 
in  1844,  passed  away  in  1878,  in  Ellsworth. 
During  the  early  boyhood  of  ouli-  subject 
they  removed  with  their  family  from  Bir- 
mingham to  Bloomfield,  Iowa,  where  they 
remained  until  the  spring  of  1877,  when  they 
came  tO'  Ellsworth,  the  father  erecting  the 
first  flouring  mill  in  this  place.  Frank  S. 
Foster  pursued  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Bloomfield,  Iowa,  and  in  Ellsworth.  He 
is  the  eldest  of  four  children,  three  sons  and 
a  daughter.  After  putting  aside  his  text- 
books he  learned  the  printer's  trade,  work- 
ing in  the  office  of  the  Ellsworth  Reporter 
in  the  years  1878,  1879  and  1880.  Realiz- 
ing his  need  of  still  further  education,  he 
then  entered  the  State  University,  spending 
four  and  a  half  years  in  that  institution,  be- 
tween the  fall  of  1879  and  1885.  He  was 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  the  latter  year, 
and  on  the  completion  of  the  Latin  scientific 
course  he  entered  actively  upon  a  journal- 
istic career.  In  October,  1885,  in  connec- 
tion with  G.  A.  Collett,  he  embarked  in  the 
newspaper  business,  as  owner  and  editor  of 
the  Ellsworth  Messenger,  and  in  November, 
1894,  he  purchased  his  partner's  interest, 
becoming  sole  proprietor.  He  has  made  this 
journal  a  credit  to  the  community  and  has 
enjoyed  a  constantly  increasing  patronage. 


On  the  8th  of  June,  1892,  Mr.  Foster 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mollie  Sher- 
rifif,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Mary 
Sherriff,  of  Ellsworth,  Kansas.  They  now 
have  one  child,  Norman  Macleod,  who  was- 
born  December  2,  1894.  Mr.  Foster  has 
never  taken  a  very  active  part  in  politics, 
although  he  has  been  a  delegate  to  numerous 
district  and  state  conventions.  However, 
through  the  columns  of  his  paper  he  warmly 
espouses  the  cause  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  has  had  marked  influaice  in  promoting 
its  growth  and  success  in  this  portion  of  the 
state.  In  1893  he  was  elected  count}-  clerk 
of  Ellsworth  county  and  filled  the  position 
for  two  years.  In  1894  he  was  chosen  city 
clerk  and  has  served  in  that  capacity  unin- 
terruptedly since  the  15th  of  Novanber  of 
that  year.  No  higher  testimonial  of  fidelity 
and  capability  can  be  given  than  the  fact 
that  he  is  the  present  incumbent  after  seven 
years  of  service.  He  is  quite  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles,  being  the  worshipful  master 
from  January  i,  1901,  to  January  i,  1902, 
of  Ellsworth  Lodge,  No.  146,  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  is  also  high  priest  of  Ellsworth  Chapter, 
No.  54.  R.  A.  M. ;  a  member  of  St.  Aldemar 
Commandery,  No.  33,  K.  T.,  and  of  Ells- 
worth Council,  No.  9,  R.  &  S.  M.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  lodge  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen  at  Ellsworth, 
and  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

It  will  be  appropriate  and  fitting  in  this 
connection  to  append  a  history  of  the  Ells- 
worth Messenger,  which  is  a  weekly,  four- 
page  paper,  of  seven  columns  of  home  print. 
The  paper  politically  is  Democrat  and  is  ed- 
ited and  published  by  Frank  S.  Foster.  A 
specialty  is  made  of  local,  city  and  county 
news.  It  also  publishes  all  ofificial  proceed- 
ings of  the  county  commissioners  and  of 
the  city  council.  By  the  addition  of  the 
subscription  list  of  the  Ellsworth  Populist, 
which  paper  was  purchased  and  consulidat- 
ed  with  that  of  the  Messenger  in  April, 
1899,  the  latter  noAV  has  a  total  subscription 
list  of  more  than  sixteen  hundred.  The 
Messenger  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  Rural 
West,  an  agricultural  paper  founded  at  Ells- 
worth in  1880  by  W.  E.  Fosnet.  This  was 
purchased  in   1882  or  1883  by  Z.  Jackson, 


742 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


who  changed  the  name  to  the  Cycloiie  and 
later  to  the  Ellsworth  Xews.  The  latter 
Avas  an  independent  Republican  paper,  which 
in  1885  was  purchased  by  George  A.  Collett 
and  F.  S.  Foster,  who  called  it  the  Ellsworth 
Democrat,  making  the  change  in  its  politi- 
cal complexion.  In  1891  the  name  was 
changed  to  the  Ellsworth  Messenger  and  the 
paper  was  published  and  edited  by  the  firm 
of  Collett  &  Foster  until  the  fall  of  1894,  at 
which  time  Mr.  Collett  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest to  Mr.  Foster,  the  present  proprietor. 


WILLIAM  E.  SHERIFF. 

William  E.  Sheriff  is  a  well  known  mer- 
chant of  Ellsworth,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
dealing  in  drugs  and  wall  paper.  In  his 
youth  the  elements  of  success  lay  dormant 
in  his  nature,  awaiting  the  awakening  touch 
of  effort.  As  the  years  passed  he  became 
actively  connected  with  business  interests 
and  his  latent  powers  were  aroused'  tO'  meet 
the  contingencies  of  the  moment,  fleeting  his 
opportunities,  he  has  advanced  steadily  to  a 
position  formost  among  the  representatives 
of  business  interests  in  bis  adopted  city. 

William  E.  Sherifif  is  a  native  of  Ohio, 
his  birth  having  occurred  May  24,  1857. 
His  father.  Johnson  Sheriff,  was  born  in 
Scotland,  and  in  1855  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  America,  locating  in  Cincinnati.  In  his 
youth  he  had  learned  the  miller's  trade,  and 
in  his  new  home  followed  that  pursuit  until 
1885,  when  he  came  to  Kansas,  spending 
his  last  days  in  the  home  of  his  son  William, 
in  Ellsworth.  He  was  married  in  Cincin- 
nati, to  ^liss  Mary  Wright,  a  daughter  of 
Ebenezer  Wright,  a  merchant  of  that  city. 
Both  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  were  people  of  the  highest  re- 
spectability. They  became  the  parents  oi 
seven  children,  our  subject  being  the  only 
son  and  eldest  of  the  family.  He  has  four 
sisters  who  are  still  living.  The  father  died 
in  1897.  but  the  mother  still  survives  and  is 
yet  a  resident  of  Ellsworth. 

William  E.  Sheriff  pursued  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Gallipolis,  Ohio,  and 


in  an  academy  in  that  city.  He  began  his 
business  career  as  a  drug  clerk  in  Gallipolis 
and  after  two  years  spent  in  that  manner 
came  to  Ellsworth,  in  1876^  where  he  en- 
tered upon  his  business  acreer  in  a  similar 
capacity.  He  occupied  a  position  as  sales- 
man until  1883,  when  he  purchased  the  busi- 
ness conducted  by  E.  G.  Minnick  and  of 
which  he  has  since  been  proprietor.  The 
store  was  a  small  one  at  the  time  of  the  pur- 
chase, but  he  has  steadily  increased  his  stock 
in  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  a  growing 
trade  until  he  now  has  the  best  drug  store 
in  the  city,  carrying  a  large  line  of  goods 
such  as  is  found  in  a  first  class  establish- 
ment of  the  kind.  His  wall  paper  depart- 
ment is  also  verj'  extensive  and  complete, 
comprising  all  grades  of  paper  of  the  latest 
patterns  and  most  fashionable  colors.  In 
1889  he  purchased  the  building  which  he 
now  occupies  and  in  1891  made  a  forty-foot 
addition  in  the  rear,  so  that  he  mnv  has  a 
store  room  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
deep  and  twenty-five  feet  wide.  This  en- 
ables him  to  make  an  excellent  display  of 
his  stock,  and  his  store  is  always  neat  and 
attractive  in  appearance — an  element  of  suc- 
cess of  which  he  is  fully  aware.  His  busi- 
ness methods  are  such  as  to  commend  him 
to  public  confidence  and  his  trade  annually 
returns  him  a  good  income. 

In  1880  occurred  the  marriage  of  ]\Ir. 
Sheriff  and  Miss  Augusta  Hall,  a  daughter 
of  Mrs.  M.  A.  Cramer,  of  Ellsworth.  They 
have  two  interesting  children, — Mary  Pearl 
and  Harry  L.  Mr.  Sheriff  is  identified  with 
various  fraternal  organizations,  including 
Ellsworth  Lodge,  No.  146,  F.  &  A.  M.: 
Ellsworth  Chapter,  No.  54,  R.  A.  M. :  St. 
Aldemar  Commandery.  No.  t,2i-  K-  T.  ;  and 
Isis  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  in  Salina. 
In  the  comman'dery  he  has  served  as  emi- 
nent commander  and  for  forty  years  was  re- 
corder. He  also  belongs  to  the  Ancient  Or- 
der of  United  Workmen.  He  takes  a  deep 
and  active  interest  in  everything  pertaining 
to  the  welfare  of  the  community,  co-operat- 
ing in  all  measures  for  thie  public  good.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  tlie 
Ellsworth  Hospital,  of  which  institution  he 
was  one  of  the  organizers.     In  his  political 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


743 


\'ie\vs  lie  is'  a  Democrat,  and'  for  three  years 
he  served  as  treasurer  of  the  county  central 
committee.  He  formerly  took  a  very  active 
part  in  politics,  but  the  growing  demands  of 
his:  business  now  claim  his  attention,  so  that 
his  political  work  is  lessened.  He  is  n(jw 
serving  fot  the  third  tenn  on  the  state  board 
of  pharmacy  and  for  one  term  has  been  sec- 
retary of  the  board.  For  three  terms  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  school  liManl,  and  has 
served  on  the  city  council.  The  marvelous 
develcpment  of  the  west  is  due  to  such  men, 
whose  indomitable  energy  and  progressi\'e 
spirit  have  overcome  all  obstacles  and 
reached  the  goal  of  success.  He  is  not  so 
abnoi-mally  de\'eloped  as  to  be  called  a 
genius,  but  is  one  of.  the  strongest  because 
one  of  the  best  balanced,  the  mose  even  and 
self  masterful  of  meii,  and  he  has  acted  so 
well  his  part  in  both  public  and  private  life 
that  Ellsworth  has  been  enriched  by  his  ex- 
ample, his  character  and  his  labor. 


J.\MES  \\'.  HAMILTON. 

Tlicre  is  in  e\'ery  person  a  something 
that  is  inseparalile. — the  suggestive  power 
(if  character, — and  mi  one  can  analyze 
the  deeds  and  actions  of  men  without 
taking  into  acdumt  this  ever  recurring 
principle.  He  win  ise  name  initiates-  this  re- 
view has  been  actix'cly  and'  conspicuously 
identified  with  the  industrial  activities  of 
Kansas  for  nearly  thirty-five  years,  has 
wielded  a  potent  influence  in  public  affairs, 
has  held  the  distinguished  preferment  as 
state  treasurer,  has  been  prominent  in  the 
councils  of  the  Republican  party  in  this 
state,  and  has  lieen  signally  lnyal  and  true 
to  the  duties  of  citizenship.  e\eii  as  lie  was 
to  the  cause  of  the  Union  wlieii  lie  rendered 
yeoman  service  in  the  rank--  ^f  tlie  Imx^  m 
blue  during  the  war  of  the  Reliellioii.  that 
greatest  of  all  internecine  cimtlicts  in  the  an- 
nals of  history.  Mr.  Hamihdn  is  distinct- 
ively a  man  of  affairs,  his  business  interests 
have  been  of  wide  scope  and  importance,  and 
he  is  honored  in  Kansas  not  less  for  his 
ability    than    for   his    sterling    integrity   of 


character.  He  is  at  the  present  time  man- 
ager of  the  Chakaskia  Land  &  Cattle  Com- 
pany, and  retains  hisi  residence  on  a  fine 
■ranch  property,  in  section  32,  Kingman 
township,  Kingman  county,  having  im^ 
pre\e<l  this  property.  whicH  until  a  recent 
date  he  retained  in  his  own  possession. 

Mr.  IlamiltMn  was  burn  in  Adams  coun- 
ty, Ohin.  ,„,  the  iSih  ,.t  October.  1842,  and' 
is  of  stanch  Scotch  lineage,  his  early  Ameri- 
can toil;car-  having  been  sturdy  and  noble 
Se.  t-nien  wlio  were  exiled  from  their  na- 
tive land  in  the  latter  part  of  tlic  seventeenth 
century,  by  reason  i^i  then  -lalwart  resist- 
ance to  tyranny  and  MipinesHim  and  their- 
strenuous  efforts  U<  kee|i  the  Imnn  of  liberty. 
Thus  they  came  tn  America,  banished  from 
the  land  of  their  \-aliant  fathers,  and  took 
up  their  .iliode  in  .South  Carolina.  There  was 
born  Janie-  I  l.iniilton,  who  emigrated  thence 
to  Harrison  county,  Kentucky,  which  was 
the  birthplace  of  his  son  William,  the  grand- 
father of  our  subject.  James  Hamilton  be- 
came one  of  the  prominent  pioneers  of  that 
regio-n,  being  a  conteniporary  of  Daniel 
Bixme  and  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  early 
history  of  that  section,  which,  as  the  scene 
of  seemingly  interminable  eonllicts  with  the 
liKJians,  became  known  :is  the  "dark  and 
Moody  ground."  There  he  ]iassed  the  resi- 
due of  his  life,  a  man  of  courage,  ability  and 
honor.  His  son  William,  whose  birth  oc- 
curred near  the  present  town  of  Cynthiana, 
Kentucky,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth 
centur}",  was  there  reared,  but  when  a  young 
man  he  anigrated  to  Adams  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  secured  employment  at  the  Mar- 
ble Furnace.  He  was  a  so'Idrer  in  the  war  of 
18 1 2.  serving  under  General  Wilkinson,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Lake  Erie,  hi  Adams  county 
he  married  .Vnna  Rea\er,  and  they  contin- 
ued to  make  their  home  in  Ohio  until  their 
deatli,  the  former  passing  away  in  the  year 
1N3/,  and  being  survived  only  a  few  days  by 
Ills  devoted  wife.  Of  their  large  family  of 
children  none  are  living.  The  eldest  was 
Henry,  who  died  in  Adams  county,  Ohio; 
Andrew  died  in  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
about  iSfiS:  William  (Ued  in  Iowa,  in  1885: 
Christian  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  :   Catherine  became  the  wife  of 


744 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


William  Sommers,  of  Locust  Grove,  Adams 
coimty,  Ohio,  where  she  died  many  years 
ago;  and  there  were  four  other  daughters, 
whose  names  our  subject  does  not  recall. 

Christian  Hamilton  was  born  in  Ad- 
ams county^  Ohio,  in  the  year  1818,  and  his 
education  was  such  as  was  afforded  in  the 
primitive  subscription  schools  of  the  pioneer 
epoch,  while  he  early  began  to  assist  in  the 
work  of  the  homestead  farm.  In  1841  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Julia  Wil- 
son, who  was  torn  in  Highland  county, 
Ohio,  about  1820,  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Hannah  Wilson,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  whence  they  removed  to 
Ohio  and  cast  in  their  lot  among  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Highland  county,  the  farm 
which  they  owned  having  adjoined  that  of 
the  father  of  Joseph  B.  Foraker,  United 
States  senator  and  former  governor  of  Ohio, 
who  was  there  reared.  Mr.  Wilson  was  like- 
wise a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  under 
General  Wilkinson,  and  he  was  of  a  collat- 
eral branch  of  the  family  of  James  Wilson, 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaratio-n  of  In- 
dependence. One  of  his  sons  became  a  man 
of  marked  prominence  in  OhiO'  politics, 
where  he  was  an  influential  member  of  the 
state  legislature  and  otherwise  potent  in 
public  affairs.  James  and  Hannah  Wilson 
died  in  Highland  county  many  years  ago, 
both  having  been  of  Scotch  extraction. 

After  his  marriage  Christian  Hamilton 
removed  to  Pike  county,  Ohio,  locating  near 
the  town  of  Cvnthiana.  where  he  remained 
imtil  the  early  '50s,  when  he  removed  to 
Benton  county,  Indiana,  whence,  three  years 
later,  he  removed  to  Coles  county,  Illinois, 
and  in  1868  he  came  to  Kansas,  settling 
near  the  town  of  Erie,  in  Neosho,  where  he 
made  his  home  until  1872,  when  he  located 
near  South  Haven,  Sumner  county,  having 
devoted  his  attention  principally  to  farming 
and  stock-raising.  His  wife  died  in  the 
year  1881,  and  he  subsequently  married 
Elizabeth  Crow%  of  Greencastle,  Putnam 
county,  Indiana.  About  1888  they  removed 
from'  Kansas  to  Bainbridge,  in  the  Indiana 
county  mentioned,  and  there  the  father  of 
our  subject  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits until  his  death,  whicli  occurred  in  1808, 


his  widow  still  maintaining  her  home  in  that 
locality.  In  his  political  adherency  he  was 
arrayed  in  support  of  the  Whig  party  until 
the  Republican  party  was  organized,  when 
he  espoused  its  cause,  which  he  ever  after- 
ward supported.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  but  in  his  religious  views 
manifested  a  broad  and  tolerant  spirit.  Of 
hisi  first  marriage  nine  children  were  born, 
namely:  James  W.,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view; Joseph,  who  died  in  childhood;  Sarah, 
the  wife  of  M.  Jones,  a  merchant  of  Pike 
county,  Ohio;  Lewis,  a  resident  farmer  of 
Bramen,  Kay  county,  Oklahoma;  John,  a 
fahner  and  stockman  of  Putnam  county,  In- 
diana; Eliza,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Carter,  a 
farmer  of  Beaver,  Oklahoma;  Nancy,  the 
wife  of  Joseph  C.  Little,  a  farmer  of  Kay 
county,  Oklahoma;  Julia,  the  wife  of 
George  W.  Peters,  of  Seattle,  Washington; 
and  Frank,  who  died  in  Wellington,  Kan- 
sas, at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  By  the  fa- 
ther's second  marriage  there  were  two  chil- 
dren, Edward  and  Alice,  who  reside  with 
their  mother  in  Bainbridge,  Indiana. 

In  the  district  schools  of  Pike  county, 
Ohio,  James  W.  Hamilton  acquired  his 
early  educational  discipline,  and  when  four- 
teen years  of  age  he  accompanied  his  par- 
ents on  their  removal  to  Indiana,  where  he 
continued  his  studies,  eventually  being  ma- 
triculated in  Asbury  (now  DePauw)  Uni- 
versity, where  he  continued  his  scholastic 
work  until  the  outbreak  of  the  war  of  the 
Rebellion.  Scarcely  had  the  smoke  from 
Fort  Sumtdr's  gtms  cleared  away  ere  he  en- 
listed for  service  in  support  of  the  nation's 
integrity,  being  enrolled  on  the  29th  of 
April,  1861,  at  Shawnee  Mound,  Tippeca- 
noe county,  Indiana.  He  was  assigned  to 
Company  A,  Fifteenth  Indiana  Volunteer 
Infantry ;  was  mustered  into  the  state  serv- 
ice, at  Indianapolis,  on  the  13th  of  May.  and 
into  the  federal  service  on  the  14th  of  June. 
The  regiment  left  for  Virgina  on  the  2d  of 
July,  passed  through  Parkersburg  and 
thence  proceeded  to  Rich  Mountain  and 
took  part  in  the  battle  at  that  point.  After 
the  engagement  they  remained  in  the  Tigart 
valley  until  December,  when  the  regiment 
was  sent  to  Louis\-ille,  to  become  a  part  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


745 


the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  which  was  then 
forming,  and  it  was  assigned  to  General 
Nelson's  division.  In  the  early  part  of  1862 
the  regiment  was  transferred)  to  the  com- 
mand of  General  Thomas  J.  Wood,  and  thns 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  from 
which  sanguinary  field  it  advanced  to  Cor- 
inth, arriving  after  the  city  had  been  evacu- 
ated. In  the  summer  of  1862  Wood's  divi- 
sion, together  with  a  part  of  Buell's  army, 
proceeded  toi  a  point  near  Chattanooga,  the 
object  being  to  prevent  the  Confederate 
forces  under  General  Bragg  from  crossing 
the  Tennessee  and  entering  Kentucky.  This 
movement,  however,  was  not  successful,  and 
the  regiment  thereafter  participated  in  the 
race  with-  the  Confederates  through  Ken- 
tucky, Louisville  being  the  objective  point 
with  both  armies,  where  the  Union  forces 
managed  to  anticipate  the  arrival  of  the  en- 
emy. October  8  in  that  year  the  Fifteenth 
Indiana  participated  in  the  battle  of  Perry- 
ville,  after  which  the  Confederates  retired 
from  the  state,  and  the  regiment,  together 
with  Buell's  army,  returned  to  Nashville, 
later  participating  in  the  battle  of  Stone 
River,  on  the  last  day  of  1862  and  the  fol- 
lowing two  days.  Mr.  Hamilton  was  in  the 
campaign  that  resulted  in  driving  Bragg's 
army  from  Tullahoma,  Tennessee,  whence 
he  was  followed  to  La  Fayette,  Georgia, 
where  he  was  reinforced  by  Longstreet.  The 
campaign  culminated  in  the  disastrous  bat- 
tle of  Chickamauga,  in  which  the  Union 
army  suffered  a  severe  defeat,  being  driven 
into  the  fortifications  of  Chattanooga, 
where  for  several  weeks  it  was  besieged  by 
Bragg's  forces,  undergoing  severe  priva- 
tions until  Sherman's  army  came  to  the  res- 
cue of  the  beleagured  garrison.  During  the 
siege  many  transfers  were  made,  the  Fif- 
teenth Indiana  being  assigned  to  General 
Slieridan's  command,  with  which  it  partici- 
pated, in  the  three-days  battle  at  Mission 
Ridge,  in  November,  1S63.  It  was  also  with 
Sherman  in  his  expedition  for  the  release  of 
Burnside,  who  was  besieged  by  Longstreet, 
at  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  and  our  subject's 
command  passed  the  remainder  of  the  win- 
ter of  1863-4  in  the  mountainous  region  of 
eastern  Tennessee,  returning  to  Chattanooga 


in  March  and  being  there  placed  on  guard 
and  garrison  duty.  Mr.  Hamilton  there  re- 
mained until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
service,  and  he  was  mustered  out,  at  Indian- 
apolis, June  25,  1864,  after  which  he  went 
to  Coles  county,  Illinois,  where  his  father  . 
was  then  living. 

On  the  15th  of  April,  1867,  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Belle  G. 
Combs,  who  was  born  in  Coles  county,  in 
1847,  a  daughter  of  Pleasant  and  Mary 
Combs,  who  had  removed  thither  from  their 
native  state  of  Tennessee  and  there  passed 
the  residue  of  their  Ii\-es,  the  I'atlier  having 
been  an  influential  farmer  uf  th;it  section  of 
Illinois.  Three  of  his  children  yet  survive, 
— Oliver  Perry,  of  Hazleton,  Kansas ;  John, 
of  Areola,  Illinois;  and  Mrs.  Mock,  of  Co- 
lumbia, Oklahoma ;  Mrs.  Hamilton  has  been 
dead  for  ten  years.  Of  the  seven  children 
born  to  our  subject  and  his  wife  we  enter 
the  following  brief  record  :  Alexander,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  two  months ;  Amelia,  the 
wife  of  William  F.  Schultz,  a  merchant  and 
ranchman  of  Wharton,  Texas;  Julia,  the 
wife  of  W.  E.  Hart,  a  ranchman  of  Nash- 
ville, Kansas.;  James  W.,  a  rancher  and 
miner  of  Stone,  Montana :  Emma,  who  died 
in  childhood  ;  Grace,  who  remains  at  the  par- 
ental home;  and  Lulu,  the  wife  of  Harry 
Hart,  a  general  merchant  df  Xashville.  Kan- 
sas. 

The  year  1868  witnessed  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Hamilton  in  Kansas.  He  located  in 
Neosho  county,  where  he  remained  until 
1 87 1,  when  he  removed  to  the  site  of  the 
present  town  of  South  Haven,  Sumner 
couiU\',  where  he  engageil  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.  In  1884  he  was  elected  coun- 
ty treasurer  of  Sumner  countny,  serving 
one  term,  and  in  1886  he  was  chosen  to  the 
office  of  state  treasurer,  this  necessitating 
his  removal  to  Topeka.  the  -late  capital.  He 
gave  so  capable  and  discriminating  an  ad- 
ministration of  the  fiscal  affairs  of  the  com- 
monwealth that  he  was  elected  as  his  own 
successor,  in  1888,  his  tenure  of  office  end- 
ing on  January  10,  1891. 

In  1882  Mr.  Hamilton  had  purchased  a 
tract  of  fourteen  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
in    Kingman    townsliip,    Kingman    county, 


;46 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


and  in  iS88  he  here  took  up'  his  abode,  hay- 
ing since  made  it  his  home.  In  1891  he 
held  the  position  of  live-stock  agent  for  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad,  but  resigned  at  the  end 
of  a  year,  and  thereafter  he  was  employed 
by  the  Aetna  Mortgage  Company,  of  St. 
Louis,  as  a  fiscal  agent,  until  1894,  since 
which  time  he  has  given  almost  his  entire 
attention  to  the  operation  of  his  ranch,  with 
the  exception  of  the  years  1889  and  1900, 
when  he  was  inspector  of  stock  in  the  Kan- 
sas City  stockyards.  At  the  present  time  he 
is  manager  of  the  Chakaskia  Land  &  Cattle 
'Company,  whose  operations  are  of  a  most 
•extensive  order.  Mr.  Hamilton  is  a  lover  of 
fine  horses,  and  perhaps  no  man  in  the  state 
■is  a  better  judge  of  horseflesh.  He  has  for 
years  bred  the  famous  Pacemaker  strain  of 
Hamhietonians,  man}-  of  them  making  not- 
able records,  and  at  the  time  of  this  writing 
he  owns  several  very  fine  driving  horses, 
having  forty  head  of  horses  on  his  ranch. 
He  is  also  an  excellent  judge  of  cattle,  and 
has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  the  Durham 
breed.  His  favorite  recreation  is  hunting, 
and  he  makes  frequent  trips  into  the  wilds 
with  rod  and  gun. 

In  politics  I\Ir.  Hamilton  has  always 
been  identified  with  the  Republican  party, 
and  while  not  aggressi\-dy  partisan,  no  one 
is  in  doubt  concerning  his  ixisition  regard- 
ing the  issues  of  the  day.  He  has  frequently 
been  a  delegate  to  state  and  national  con- 
ventions of  his  party,  and  was  marshal  of 
the  Kansas  delegation  to  the  national  con- 
vention, in  Chicago,  that  nominated  Harri- 
son, and  thus  was  admitted  to  the  floor.  He 
maintains  pleasant  relations  with  his  old 
army  comrades  through  his  membership  in 
Garfield  Post,  No.  25.  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  at  Wichita,  and  is  one  of  its  most 
active  and  valued  representatives.  He  has 
also  attained  the  Knights  Templar  rank  in 
the  Masonic  fraternity  and  is  a  noble  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  a  man  of  high  mental- 
ity and  broad  general  information,  and  he 
reads  the  best  classical  and  current  litera- 
ture, having  in  his  home  an.  extensive  and 
select  library.  He  is  a  splendid  representa- 
tive of  the  best  type  of  American  manhood, 
— reliable  in  business,   loyal   in   citizenship 


and  trustworthy  in  all  life's  relations.  His 
indi\-iduality  is  insistent,  his  courtesy  un- 
failing, his  reputation 'unblemished,  and  he 
is  ranged  among  the  representative  men  of 
the  Sunflower  state. 


JA^IES  W.  BAKER. 

There  is  probably  no  business  man  at 
Hollyrood,  Ellsworth  county.  Kansas,  who 
has  exerted  a  more  potent  influence  upon  the 
upbuilding  of  the  town  than  the  gentleman 
whose  name  is  above.  James  W,  Baker, 
who  is  a  dealer  in  grain,  coal,  flour,  feed 
and  live-stock,  was  born  in  De  Witt  county, 
Illinois.  August  22,  1845.  a  son  of  Daniel 
and  Polly  (McCord)  Baker.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Indiana  and  his  mother  was 
born  in  Tennessee.  Daniel  Baker  went  to 
De  Witt  county.  Illinois,  and  was  a  pioneer 
there.  He  bought  new  land  and'  improved 
it  and  was  familiar  with  every  phase  of  the 
life  of  early  settlers  in  that  part  of  the  coun- 
try, at  a  time  when  the  nearest  market  was 
at  Chicaavi.  to  which  town;  he  often  took 
wheat,  nialcinq  the  journey  with  teams.  He 
became  a  citizen  of  wealth  and  prominence 
and  owned  eight  hundred  or  nine  hundred 
acres  of  land.  After  .the  death  of  his  wife, 
which  occurred  in  1846,  he  moved  to  Indi- 
ana and  thorce  back  to  Illinois,  locating  in- 
Vermillion  county,  where  he  again  pur- 
chased land  and  improved  it  and  prospered 
as  a  farmer.  Now,  eighty-seven  years  old. 
he  lives  at  Potomac,  Illinois,  and  owns  land 
which  he  purchased  upon  his  arrival  in  Ver- 
million count)-. 

Janies  W.  Baker  had  not  completed  tlie 
first  year  of  his  life  and  his  sister  was  not 
yet  two  years  old  when  their  mother  died. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  family  of  his 
uncle,  J.  W.  McCord,  and  his  sister  was 
taken  into  the  family  of  his  grandfather  Mc-  1 
Cord.  Daniel  Baker's  second  wife  was  a 
Miss  Hall,  whom'  he  married  in-  Indiana  and 
who  bore  him  the  following  children, 
named  in  the  order  of  their  nativity :  Robert, 
Dayton,  Ann,  America.  Hattie,  Amanda. 
Ada,  Emma  and  Eva.     Mr.  Baker  grew  up 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


7A7 


as  a  member  of  his  uncle's  household  and 
was  reared  to  the  laborious  life  of  a  farmer 
boy  of  all  work,  in  which  his  school  days 
were  limited  to  such  time  as  he  could  be 
spared  from  labor  and  altogether  would  not 
have  made  up  a  year. 

In  Februaiy,  1863,  when  he  was  seven- 
teen years  old,  he  enlisted  in  Company  I, 
Thirty-ninth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry.  His  companv  commander  was 
Captain  Philips  and  his  regimental  com- 
mander was  Colonel  Osburn.  He  fought 
under  Grant  in  the  campaign  against  I\ich- 
mond  and  participated  in  many  famous  en- 
gagements round'  about  the  federal  capital 
and  before  Petersburg.  He  was  in  the 
charge  at  Foirt  Gregg,  and  at  Cold  Harbor 
a  shell  which  exploded  almost  in  his  face 
gave  him  serious  wounds  in  his  head,  face 
and  on  the  back  of  his  head,  which  are  visi- 
ble evidences  of  the  close  call  he  received  that 
day.  He  lay  unconscious  on  the  ground 
until  he  was  picked  up  and  cared  for,  but  he 
did  not  leave  his  company  and  in  time  re- 
covered sufficiently  to  again  take  up  active 
duty,  and  he  was  present  at  Appomattox 
when  General  Lee  surrendered.  Later  he 
was  on  police  patrol  duty  at  Norfolk,  Vir- 
ginia, and  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  ser- 
vice at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  December  5,  1865. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Baker  returned  to  De 
Witt  county,  Illinois,  where  for  a  time  he 
was  employed  as  a  farm  hand.  After  that 
he  farmed  rented  land  until  1886,  when  he 
sold  his  stock,  utensils  and  all  other  per- 
sonal belongings  except  clothing  and  some 
other  small  portable  property  and  went  to 
Ellsworth,  Kansas,  where  for  six  months  he 
was  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping  stock. 
In  October,  that  year,  he  went  to  Holly- 
rood,  Kansas,  where  he  was  a  pioneer  in  his 
line.  He  built  a  small  warehouse,  the  first 
in  the  town.  In  1890,  he  erected  an  ele- 
vator, the  pioneer  structure  of  its  kind  at 
Hollyrood,  which  had  a  capacity  of  eight 
thousand  bushels.  He  shipped  from  Holly- 
rood  the  first  carload  of  stock  ever  sent  out 
of  the  town  and  bought  the  first  load  of 
wheat  e^-er  sold  there.  In  1896  he  built  an- 
other elevator  at  Lorraine,  of  which  he  was 
sole  proprietor  until,   in   1S97,   the  firm  of 


Baker  &  Edmunds  was  organized.  Mr. 
Baker's  shipments  from  Hollyrood  have 
been  large,  sometimes  aggregating  eight 
hundred  carloads  per  year,  his  principal 
shipments  having  been  to  New  York  city, 
Galveston,  Texas,  Kansas  City,  Missouri, 
Tcpeka  and  Arkansas  City.  He  is  the 
owner  of  a  farm  of  one  thousand  and  one 
hundred  acres,  which  he  irents  to  tenant 
farmers.  He  has  erected  a  fine  residence  at 
Hollyrood. 

Mr.  Baker  was  married  April  21,  1870, 
at  Farmer  City,  Illinois,,  to  Hattie  Weed- 
man,  daughter  of  George  and  Catherine 
(Banner)  Weedman,  and  they  have  three 
children.  Their  son,  Gilbert  L,,  is  associ- 
ated with  his  father  in  business.  Their 
daughter,  Mary  K.  is  the  wife  of  F.  W. 
Thomas,  cashier  of  the  bank  at  Hollyrood. 
Georgia  is  a  member  of  her  father's  house- 
hold. Mr.  Baker  gave  each  of  his  children 
a  thoroughly  practical  education  with  a  view 
of  fitting  them  properly  for  the  responsibili- 
ties of  life.  Politically  Mr.  Baker  is  a  Re- 
publican though  he  was  reared  under  Demo- 
cratic influence.  He  is  a  hig-h  Mason,  hav- 
ing been  made  a  Sublime  Prince  1  if  the  Royal 
Secret,  Ineffable  degrees  of  the  Scottish 
rite.  He  is  a  member  of  Hollvrood  Lodge, 
No.  343,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Mr.  Baker's  mother,  who  was  Polly  Wz- 
Cord,  was  born  March  30,  1812,  and  died 
June  7,  1846,  S'he  was  the  daughter  of 
James  and  Mary  (Moore)  ^McCord,  and 
her  birthplace  was  in  Overton  county,  Ten- 
nessee. Charles  Moore,  of  English  and 
Welsh  extraction,  married  Sarah  Smith, 
the  daughter  of  a  French  woman  in  North 
Carolina,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  Mary 
Moore,  who  married  James  McCord.  Mary 
(Moore)  McCord,  who  was  the  youngest 
Df  her  family,  oiften  stated  that  her  grand- 
parents were  Scotch.  She  died  at  the  home 
of  her  daughter  Martha  at.  Point  Isabelle. 
De  Witt  comity,  Illinois,  May  23,  1858, 
having  been  for  forty-one  years  a  member 
of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church.  Charles 
Moore,  her  father,  who  was  a  cooper  by 
trade,  served  the  cause  of  the  colonies  in  the 
cause  of  .the  Revolutionary  war  and  made 
canteens  for  use  in   the  Continental  armv- 


743 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


James  !McCord  Avas  born  in  Ireland  of 
Scotch  parents,  in  1739,  and  died  at  Spring 
Creek,  Overton  county,  Tennessee,  Novem- 
ber 4,  1824.  He  came  to  America  with  his 
father,  Captain  Robert  McCord,  when  he 
was  four  years  old,  and  for  a  time  lived  in 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  after- 
ward in  Wilkes  and  Iredell  counties,  North 
Carolina,  and  in  Ov.erton  count)^  Tennessee.' 
He  was  a  wagon-master  in  tlie  continental 
army  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  his 
great-grandson,  J.  S.  McCord,  of  Eagle 
Creek.  Oregon,  writes  that  he  was  under  the 
immediate  command  of  General  Washing- 
ton, and  held  the  office  of  wagon-master- 
general.  He  was  married  in  \\'ilkes  county, 
North  Carolina,  to  Jane  Scroggs  or  Scruggs, 
a  Scotch  woman,  who,  when  ordered  to  milk 
her  cow  to  supply  milk  for  the  British 
troops,  did  so,  but  poured  the  milk  on  the 
ground  and  defied  them.  She  died  Novem- 
ber 12.  1789.  James  and  Jane  (Scruggs  or 
Scroggs)  McCord  were  the  parents  of  tei-5 
children.  James  McCord,  son  of  James  and 
Mary  McCord,  was  born  in  Wilkes  county. 
North  Carolina,  February  22,  1779,  and 
died)  in  DeWitt  county,  Illinois,  December 
3,  1852.  He  was  married  March  29,  1824, 
in  0\ert(in  ciiinty,  Tennessee,  to  Mary 
Moore,  ilau.i^incr  of  Charles  Moore,  whoiwas 
born  in  Grau\-ille  county.  North  Carolina, 
and  died  in  DeWitt  comity,  Illinois,  May 
23,  1858.  They  settled  on  Peterman's  Bend 
on  the  Ohio  river,  and  afterwards  lived  in 
Overton  county,  Tennessee,  where  all  their 
children  were  born  and  whence  they  re- 
moved in  1 81 7  to  Spring  Creek.  In  1832 
they  went  to  De  \\"itt  county,  Illinois.  Mr. 
McCord  was  a  member  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church  for  thirty-six  years.  The 
first  James  McCord  of  whom  any  record  is 
extant,  was  a  highland  chieftain  in  Scotland, 
who  lived  in  the  seventeenth  century  and  was 
killed  in  battle  in  1689  at  Killecrankie  Pass, 
while  engaged  in  a  revolutionary  movement 
in  behalf  of  his  native  land.  His  son,  John 
IMcCord,  took  part  in  different  wars  and 
died  abcut  1715-17.  His  sons  were  John, 
David,  \\'illiam.  Benjamin,  Robert,  Samuel 
and   James,    who   after   the  death   of   their 


father  went  to  Stewarton,  County  Tyrone, 
Ireland,  whence  about  1720,  John,  David 
and  William  came  to  America  and  located  in 
Pennsyh-ania.  David  and  William  were 
killed  by  the  Indians  and  John  went  to  North 
Carolina.  John  McCord,  father  of  these 
McCords,  was  born  at  Argyle,  Skye,  Scot- 
land, and  his  coat  of  arms  consisted  of  a 
shield,  gold  and  black,  with  three  hearts  and 
three  lance  heads  surmounted  by  a  closed 
helmet.  A  family  of  the  same  name  still 
lives  at  Tyrone  and  its  members  are  known 
as  strict  Presb}-terians. 

George  Weedman,  father  of  ^Nlrs.  James 
W.  Baker,  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  east- 
ern Illinois.  The  American  ancestors  of 
the  family  came  from  Holland'  to  Pennsyl- 
vania before  the  Revolution.  There  George 
Weedman,  the  great-grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Baker,  was  born  and  married.  He  moved  to 
Perry  county,  Ohio,  and  thence,  in  1830,  to 
McLean  county,  Illinois.  It  is  said  that  at 
that  time  only  one  log  house  stood  on  the 
present  site  of  Bloomington.  A  second 
child  of  those  pioneers  was  John  Weedman, 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Baker.  John  Weed- 
man  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  mar- 
ried in  Ohio,  to  Rachel  Wilson,  a  native  of 
Maryland.  In  1830,  with  his  wife  and  five 
children,  he  went  to  McLean  county.  Illi- 
nois, whence  he  I'emoved,  in  1836,  to  DeWitt 
county,  same  state.  In  1850  he  removed  to 
Webster  Cit)^,  Iowa,  where  he  died  in  1866. 
George  Weedman,  father  of  Mrs.  Baker, 
was  born  in  Perry  county,  Ohio,  March  28. 
1824,  and  was  taken  to  Illinois  by  his  parents 
when  he  was  si.x  yearS'  old.  He  -grew  up 
there  and  was  identified  with  pioneer  life  in 
eastern  Illinois.  In  1850,  in  company  with 
four  of  his  brothers  and  others,  he  crossed 
the  plains  to  California  and  came  back  as 
far  as  Missouri,  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  Missouri  rivers.  He  made  his 
way  back  to  Illinois  and  became  a  very  pros- 
perous and  successful  man,  the  owner  of  four 
hundred  acres  of  land,  which  was  one  of  the 
model  farms  of  the  county.  He  was  mar- 
ried April  17,  1845.  to  Catherine  Danner, 
who  was  borni  in  ]\Iontgomerv  ccuntv.  In- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


diana,  .\ugust  19,  1827.  They  had  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Mrs.  Baker,  born  April  17, 
1852,  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth. 

Mr.  Baker  is  one  of  Ellsworth  coimty's 
most  enterprising  and  successful  citizens. 
His  success  has  been  won  by  industry  and 
good  management  and  he  has  had  to  over- 
come many  obstacles.  While  living  in  Illi- 
nois he  rented  a  large  tract  of  low  land  and 
a  succession  of  bad  seasons  left  him  twO' 
thousand/  dollars  in  debt,  but  he  set  himself 
resolutely  tO'  retrieve  his  fortune  and  came  to 
Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  with'  four  thou- 
sand five  hundred  dollars  in  cash.  Since 
then  he  has  met  with  almost  uninterrupted 
success. 


WILLIAM  HAXDY. 

A  leading  representative  of  the  agricul- 
tural interests  of  Rice  county  is  W^illiam 
Handy,  who  owns  and  operates  a  fine  farm 
pleasantly  located  near  Chase.  He  is  most 
practical  and  yet  progressive,  and  his  untir- 
ing industry  and  capable  management  have 
brought  to  him  a  handsome  competence. 
He  was  born  in  Clark  county,  Illinois,  Oc- 
tober 27,  1850,  a  son  of  Austin  L.  and  Han- 
nah (Bennett)  Handy.  The  parents  were 
born,  reared  and  married  in  Illinois.  The 
paternal  grandfather,  Samuel  Handy,  was 
a  native  of  Virginia  and'  became  an  early 
pioneer  of  Clark  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
entered  land  and  improved  a  farm.  In  1855 
he  sold  his  property  there  and  removed  to 
California,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  there  remained  until 
his  death.  He  was  a  plain,  honest  farmer 
and  had  no  aspirations  for  public  notoriety. 
He  was  the  father  of  six  children,  namely: 
Austin,  the  father  of  our  subject;  Albert,  a 
resident  of  California:  Nancy,  mow  Mrs. 
Malone;  Naomi,  v.dio  became  Mrs.  Bro-wn; 
Louisa,  the  wife  of  A.  David :  and  Amanda, 
who  became  Mrs.  Dawson. 

Austin  Handiy  was  reared  in  the  state  of 
his  nativity,  and  after  arriving  at  years  of 
maturity  he  engaged  in  farming,  raiiaining 
in  Illinois  until  1874.  In  that  year  he  came 
to  Kansas,  locating  in  Rice  countv,  where  he 


secured  a  homestead  claim.  Like  most  pio- 
neers he  had  but  small  means,  having  "all 
to  make  and  nothing  to  lose."'  He  under- 
went all  the  deprivations  and  hardships  in- 
cident to  pioueer  life,  but  he  was  not  afraid 
of  hard  work  and  the  obstacles  and  difficul- 
ties which  beset  his  path  were  overcome  by 
determined  purpose  and  unfaltering  indus'- 
try.  Game  was  plentiful  in  this  locality  at 
that  time,  but  he  had  no  time  to  hunt,  as  his 
time  was  fully  occupied  in  his  labors  to  im- 
prove his  farm.  He  was  obliged  to  go  a 
long  distance  to  mill  and  his  nearest  trading 
point  was  RapiKJud,  but  the  rapid  advance- 
ment of  civilization  soon  bruught  to  this  lo- 
cality all  the  comforts  of  the  older  east,  and 
he  lived  to  see  the  country  dotted  by  thriv- 
ing towns  and  cities,  well  cultivated  farms 
and  inhabited  by  a  prosperous  and  contented 
people.  He  was  an  active  worker  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  and  on  its 
ticket  was  elected  to  a  number  O'f  positions 
of  honor  and  trust,  including  that  o-f  justice 
of  the  peace.  His  first  wife,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Hannah  Bennett,  was  reared 
in  Illinois  and  was  a  daughter  of  James  Ben- 
nett, a  native  of  the  Empire  state.  He  be- 
came an  early  settler  of  Clark  county,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  remained  until  his  death.  His 
children  were  Sanford,  James.  Susan,  I\Iar- 
garet  and  Hannah.  Mrs.  Handy  died  on 
the  old  homestead  in  Rice  county,  in  1883, 
and  the  father  was  again  married,  his  sec- 
ond union  being  with  !\Tr<.  Sarah  Graves, 
but  this  uniom  proved  an  unliappv  one  and  in 
1897  he  sold  his  prdpertv  to  liis  son  and 
joined  another  sou  in  Missouri.  He  has 
been  a  third  time  married,  and  he  now  re- 
sides in  Barry  county,  Missouri,  living  re- 
tired from  the  active  duties  of  life.  He  has 
reached  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-nine 
3'ears.  Unto  Austin  and  Hannah  Handy 
were  born  eight  children,  namely :  Thom- 
as, a  resident  of  Missouri ;  William,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review :  James,  also'  a  resident 
of  Missouri :  Millard,  whose  residence  is  not 
known;  Lincoln,  a  farmer  of  Rice  county; 
Douglas,  who  died  when  young:  Amanda, 
who  departed  this  life  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years ;  and  George,  a  resident  of  Stafford 
countv,  Kansas.       INIr.  Handv  served  with 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


distinction  in  the  Mexican  war,  having-  en- 
tered tile  army  from  llHnois  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  struggle.  In  his  social  re- 
lations he  was  connected  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  o-f  Odd  Fellows. 

■William  Handy,  the  immediate  subject 
of  this  review,  was  born  and.  reared  in  Illi- 
nois, and  remained  in  tliat  state  until  the  age 
of  twenty-four  years.  In  1874  he  assisted 
his  father  in  organizing  a  colony  to  locate 
in  the  Sunflower  state,  and  during  the  first 
winter  after  his  arrival  here  he  was  anploy- 
ed  by  the  g'overnment  in  freigiiting  supplies 
to  Red  river,  where  a  temporary  camp  was 
located.  On  his  return  trip  he  went  to  Ne- 
braska, where  he  was  employed  as  a  cow  boy 
for  one  year.  On  coming  to  Rice  county 
he  had'  pre-empted  a  quarter  section  of  land, 
receiving  his  title  for  the  same  twOi  years 
afterward,  and  in  1879  he  was  married  and 
located  upon  his  land.  The  place  is  now 
under  a  line  state  of  cultivation,  and  there  he 
is  engaged  in  general  fanning  and  stock- 
raising.  He  keeps  well  informed  on  the 
issues  and  questions  of  the  day,  taking  an 
active  interest  in  everything  for  the  public 
good,  and  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican 
part}-  he  is  an  intelligent  and  diligent  work- 
er. He  has  filled  many  positions  of  honor 
and  trust,  having  been  justice  oi  the  peace 
fc'r  two  years,  while  for  one  term  he  was 
county  commissioner.  In  all  his  pnblic  ser- 
vice he  has  ever  been  found  true  to  the  trusts 
reposed  in  him. 

For  a  companion  on  the  journey  of  life 
;\Ir.  Handy  chose  Miss  Lydia  F.  Burch,  who 
was  born  in  Warren  connty,  Indiana,  Jan- 
uary I,  1 86 1,  a  daughter  of  Moses  and 
Luticia  (Moflitt)  Burch,  the  fcTmer  a  na- 
tive of  Warren  county,  and  the  latter  of 
Pennsylvania.  Their  marriage  w-as  cele- 
brated in  the  Hoosier  state.  The  paternal 
grandfatlier.  James  Burch,  was  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  but  became  an  early  settler  of 
Warren  county,  Indiana,  where  he  became  a 
])rominent  and  high!\-  respected  farmer.  He 
subsequently  sold  his  property  in  Warren 
county  and  in  1871  came  to  Rice  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  also  became  an  early  pio- 
neer, and  there  he  remained  until  his  death. 
His  children  were  ]\Ioses,  Lvdia,  Isaac,  Nell, 


Charles,  Josephine,  Abner,  Sarah,  Rachel 
and  Perry.  The  latter  died  while  serving 
his  country  in  the  Civil  war.  The  mother 
of  these  children  was  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church.  In  1871  Moses  Burch  and 
his  family  accompanied  his  father  and  a 
small  colony  from  Warren  county,  Inidiana, 
to  Kansas.  The  first  stop  which  the  party 
made  w-as  at  Salina,  where  all  located  claims, 
Mr.  Burch  securing  his  land  in  Farmer 
township.  He  afterward  improved  a  num- 
ber of  farms  and  became  a  prosperous  man. 
In  1898  he  sold  his  farming  property  and  re- 
moved) to  Arkansas  City,  where  he  and  his 
wife  are  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  well  spent 
life. 

In  1862,  in  \\'arren  county^  Indiana,  he 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  Ijecom- 
ing  a  member  of  the  Seventy-second  Regi- 
ment, Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  en- 
listed for  three  years'  service  and  was  elect- 
ed captain  of  his  company.  He  was  as- 
signed to  the  Anny  of  the  Tennessee,  where 
he  saw  some  hard  service,  but  was  never 
wounded  or  taken  prisoner,  and  on  the  expi- 
ration of  his  tenn  of  service  he  received  an 
honorable  discharge  and  returned  tO'  the 
quiet  pursuits  of  the  farm  in  Warren  county. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Handy  is  a  daughter 
of  John  Moffitt.  a  native  of  Ireland,  who^  on 
coming  to  the  new  world  first  located  in 
Pennsylvania  and  later  in  Warren  county, 
Indiana.  He  afterward  took  up  his  abode 
in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where  he  spent 
his  remaining  days.  He  had  four  children, 
— Francis,  Luticia.  Thomas  and  John.  Moses 
and  Luticia  Burch  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  as  follows  :  Lydia,  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Handy;  Dermont  and  Benjamin,  residents 
of  Arkansas  City ;  Emma,  wife  of  J.  F. 
Crocker;  Ida,  now  Mrs.  Shafer;  Samuel, 
who  resides  in  Oklahoma ;  Bird,  now  Mrs. 
Bellew-  of  Arkansas  City,  Kansas;  Moses 
and  John,  who  are  residents  of  Arkansas 
City.  The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Handy 
has  been  blessed  with  two  children. — Albert, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years  ;  and  Frank, 
who  was  born  July  11,  1883,  and  is  now  op- 
erating the  home  farm.  The  parents  are 
consistent  and  worthy  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist  Enisconal  church,   and   sociallv   he  is 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


connected  with  the  Fraternal  Aid  Associa- 
tion. He  has  a  wide  acquaintance  and  by 
all  who  know  him  is  held  in  high  regard,  for 
his  life  has  been  well  spent. 


JOHN  D.  GRIFFITH. 

One  of  the  most  extensive  and  ener- 
getic agriculturists  of  Clear  Creek  town- 
ship, Ellsworth  county,  is  John  D.  Griffith, 
who  resides  on  section  lo.  His  life  illus- 
trates most  forcibly  the  power  of  industry 
and  determination  in  an  active  business  ca- 
reer. Steady  advancement  has  been  his 
as  the  outconxe  of  these  qualities,  and  to- 
day he  is  accounted  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous residents  of  his  community. 

He  was  born  in  New  York  city,  No<vem- 
ber  8,  1S41.  His  grandfather,  David  Grif- 
fith, was  a  farmer  of  Oneida  county.  New 
York,  and  William  D.  Griffith,  the  father, 
was  born  in  Wales,  but  during  his 
childhood  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
removal  to  this  country  and  engaged 
in  the  dairy  business.  His  brother, 
Morris,  the  youngest  member  of  the  fam- 
ily, is  now  secretary  of  the  Cheese  Associa- 
tion. The  father  of  our  subject  married 
Cecelia  J.  Jones,  and  John  D.  is  their  only 
child.  The  father  died  when  the  latter  was 
but  four  months  old,  and  the  widowed 
mother  then  took  her  infant  son  tO'  her  pa- 
rents" home,  in  Carbondale,  Pennsylvania, 
and  he  was  reared  and  educated  there,  being 
cared  for  by  his  maternal  grandparents, 
for  his  mother  married  again.  On  complet- 
ing the  course  in  the  public  schools  he  in- 
tended taking  a  three  years'  course  in  the 
seminary  through  a  scholarship  obtained 
through  the  Odd  Fellows,  but  about  this 
time  his  grandfather  died.  The  grand- 
mother and  her  son  purchased  a  farm  in 
Susquehanna  county,  but  the  latter  lost  his 
eyesight  through  an  accident  in  the  mines 
and  Mr.  Griffith  felt  that  it  was  his  duty  to 
remain  with  them  and  care  for  the  farm. 
Accordingly  he  gave  up  his  scholarship  in 
order  to  devote  his  attention  to  the  tilling 
of  tlie  soil.     He  was  thus  engaged  until  the 


24th  of  September,  1861,  when  he  respond- 
ed to  his  country's  call  by  enlisting  as  a 
member  of  Company  H,  Fifty-second 
Pennsylvania  Infantry.  He  had  joined  the 
army  the  last  of  July,  but  lay  in  camp  at 
Harrisburg  until  the  regiment  was  com- 
pleted. He  then  started  out  with  McClel- 
lan  on  the  peninsular  campaign,  and  the 
principal  engagements  in  which  he  partici- 
pated were  the  siege  of  Yurktown,  tlie  bat- 
tles of  \\  illiamsburg  and  Fair  Oaks  and  th^ 
seven  days'  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  After 
the  evacuation  of  the  peninsula  the  army 
was  sent  to  North  Carolina,  and  thence  to 
South  Carolina,  participating  in  the  siege  of 
Charleston  and  Fcrt  Wagner,  and  Mr. 
Griffith  remained  in  that  department  until 
discharged  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania, 
the' 5th  of  November,  1864.  Pie  was  for- 
tunate in  that  he  received  no  serious 
wc^unds,  but  for  several  years  he  has  not 
had  the  use  of  his  left  arm,  owing  to  rheu- 
matism, contracted  through  exposure  while 
in  the  army. 

Returning  to  the  farm  in  Pennsylvania 
he  continued  its  cultivation  until  after  the 
death  of  the  grandni'ither,  when  he  made 
suitable  provisiun  for  his  uncle.  'Having 
married  he  decided  to  come  to  the  west,  and 
in  1872  arrived  in  Kansas,  first  locating  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  state.  But  he 
found  that  district  unhealthful,  and  after 
two  and  a  half  years  there  the  doctoir  ordered 
him  to  seek  a  residence  elsewhere.  He  then 
went  to  Lincoln  county,  where  he  spent 
two  years,  and  in  iSjd  he  came  to  Ells- 
worth, where  he  secured  a  soldier's  home- 
stead, comprising  the  U'Tllieast  quarter  of 
section  ten,  township  fifteen,  range  seven, 
and  upon  this  farm  he  now  resides.  At 
that  time  extending  north  from  the  road  for 
twenty  miles  there  was  not  an  improvement 
to  be  seen,  but  he  chose  this  place  owing 
to  a  never-failing  spring  just  back  of  the 
site  upon  which  he  built  this  house.  There 
was  not  even  a  bush  on  the  place.  He  built 
a  dugout  and  then  began  breaking  the  land 
with  both  oxen  and  horses.  He  started  in 
to  raise  grain  and  he  also  had  a  few  cows. 
Soon  after  his  arrival,  however,  one  of  his 
horses  died,  Imt  he  continued  his  work  as 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


best  he  could  and  each  vear  broke  more 
land.  There  was  a  good  market  for  the 
grain  at  Ellsworth,  and  as  time  passed  he 
persevered  in  his  work.  He  purchased  an 
adjoining  eighty  acres  oi  land  from  heirs  of 
James  Nicholas  for  one  O'f  his  sons,  and  in 
"connection  with  the  raising  of  crops  he  has 
engaged  quite  extensively  in  raising  cattle, 
finding  that  this  has  been  a  profitable  work. 
His  place  is  now  in  excellent  condition,  be- 
ing improved  with  a  comfortable  house, 
which  he  erected  in  1888.  In  1898  he  built 
a  new  barn,  and  other  substantial  build- 
ings and  improvements  add  to  the  value  and 
attractive  appearance  of  the  home.  There 
is  a  fine  groA-e  back  of  the  house  and  two 
ponds,  fed  from  a  spring,  furnish  abundant 
moisture  for  the  trees.  This  place  is  a 
monument  to  the  enterprise  and  efforts  of 
Mr.  Griffith.  He  has  been  the  architect  of 
his  own  fortune,  and  has  builded  wisely  and 
well. 

It  was  on  the  17th  of  February,  1866, 
that  Mr.  Griffith  was  joined  in  wedlock  to 
Mrs.  Mary  L.  Bennett!  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam \\'ells,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  now 
have  seven  children :  William,  who  is  living 
in  Fort  Scott,  Kansas  ;  Cecelia,  the  wife  of  C. 
R.  Galloway,  of  Ellsvro'ith  county;  Charles, 
a  farmer  of  the  same  county;  George 
Vesper,  who  resides  upon  a  farm  adjoining 
the  oW  homestead;  J.  Burtie,  Maud  and 
Oscar,  who  are  still  with  their  parents.  In 
his  political  views  Mr.  Griffith  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  attended  many  county  con- 
ventions and  some  of  the  senatorial  con- 
ventions. He  keeps  well  informed  on  the 
issues  of  the  day,  and  is  an  ardent  worker 
for  the  success  of  the  principles  in  which 
he  believes.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
central  committeeman,  and  was  the  first 
trustee  chosen  after  the  organization  of  the 
township,  but 'he  has  never  sought  office 
for  himself,  preferring  that  his  attention 
shall  be  given  to  his  business  affairs,  in 
which  he  is  meeting  with  creditable  suc- 
cess. Through  a  long  period  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  society.^  He 
aided  in  organizing  the  first  school  district 
in  his  vicinity,  assisted  in  the  erection  of  a 
school  building,  and  served  for  eight  or  ten 


terms  on  the  school  board.  Xo  movement 
calculated  to  prove  of  benefit  to  the  county 
fails  to  secure  his  aid.  for  he  cooperates 
heartily  in  all  measures  for  the  general 
good. 

HARRY  VEXX. 

Among  the  men  of  worth  in  Hutchinsnn 
who  have.long  been  identified  with  the  city's 
progress  and  improvement  is  Harry  'Venn, 
who  came  to  Kansas  when  the  present  coun- 
ty seat  of  Reno  county  was  a  mere  hamlet 
standing  in  the  midst  of  broad  acres  which 
extended  for  miles  in  ever}-  direction,  un- 
claimed and  uncultivated.  His  business, 
that  of  a  stone  and  brick  contractor  and 
builder,  led  to  his  active  identification  with 
the  substantial  improvement  and  upbuilding 
of  the  city ;  and  on  many  sides  may  be  seen 
evidences  of  his  handiwork  and  skill.  But 
not  alone  along  the  line  of  his  business  have 
his  eft'orts  been  of  avail  in  the  promotion 
of  the  best  interests  of  Hutchinson,  for 
his  co-operation  has  been  given  freely  and 
generously  to  all  movements  and  measures 
which  are  calculated  to  advance  the  general 
welfare.  Mr.  Venn  is  therefore  a  valued, 
respected  and  honored  citizen  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  has  now  made  his  'home 
for  almost  twenty-nine  years. 

Mr.  Venn  was  born  in  London,  Eng- 
land. Xovember  7,  183 1.  His  father,  Jo- 
seph Venn,  was  born  in  Sussex,  England,  in 
1793  and  became  a  prominent  farmer  of 
that  locality.  He  wedded  Mary  Tulley, 
who  was  also  born  and  reared  in  Sussex 
and  lived  to  the  very  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
eight,  passing  away  in  1896,  just  previous  to 
the  death  of  her  husband,  who  reached  the 
remarkaljle  age,  of  one  hundred  and  three 
years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  church  of 
England.  In  their  family  were  thirteen  chil- 
dren, several  of  whom  are  still  living  and 
all  are  yet  residents  of  England,  with  the 
exception  of  our"  subject,  the  sixth  in  order 
of  birth. 

From  a  very  earlv  age  Harry  \'enn  has 

been  dependent   entirely  upon  his  own  re- 

i  sources      and     whate\-er     success     he     has 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


753 


achieved  is  due  entirely  to  his  labors  and 
capability.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to 
work  he  began  learning  the  plasterer's  trade, 
serving  a  seven  years'  apprenticeship  in 
London.  On  the  completion  of  that  term  he 
worked  as  a  journe^aiian  plasterer  in  almost 
every  section  of  England,  and  in  the  world's 
metropolis — London — he  was  married  in 
1871  to  Miss  Mary  H.  Hobbs.  a  daughter 
of  \\'illiam  Hobbs,  who  served  as  gardener 
to  wealthy  families  there. 

In  1873,  as  passengers  on  one  of  the 
steamers  of  the  Cunard  line,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Venn  came  to  America,  landing  at  Castle 
Garden.  New  York,  whence  he  made  his 
way  to  Hutchinson.  The  town  had  but  re- 
cently been  established  and  two  small  stores 
and  a  boarding  house  formed  the  nucleus  of 
the  present  flourishing  city  of  ten  thousand 
inhabitants.  Mr.  Venn  came  to  this  place 
at  the  solicitation,  of  his  brother-in-law, 
James  Fuller.  He  arrived  at  eleven  o'clock 
in  the  morning  and  immediately  began 
work  after  dinner  of  the  same  day.  On 
every  side  of  the  small  hamlet  as  far  as 
the  "eye  could  see  extended  the  boundless 
prairie,  whereon  jack  rabbits  were  almost  as 
numerous  as  sheep  in  a  pasture,  while  not 
far  distant  herds  of  buffaloes  and  antelopes 
roamed  and  frequently  thev  came  to  the 
very  limits  of  the  town,  while  one  or  two 
were  shot  within  its  borders.  Samuel  Slack, 
one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  of  the 
early  pioneers  of  Hutchinson  and  yet  a  ven- 
erable resident  of  the  citv,  is  usually  credited 
with  the  honor  of  having  killed  the  last 
buffalo  that  had  the  temerity  to  venture 
within  the  limits  of  civilization  in  Hutchin- 
son. Indians  .would  often  come  down  in 
numbers  from  Medicine  Lodge,  but  were 
peacefully  inclined.  Here  and  there  the 
prairie  had  begun  to  be  dotted  with  the  hab- 
itations of  man  and  cultivated  fields  to  take 
the  place  of  the  rank  prairie  grass,  but  there 
were  no  trees  save  one  solitary  cottonwood, 
except  the  newly  planted  ones  not  so  large 
around  as  a  man's  finger  nor  as  tall  as  tall 
as  his  head. 

Mr.  Venn  has  not  only  witnessed  the 
grcAvth  and  development  of  Huchinson  as 
it  has  taken  its  place  among  the  thriving 


and  prosperous  cities  of  the  west  with  all 
modern  improvements,  but  has  done  much 
to  assist  in  the  work.  He  has  continuously 
followed  his  trade,  taking  contracts  for  stone 
and  brick  work,  and  has  erected  some  of  the 
most  important  buildings  in  the  town, 
among  which  are  the  opera  house,  the  Bap- 
tist church,  the  Lvda  House  and  store,  a 
part  of  the  Methodist  church  and  many  other 
buildings.  He  has  resided  on  Seventh 
avenue,  west,  since  his  arrival  here,  living 
first  at  No.  13,  in  a  brick  and  fi-ame  house 
of  his  own  construction,  which  he  occupied 
for  seventeen  \ears.  Later  he  lived  at  No. 
15,  for  fr'ur  or  tive  years.  He  has  built  and 
owned  in  all  nine  houses  in  the  town  but 
has  sold  all  except  No.  14.  which  is  now 
occupied  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  St.  Clair. 
After  the  death  of  his  wife,  in  April,  1897, 
he  erected  a  cottage  on  the  same  premises 
and  has  since  lived  by  the  side  of  his  daugh- 
ter. He  is  still  well  preserved  and  active 
for  one  of  his  years  and  although  he  has 
ceased  to  take  heavy  contracts  he  still  does 
some  work  in  his  shop  at  home  and  else- 
where, for  to  one  of  his  energetic  natm-e  in- 
dolence and  idleness  are  utterl^^  foreign  and 
he  could  not  content  himself  with  nO'  work. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Venn  had  but  one  child, 
M.  Diana,  the  wife  of  J.  St.  Clair,  a  plas- 
terer and  brick  mason.  They  have  three 
children,  Violet,  Lillian  and  Rosa,  aged,  re- 
spectively, twelve,  eight  and  two  years. 

It  was  ^Nlr.  Venn  that  once  owned  the 
faniiius  gre_\hound,  Nero,  having  got  him 
when  a  lin\^  pup  from  Charles  Row,  a  bar- 
ber of  Hutchinson.  As  he  grew  he  devel- 
oped such  tremendous  size  and  strength  and 
speed  that  he  attracted  tlie  attention  of  ]M. 
E.  Allison,  one  of  the  most  noted  fanciers 
and  breeders  of  greylniunds  in  the  west.  Mr. 
Allison  often  asked  permission  of  Mr.  Venn 
for  taking  his  hound  out  with  his  piack  and 
trying  his  coursing  qualities  and  often  de- 
clared that  for  speed  he  excelled  any  hound 
he  had  ever  seen.  Finall_v  he  persuaded  Mr. 
Venn  to  sell  him  and  so  added  another  mag- 
nificent hound  to  his  kennel.  In  his  social 
relations  ]\Ir.  Venn  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias, 
and  in  his  political  views  he  has  been  an 
I  earnest  Republican  since  casting    his    first 


754 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


vote  in  this  countr}-.  He  is  also  identified 
with  the  Presb3-terian  church  and  his  in- 
lluence  has  ever  been  foimd  on  the  side  of 
right,  of  progress  and  reform,  or  in  im- 
provement and  advancement.  He  has  been 
the  architect  of  his  own  fortunes  and  has 
builded  wisely  and  well,  at  the  same  time 
gaining  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  fel- 
low men. 


CHARLES  J.  EVANS.       ' 

For  twenty-two  years  Charles  J.  Evans 
has  been  a  practitioner  at  the  bar  of  Ells- 
worth. He  holds  distinctive  precedence  as 
an  eminent  lawyer,  as  a  citizen  of  marked 
devotion  to  the  general  good  and  as  a  val- 
iant and  patriotic  soldjer.  He  possesses 
the  intellectual  mind,  the  clear  reasoning 
and  the  powers  of  close  application  so  es- 
sential to  the  successful  representative  of 
the  bar,  and  has  a  clientage  that  brings  to 
him  a  law  business  of  an  important  and  va- 
ried character. 

Mr.  Evans  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  his 
birth  having  occurred  in  Thorntown.  on 
tlie  2 1  St  of  January,  1850.  His  father, 
Samuel  N.  Evans,  was  also-  born  in  the 
Ib-'sicr  state,  and  the  grandfather,  Jesse 
E\aiis,  \,a-  a  native  of  I'ennessee,  whence 
he  fini,-rai<_'d  to^  Indiana  at  an  early  day, 
passing  through  the  pioneer  experience  of 
life  on  the  frontier.  He  there  cleared  a 
farm  in  the  midst  of  the  native  forest  and 
bore  his  part  in  reclaiming  the  wild  lands 
for  purposes  of  civilization.  His  son,  Sam- 
uel N.  Evans,  entered  Hanover  College, 
and  afterward  engaged  in  the  Presbyterian 
ministry  in  Indiana,  Illinois  and  ^Minnesota, 
until  killed  by  lightning  at  Rochelle,  Illi- 
nois, on  the  3Gth  of  September,  1858.  He 
was  married  in  Indiana  to  Miss  Mary 
Woodruff,  a  native  af  New  Albany,  that 
state.  He  long  survived  her  husband,  and 
died  in  Ellsworth.  October  7,  1900,  when 
almost  seventy-eight  yeai-s  of  age.  They 
were, the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom 
three  attained  years  of  maturity,  namelv : 
Charles  J.,  of  this  review;  Mrs.  H.  A.  Tal- 
bot, of  Crawfordsville,  Indiana ;  and  Samuel 
M.,  who  is  living  in  St.  Louis,  ^Missouri. 


In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of 
Charles  J.  Evans  we  present  to  our  readers 
one  of  the  most  popular  and  esteemed  resi- 
dents of  Ellsworth.  He  attended  an  acad- 
emy at  Waveland,  in  Montgomery  county, 
Indiana,  which  his  father  had  aided  in  es- 
tablishing, and  prosecuted  his  studies  with 
the  intention  of  entering  either  the  legal  or 
the  nTedical  profession.  For  two  years  he 
read  medicine  under  the  direction  of  a  lo- 
cal physician  at  Waveland,  but  finally  de- 
cided in  favor  of  the  law,  and  became  a  stu- 
dent in  the  office  of  the  firm  of  Kennedy  & 
Brush,  of  Crawfordsville,  Indiana.  In  1868, 
however,  he  came  to  Kansas  and  entered 
the  Nineteenth  Kansas  Cavalry,  serving  un- 
der Colonel  Crawford.  His  regiment  was 
at  the  front  under  the  contmand  of  Generals 
Sheridan  and  Custer,  participating  in  the 
warfare  on  the  plains  against  the  Indians. 
Mr.  Evans  remained  in  Kanscs  for  about 
a  year  and  a  half,  when  he  suffered  a  se- 
vere illness  and  returned  tO'  Indiana.  As 
he  was  forced  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  or- 
der to  provide  the  means  necessary  tO'  fur- 
ther prosecute  his  legal  studies.  At  the  same 
time  he  devoted  his  leisure  hours  to  the 
reading  of  law,  and  afterward  spent  two 
years  in  the  othce  nf  Kennedy  &  Brush,  be- 
ing then  admitted  tu  the  bar  in  Crawfords- 
ville,  Indiana,   in   1876. 

Subsequently  he  engaged  in  teaching 
school  until  the  sumimer  of  1878,  when  he 
decided  tO'  again  come  to  Kansas  and,  in 
January,  1S79,  he  arrived  in  Ellsworth, 
where  he  opened  an  office  and  began  the 
practice  of  law,  in  whch  he  has  since  con- 
tinued. His  success  in  a  professional  way 
affords  the  best  evidence  of  his  capability  in 
this  line.  Lie  is  a  strong  advocate  with  the 
jury  and  concise  in  his  appeals  before  the 
court.  He  is  spoken  of  as  one  of  the  shrewd 
lawyers  in  this  part  of  the  state,  w'hich 
means  that  he  allows  no  point  to  escape 
him,  is  correct  in  his  reasoning  and  logical 
in  his  deductions.  His  patronage  is  of  a 
distinctively  representative  character,  and 
he  practices  before  all  the  state  courts.  He 
has  served  for  two  terms  as  county  attor- 
nev.  and  when  not  in  that  office  has  filled 


-^  '^^%^^-tju<l^cyLK:7 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


the  position  of  city  attorney,  being  tlie  pres- 
ent incumbent.  He  stands  as  a  safe  conser- 
vator of  the  interests  of  the  people,  and 
handles  all  the  intricate  problems  of  juris- 
prudence with  an  ease  that  indicates  his 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  principles 
of  law  and  his  correctness  in  applying  them 
to  the  points  at  issue. 

On  the  27th  of  October,  188S,  Charles 
J.  Evans  was  united  in  marriage  to  Isobel 
M.  Wilson,  of  Bath-on-Hudson,  New;  York. 
They  now  have  two  living  children:  Leu 
and  Jessie.  Mr.  E\-ans  is  a  member  of  the 
iillsworth  club,  and  is  a  prominent  Mason, 
belonging  to  Ellswortli  Lodge,  No.  146,  F. 
&  A.  M. ;  Ellsworth  Chapter,  No.  54,  R.  A. 
'M. ;  Ellsworth  Council,  No.  9,  R.  &  S.  M. ; 
St.  Aldemar  Commandery,  No.  37,  K.  T. ; 
and  Isis  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of 
the  Alystic  Shrine,  of  Salina.  His  personal 
characteristics  are  such  as  to  win  him  the 
conili-lcnce,  regard  and  friendship  of  all  who 
know-  him.  He  is  a  most  liberal  g-entleman, 
kindness  being  one  of  his  salient  elements. 
His  is  a  natural  discrimination  as  to  legal 
ethics,  and  he  isi  so  thoroughly  well  read  in 
the  minutiae  of  the  law  that  he  is  able  to  base 
his  arguments  upon  a  thorough  knowledge 
of,  and  familiarity  with,  all  questions,  and  to 
present  a  case  upon  its  merits,  never  failing 
to  recognize  the  main  points  at  issue  and 
never  neglecting  to  give  a  thorough  prepara- 
tion. 


C.  D.  PIASTERS. 


C.  D.  Masters  is  one  of  the  most  effi- 
cient officers  of  this  section  of  the  state  of 
Kansas,  having  been  the  sheriff  of  Harvey 
county  since  January,  1900.  The  birth  of 
Sheriff  Masters  occurred  in  Indianapolis,  Li- 
diana.  on  Januarv  15,  i860,  and  he  is  a 
son  of  Philo  and  Sophia  (  Billings)  AListers, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Massachu- 
setts. The  former  was  a  millwright  and 
meclinnic  by  trade,  and  was  employed  by 
the  tirm  (if  Hi!'  &  Wingate,  of  Lidianapolis. 
]^luch  'if,  the  work  in  this  line  in  his  locality 
wa?  performed  bv  him,  several  mill  struc- 


tures in  Miami  and  Howard  counties,  In- 
diana, testifying  to  his  skill. 

It  was  in  Miami  county  that  he  estaij- 
lished  his  home,  and  there  he  died  on  Octo- 
ber 14,  1874,  at  the  age  of  fifty-three  years. 
His  v/ife  died  on  December  8,  1875,  at  the 
age  of  forty-four  years.  Her  mother  was  a 
member  of  the  Morton  family,  and  was  a 
cousin  of  Governor  Oliver  P.  Morton,  with 
whom  Philo  Masters  was  on  terms  of  inti- 
mate friendship.  At  one  time  he  was  able 
to  render  Governor  Morton  very  valuable 
service  in  the  matter  of  reporting  the  move- 
ments of  the  secret  order  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Golden  Circle.  Six  children  were  born 
to  our  subject's  parents,  and  he  was  the 
third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being : 
Eugene,  who  is  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools,  and  resides  in  Peru,  Indiana;  Mary 
J.,  the  wife  of  Dr.  A.  F.  Smith,  of  Waupe- 
cong,  Indiana :  W.  Philo,  the  postmaster  of 
Seymour,-  Indiana,  and  also  connected  with 
a  large  wholesale  firm  in  that  city,  and  also 
was  a  delegate  from  the  fourth  district  of 
Indiana,  to  the  national  Republican  conven- 
tion which  nominated  the  lamented  Mc- 
Kinley  at  Philadelphia ;  H.  P.,  who  is  coun- 
ty treasurer  of  Miami  county,  Indiana;  and 
Alice,  who  was  formerly  a  teacher  but  is 
now  the  wife  of  William  Miller,  of  Peru. 
Indiana. 

The  education  of  Sheriff  Masters  was 
received  in  the  public  schools  of  ]\Iiami 
coimty,  and  later  he  began  farming  on  the 
neighboring  farms,  while  later  he  began 
that  occupation  for  himself,  continuing  there 
until  February,  1885,  when  he  came  to 
Kansas.  Here  he  secured  employment  with 
the  Frisco  Railroad  company,  and  for  four 
years  served  as  a  car  inspector.  Later  he 
was  made  marshal  of  the  town  of  Hal- 
stead,  and  on  the  expiration  of  his  term  in 
that  office  he  moved  upon  a  farm.  There  he 
remained  and  devoted  his  attention  to  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  until  January  8,  1900, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
Newton.  The  family  sentiments  have  al- 
ways been  in  accord  with  Republican  prin- 
ciples, and  our  subject  is  an  active  member 
of  that  party.  In  1892  he  was  made  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  in  Lakin  township,  Harvey 


'S6 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


county,  in  which  he  served  with  credit  for 
four  years,  and  was  then  made  sheriff  of 
Harvey  county  for  a  term  of  twO'  years. 
He  was  elected  to  that  office  by  a  majority 
of  over  three  hundred  votes,  and  at  the 
RepubHcan  convention  of  June  6,  1902,  he 
\\as  renominated  with  opposition. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Masters  was  cele- 
brated in  July,  1878,  to  Miss  Ella  Hoover, 
a  native  of  Indiana  and  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
Elias  and  Sarah  Hoover,  of  the  United 
Brethren  church,  and  both  are  now  deceased. 
Thev  had  seven  children,  six  of  whom  still 
sur^'ive,  namely:  Mzxy,  the  wife  of  Will- 
iam Herrell,  of*  Nebraska;  William  D.,  of 
California;  E.  M.,  a  physician  of  Hal- 
stead,  Kansas;  Mrs.  C.  D.  Masters;  Sher- 
man S.,  of  Washington;  and  Edward,  who 
resides  in  the  state  of  Washington.  The 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Masters  are 
as  follows:  Alta  S.,  a  graduate  of  the 
Newton  high  school,  of  the  class  of  190 1 ; 
and  Mabel  G.,  William  R.  and  Walter  M. 
Both  our  subject  and  his  estimable  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  church.  _  Mr. 
Masters  has  won  the  enviable  reputation  of 
being  one  of  the  most  efficient  officers  of 
the  county,  and  in  every  way  is  worthy  of 
the  high  regard  in  which  he  is  held.  His 
administration  has  been  mlarked  with  an 
observance  of  law*  and  order  that  places 
Har\-ev  coimtv  among  the  best  regulated 
in  the  state.  '  He  is  totally  unacquainted 
with  fear,  and  at  all  times  he  can  be  trusted 
to  do  his  full  dutv  under  every  circumstance. 


JACOB  BOLINGER. 

Jacob  Bolinger,  one  of  the  wealthy  and 
influential  agriculturists  of  Kingman  coun- 
ty, is  a  native  of  canton  Schaffhausen. 
Sohmingen,  Switzerland,  his  birth  having 
occurred  December  i,  1839.  He  is  a  son  of 
Lewis  and  Ursula  (Miller)  Bolinger,  who 
were  natives  of  the  same  localitv.  Samuel 
Miller  was  a  school  teacher,  and  the  father 
of  our  subject  was  a  laborer  and  farmer,  and 
both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  Dr. 
Calvin's   Reformed   church.      They   became 


the  parents  of  ten  children,  four  sons  and 
six  daughters,  and  three  of  the  number  now 
make  their  home  near  Trempealeau,  ^^'is- 
consin. 

Jacob  Bolinger,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, attended  the  schools  of  his  native 
country  until  his  fourteenth  vear,  and  after 
putting  aside  his  text-books  he  engaged  in 
the  work  of  the  farm.  When  twenty  years 
of  age  he  left  the  land  of  his  birth  for  the 
new  world,  landing  in  the  United  States 
after  a  long  and  tedious  voyage.  After  his 
arrival  here  he  took  up  his  abode  on  a  farm 
near  Pittsburg,  in  Allegheny  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  eight  years  afterward  he  was 
there  married  to  Wilhelmina  Abbott,  who 
was  born  in  Allegheny  county  in  1849.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Magdalena 
(Hetrick)  Abbott,  the  former  a  native  of 
Saxony,  Germany,  and  the  latter  of  Alsace, 
France,  and  both  are  yet  living,  making 
their  home  in  Allegheny  county.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-nine  years  and  she  at 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  They  had  four- 
teen children,  seven  sons  and  seven  daugh- 
ters, and  ten  of  the  number  still  survive.  A 
son,  Lewis  Abbott,  now  resides  in  Vinita 
township,  Kingman  countv,  Kansas.  1\\  re- 
ligious belief  the  family  were  members  of 
the  Reformed  church,  but  are  now  identi- 
fied with  the  Presbyterian  church.  During 
the  terrible  struggle  between  the  north  and 
the  south  two  brothers  of.  Mr.  Abbott  fought 
bravely  for  the  Union  cause,  and  a  brother 
of  Mrs.  Abbott  also  rendered  his  country 
valuable  aid  during  that  memorable  Strug- 
gle. 

In  1 886  Mr.  Bolinger  removed  with  his 
family  to  the  Sunflower  state,  and  after  his 
arrival  here  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  Vinita  township,  King- 
man county,  fifty  acres  of  which  were  un- 
der cultivation,  and  a  small,  two-room  house 
stood  upon  the  place.  As  time  passed  and 
success  has  rewarded  his  efforts  he  has  been 
enabled  to  add  to  his  original  purchase  until 
his  landed  possessions  now  consist  of  eleven 
hundred  and  twentv  acres,  and  his  is  now 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  valuable  places 
in  the  county.  The  primitive  dwelling,  into 
which  the  familv  first  moved,  has  been  re- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


7:7 


placed  b}-  a  modern  and  commodious  resi- 
dence, lar,s;e  barns  have  been  erected,  his 
fields  have  been  placed  under  an  excellent 
state  of  cultivation  and  a  beautiful  grove 
and  orchard  further  add  toi  the  value  and 
attractive  appearance  of  the  place.  He  was 
the  first  man  in  the  township  to  introduce 
the  raising  of  alfalfa,  and  he  now  has  twenty 
acres  devoted  to  that  product.  Mr.  Bol- 
inger  has  been  eminently  successful  in  his 
farming  operations,  and  he  is  now  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of 
Kingman  county. 

The  union  of  our  subject  and  wife  has 
been  blessed  with  eight  children,  namely : 
Mary  Morehouse,  Carrie,  Charles,  Maggie, 
Gosch,  Albert,  Samuel,  Sarah  Jane  and 
Fred.  Religiously  Mr.  Bolinger  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church. 
He  is  at  all  times  kind  and  courteous  in  his 
manner,  and  his  friends  have  the  highest  ap- 
preciation of  his  many  excellent  qualities 
and  all  esteem  him  for  a  life  over  which 
there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong  or  suspicion 
uf  evil. 


JASPER  J.   GREENLEE. 

Jasper  J.  Greenlee  is  a  well  known  mer- 
chant of  Sterling,  dealing  in  groceries,  con- 
fectionery and  bakers'  goods.  He  was  born 
in  Mississippi,  February  28,  1838.  His  fa- 
ther, Peter  Greenlee,  was  a  native  of  South 
Carolina,  born  about  1809,  but  was  reared 
and  married  in  ^Mississippi,  the  lady  of  his 
choice  being  Miss  Eliza  Beaty,  also  a  native 
of  South  Carolina.  The  father  died  in 
Mississippi  about  1844.  They  reared  their 
six  children,  but  our  subject  is  the  only  one 
now  living.  At  the  death  of  the  father  the 
mother  was  left  without  means  of  support, 
and  in  order  to  aid  in  providing  for  the 
family  Jasper  Greenlee  began  working  in 
the  cotton  fields,  hoeing  and  picking  cotton 
when  only  eight  years  of  age.  Three  broth- 
ers and  two  sisters  assisted  him.  He  lived 
with  his  uncle,  Mr.  Beaty,  for  two  years, 
and  at.  ten  years  of  age  accompanied  his 
mother  to  Arkansas.  In  i860  Mr.  Green- 
lee went  north,  and  at  ]\fonmouth,  Illinois, 


in  August,  1 86 1,  he  offered  his  services  to 
the  government,  enlisting  as  a  member  of 
Company  I,  Fiftieth  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry. He  served  as  a  private  and  on  the 
expiration  of  his  first  term  re-enlisted. 
Twice  he  was  in  the  hospital  with  fever,  and 
after  the  declaration  of  peace  he  was  mus- 
tered out  on  the  13th  of  August,  1865,  at 
Springfield,  Illinois.  Fie  was  in  the  battles 
of  Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donelson,  Pittsburg 
Landing,  Corinth,  Allatoona  Pass,  and  was 
with  Sherman  on  that  memorable  march  to 
the  sea,  and  took  part  in  the  grand  military 
review  at  Washington. 

Mr.  Greenlee  then  returned  to  his  home 
at  Spring  Grove,  Illinois.  Fie  was  first 
married  in  Arkansas,  but  lost  his  first  wife, 
and  their  only  child  died  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen months.  On  the  i6th  of  August,  1866, 
Mr.  Greenlee  was  again  married,  his  sec- 
ond uniom  being  with  Rebecca  J.  Thomp- 
son, who  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1842,  a 
daughter  of  R.  S.  and  Rebecca  Thompson. 
By  this  marriage  there  are  ten  children,  of 
whom  seven  are  yet  living:  William,  who 
is  married  and  resides  in  Pawnee,  Kansas; 
John,  who  assists  his  father  in  the  store  at 
Sterling,  and  has  a  wife  and  three  children, 
twin  sons  and  a  daughter ;  Stewart  C,  wl:o 
is  also'  living  in  Pawnee  county;  Florence, 
at  home;  Emmett,  a  clerk  in  Sterling;  Idel- 
la,  whoi  is  in  school :  and  Frank,  a  youth  of 
fourteen  years.  The  three  other  children 
died  in  infancy. 

In  1871  Mr.  Greenlee  removed  to 
Huntsville,  Alabama,  where  for  eight  years 
he  was  engaged  in  merchandising,  dealing 
in  dry  goods  and  groceries.  For  seven 
years  he  was  in  business  in  Ford  county, 
Illinois,  and  in  September,  1883,  he  came 
to  Kansas,  locating  first  in  Newton,  where 
he  remained  for  eighteen  months.  He  then 
removed  to  Ness  c^iunlv,  and  secured  a  half 
section  of  land  :i-  a  |irc-i.!ii]);a  n  and  tree 
claim.  For  four  years  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, improving  his  claim  to.  a  large  extent. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  sold 
iiis  claimj  and  went  tO'  Ness  City,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  bakery  business  from  1888 
until  1893.  The  latter  year  witnessed  his 
arrival  in  Sterling,  and  here  he  established 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


his  present  store.  He  is  engaged  in  the 
bakery  business.,  and  also  carries  a  large  line 
of  groceries  and  confectionery.  In  the  fall 
of  1900  he  purchased  his  brick  store  build- 
ing, which  is  now  well  equipped  and  taste- 
fully arranged.  The  goods  which  he  places 
upon  the  market  are  of  excellent  grade,  and 
he,  therefore,  receives  a  very  liberal  patron- 
age. During  the  past  five  years  he  has  also 
conducted  an  eating  house  in  one  of  his  two 
stores. 

In  his  political  afifiliations  Mr.  Greenlee 
is  a  Republican,  and  is  now  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  city  council  of  Sterling.  He 
is  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his 
adopted  city  and  its  progress  along  substan- 
tial lines  of  improvement,  and  he  therefore 
exercises  his  oiticial  prerogative  in  support 
of  every  measure  calculated  to  prove  of  gen- 
eral good.  He  also  belongs  to  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  He  has  practically 
made  all  that  he  has  since  coming  to  Kansas, 
for  when  he  remloved  to  his  claim  he  had  but 
sixty-five  cents.  As  the  years  have  passed 
his  diligence  and  unflagging  energy,  guided 
bv  sound  judgment,  have  enabled  him  to 
annually  augment  his  income  and  to-day  he 
is  a  prosperous  merchant  of  his  adopted 
town. 


DALLAS  GRO\'ER. 

Ellsworth  county  is  fortunate  in  that 
so  many  of  her  county  officials  are  men  of 
high  worth,  ability  and  integrity.  Such  is 
Dallas  Grover,  who  is  occupying  the  po- 
sition of  coimty  attorney.  He  is  a  well 
known  lawyer  of  broad  learning  and  prac- 
tical experience  in  his  profession,  and  in 
discharging  his  official  duties  has  gained 
Irlgh  commendation. 

For  fourteen  years  ilr.  Grover  has  been 
a  resident  of  Kansas.  He  was  born  in  Wap- 
v,-allopen,  Pennsylvania,  July  29,  1863,  and 
was  a  representative  of  one  of  the  old  fam- 
ilies of  the  county  in  colonial  days,  his  an- 
cestors locating  in  America,  and  his  mater- 
nal great-grandfather  served  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution,  and  in  all  the  wars  of  the 
country  the  family  has  been  represented  by 


loyal  defenders  of  the  old  flag.  Our  sub- 
ject is  a  son  of  Joshua  Grover,  a  native  of 
the  Keystone  state,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  and  lumber  business  on  an 
extensive  scale,  operating  steami  sawmills 
there  for  many  years.  In  former  days  he 
was  a  stanch  advocate  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  his  sympathy  with  the  temper- 
ance movement  led  him  to  ally  his  interests 
with  the  Prohibition  party.  He  is  very  ac- 
tive in  Christian  work,  holding  membership 
in  the  Evangelical  church,  in  which  he  is 
serving  as  an  officer.  He  is  also  a  great 
worker  in  the  Sunt'ay  school,  and  does  all 
in  his  power  to  advance  the  cause  of  Chris- 
tianity along  the  lines  of  labor  prescribed 
by  his  denomination.  He  married  Helen 
Shortz,  a  daughter  of  George  Shortz,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  eleven  children. 
Dallas  Grover,  the  fourth  i«  order  of 
birth,  pursued  his  preliminary  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  in  an  academy  of 
Orangeville,  and  pursued  a  four  years"  class- 
ical course  in  Lafayette  College,  in  east- 
ern Pennsylvania.  He  won  the  first  ora- 
torical prize  while  a  student  in  that  insti- 
tution, and  was  valedictorian  of  the  class 
of  1887.  From  an  early  age  his  studies 
were  prosecuted  with  the  intention  of  mak- 
ing the  practice  of  law  his  life  work,  and 
with  a  broad,  general  knowledge  to  serve  as 
a  foundatiou  upon  which  to  rear  the  super- 
structure of  professional  learning,  he  took 
up  the  study  of  law.  In  1887  he  came  to 
Wilson,  Ellsworth  county,  Kansas,  and  se- 
cured the  position  of  superintendent  of 
schools,  continuing  to  act  in  that  capacity 
for  several  years.  He  also  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  a  newspaper,  the  Echo,  a  weekly 
journal,  O'f  which  he  is  still  part  owner. 
However,  in  pursuance  of  his  original  pur- 
pose, he  then  renewed  his  preparation  for 
the  bar,  and  in  1895  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice. He  then  opened  an  office  in  Wilson, 
where  he  remained  until  1900,  when  he  was 
elected  county  attorney  and  came  to  Ells- 
worth. He  has  been  very  faithful  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties,  and  his  ■  capability 
is  widely  acknowledged.  He  prepares  his 
cases  with  great  thoroughness  and  precision- 
is  logical  in  his  deductions,  sound  in  argu- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


759 


ment,  and  while  giving-  dne  imix)rtance  to 
each  detail  never  loses  sight  of  the  leading- 
points  upon  which  the  decision  of  the  case 
always  rests. 

Mr.  Grover  is  a  supporter  of  Repub- 
lican principles,  and  on  that  ticket  was  a 
candidate  for  state  senator  in  1892.  He  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  the  party  w^ork 
in  this  portion  of  the  state,  has  delivered 
man}^  campaign  addresses  and  is  a  convinc- 
mg,  entertaining  and  popular  speaker.  He 
has  been  a  delegate  to  county  and  district 
conventions,  and  in  his  senatorial  contest 
he  made  a  strong  race.  Socially  he  is  con- 
nected with  Samaria  Lodge,  No.  298,  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Wilson,  and  in  his  religious  be- 
lief he  holds  membership  in  the  Presby- 
terian church.  His  home  relations  are  very 
pleasant,  for  on  the  5th  of  July,  1897,  he 
was  happily  married  to  Miss  Edith  Barton, 
a  daughter  of  S.  E.  and  E.  J.  Barton,  for- 
merly of  Kansas  City,  but  now  of  Wilson. 
They  have  two  sons,  Dallas  and  La  Motte. 
Mr.  Gro\'er  is  widely  and  favorably  known 
in  the  county  of  his  adoption  and  has  many 
wa;m  friends. 


A.  P.  JOHNSON. 


A.  P.  Johnson,  who  is  well  known 
throughout  Reno  county,  because  of  the 
1  rominence  he  has  attained  as  a  stockman 
and  farmer,  was  born  in  Mineral  county, 
West  Virginia,  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Su- 
sanna (Parker)  Johnson,  both  natives  of 
the  Old  Dominion.  The  family  are  num- 
bered among  the  old  and  honored  residents 
of  that  commonwealth,  and  the  grandfa- 
ther of  our  subject,  Okey  Johnson,  was 
there  born,  as  w^as  also  his  father,  James 
Johnson,  and  the  latter  w-as  a  Revolutionary 
hero.  Abraham  Johnson,  the  father  of  him 
whose  name  introduces  this  review,  became 
an  extensive  land  owner  in  his  native  state, 
and  prior  to  the  war  he  owned  many  slaves. 
He  still  makes  his  home  on  his  old  farm- 
stead there,  aged  eighty-one  years,  and  his 
wife  has  reached  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  They  became  the  parents  of  nine 
children,   four  of  whom  grew  to  years  of 


maturity,  and  three  still  survive,  namely : 
Ann  R.,  the  wife  of  Joseph  Rinehart,  of 
Mineral  county,  W^est  Virginia;  A.  P.,  of 
this  review;  and  Charles  E.,  who  owns  the 
old  homestead  in  Mineral  county. 

A.  P.  Johnsoaii  grew  to  years  of  ma- 
turity under  the  parental  roof.  His  elemen- 
tary education  was  received  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  neighborhood,  and  he  com- 
pleted his  studies  in  the  Randolph  Macon 
Methodist  Episcopal  College,  of  Ashland, 
Virginia.  On  putting  aside  his  text  books 
to  take  up  the  active  duties  of  life  on  his 
ow-n  account  he  assumed  charge  of  the  home 
farm,  wdiere  he  was  engaged  in  general 
fanning  and  stock  raising  until  1886,  when 
he  sold  his  interests  in  the  south  and  came 
to  Reno>  county,  Kansas.  Upon  his  arrival 
here  he  purchased  the  northw-est  quarter  of 
section  thirteen,  but  as  the  years  have 
passed  by  and  prosperity  has  rewarded  his 
efforts,  he  has  added  to  his  landed  posses- 
sions until  he  is  now  the  ow'ner  of  five  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  rich  and  fertile 
land.  In  1896  he  purchased  his  home  place 
and  the  same  year  erected  his  beautiful  and 
attractive  residence  and  his  large  and  con- 
venient barn.  The  latter  is  one  of  the  most 
complete  and  convenient  feed  barns  in  the 
county.  It  is  a  roomy  structure,  all  under 
cover,  and  in  his  feed  lots  he  has  double 
cribs  one  hundred  and  fifty  by  thirty-six 
feet,  with  a  capacity  of  about  twelve  thou- 
sand bushels  of  grain.  His  entire  farm  is 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  grain,  with  the 
exception  of  his  original  purchase  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  is  used  for 
feed  lots.  Mr.  Johnson  has  earned  the 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most  careful, 
systematic  and  successful  stock  raisers  of 
Reno  county.  He  feeds  from  five  hundred 
to  six  hundred  cattle  each  year,  and  annu- 
ally ships  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
car  loads.  His  method  has  been  to  buy  his 
cattle  when  two  years  old,  and  feed  them  for 
a  year,  when  they  are  placed  upon  the  mar- 
ket. During  the  summer  of  1891  he  shipped 
one  hundred  and  fifty  three-year-old  cat- 
tle of  his  ow-n  feeding,  with  an  average 
weight  of  fifteen  hundred  pounds.  He  usu- 
ally buys  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  thou- 


76o 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


sand  Inishels  of  grain  annually,  and  one 
notable  fact  in  connection  with  his  feeding 
is  that  diu'ing  the  fifteen  years  in  which  he 
lias  been  engaged  in  the  business  he  has 
never  been  o'bliged  to  ship  in  but  one  car 
load  of  grain,  which  fact  indicates  the  char- 
acter of  Lincoln  township  as  a  grain  pro- 
ducing district.  He  usually  grinds  the 
grain  which  he  feeds,  and  for  this  purpose 
he  ha^'  a  niiM  which  has  a  capacity  of  sixty 
bushels  an  hour,  and  which  contains  a 
twelve-horse  power  engine.  In  addition  to 
the  large  number  of  cattle  which  he  feeds 
he  also  feeds  about  five  hundred  hogs  a  year. 
Mr.  Johnson  has  reduced  stock  feeding  to  a 
science.  He  is  a  careful  student  of  causes 
and  effects,  and  in  his  carefully  conducted 
tests  in  feeding  and  the  care  of  cattle  under 
var\'iiig  ciinditions  and  circumstances  he  has 
arrived  at  many  cnnclusidns,  which  he  has 
not  <inl\-  utilized  in  his  own  advantage,  but 
has  also  gi\-en  to  his  brother  stockmen.     He 


is  a  well  known  contributor  to  various  live 
stock  publications,  and  is  the  author  of  the 
article  on  "Cattle  Raising  and  Feeding,"  in 
the  work  entitled  "The  Beef  Steer  and  His 
Sister,"  issued  by  Secretary  Coburn,  of  the 
State  Agricultural   College. 

On  the  1 2th  of  July,  189S,  Mr.  John- 
son was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha 
Lulu  Millar,  who  w"as  born  and  reared  in 
Reno  county,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Mil- 
lar, of  Hutchinson.  Li  political  matters  Mr. 
Johnson  gives  his  support  to  the  Democracy. 
He  is  a  worthy  member  and  active  worker 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  Soutli, 
in  wliicli  he  has  long  served  as  a  member  of 
the  otificial  jjoard,  also  as  the  church  choris- 
ter and  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school.  He  is  recognized  as  an  authority 
on  all  questions  relating  to  the  stock  raising 
industry,  and  uncpiestionably  takes  the  lead 
in  this  branch  of  business  in  his  section  of 
the  state. 


,VJ(M 


^ss 


>^. 


.9^ 


^€^